The Samsung Galaxy S21 FE 5G might be considered as being a strategic error on Samsung’s part: the Samsung Galaxy S22 lineup is already here, the S21 and the S21 Plus both offer additional features and performance at a similar price, so the big question is: can the Galaxy S21 FE differentiate itself enough to have any kind of success? I tried to keep away from the market perspective in this review and focus on the objective qualities of the Samsung Galaxy S21 FE 5G. Is it worth buying if you can get it at a good price? Here are my findings:
The box the Samsung Galaxy S21 FE 5G comes in
Looking at the back of the box, you get confirmation about the lack of accessories: there is a large note with tiny writing on it warning the user in several languages that no charger is supplied.
Samsung Galaxy S21 FE 5G: the back of the box
But hey! At least they included a charging cable and a SIM ejection tool. If they manage to implement Sony’s tool-less SIM tray ejection and Apple’s planned port-less design, they won’t have to give users anything apart from the actual smartphone. And the leaflets that no one reads, of course. Until then, the Samsung Galaxy S21 FE 5G has a 3.3 feet long (1 meter) USB-C charging cable which you can use with any third-party charger with Power Delivery 3.0.
Samsung Galaxy S21 FE 5G: package contents
Unboxing the Samsung Galaxy S21 FE 5G was, as expected, a lackluster experience. There are no accessories in the box, but the package is sturdy and has attractive embossed graphics.
The front of the Samsung Galaxy S21 FE 5G
The back of the phone looks cool, no matter which color you pick for your Samsung Galaxy S21 FE 5G. The plastic back has a matte finish, while the camera cluster is not as defined as on the Samsung Galaxy S21 (but still raised slightly from the rest of the phone). The camera cluster format is the same, with three identical circular cutouts. Next to it, you can find the LED flash.
The matte plastic on the back is very nice to touch and seems robust
The top of the smartphone only houses a microphone. If you look closely, you can see a plastic insert in the metal frame, no doubt to improve signal reception. The plastic inserts are actually present on all sides of the device.
The top of the Samsung Galaxy S21 FE 5G
On the bottom of the phone, the Galaxy S21 FE 5G keeps the same layout as the original Samsung Galaxy S21, with a speaker, a microphone, the SIM tray, and a USB-C port, all flanked by the plastic inserts.
The bottom part of the Samsung Galaxy S21 FE 5G houses the charging port
The right side of the phone houses the volume rocker and the power button. The buttons have good feedback and are just the right size.
The right side of the Samsung Galaxy S21 FE 5G
The left side is completely devoid of features, in line with the design of the current Galaxy S21 range.
The left side of the Samsung Galaxy S21 FE 5G
Like its more expensive siblings, the Samsung Galaxy S21 FE 5G has an IP68 rating for dust and water protection, meaning it’s highly resistant to dust and can withstand being submerged for 30 minutes in up to 1.5m of fresh water. As with any electronic device, submerging it in salt water is not recommended. Since I touched on the subject of colors earlier, the Samsung Galaxy S21 FE 5G can be purchased in four different colors: white (the one I tested), graphite black, lavender, and olive green. Apart from the white one, which has the brushed aluminum look for the frame, all the others have matching paint on the sides.
There are four colors available for the Samsung Galaxy S21 FE 5G
The Samsung Galaxy S21 FE 5G is unmistakably part of the Galaxy S21 family. It has similar features to its siblings, and it feels as solid as the S21. It’s slightly larger, but still well below the size of the Galaxy S21 Plus. The materials are a step down in terms of premium feel, but they seem very durable.
The Samsung Galaxy S21 FE 5G specs
The screen of the Samsung Galaxy S21 FE 5G is one of the downgrades from the Galaxy S21, if you can call a 120 Hz, HDR 10+ capable screen a “downgrade”. The AMOLED panel has a resolution of 1080 x 2400 pixels, a 400 ppi density, and a maximum brightness of 800 nits.
The screen of the Samsung Galaxy S21 FE 5G has excellent specs
Moving on to the cameras, the Samsung Galaxy S21 FE 5G has three of them on its back. The hardware is identical to the one on the Samsung Galaxy S20 FE 5G. One notable addition is a 3x zoom for the telephoto. Here are the specs for each camera:
The rear cameras of the Samsung Galaxy S21 FE 5G
In terms of connectivity and sensors, the Samsung Galaxy S21 FE 5G has almost the same features as its more expensive siblings: Dual-SIM (only some versions), Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth 5.0, NFC, GPS with GLONASS, BDS, and GALILEO compatibility, accelerometer, gyro, proximity sensor, compass, and a front-mounted optical fingerprint sensor. Compared to the Galaxy S21, it lacks a barometer, and its fingerprint sensor is not ultrasonic.
