The Samsung Galaxy S21 Fan Edition (FE) 5G is now the most affordable option within the brand’s premium S21 series. But as most of you already know, its release was delayed due to chipset shortage last year 2021, placing it at a bit of a weird spot in the market today. Just like its predecessor, the Samsung Galaxy S21 FE 5G shares a similar design language to its more expensive S21 brothers. Particularly, it looks more like the vanilla S21, but since it sports solid colorways and polycarbonate back, it reminds us more of the Samsung Galaxy A52 and A72.
One of the things we like about this design is how clean and minimalist it looks, it’s IP68 water and dust resistant, and it doesn’t attract smudges easily. The phone does still feel premium in a way, thanks to its aluminum frame and Dynamic Amoled 2X display with slim bezels and the usual punch hole notch on the upper center. This 120Hz Dynamic Amoled 2X panel has a resolution of 2340 x 1080px and a pixel density of 411ppi—giving us a smooth and vibrant display with very good outdoor visibility. In the display settings, you can adjust the refresh rate from a high 120Hz to the standard 60Hz if you want to save more battery life.
Audio-wise, its down-firing stereo speaker and earpiece produce averagely good quality. Moving on to cameras, its three lenses at the back are composed of a 12MP main with the same sensor as S21 and S21+; then, we get a 12MP ultrawide and an 8MP telephoto lens.
Quality-wise, shots from the rear camera mostly have great results, especially under ample lighting. Flipping upfront, its selfie camera provides natural-looking shots under ample lighting.
Under the hood, the local S21 FE is equipped with an Exynos 2100 processor together with a Mali-G78 GPU and 8GB of RAM. Apps load quickly, multitasking is a breeze, and it can practically handle anything you throw at it, including playing heavy graphic games. When it comes to biometrics and security, you can unlock the device via its in-display fingerprint scanner or through facial recognition. They’re fast and reliable; however, the fingerprint sensor is placed on the lower part of the display, so it can take some getting used to. For connectivity features, the Samsung Galaxy S21 FE 5G is equipped with WiFi, Bluetooth 5.0, GPS, NFC, 4G LTE, and of course, 5G. As some of you probably already know, the retail unit no longer comes with a charging adapter, and the cable that comes with it is a USB-C-to-C type, so you’ll be needing a USB-PD adapter or a standard Type-C charger if you already have one. When we ran it through the PCMark’s battery test, the device rated 10 hours and 20 minutes. All-in-all, this is a very good daily driver with a water-resistant build, stunning display, flagship performance, deliverable cameras, and 5G connectivity.
For one, the Galaxy S22 series is surely expected to be released in the coming months, and second, for its price, some consumers would rather look at discounted old flagship models.
Samsung Galaxy S21 FE review: Good phone, wrong time
To me, fans are the people who are first in line, first to read all the related news and rumors, and most importantly, the first to check out the latest products from their favorite device makers. So when Samsung announced the $700 Galaxy S21 Fan Edition almost a full year after the original S21 came out, it felt long overdue.
Elsewhere, the S21 FE essentially has the same design as its forebears, featuring a centrally located selfie cam in front, a power button and volume rocker on the right, and a USB-C port on bottom for data and charging. There’s a speaker grille down below that works with the phone’s earpiece to provide stereo audio, which sounds fine even if it’s a little light on bass for my taste.
Samsung makes the best phone displays in the industry, and even though the screen on the S21 FE isn’t quite as big or high-res as the S21 Ultra’s, there’s not much to complain about. Visually, this doesn’t have a big impact on the S21 FE’s overall UI and layout, though the extra personalization options do make it easier to customize your home and lock screens.
And because Samsung’s spin on Android has long included support for features like scrolling screenshots, the most important upgrade in One UI 4.0 is the new Privacy Dashboard. On the flip side, Samsung actually increased the resolution of S21 FE’s front cam to 32-MP (up from 10MP on the S21), which is nice if you like a lot of selfies or videos for social media.
But at the same time, I don’t really think this one upgrade is enough to change the overall impact of the device, leaving it feeling more like a nice bonus and less like a notable improvement. It delivers speedy performance and helps support features like 4K video capture across all of the phone’s cameras (at 60 frames per second on the main wide-angle and front selfie cams and 30 fps for the rest). But for people who do a lot of memory-intensive tasks like gaming or video editing, the FE’s lower base RAM is probably the biggest reason to pay $70 to upgrade to the 8GB model or just opt for a standard S21 or S21+. It’s annoying for sure, but like Apple, Google and others, Samsung says not including a power adapter with its phones should help cut down on e-waste.
