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Samsung Galaxy S21 FE 5G (Snapdragon) Camera review: The better S21
The Samsung Galaxy S21 FE (“Fan Edition”) 5G (Snapdragon) offers many of the features, including the Snapdragon 888 chipset, of the standard S21 5G model, at a slightly more affordable price point. FE users can compose images on a large 6.4” Dynamic AMOLED display with FHD+ resolution and power is supplied by a 4,500 mAh battery. Let’s have a closer look at how the Samsung Galaxy S21 FE 5G (Snapdragon) performs in the DXOMARK Camera tests and compares to its rivals. About DXOMARK Camera tests: For scoring and analysis in our smartphone camera reviews, DXOMARK engineers capture and evaluate over 3000 test images and more than 2.5 hours of video both in controlled lab environments and in natural indoor and outdoor scenes, using the camera’s default settings.
This article is designed to highlight the most important results of our testing. For more information about the DXOMARK Camera test protocol, click here. Samsung Galaxy S21 FE 5G (Snapdragon) 117 camera 119 Preview Preview 64 91 Apple iPhone 14 Pro Max Best: Apple iPhone 14 Pro Max (91) 111
%s Outdoor Photos & videos shot in bright light conditions (≥1000 lux) BEST 160 Top score
%s Indoor Photos & videos shot in good lighting conditions (≥100lux) BEST 132 Top score %s Lowlight Photos & videos shot in low lighting conditions (<100 lux) BEST 149 Top score %s Friends & Family Portrait and group photo & videos
Please be aware that beyond this point, we have not modified the initial test results. While data and products remain fully comparable, you might encounter mentions and references to the previous scores. Xiaomi Redmi Note 12 Pro 5G 102 116.
Xiaomi Redmi Note 11 Pro 5G 78 136. Xiaomi Redmi 12C 45 14th 14 Position in Premium Ranking 1. Nice color in indoor and outdoor images
Pretty accurate subject isolation in bokeh mode Accurate exposure, white balance and focus preview when zooming
Good exposure in low contrast video Accurate white balance and color in bright light and indoor video Good video stabilization for static scenes Cons Limited dynamic range results in highlight clipping Ghosting, hue shift and color fringing artifacts
Frame shifts and ringing artifacts in video The Samsung Galaxy S21 FE 5G (Snapdragon) camera does a respectable job, earning itself a DXOMARK Camera score of 120 that puts it into a mid-field position in the Premium segment. The score is one point higher than the S21 5G (Snapdragon), making the FE model a great alternative to the standard model for photocentric users. This said, with the S21 5G having been available at retailers for several months now its street price has come down to a level that is very close to the FE. Overall, the camera performs on a very similar level to the other models in the S21 series from Samsung. This indoor image offers accurate color rendering without any casts. However, slight color fringing and huw shifts are noticeable. In this shot and the graph below, we can see that the Samsung Galaxy S21 FE’s texture performance has been improved over the Samsung Galaxy S21 5G. Textures are slightly more refined in all light conditions.
Samsung Galaxy S21 FE 5G (Snapdragon), low light texture Samsung Galaxy S21 FE 5G (Snapdragon), crop: slight loss of texture Samsung Galaxy S21 5G (Snapdragon), low light texture Samsung Galaxy S21 5G (Snapdragon), stronger loss of texture, stronger noise Samsung Galaxy S21 FE 5G (Snapdragon), indoor texture Samsung Galaxy S21 FE 5G (Snapdragon), crop: slight loss of texture Samsung Galaxy S21 5G (Snapdragon), indoor texture Samsung Galaxy S21 5G (Snapdragon), stronger loss of texture, more highlight clipping Texture comparison: the S21 FE Snapdragon is very slightly improved over the S21 5G across all light levels.
The difference is most noticeable in low light. The preview image in bokeh mode is very close to the final capture. Samsung Galaxy S21 FE 5G (Snapdragon), preview image Samsung Galaxy S21 FE 5G (Snapdragon), crop: preview only slightly different to final capture Samsung Galaxy S21 FE 5G (Snapdragon), final capture in bokeh mode Samsung Galaxy S21 FE 5G (Snapdragon), crop: similar bokeh effect to preview image
In bokeh mode, images can sometimes be slightly underexposed, but the simulated bokeh effect provides mostly accurate depth estimation, with only a few visible depth artifacts. Bokeh mode: good depth estimation
When using the tele zoom, exposure is generally accurate and stable, but dynamic range is limited, which can result in highlight clipping in high contrast scenes. Our testers also observed a loss of detail at most tele and ultra-wide zoom settings, as well as some autofocus failures.