The ambient light sensor, as well as the proximity sensor, are hidden away and don't take up valuable space on the front of the smartphone
The battery is, again, an upgrade from the Galaxy S21. It has a capacity of 4500 mAh and is advertised as being able to charge to 50% in 30 minutes using a Samsung 25W fast charger. I couldn’t obtain one in time for the review, but I did make a charging graph for a 15W third-party charger. Check it out on the next page! The smartphone can be charged wirelessly and can also provide wireless power to other devices. The efficiency and the charging times using this method are not great, though.
For a complete list of technical specifications, as well as the current price, you can visit the product webpage: Samsung Galaxy S21 FE 5G 128GB.
On the next page, I describe the experience I had with the Galaxy S21 FE, both in terms of capturing photo and video, as well as actual day-to-day use. I also throw in some benchmark scores for good measure and describe the software environment. Let’s jump in!
The screen is perfectly legible under direct sunlight
The speakers are loud, the sound is clear and crisp, although there is a lack of bass. In my opinion and from what I’ve tested so far, the iPhones and the Xiaomi 11T are clearly better in this area.
The ONE UI user interface is, just like on other Samsung devices, excellent once you get used to it. It’s like a distant cousin to the Android 12 of the Google Pixel, for example, but Android users should have no problem using it. One little annoyance I noticed that was also present on the Galaxy S21 is the fact that the auto-rotate function for the screen is a little too “eager” to react, switching orientation much too quickly after tilting the device. This sometimes slows down certain actions, as you need to hold the smartphone still to tap buttons or navigate in apps. There are still things that could be improved, like the number of clicks required to call someone, but overall it’s a very polished experience.
The Edge panels feature is very useful for accessing frequently used apps
Speaking of calls, the audio quality was very good in calls on both ends, and the signal reception was as expected. Connectivity is good as well. I had no issues using my Panasonic wireless earbuds with the Samsung S21 FE 5G, and the Wi-Fi speeds were constant. I still miss the headphone jack, but maybe that’s just me being really old.
Gaming on the device was a stellar experience, as expected. The Samsung Galaxy S21 FE 5G doesn’t get too hot, and the 120 Hz panel can take advantage of the high framerate achieved by the Snapdragon chipset. It also helps that in games, the touch sampling rate is 240 Hz, which increases input precision.
Gaming on the Samsung Galaxy S21 FE is great
The battery life is better than the one of the Galaxy S21, and the Samsung Galaxy S21 FE 5G could easily get me through the day, even with the high refresh rate active. Charging wasn’t as fast as it could have been, since I didn’t have a compatible charger, but the Samsung Galaxy S21 FE 5G still managed to charge to 50% in 42 minutes. It’s interesting that charging doesn’t slow down once the battery is nearly full. This could be indicative of either a very optimized charging process or some reserve capacity.
Charging time for the Samsung Galaxy S21 FE 5G
The Samsung Galaxy S21 FE 5G is a very nice smartphone to use. It has a ton of performance, an excellent screen, and the battery is ok. For Samsung fans, the S21 FE provides a familiar experience, flagship specs, and a slightly lower price than that of its siblings. I would have liked to see expandable storage or a headphone jack, since the FE is aimed at youngsters, but to be honest, Samsung is not the only one ditching these features.
The camera interface of the Samsung Galaxy S21 FE 5G
The Samsung Galaxy S21 FE 5G camera setup is identical to the one on the Samsung S20 FE. Thus, apart from some software tweaks, the experience should be similar. I have several friends who are not satisfied with the photo quality on the Galaxy S20 FE, but from my tests, the S21 FE 5G performed admirably in good light. The level of detail is impressive for a 12MP camera. Here is a picture taken with the main camera, with a section at 100% crop.
Photo taken with the main camera
Here is a photo taken from the same spot, using the telephoto camera at 3x zoom.
The telephoto camera can capture more details
Finally, here is a shot from the ultrawide. The white balance and the colors are very consistent, no matter which camera I use.
The wide angle camera maintains the same white balance and color parameters as the other two cameras in bright conditions
Night shots are good, and enabling Night Mode makes them brighter and sharper. The optical stabilization, in conjunction with the digital processing, allows for some interesting shots at night. No dedicated Macro mode is available.
The effect of the Night mode on low-light photography
The front camera takes good pictures as well. It also has a portrait mode which simulates shallow depth of field. The fixed focus limits the minimum range, but this is not an issue unless you’re trying to take a close-up shot using the selfie camera.
Portrait mode is well implemented even on the selfie camera
As for videos, I was very pleased with the results. Here is a short video captured in 4K at 60 FPS.
The results in 1080p and 60 FPS are good, as well:
Here is a short slow-motion video in 1080p resolution. The framerate is 30 fps:
There is also a Super Slow-mo, but it only works at 720p, so the videos don’t look great. Still, 960 fps to 30 fps means that the subjects are moving 32 times slower.
