Samsung Galaxy S21 FE Review: Final Verdict
Verdict
The Samsung Galaxy S21 FE ticks multiple boxes, offering good operation and a well-thought-out feature list. Information technology isn't the most exciting phone I've reviewed recently, though, and I tin't assist just feel it's been released a little as well belatedly.
Pros
- A very complete package
- Brilliant, colourful screen
- An IP rating and Qi charging
Cons
- Overpriced compared to the competition
- Camera not as good every bit Pixel vi
- Boilerplate battery life and charging speeds
Availability
- United kingdom of great britain and northern ireland RRP: £699
- Us RRP: $699
- Commonwealth of australia RRP: AU$999
Key Features
- Triple rear camera 3 cameras on the dorsum, including a 12MP wide with OIS
- Great performance Snapdragon 888 chipset, with 5G and either vi or 8GB RAM
- Android 12 Comes with the latest version of Android and One UI
Introduction
Samsung appear what is likely to be the final member of the Samsung Galaxy S21 family unit in January post-obit shut to a twelvemonth of leaks virtually its plans for the Fe range.
Due to the sheer number of leaks associated with this particular handset, very few of the features here will be a surprise. Still, later on spending a few weeks with the Galaxy S21 FE, I tin can confirm there'due south plenty to like – even if it feels like it's arriving a few months later than information technology should take.
Design and Screen
- Nice and brilliant OLED display
- Multiple tasteful colour options
- No headphone jack
Samsung first introduced the 'FE' (or Fan Edition) branding a few years ago to signify a pared-down version of one of its flagship devices. I was a huge fan of the Galaxy S20 Fe, which was, in many ways, an easier recommendation than the regular S20 as a result of its slightly larger display and superior Snapdragon chipset. Not to mention the cheaper price.
However, the S21 Iron is a more difficult sell. For ane, Samsung has made the regular Galaxy S21 device cheaper than its predecessor, bringing in some of the more mid-range features from the Fe range from the start. These include a plastic body, flat-screen and lower-res display. The S21 has actually felt like it was an Fe device right from the kickoff, and then information technology does heighten the question of how necessary this release really is.
Every bit soon as I took the S21 FE out of its slim box, the handset felt familiar. On the rear sits a photographic camera module that's very similar to the one on the Galaxy S21'south rear. The trunk is made from plastic with metal sides, simply information technology still feels tough and is super-lite at just 177g. Coming from the iPhone 13 Pro Max, which is just slightly taller, the S21 FE feels extremely comfortable to hold for extended periods.
I'yard glad Samsung has seen fit to keep to include an IP68 rating – which remains far from a given in non-flagship devices. The aforementioned can exist said nearly Qi charging, which here lets you lot power upward the phone wirelessly at 15W. Wireless charging is super-handy, and such an easy way to charge multiple devices such as earbuds and smartwatches with a single pad.
One of the about obvious differences between this FE version and the standard S21 is the size. The Iron's screen is 6.iv inches, slightly larger than the 6.2 inches of the S21. I similar vi.4 inches as a screen size, and information technology's a good middle-point between the S21 and the six.7-inch S21 Plus.
The OLED panel lacks some of the skills of the pricier S21 devices. For example, information technology has a rigid 120Hz refresh rate, as opposed to an adaptive one that tin ramp up (and down), depending on specific tasks. The primary benefit of an adaptive refresh rate is that information technology uses less power for tasks that don't see a notable benefit from 120Hz, such every bit flipping through the Kindle book or watching a 30fps YouTube video. Phones such as the OnePlus nine Pro would wearisome down the screen for these kinds of tasks to preserve battery life.
To my eyes, at least, this console isn't as colourful as the panel on the S21 either. I loaded upwards a number of photos rich with reds and greens; the representation wasn't quite as potent every bit that on the FE. It'southward a similar story with HDR Netflix and YouTube – the results are good, only non tiptop-course.
The screen's 1080p resolution helps it deliver sharp text and images, high levels of effulgence and a 240Hz bear on response rate for gaming. Information technology's a flat console, with a minor cutout at the meridian for the front photographic camera. Unless you desire absolute cutting-edge screen tech, this is a expert panel.
There's a fingerprint sensor congenital into the screen, but information technology isn't the ultrasonic version seen in the regular S21 serial. Instead, information technology'due south the far more mutual, and far inferior, optical version institute in most Android phones. Information technology's a fast sensor, although information technology lacks the accuracy and speed I experienced using other S21 phones.
