Bottom line: The Galaxy S21 FE has the makings of a fabulous value flagship: A stunning 120Hz AMOLED panel, stereo sound, and the Exynos 2100 platform are well-suited for intense gaming sessions. Why you can trust Android Central Our expert reviewers spend hours testing and comparing products and services so you can choose the best for you. It offered similar hardware as the standard Galaxy S20 at a lower price point, propelling Samsung to deliver one of the best Android phones of the year. Other than that, Samsung hasn’t really changed much here, with the S21 FE offering the same camera modules as its predecessor, as well as the same battery and charging tech. While Samsung offers the Qualcomm-powered version of the S21 FE in North America and South Korea, other international markets get the Exynos 2100-powered model. Samsung calls the rear camera design contour cut, with the housing blending seamlessly into the phone’s frame.
The design is very minimalist, and unlike other phones in this category, the camera housing doesn’t have any extraneous branding, just three modules ensconced by large rings. The camera housing protrudes slightly from the body, but it doesn’t cause a wobble when using the phone on a flat surface.
While I understand that this is the direction Samsung is taking for its flagship series, it could have retained the microSD slot and a 3.5mm jack considering the phone is aimed at fans. The 120Hz mode is enabled out of the box, and the phone feels sublime in daily use, whether it’s gaming, streaming videos, or scrolling through text. The S21 FE feels just as fast as devices powered by the Snapdragon 888, and I didn’t see any of the throttling issues that plagued the Exynos 990. There’s a level of fluidity and performance that was sorely lacking in previous generations, and while the Exynos 990 wasn’t slow by any measure, it struggled with consistency — particularly when gaming.
Samsung says it chose the Exynos 2100 in countries like India instead of the Snapdragon 888 version because of all the positive feedback from the Galaxy S21 series. I didn’t see any issues with overheating or lag even during extended gaming sessions, and in my use, the Exynos 2100 feels just as reliable as the Snapdragon 888 for most tasks. Samsung went with an optical in-screen fingerprint reader for the S21 FE, so it is faster and works better than the ultrasonic ones that you’ll find in the regular S21 series. Even when I spent time outdoors and needed to rely on cellular data and navigation, there was at least a 20% charge by the end of the day.
I can understand Samsung’s rationale, but the move feels shortsighted and not in line with the ethos that this is a phone meant for fans. There’s also the option to shoot footage from both the front and rear cameras at once, and Samsung says it made tweaks to its Night mode to deliver better images in low-light situations. The Night mode brightens shadows and does a much better job eking out more detail in low-light situations, and it works just as well on the wide-angle lens. There’s also a better interface for picking out widgets, and while Samsung hasn’t integrated Google’s Material You color picker feature, it offers a derivative that works just as well.
However, Samsung’s collaboration with Microsoft means you also get the Office suite and LinkedIn pre-installed, and thankfully, you can uninstall all of these services.
Having switched over from One UI 3.1 on the Galaxy Z Fold 3 to the S21 FE, there isn’t a lot that has changed from a user-facing point of view. The phone has plenty to offer on the hardware front, the cameras are still relevant, you don’t miss out on any extras, and because of the discount, the S20 FE is an outstanding value in a lot of markets right now. The phone has robust hardware in the form of a Snapdragon 888, 120Hz AMOLED panel, stellar cameras, and all-day battery life with 65W fast charging.
Samsung nailed the fundamentals once again, with the S21 FE offering a good 120Hz AMOLED panel backed by robust internal hardware and all-day battery life. So whether it’s gaming, playing videos and movies, or just scrolling through social media, the S21 FE is effortlessly fluid in day-to-day use.
Samsung has stayed too close to the regular S21 series with the S21 FE, and the result is that you don’t get a charger in the box, and the device misses out on the microSD card slot. There isn’t much missing here; you get a vibrant AMOLED screen with a 120Hz refresh rate, the Exynos 2100 platform holds its own during intensive tasks, the cameras are great, the battery lasts all day, and it runs Android 12 out of the box.
The S21 FE isn’t lacking in terms of extras, with IP68 water resistance and wireless charging included as standard. It is much more palatable in India at ₹49,999 ($670), but that is still a little too high; it needs to be selling in the vicinity of ₹45,000 ($602) to see anywhere close to the same level of sales figures that the S20 FE managed to attain.
If history is any indication, Samsung won’t wait too long before rolling out enticing offers for the S21 FE in most markets. The Galaxy S22 series is on the horizon, and the S21 FE will undoubtedly get a discount once the regular S22 is available on store shelves around the world.