Samsung Galaxy S21 FE 5G (Snapdragon), long range zoom Samsung Galaxy S21 FE 5G (Snapdragon), crop: good exposure but loss of detail In video mode, the Samsung Galaxy S21 FE 5G (Snapdragon) records footage with good exposure in low-contrast scenes. However, in more difficult high-contrast conditions video clips tend to be underexposed. Our testers also observed some color and white balance instabilities but overall white balance and color rendering are generally accurate when recording in bright light or under typical indoor conditions.
In low light, an orange cast is more intrusive than on the comparison phones. Noise is quite visible in all conditions, it’s particularly strong in low light. We also noticed frame shift and ringing artifacts in all conditions.
Video stabilization does a good job in static scenes and is on a similar level as the competitors.
In this sample clip, we can see that at the start of the video the subject is slightly underexposed. Strong color and exposure instabilities are noticeable between 00:19 and 00:25 are visible.
We can also see frame shifts and an exposure adaptation issue towards the end of the clip when the model turns around.
Samsung Galaxy S21 FE 5G review
The ultrawide camera is a bit of an oddball – it has either Sony IMX258 or the Hynix Hi1336 – both are 13MP sensors with 1.12µm pixels behind 13mm f/2.2 lens and with a focus fixed at infinity. Whatever sensor turns out in your Galaxy S21 FE, it will save 12MP images – as advertised by the PR materials. And just like on the previous Fan Edition, this zoom camera also saves a bit upscaled 12MP photos for whatever reason. Finally, the 32MP selfie camera is also identical to the one on the S20 FE – it relies on a Sony IMX616 Quad-Bayer sensor with a 25mm f/2.2 lens, and a focus fixed at infinity. This camera, contrary to the majority of the Quad-Bayer selfie shooters, saves native 8MP images. The colors are quite pleasant, even if not perfectly accurate – they came out looking a bit warmer than they really were in real life, but that’s fine.
The colors are nicely popping, a match to the main camera, and just a bit warmer and punchier than they should have been. This camera has a 13MP sensor, but it saves 12MP images, and our guess is that the corner straightening involves a minor crop, too.
Their resolved detail is in the high range, even if the sharpness isn’t on par with the other cameras because of the minor upscaling. The contrast, dynamic range and color presentation are a match to the rest of the cameras, too, meaning you get high contrast, high dynamic range, and a bit warmer and punchier colors than they actually were that day. In broad daylight, the Galaxy S21 FE telephoto camera is the better shooter, even if by a small margin. The S21 FE offers sharper images with less noise, noticeably better contrast, and more likable colors.
The difference in the resolved detail isn’t a major one, but the S21 FE has the upper hand – especially if you crop the photos or inspect them from up close. Portrait mode is available on the Galaxy S21 FE, and while it defaults at the 3x zoom camera, you can switch to the primary one as well.
The portraits from the main camera also excel in separation and bokeh, but their subjects are much sharper, more colorful, and the contrast is better. They are rich in detail, contrasty, with excellent color saturation, high dynamic range and realistic exposure and look.
While Auto HDR succeeds in restoring most clipped highlights in the normal shooting mode, it doesn’t do much for brightening up the shadows. The 12MP ultrawide photos at night offer good color saturation, life-like exposure and higher than expected dynamic range, they are often extremely soft and overrun by noise.
The Night Mode on the ultrawide camera produces likable photos with enough detail, low (or at least tolerable) noise, improved exposure and dynamic range, and excellent color saturation. These Night Mode images are not as great as the ones from the main camera, but they are much better than the default ones and perfectly usable.
Most of the time, the low-light 3x zoomed photos you are going to shoot will turn out to be cropped and upscaled from the main camera’s output.
The selfie camera on the Galaxy S21 FE, just like on many other Samsung phones, features a toggle to determine how wide the frame will be. They’re natural-looking, with low noise, balanced sharpness, and excellent colors, contrast, and dynamic range. The fixed focus sweet spot, however, is not ideally tuned for shooting at an arm’s length, so selfie sharpness is less than stellar.
The 4K clips from the main camera are very good – the captured detail is above the average, the dynamic range is outstanding, the colors are great, and the noise is low. There is plenty of detail in them; they are sharp, and share all likable qualities we observed on the main camera – great colors, dynamic range, contrast, and even low noise. The low-light videos from the main camera are alright – they have good color saturation and realistic exposure.
The gentle noise reduction leaves a lot of detail visible, the exposure is not bad, and the colors aren’t that much desaturated.
Samsung Galaxy S21 FE review: just off the mark
There’s a category in the smartphone market that has emerged over the past few years that I’ll call “value flagships.” Buying one feels a little like getting away with something — nearly all the features of a high-end device with a significantly lower price. Phones like the iPhone SE, Pixel A-series, and Samsung’s Galaxy S20 FE are classics of the genre, combining the right features for the right price at the right time. The S21 FE arrives very late in the S21 family’s product cycle, taking some of the shine off of the “this year’s flagship for less” appeal. It also offers just about everything you get from the standard S21, with the exception of a couple fewer gigs of RAM, a lower-quality telephoto camera, and a slightly larger screen.