Camera
- Three cameras on the back
- 32MP selfie camera around the front end
- Photos have a saturated look that Samsung fans will capeesh
The Samsung Galaxy S21 Atomic number 26 is priced at £699, which makes it £100 more than than the Pixel six. 1 of the best things almost the Pixel 6 is its imaging skills and, merely put, you should selection that phone if you lot're later on the best photographic camera phone at this price. If the S21 Atomic number 26 had been released last summer (when all the rumours had suggested) then it would take performed much better against the competition.
On the back of the Galaxy S21 FE sit 3 cameras in the usual wide, ultra-wide and telephoto layout. The chief camera boasts 12 megapixels, an f/1.eight lens, and optical image stabilisation (OIS). This is the standout sensor, and since it's pretty much the aforementioned unit that features in the regular Galaxy S21, photos are reliable in all mode of conditions.
The ultra-broad has a 123-caste field of view, 12-megapixels and an f/2.2 lens. Unlike the Pixel six, there'south a defended 8-megapixel zoom camera here, too, which Samsung says can zoom upwards to 30x. Take that claim with a pinch of salt, even so, since it'due south still best kept to a more than manageable range. Pictures are fine upwardly to about 3x, after which they go increasingly grainy.
Elsewhere, at that place'due south a 32-megapixel front end camera. Selfies are excellent hither, as long every bit you select the 'Natural' mode. The other option, 'Bright', ramps upwardly the brightness a little too much and adds an odd sheen to everything.
This is very much a typical Samsung camera, whose pictures volition be appreciated by those wanting that Samsung Await. By that I mean vivid colours (greens and reds, in particular, are very saturated) and sharp details that can, at times, look a petty overprocessed. You'll observe this when shooting landscapes, where minor details can often stand out too much.
Still, the pictures and video remain pleasing – peculiarly when viewed on the phone'due south display, which amps everything up a little bit more.
Performance
- High-end Snapdragon 888 chipset
- Support for 5G
- Android 12 out of the box
In terms of functioning, Samsung hasn't really sacrificed much here compared to its high-end devices. Although when you consider the offerings from Chinese brands such as OnePlus, Oppo, Xiaomi and Realme, I'd await any £700 phone to exist packing top specs these days.
A Snapdragon 888 5G chipset powers the sample I tested. An Exynos model is bachelor in certain regions. It's great that Samsung is using a 'flagship' processor here, just now that the 888 has been superseded by the new Snapdragon eight Gen one, I don't look information technology will be long before we begin to see phones with that latter, more than efficient chipset included.
The Snapdragon processor is supported by 6GB or 8GB (reviewed) of RAM and 128GB or 256GB storage. There's no infinite for a microSD card to expand that storage farther, so continue that in mind when choosing your capacity.
As anyone should expect with those specs, the S21 FE is a nippy phone for any job from gaming to productivity. A few years agone, I regularly criticised Samsung for sticking loftier-end specs in its phone then seemingly making them slower with buggy software that would frequently become worse over time. That couldn't be further from the case now, with the S21 Fe feeling shine in navigation for the most function. Samsung has improved its ability to quickly bring new versions of Android to its phones, too.
The Milky way S21 Fe is one of the starting time new phones to ship with Android 12, aslope the latest One UI overlay. While this isn't a redesign on a par with Android 12 on Pixel phones, some Material You elements have made the jump beyond. Yous tin can inject some colours from wallpapers to customise icons, for case, and there are a couple of new widgets, likewise.
This is a 5G device, and then if you take a 5G-capable SIM, and yous're in an expanse where the network is supported, you'll do good from improved download speeds. There's WiFi 6 (no 6E, though) for those with a capable router, NFC for Android Pay and phone call quality is good. I was less impressed with the speakers, though, which were adequately poor – plus information technology's far also easy to block them unintentionally when gaming. At that place'south no headphone port, so you lot'll probably desire a pair of the best Bluetooth headphones to alleviate this upshot.
Bombardment Life
- No charger included, just a cable in the box
- Support for wireless charging is welcome
Samsung has equipped the Galaxy S21 Iron with a 4500mAh battery. That sits blindside in the middle of what I'd await from an Android phone of this size and toll. You'll detect some handsets with larger cells and some, like the Galaxy S21, with smaller batteries.