Samsung Galaxy S21 FE 5G (Exynos 2100) Review
These results tend to lower the average score, but we include them in the calculation because it provides a better indication of real-world performance.
Samsung Galaxy S21 FE review: Questionable value
It does those things, to some degree, but the timing of the phone’s arrival to market is off, as is the price point, and that leaves the Galaxy S21 FE standing in a strange spot. The phone is being supported widely by US carriers, including AT&T, T-Mobile, and Verizon, as well as the usual slate of third-party electronics retailers.
The US and European model ships with the Snapdragon 888 processor, though some global variants of the phone will pack the Samsung-made Exynos 2100 SoC instead.
Samsung took the one significant visual design characteristic of the Galaxy S21 — the raised corner camera module — and made sure the S21 FE featured it prominently.
I’d call it a bit of a step up from the Galaxy S20 FE, which wasn’t as cohesive in its looks. The phone is fairly light, too, which helps reduce or prevent hand fatigue during prolonged use.
The plastic backing gives me more confidence in carrying it around without a case, but surely some will feel better about wrapping it up in some protection (check out our picks at the link above.) The phone meets the IP68 rating for protection from dust and water, which is increasingly common for affordable flagships.
The smooth Gorilla Glass and metal frame go a long way toward giving the phone a better-than-mid-range appeal.
The plastic rear panel in no way feels like glass despite Samsung’s marketing, but the matte finish works really well and helps prevent fingerprints from mucking it up.
A small power button and stubby volume toggle populate the right edge of the phone. There’s no headphone jack, but you’ll encounter the USB-C port and SIM card tray on the bottom edge.
In sum, there’s absolutely nothing objectionable about the Samsung Galaxy S21 FE design and hardware. It passingly resembles the now-retired Galaxy S21 but doesn’t carry the same sex appeal. The Galaxy S21 FE’s AMOLED display measures 6.4 inches, with an odd 13:6 aspect ratio.
This means scrolling behavior looks a bit smoother when using apps like Twitter and YouTube. The S21 FE’s faster 240Hz touch sampling rate gives it an advantage over slower screens when it comes to gaming. You’ll find a proper number of advanced tools for controlling the screen’s behavior. In addition to basics such as dark mode and blue light settings, the Galaxy S21 FE permits owners to choose from several pre-defined color profiles, as well as set their own white balance and even custom-tune red, blue, and green levels to get the look they want. We tested it with an Anker Nano II 30W charger and it usually took about 90 minutes to recharge fully — nothing to write home about, but not terrible either.
The phone does offer reverse wireless charging for accessories, so you can power up your headphones or smartwatch when needed. Some mid-range devices from Motorola, however, handily beat the S21 FE with two-day battery life. I found the Galaxy S21 FE to be a smooth operator across the board no matter the task at hand, including more intensive 3D games such as Asphalt 9. We ran the usual set of benchmark apps, including AnTuTu, GeekBench, and 3DMark, and the phone put up respectable scores that stopped just short of being outstanding.
That means it handily outperformed the vast majority of entry-level and mid-range phones. It scored on par with competing Snapdragon 888 devices, such as the Galaxy S21 or OPPO Find X3.
With our homegrown Speed Test G benchmark, the Galaxy S21 FE scored one minute 22 seconds, which is right on par for a Snapdragon 888 phone. Sure, the lenses may look bigger thanks to the revamped rear hardware, but the sensors themselves and their core capabilities are carried over from one generation to the next.
The main camera has a 12MP sensor at f/1.8 with OIS and dual pixel autofocus — same as the Galaxy S21. Everyday shots you take outdoors during the day or indoors with good lighting turn out bright with that typical Samsung color boost.
The camera defaults to auto HDR, and the tool manages to balance things out in decent fashion even in high-contrast scenes. Hopping to the ultrawide, which is at 0.5x zoom compared to the main camera, is fun when you want to squeeze more into the frame.
Ultrawide shots are definitely softer than those taken from the main camera, but the color profile and exposure are about the same. HDR isn’t as effective with this camera and you’re more apt to get overexposed or underexposed spots in photos with overly bright or dark regions. You’ll find 20x and 30x Space Zoom to be mostly worthless in terms of real-world results. It’s the same night mode available on other Samsung phones, which means it takes a longer exposure and you have to hold still when shooting.