The camera experience is great both in good lighting and in poor lighting conditions. The camera app is easy to use, the automatic scene adjustments are visible, but not over the top, and the camera setup is a perfect match for the whole concept of the phone.
You can choose from the very beginning if you want to load up your phone with apps
The full Samsung experience includes:
The processing power of the Samsung Galaxy S21 FE 5G is quite consistent
After this, I ran 3DMark to test the video subsystem, more specifically the Wild Life and Wild Life Extreme tests. The Samsung Galaxy S21 FE 5G performed admirably, scoring 5836 points in Wild Life and 1516 in Wild Life Extreme.
The test results in 3DMark are excellent
The GFXBench results confirmed the excellent performance of the Adreno 660 GPU. The Samsung Galaxy S21 FE 5G had an average frame rate of 59 fps in the Car Chase test (3477 frames rendered) and 69 fps in the 1080p Car Chase Offscreen test (4076 frames rendered).
GFXBench confirms the power of the Adreno 660 GPU
After setting the device’s screen brightness to auto and the screen refresh rate to 60Hz, I started the Battery Life 3.0 test from the PCMark suite. It ran for an excellent 13 hours and 55 minutes, just shy of the result achieved by the OnePlus Nord 2 5G.
The battery test from PCMark
The 5G reception isn’t great in my area, so I didn’t test the 5G speeds, but I measured the Wi-Fi speeds using Ookla’s Speedtest, and the Samsung Galaxy S21 FE 5G managed around 600 Mbps for both download and upload. These are good speeds but other smartphones can be even faster.
Wi-Fi speeds obtained by the Samsung Galaxy S21 FE 5G over Wi-Fi 6 in a 1Gbps network
The Samsung Galaxy S21 FE 5G is a very powerful device that should have no problem running even the most demanding mobile apps. At least for the next few years, it will provide excellent browsing, gaming, and working experience.
Samsung Galaxy S21 FE 5G: Who is it good for?
The Samsung Galaxy S21 FE 5G is a great choice for:- Users who want proven technology in a robust smartphone
- People who enjoy having a powerful flagship phone, but don’t want to spend the extra money for the best of the best
- Users for whom screen quality and refresh rate is important (gamers, multimedia consumers)
- Young people who want a good all-rounder
Pros and cons
Testing the Samsung Galaxy S21 FE 5G has revealed its most attractive features:
- The screen is great, bright, and capable of 120 Hz refresh rate and HDR+
- The cameras are predictable, easy to use, and provide good all-round results
- The smartphone has excellent dust and water protection and seems sturdy
- Its chipset is among the most powerful available at the time of the review
- Samsung’s One UI keeps getting better with each iteration
- The battery is upgraded from the Galaxy S21 (4500 mAh vs 4000 mAh)
- The Samsung Galaxy S21 FE 5G doesn’t have expandable storage
- There is no headphone jack
- There are no accessories and no charger provided
- It competes in a market segment where it has to fight Samsung’s other flagships
Verdict
In a world where the Galaxy S22 exists, the Samsung Galaxy S21 FE 5G has very little room to succeed. Also, the Galaxy S21 is very close in terms of price and performs better. The Galaxy S22 is much more expensive, but it’s still the new generation. This leaves the Samsung Galaxy S21 FE 5G in an awkward position. Looking strictly at its features and performance, the Galaxy S21 FE 5G is an excellent allrounder, with flagship specs and a polished user interface. It will definitely feel very familiar to the fans of the brand, while having no glaring weaknesses. I would recommend it wholeheartedly to anyone who wants a powerful smartphone, but the truth is there’s a very high chance you can get a Galaxy S21 or an S21 Plus for a similar price.Unboxing the Samsung Galaxy S21 FE 5G
The Samsung Galaxy S21 FE 5G is supposed to be an “affordable flagship”, and that is apparent as soon as you look at its box. While the front of the box is embossed and looks pretty cool, its size doesn’t give you much hope of finding any accessories inside. Its exact dimensions are 6.81 x 3.58 x 1.61 inches (or 173 x 91 x 41 mm).Design and build quality
The Samsung Galaxy S21 FE 5G is ever-so-slightly larger and heavier than the Samsung Galaxy S21. It measures 6.13 x 2.93 x 0.31 inches (155.7 x 74.5 x 7.9 mm) and has a weight of 6.24 oz (177g). Subjectively, it feels solid, and I would describe the materials as being rugged, rather than premium. The back is made of plastic, while the frame is made of brushed aluminum. On the front, you get an excellent 6.4 inch AMOLED screen with Corning Gorilla Glass Victus protection. The other features visible on the front are the selfie camera (with a round cutout) and the gray edges of the smartphone. What you can’t see, unless you are really paying attention, is the top speaker, housed just above the selfie camera.Hardware specifications
Looking at the spec sheet, there are very few things missing on the Galaxy S21 FE compared to the more expensive S21. The chipset is still the same, Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 5G with an Adreno 660 GPU and 6 or 8 GB of RAM. Some regions are going to get an improved version of the Exynos 2100 chipset, but our device had the Snapdragon. Storage is either 128 GB or 256 GB, sadly without the ability to expand it. The operating system fills about 23 GB of space.- The main camera has 12 MP, 1.8 µm pixels, Dual-Pixel autofocus, and 26mm f/1.8 lens with optical stabilization
- The ultrawide camera captures 12 MP images, has a pixel size of 1.12 µm and 13mm f/2.2 lens with fixed focus
- The telephoto camera sensor has a resolution of 8 MP, although it saves the pictures at the same 12 MP resolution as the other cameras. It has a 3x optical zoom, 1.0µm pixels, and 76mm f/2.4 lens with optical zoom. On paper, it can be considered as an upgrade over the Galaxy S21, as its zoom is optical, not digital, like on the S21.