Trying to approximate battery performance purely based on the size of the cell is becoming impossible, since there are so many factors that can impact endurance. I've been using the S21 Atomic number 26 for a couple of weeks at present, and information technology has managed to get me through a busy workday of emailing, Slacking and streaming – only only merely. I wouldn't feel confident hammering it all mean solar day and then taking it out on the town in the evening with the hope of having some juice left for an Uber.
An adaptive display might have helped stretch out the cell further, but that'south no guarantee. You can e'er employ ane of the battery-saving modes to eke out more life, or manually drop the screen downwardly to 60Hz. Ditching the 120Hz refresh rate resulted in roughly an extra 60 minutes of utilize.
In more measured tests, the S21 FE performs similarly to my real-world tests. An hour of Netflix, for example, consumed ten% of the battery – slightly more than than much of the contest, but far from atrocious. This is very much probable a side-effect of the 120Hz brandish.
There's no charger in the box, a motion Samsung introduced with the S21 serial. Y'all tin buy one separately, use one you may have lying around (brand sure it'southward at least a 25W plug to go the best speeds), or get all-in on wireless.
A total accuse with a 25W-capable plug took virtually 1hr 30mins, which is similar to the iPhone thirteen Pro and Pixel 6, but slow compared to some of the fastest Android phones. The OnePlus nine Pro can get from 0-100% in less than 40 minutes.
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Should you buy it?
You want a phone without any glaring feature omission: The S21 Atomic number 26 comes with a good OLED screen, wireless charging, an IP-rated body and 3 reliable cameras. At that place's nothing much missing hither.
You're willing to store around: As good every bit the S21 FE is, it isn't the best at the price. The Pixel 6 is cheaper, with a much better camera and more innovative software, while the regular Galaxy S21 offers a better screen and can be had for a similar price.
Final Thoughts
The Samsung Galaxy S21 FE is a little besides pricey when you consider what the Pixel half dozen offers for less, simply this is a device that will get the task washed for a lot of people. It has a squeamish screen, speedy specs and a trio of cameras that will appeal to those who have shot with Samsung phones for years. Ticking all these boxes means it'south a phone I tin can happily recommend.
The biggest issue I take is the price – non only when compared to the best Android phones, but next to Samsung's other phones, too. A quick search shows that the standard S21 can be had for less than £699 – and, between the two, I'd go for the S21 over the FE due to its better screen and superior zoom camera. For a similar cost, y'all could pick up the OnePlus nine Pro or the Xiaomi Mi xi.
Then there's the upcoming launch of the Galaxy S22 to consider – information technology's worth waiting to see what the base model in that lineup offers before taking the plunge hither.
How nosotros test
We test every mobile telephone we review thoroughly. We use industry standard tests to compare features properly and we use the phone equally our principal device over the review menses. We'll e'er tell you lot what we find and we never, always, accept money to review a production.
Used equally our main handset during exam period
Camera tested in variety of situations with all modes
Tested with synthetic benchmarks and real globe utilise
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FAQs
Is in that location a microSD card slot?
There is no expandable storage, only like the other S22 models
Does the S21 FE have the same screen equally the S21?
The S21 has an adaptive refresh rate, a feature missing here
Does the United kingdom of great britain and northern ireland version accept a Snapdragon chipset?
Yep, the United kingdom version runs on the Snapdragon 888 chipset
Trusted Reviews exam data
We run every phone we review through a number of tests. Here are the results we lifted during the review process.
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Geekbench 5 single cadre
Geekbench 5 multi cadre
i hour video playback (Netflix, HDR)
xxx minute gaming (intensive)
30 infinitesimal gaming (low-cal)
1 hour music straming (online)
1 hour music streaming (offline)
Fourth dimension from 0-100% charge
Time from 0-50% charge
3D Mark – Wild Life
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Full specs
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Great britain RRP
United states RRP
AUD RRP
Manufacturer
Screen Size
Storage Capacity
Rear Camera
Front Camera
Video Recording
Battery
Wirless charging
Fast Charging
Size (Dimensions)
Weight
Release Appointment
Showtime Reviewed Engagement
Resolution
HDR
Refresh Rate
Ports
Chipset
RAM
Colours
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Source: https://www.trustedreviews.com/reviews/samsung-galaxy-s21-fe
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