Results vary widely depending on the light, what you’re shooting, and how still you hold the phone. The selfie camera does a fair job when it comes to color and exposure, but images are a bit soft in terms of focus. These all work the same as they have on most Samsung phones over the last few years and the selection strikes a nice balance between fun and functional. The high-res video footage I shot looked good on my 4K monitor, though contrast was a little flat.
Bottom line, the Samsung Galaxy S21 FE has a good camera for the price point, though it doesn’t quite match today’s leading devices. While the majority of people will be satisfied with the S21 FE’s camera, those looking for the best possible experience may benefit from going with a newer flagship.
It was among the first phones from Samsung to ship with the current operating system from Google, and that’s a good start. For example, you’ll notice the new speaker/microphone alerts in the notification bar when the phone is using those features, as well as the precise/approximate location dialog box.
One UI does a fair job of adopting Android 12’s automatic color palette feature, but the options aren’t quite as good as those you’ll see on the Google Pixel 6 devices. It was among the first phones from Samsung to ship with the current operating system from Google, and that’s a good start. For example, you’ll notice the new speaker/microphone alerts in the notification bar when the phone is using those features, as well as the precise/approximate location dialog box. One UI does a fair job of adopting Android 12’s automatic color palette feature, but the options aren’t quite as good as those you’ll see on the Google Pixel 6 devices.
That’s better than any other phone maker at the moment, even Google, which means your S21 FE will remain up to date longer than most. So far, we’ve seen updates through the November 2022 security patch and Android 13 is just starting to roll out. That’s better than any other phone maker at the moment, even Google, which means your S21 FE will remain up to date longer than most.
So far, we’ve seen updates through the November 2022 security patch and Android 13 is just starting to roll out. There’s also a basic face recognition feature, though it’s not the super-secure type that relies on dedicated hardware. There’s also a basic face recognition feature, though it’s not the super-secure type that relies on dedicated hardware.
You’re not going to get the loudest, clearest sound in the world, but you’ll get enough volume to fill a small room and enough clarity to discern the highs from the lows, whether listening to music or watching videos. You’re not going to get the loudest, clearest sound in the world, but you’ll get enough volume to fill a small room and enough clarity to discern the highs from the lows, whether listening to music or watching videos. Samsung provided a T-Mobile SIM card with our review unit and we were able to put the phone’s 5G to the test. The Galaxy S22 has fully updated specs, a more appealing design, and higher performance parameters.
This phone is legit $300 more than the S21 FE, but you’re getting a lot for your money with one of the best all-rounders in the market. The phone has an excellent camera, solid performance and some AI-powered perks, and a software commitment that’s almost as good as the Galaxy S21 FE.
Moreover, you get special Pixel-exclusive features directly from Google, such as Call Screening, Now Playing for music discovery, Live Caption, and others. The updated Tensor G2 chip also fixes a few of the flaws from the previous Pixel 6, making it even better for the same price of admission.
In other words, if the Samsung Galaxy S21 FE doesn’t quite float your financial boat, you’ve got options. The screen is very good, battery life is above average, and it delivers better performance than many phones in its price class.
Samsung managed to ship the phone with the latest version of Android (at the time), and it comes with the very best OS and security update commitment. Samsung shipped the phone with the latest version of Android at the time, and it comes with the very best OS and security update commitment.
The phone simply doesn’t have the price advantage it needs to stand apart from the Galaxy S22. Budget-conscious power users in regions where the Galaxy S22 has an Exynos chipset may be tempted by the Fan Edition, but most should still favor the real thing.
The Pixel 7, in particular, is simply a better buy than the Samsung for the moment, especially if you care about camera results and software.
While the $100 between the S21 FE and the S22 is surely a lot to some potential buyers, it’s money well spent if you’re going with Samsung’s latest flagship.
Samsung Galaxy S21 FE Review
However, Samsung did not launch the Note 7 Fan Edition outside its home market, South Korea. In general, the Fan Edition or FE will have essential elements of the Galaxy S series but at a lower price.
Meaning, Samsung offers features that most fans want in their phone while leaving out certain aspects they do not care about.
Designed for fans of all kinds, the Galaxy S21 FE comes in a range of attractive colors like White, Lavender, Graphite, and Olive.
Moving on to the button placement, the volume rockers, and power button are present to the right edge of the smartphone, USB Type-C port, primary microphone, speaker grille, and Hybrid Dual SIM tray are present to the bottom, secondary microphone at the top, and the left side is left empty. The Galaxy S21 FE flaunts a 6.4-inch FULL HD+ (2400 x 1080 pixels) Super AMOLED display with support for 120Hz refresh rate and a centered punch-hole for the 32MP front camera.