Great software support policy The Bad Fast charging brick costs extra But with the other high-end components and a lovely screen to look at, this feels like a device on the very highest rung of the midrange ladder.
Power users may find themselves in the single digit battery percentage at the end of a day, especially with the screen smoothness setting at its 120Hz default. The S21 FE doesn’t support fast charging over a computer’s USB port, so if you want the best speeds and don’t have a compatible power brick on hand you’ll need to buy one.
The S21 FE includes the same top-notch Snapdragon 888 processor as the rest of the S21 series, but offers 6GB of RAM as the base model option compared to the S21’s 8GB. If you set a photo as your wallpaper, the phone will suggest a complementary color palette to apply to buttons and icons.
It is possible to take 30x hybrid zoom images with the S21 FE, but the camera is working with a lot less data than the S21, so photos at that length look (predictably) like watercolors. Photos are bright and saturated, as we expect from Samsung, and night mode renders an impressive amount of detail, provided your subject isn’t moving.
It can’t quite match the Pixel 6’s camera for detail retention, in either night or standard shooting modes, and the S21 FE’s warmer, more saturated look isn’t my favorite. Both the ultrawide and selfie cameras do their jobs just fine, and I don’t suspect that prospective S21 FE owners will care too much about the differences between them and their S21 counterparts. It meets or exceeds the S21 FE’s capabilities in just about every way — it has a better camera, is built with premium materials on the front and back, includes a little more RAM, and offers comparable performance from its new Google-designed Tensor chip.
Samsung Galaxy S21 FE 5G vs. Google Pixel 6 camera shootout
As long as your lighting is good and your subjects aren’t moving, you could definitely snap some Instagram-worthy shots. Both bring really solid cameras to the table, so I wanted to see where the strengths and weaknesses were by looking at a number of different categories and lighting conditions. In this case, both phones perform quite well when switching between the ultrawide and main cameras, but both also get a little pale and washed out when you zoom in. I’m still not positive what black magic goes into the camera to allow it to take such gorgeous handheld shots of the moon, but suffice it to say, it’s excellent.
What you’re looking for inside is natural bokeh from your close-ups, color reproduction, and white balance. In this scenario, the Google Pixel 6 slightly edges out the Samsung in terms of color accuracy and smoothing out those highlights and lens flare when you accidentally catch light in the background. On the front and the back, Samsung only just barely nips some stray strands of hair in portrait mode. Meanwhile, Google’s portrait mode blurred the back half of my head and jacket. Both phones did well picking up the background inside the crook of my arm when I held it up, but Google still had trouble figuring out where my jacket ended. On the flip side, Samsung forces a much closer crop than Google for portrait mode, and I think this mostly works well. There’s little background to get confused over, while Google’s wider shot keeps the close ground in focus and fades as it goes back. The Pixel 6 kept a greater amount of detail overall and had less trouble finding focus when snapping the macro shot, but the S21 FE has a greater depth of field, allowing me to keep a bigger part of the subject in focus.
Both phones perform well at night, but the Pixel does a much better job at preserving details and reducing blown-out highlights. The good news is that Samsung’s 3X optical zoom performs quite well at night, which is often a problem, even in flagship phones.
While both phones perform very well in good lighting conditions, The nod here goes to the Pixel 6 mainly because of the stabilization of the footage. Whether you’re walking with the main shooter on the back or the front-facing camera, Google’s stabilization makes it look like your phone is on a track.
I was surprised by this since the Galaxy S21 Ultra had rock-solid stabilization, so I’d hoped that trend would continue. The Google Pixel 6 takes the most categories here, but don’t count the Samsung Galaxy S21 FE out entirely.
Put simply, if you want to zoom in with a Pixel, it’ll cost you an extra three benjamins. As for a solid recommendation of one phone over the other, it’s easy to say it depends on your use case, but the Google Pixel 6 is my pick for most categories.
Samsung Galaxy S21 FE Review: Don’t Pay Full Price
If you saw the words “Fan Edition” etched on a product, chances are you’d expect some exclusive features or designs for the company’s most devoted followers, right? I’ve been using the FE for nearly four weeks and have been able to run all my usual apps and games with barely a sputter, thanks to the flagship Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 chip inside.
I did notice the phone getting quite warm and saw a bit of stuttering as my gaming sessions stretched past an hour in Final Fantasy VII: The First Soldier, but that’s to be expected. It helps that it’s light and thin, and you won’t need to worry about the back shattering after an accidental drop because it’s made of composite plastic.
This matte rear can look grubby at times (it attracts a lot of fingerprints), but I’m more upset that Samsung decided to forgo the accented color design on the camera module. Having a variable rate usually translates to better battery life as the screen won’t need to refresh so many times if you’re just static on the homepage.
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