It’s still a solid phone, but the standard Pixel 6 shoots better photos, has a more attractive design, and if you get the unlocked model directly from Google, it costs $100 less, too. So even if you’re a huge fan of Samsung’s latest FE handset, at the very least, you should wait to see what the S22 has to offer before purchasing what is essentially a year-old phone. Instead of a repackaged year-old phone, why not make a premium remixed version sporting a microSD card slot and headphone jack? Not only would this be a welcome alternative to a lot of today’s flagships with minimal ports, but it’d also be a considerate nod to old-school Galaxy phone fans who may have felt betrayed when Samsung removed those features from the S20 in 2019. 411ppi, up to 120Hz Dimensions 6.13 x 2.93 x 0.31 inches / 155.7 x 74.5 x 7.9 mm; 6.24 oz / 177 g Processor, RAM and Storage Qualcomm Snapdragon 888;6GB DDR5 RAM;128GB / 256GB UFS 3.1 storage Rear cameras 12MP f/1.8 wide, 1.2-micron pixels, 1/1.31″ sensor and f/1.85 aperture12MP ultrawide camera, 1.25-micron pixels, 114-degree FOV and f/2.2 Front camera 32MP, 1.22-micron pixels, f/2.2 Battery 4,500 mAh, 25-watt fast-charging, fast wireless charging Sensors and connectivity Under-display fingerprint sensor, single sim, NFC, WiFi 6, Bluetooth 5.0 Water resistance IP68
Samsung Galaxy S21 FE 5G review: An all around wonder
I’ve seen most fitness enthusiasts in my gym and obstacle parks wearing an Apple Watch. Back in June, I set my sights on the Garmin epix Pro after an event at the Manila Padel Club. After competing at the elite heat of Spartan Stadion, an explosive type of obstacle race course stretching 5 kilometers inside a national stadium, I ditched my Apple Watch Series 8. Even with a personal coach to aid my strength and conditioning training, I still needed a smartwatch to boost my performance.
The data I needed are stacked inside the smartwatch and the Connect app which is compatible with both iOS and Android devices. Garmin’s “beat yesterday” ethos resonated with me as I took on a four-month hardcore training regimen before my next competition.
When I switched to the Garmin epix Pro, I was overwhelmed by the amount of data readily available meant for an athlete. Of course, you can find the usual metrics such as sleep activity, heart rate, step count, respiration, and stress levels. At a glance, I can check my Body Battery status which gives me a glimpse of how much energy I can still spend throughout the day. Plenty of times, the epix Pro didn’t record the extra hour I slept in whenever I suddenly woke up at four o’clock in the morning. Nevertheless, it comes with a morning report that gave me insight into my sleep quality, the weather outlook, and other data I need. My Heart Rate Variability (HRV) status indicates my ability to perform, which usually changes if I sip a little alcohol in my body or I’m just getting a lot of stress from work and my personal affairs.
Living on the slopes of a mountain range, my training ground has never been ideal for Zone running. That number is counted as ‘Superior’ since I finally belong to the top five percent of my age and gender. In case you didn’t know, VO2 Max refers to the maximum amount of oxygen you can utilize during intense exercise. Since I transitioned from the Apple Watch, it didn’t know my previous data which means I can go faster than my smartwatch’s race predictions.
Instead, I used Garmin’s workout plans and customized its settings to provide me with a heart rate zone that I could use at certain distances. In a place where cellular reception is nonexistent, Garmin’s Multi-Satellite Support came into play and helped in navigating the secret river.
As I transition into becoming a recreational athlete who aims to stand on the podium one day, the Garmin epix Pro is the smartwatch I’ve always dreamt of. But the life I’m living and the future I want to build would require me to wear a non-fashionable yet functional smartwatch.
Samsung Galaxy S21 FE 5G Review | Geek Lifestyle
Back in January, Samsung launched the Galaxy S21 FE 5G, a more affordable version of last year’s flagship S21. While it may have a lower price tag, the S21 FE 5G still promises to give users a flagship smartphone experience as it does feature a top-of-the-line processor, a high refresh rate AMOLED display, and a capable triple camera setup. This means the S21 FE 5G doesn’t really lose all that much in terms of features, except for a telephoto shooter with a lower megapixel count.
On paper, the S21 FE 5G seems to be a true flagship, all while having a price tag that’s less than what you’d pay for a standard Samsung high-end smartphone.
Aside from coming in different colors (our review unit is in the Olive colorway), the camera module now shares the same look and finish at the rest of the back. Plus, the matte finish of the back also means the phone is not a fingerprint magnet, not to mention that it feels grippy even without a case.