Talking about the display quality, Samsung’s AMOLED panel is known for its bright, vivid colors and deep blacks, and the Galaxy S21 FE is no exception. Under the hood, the Galaxy S21 FE is powered by the Octa-Core Samsung Exynos 2100 5nm EUV processor paired with 8GB LPDDR5 RAM and 128GB internal storage (UFS 3.0).
Coming to real-world performance, the Exynos 2100 5nm processor handles almost any task thrown at it with ease. During my usage that involved constant browsing, juggling between social media applications, watching videos on YouTube, the Galaxy S21 FE handled it brilliantly. Thanks to the faster UFS 3.0 storage, apps were quick to load, and I did not notice any sort of lag whatsoever. During daylight conditions, the output from the 12MP primary sensor comes out good with well-balanced colors.
Coming to the 12MP f/2.2 ultra-wide-angle lens, it has a 123-degree field that offers a wider perspective while capturing photos or videos. The photos come out good in daylight conditions, but the details around the edges are much softer compared to the output from the primary sensor. You’ll start to notice the loss in detail when capturing photos beyond 3X, and images shot at up to 5x are usable, I’d say.
Further, the camera app offers quick toggle buttons to switch from ultra-wide-angle lens/primary/telephoto lens (0.5x, 1x, 2x, 4x, 10x, 20x, 30x).
The video quality is good, and the stabilization works as expected too, thanks to OIS on both primary and ultra-wide-angle lenses. OneUI 4 comes with features like Wireless Dex, gestures for third-party launchers, Pro Video mode, and more.
The Galaxy S21 FE supports Dual SIM (nano+nano),5G SA/NSA, 4G VoLTE, Wi-Fi 6 802.11ax (2.4/5GHz), Bluetooth 5.1, GPS + GLONASS, USB 3.1, Samsung Pay with NFC. Unlike S20 FE, the price of the S21FE is a bit on the higher side, making it tough to recommend.
The Samsung Galaxy S21 FE comes in White, Lavender, Graphite, and Olive colours and is priced at Rs.
Samsung Galaxy S21 FE 5G review: The fan edition smartphone goes into the next round
The new smartphone was slightly delayed; instead of celebrating its own market launch in November as expected, it was deferred to mid-January, which brings it very close to the unveiling of the upcoming Galaxy S22 series.
Samsung Galaxy S21 FE review: Super phone, super late
The Galaxy S21 FE, after a months-long delay, is finally in our hands, and I’ve had the opportunity of using one for the past week or so. I agreed with both those arguments when the phone launched in early January, but after using it as my primary device and now that pricing has been revealed for most markets, has the S21 FE managed to change my mind? However, unlike the Galaxy S21, S21+, and S21 Ultra, the rear camera island doesn’t connect to the metal frame. It just sticks out from the edge of the back panel, so it’s a discount version of the design that we fell in love with in early 2022 when the S21 series first arrived. The larger than ideal punch hole area aside, the Galaxy S21 FE has an excellent AMOLED display, as you expect from every Samsung flagship. As for the in-display optical fingerprint sensor, it’s surprisingly accurate and quick, and I prefer it over the ultrasonic variety found on Samsung’s non-FE flagships.
Naturally, Samsung also gives you the option of facial recognition for more convenient unlocking, and it works well most of the time. The Galaxy S21 FE doesn’t ship with a screen protector installed out of the box, at least in India or the UK, which is where we received our review units. There’s no 8K video recording on this phone, but the rest of the camera app’s functionality is copied from the Galaxy S21 series, including modes such as Director’s View. Selfies, meanwhile, are a little light on detail no matter the time of day or environment you’re shooting in but have low noise levels. In fact, Samsung also seems to have made a few minor improvements to One UI 4.0 that we don’t see on devices that got Android 12 through a software update. And Samsung must have done some crazy optimization here, because the S21 FE — even the Exynos 2100 variant — will last you all day long and then some with 120Hz mode enabled (unless you’re gaming for multiple hours) and performs much better than the S21+ with its 4,800 mAh battery.
In any case, the Galaxy S21 FE — whether you buy the Exynos or Snapdragon model — has fantastic battery life. It’s a solid phone, and while the removal of the microSD slot and in-box accessories might frustrate some, it’s still impressive what you’re getting for the asking price and you won’t regret the purchase.
Be First to Comment