The smartphone experience on the Samsung Galaxy S21 FE 5G
The Samsung S21 FE 5G feels very familiar to me, thanks to its interface and format. I have used the original Galaxy S21 5G and I could tell the difference in size compared to it. The FE is heavier, a bit taller, and appears more sturdy, more rugged. It definitely feels less premium than the Galaxy S21 Plus with its glass back. The optical fingerprint sensor is slower to respond than the ultrasonic one on the S21, but the difference is minimal, and the accuracy is very good. For the time I had the device, fingerprint authentication worked in 100% of cases, with no repeated touches or failed attempts. Another downgrade that doesn’t really bother me is the screen. On paper, it’s less bright than on the Galaxy S21, but in reality, it’s really bright, enough for the sunniest days. Activating the 120 Hz option makes the viewing experience butter-smooth, although you should know that, unlike other panels, the one on the Samsung Galaxy S21 FE 5G doesn’t have an adaptive refresh rate. You set it to 120 Hz, you get 120 Hz. This will lower the battery life more than on other smartphones with adaptive refresh rates.The camera experience on the Samsung Galaxy S21 FE 5G
NOTE: The pictures in the article are resized for optimization purposes. You can find pictures and videos captured by the Samsung Galaxy S21 FE 5G in the gallery below: The camera interface is simple and easy to use. It’s the same interface that’s being used on all modern Samsung smartphones, with clear modes and settings. The main modes for the camera are Single Take, Portrait, Photo, and Video, while the More section contains eleven more, such as Slow Motion and Super Slow-mo.Android 12 and bundled apps
The Samsung Galaxy S21 FE 5G comes with Android 12 out of the box. Or should I say, One UI 4? Although it’s still Android 12 under the hood, the familiar Samsung interface changes it completely. The initial setup is easy, and you get the option to not install the usual metric ton of Samsung apps. You can even skip installing the Samsung Browser! For users who like their smartphones free of clutter, this is great news.- Samsung Browser - while I still prefer to use Chrome, the Samsung Browser is fast and has the advantage of being fully tested on Samsung devices
- SmartThings - Samsung’s app for the management and automation of smart devices
- Samsung Health - a health & fitness app that needs a Samsung account and Samsung wearables
- Galaxy Wearable - helps you pair and configure Samsung wearable devices with your smartphone
- AR Zone - allows you to play with augmented reality emoji, doodles, and other items
- Galaxy Store - Samsung’s own mobile store
- Samsung Voice Recorder - a simple voice recording app that does what you expect it to do
- Samsung Members - helps you connect with other Samsung Galaxy device owners and get help when running into problems
- Spotify - the popular music streaming service
- Gallery - Samsung’s alternative to Google Photos
- Samsung Notes - a good and easy-to-use app for note-taking. Many users might enjoy using it
- Game Launcher - a mix between a game store and a gaming platform allowing the user to play games without installing them on the device
- Samsung Global Goals - an app that enables users to donate money to charity by viewing ads or donating directly
- Samsung Free - Samsung’s alternative to Google Discover
Performance in benchmarks
Having tested several devices with the powerful Snapdragon 888 chipset, I had big expectations from the Samsung Galaxy S21 FE 5G. I started out, as usual, with Geekbench, and the results were at flagship levels: 1084 in Single-Core and 3252 in Multi-Core. Interestingly, the Galaxy S21 FE couldn’t quite match the more expensive Galaxy S21 in terms of raw processing power, although it has the same chipset. Coincidence? I think not. Next, I switched over to PCMark for Android, which takes the device through a multitude of workloads (browsing, text editing, etc.) with the Work 3.0 test. The Samsung Galaxy S21 FE 5G scored 12001 points, which is in line with the performances of the Snapdragon 888 with 6 GB of RAM.
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