Moving to the front, we can see the phones’ 6.4-inch display which has slim bezels and a small holepunch notch at the top. Thanks to the AMOLED screen, the phone’s display produces vibrant colors and deep blacks, and on top of the good level of brightness, the S21 FE 5G offers a great binge-watching experience.
First off though, the main shooter takes quality photos in daytime, with images having good detail and vibrant colors. Though you do need to select Night Mode manually for better ultrawide shots as the app doesn’t automatically switch to it unlike with the main camera. Finally, the phone’s front camera is able to take quality selfies that should satisfy social media savvy folks. It also helped that the S21 FE runs on OneUI, an Android user interface that I find to be one of the best in terms of ease-of-use and design.
But it does come with more guaranteed updates, as well as polished software and great cameras that can make it worth splurging on over other almost-flagship contenders.
Samsung Galaxy S21 FE 5G Review – Still good after 3 months?
We share our thoughts and experiences with the Samsung Galaxy S21 FE 5G after three weeks of use. For our review part 1: Samsung Galaxy S21 FE 5G Unboxing and First Impression! The phone features stereo that is split between the earpiece and the bottom-firing speaker.
For the best clarity, separation and sound quality, we recommend having the volume at 90 percent.
In daylight, all three cameras produce sharp and detailed images with decent color and good contrast. The 30X hybrid zoom is full of artefacts and noise while losing accurate colors.
Indoors, the photos get a hair increase in noise levels but the sharpness, contrast and detail are nearly the same as in daylight. The stock camera app that uses the selfie camera includes the following modes: Photo, Portrait, Video, Single Take, Night Selfie, Dual Recording and Hyperlapse. Indoors, there is an increase in noise and grain which slightly reduced the detail and sharpness of the image. In lowlight, the phone managed to keep the subject’s sharpness and detail at a good level. The Night mode was able to recover the contrast and noise of the low light selfies. The footage from both the selfie and rear cameras are sharp and detailed with good contrast and with little grain.
We hope Samsung can add stabilization to the higher resolution video of the selfie camera in the future. Inside the phone is the 5nm EUV Exynos 2100 5G octa-core processor, Mali-G78 MP14 GPU, and 8GB RAM. While in 3DMark Wild Life Extreme, the phone managed to score 1,849 overall and got an 11 fps average. It never got alarmingly hot even after two hours of gameplay however we recommend toning down the graphics for the best thermals.
In the latest version of Call of Duty: Mobile, the phone managed to unlock the highest graphics settings of Very High and Max frame rate. What is even better is that the phone can run the game at Very High graphics quality while at Max Frame rate.
However, we do not recommend running the game like this as the phone’s cooling can’t keep up after an extended session. It isn’t as secure as the sonic fingerprint scanner from the other S21 series members but it is more than good enough in performance.
While the Face Unlock with the selfie camera is also easy to set up and works fast. It detects our faces and unlocks the phone instantaneously in both well-lit and poorly lit environments. The WiFi, Bluetooth 5.1, 5G, LTE and NFC connections are fast, stable, and reliable. In our usual PCMark battery test, the phone managed to endure over 10 hours and 38 minutes.
While in our real-world use where we use the phone as our daily driver, it managed to last for 5 hours and 58 minutes of on-screen time after a loaded 8-hour workday. Pros – Powerful specs, good battery life, great cameras, value for money pick, lightweight and solid build materials, Cons – Thermals during games and heavy workloads can get warm quickly, Connectivity: WiFi 6E 2×2 MIMO, 5G, 4G LTE, Bluetooth 5.1, UWB, MST, OTG, NFC, dual-band GPS, dual SIM
Sensors: Accelerometer, light, orientation, proximity, gyroscope, sound, magnetic
Others: In-Display fingerprint sensor, IP68 water, and dust resistance, stereo speakers, Colors: Olive, Lavender, White, Graphite
Samsung Galaxy S21 FE review
Why you can trust Tom’s Guide Our writers and editors spend hours analyzing and reviewing products, services, and apps to help find what’s best for you. After going on sale in January, the Galaxy S21 FE is available through both carriers and retailers as well as through Samsung’s own online store. While there is a bump holding that strip of vertically aligned lenses, it blends seamlessly into the side of the phone, making the array seem less prominent. I wish the sides of the Galaxy S21 FE were a little bit more prominent, though — instead, they’re fairly slick, making the phone hard to hold on to. An overlay that appears when the phone is locked makes the sensor easy to find, and I’ve certainly found it more responsive than the Pixel 6’s pokey unlocking feature. The smaller panel doesn’t feel particularly cramped, and I’d go so far as to say it probably makes the S21 FE easier to use with one hand than the previous model.
That means scrolling will look smoother on the Galaxy S21 FE’s display, which leads to a better overall experience with the phone. That said, it looks like you can only toggle between 120Hz and 60Hz manually; the other phones in the Galaxy S21 lineup have adaptive displays that adjust on the fly. Both Samsung phones recorded Delta-E ratings of 0.29, so colors are just as accurate on the Galaxy S21 FE as they are on the more expensive model. The 8MP telephoto lens is easily the biggest trade-off between the Galaxy S21 FE and Samsung’s standard flagship. I don’t have either an S21 or S21 Plus on hand, but I imagine photos taken with either phone’s telephoto lens will look a little sharper than what you get from the Galaxy S21 FE. Considering those two devices rank among the best camera phones , it’s worth seeing how the Galaxy S21 FE’s photographic output measures up.
The cilantro leaves topping the tacos in the Galaxy S21 FE shot stand out a bit more distinctly, and the texture of the lime green wall in the background is more detailed. Moving outside to a covered vegetable stand, we see the Galaxy S21 FE exhibit a familiar trait for Samsung camera phones — it likes to amp up colors, even if the end result teeters on over-saturating the shot. I think the Pixel 6’s warmer tones lead to a better composed shot — the tomatoes may not look as vibrant as they do in the S21 FE’s photo, but the overall image is balanced throughout. Not that the S21 FE’s bias toward colors doesn’t pay off in some instances, like in this shot at a nearby marina with downtown Oakland in the background.
The bend seems more pronounced on the Galaxy S21 FE’s shot, but I think that’s partly because people are walking into the frame just as I hit the shutter button. Once again the Galaxy S21 FE has highlighted the colors, particularly the blue sky, but it’s washed out some elements of the movie theater’s art deco facade. The Galaxy S21 FE’s portrait mode does an adequate job blurring the background of shots to highlight your subject, even if it aggressively smooths out faces. Samsung says it improved the Night Mode on the Galaxy S21 FE, and I think that’s evident from this shot of a skeleton we have hanging in our basement workshop.
The skeleton emerges clearly from the shadows in the Galaxy S21 FE shot, and Samsung’s phone even does a good job balancing the ambient lighting streaming in from the right side of the picture.
On the bright side, the Snapdragon 888 is the same system-on-chip that powered the entire Galaxy S21 lineup, so you can expect comparable performance with those models. Samsung includes less RAM, with the 128GB base model of the Galaxy S21 FE sporting only 6GB to the 8GB found in the standard S21. I played PUBG Mobile on the Galaxy S21 FE, and the game ran smoothly without sacrificing any of the first-person shooter’s detailed graphics.
The Pixel 6, which is powered by Google’s Tensor silicon, lags the Galaxy S21 FE with a 2,696 multicore score. You get a 4,500 mAh battery inside the Galaxy S21 FE, which is the same size as the power pack in the phone’s predecessor. With a slightly smaller screen and a more power efficient chipset running the new phone, you’d be inclined to expect some improvement in battery life over the Galaxy S20 FE’s so-so performance.
However, in our demanding battery test — we have a phone surf the web continuously over 5G until it runs out of power — the Galaxy S21 FE fell flat.
Disabling that feature improves things considerably, with the Galaxy S21 FE lasting 9 hours and 15 minutes. That’s better than the Pixel 6’s time of 8 hours and 13 minutes with its 90Hz mode turned on, though it stinks that you have to disable a marquee feature to squeeze more battery life out of the Galaxy S21 FE.
There are perfectly sound environmental reasons for that move, but it puts the burden on consumers to already have a charger that can support the Galaxy S21 FE’s speeds or to buy one along with the phone. The delayed Galaxy S21 FE launch has a silver lining in one regard — you won’t have to wait for an update to Android 12. Instead, the Galaxy S21 FE ships with Google’s latest software already installed, along with Samsung’s updated One UI 4.0 interface. One UI 4 introduces a number of ways to customize the look of your phone’s home screen, icons, wallpapers and more. Samsung also adopted many of the privacy features Google built into Android 12, so that you can get alerts when an app tries to use the Galaxy S21 FE’s microphone or camera. Additionally, the launch of the Galaxy S22 has prompted Samsung to extend software support for its top phones to four years.
The Galaxy S21 FE is a fine addition to Samsung’s S21 lineup, retaining the very best features of those flagship phones for a more modest price. The tradeoffs you have to make to save $100 aren’t major ones, with the biggest sacrifice being the lack of an adaptive display as that can impact battery life.
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