Samsung Galaxy S21 FE review
Our Verdict
The Samsung Milky way S21 FE offers many of the same features found in the Milky way S21, but at a slightly lower price. With the Milky way S22 looming, though, this telephone is a hard sell.
For
- Aforementioned Snapdragon 888 processor as the Galaxy S21
- Bright, colorful display
- Improved Night Style
- Good accommodating cameras
- Ships with Android 12
Against
- Lower resolution telephoto lens compared to Galaxy S21
- Less RAM than the Galaxy S21
- 120Hz refresh charge per unit isn't adaptive
- Hard to recommend with Galaxy S22 launch so close
- Battery life disappoints
Tom'due south Guide Verdict
The Samsung Galaxy S21 FE offers many of the same features found in the Galaxy S21, but at a slightly lower cost. With the Galaxy S22 looming, though, this phone is a difficult sell.
Pros
- +
Aforementioned Snapdragon 888 processor as the Milky way S21
- +
Brilliant, colorful display
- +
Improved Night Mode
- +
Good all-around cameras
- +
Ships with Android 12
Cons
- -
Lower resolution telephoto lens compared to Galaxy S21
- -
Less RAM than the Galaxy S21
- -
120Hz refresh charge per unit isn't adaptive
- -
Difficult to recommend with Galaxy S22 launch then close
- -
Battery life disappoints
Samsung Milky way S21 Fe specs
Starting toll: $699
Brandish: 6.four-inch AMOLED (FHD+; 120Hz)
CPU: Snapdragon 888
RAM: 6GB, 8GB
Storage: 128GB, 256GB
Rear cameras: 12MP main (f/i.eight); 12MP ultrawide (f/ii.2); 8MP telephoto (f/2.four) with 30x Space Zoom
Forepart camera: 32MP (f/2.2)
Battery size: 4,500 mAh
Bombardment life (Hrs: Mins): 7:46 (120Hz); ix:15 (60Hz)
Charging speed: 25W wired; 15W wireless
Size: 6.1 10 ii.9 ten 0.31 inches
Weight: 6.ii ounces
The Samsung Galaxy S21 Fe has arrived, bringing a lower-price addition to the Galaxy S21 lineup. Only has the window for releasing this new $699 handset already slammed shut?
It'south a question worth because since the launch of the Milky way S22 lineup — Samsung's next round of flagship devices — is simply around the corner. That ways the Galaxy S21 FE not only invites comparisons to other Milky way S21 models but to Samsung phones that could be in our hands as quickly as a calendar month from now. Even smartphone shoppers property out for the S21 Atomic number 26'south lower price may be tempted to wait just a little bit longer to see if the Galaxy S22 introduces significantly improved features.
That's a question that volition have to wait until the Galaxy S22 makes its starting time appearance, which will reportedly exist at a launch outcome in Feb. For at present, our Samsung Galaxy S21 FE review finds a device that doesn't sacrifice too many features from the Galaxy S21 lineup, simply doesn't come with equally large a discount in price every bit y'all were probably hoping for. If you're looking to see how the Galaxy S21 Atomic number 26 stacks up to Apple, check out our Galaxy S21 FE vs iPhone 13 face-off.
- Samsung Galaxy S21 Iron: 4 reasons to buy and three reasons to skip
- The all-time Android phones right at present
Samsung Galaxy S21 FE cheat sheet: Height features
- Costs $100 less than the Galaxy S21
- Features same Snapdragon 888 chipset as the Galaxy S21 for comparable functioning
- 8MP telephoto lens isn't as sharp equally the 64MP lens that the S21 offers
- 120Hz refresh rate, but yous manually adjust that
- four,500 mAh battery is the aforementioned size equally the one in the Galaxy S20 Iron, while the screen shrinks slightly (six.4 inches vs. vi.5 inches)
- As on the Milky way S21, battery life takes a significant striking with the 120Hz refresh charge per unit enabled
- Lavender is the best color option amongst graphite, white and olive models
Samsung Milky way S21 FE review: Price and availability
A big part of the entreatment of the Galaxy S20 FE was its toll — it debuted at a $300 discount from the Galaxy S20. But after cutting prices on the Galaxy S21 lineup last year, Samsung had a harder time offering the Galaxy S21 FE for that substantial a discount from its main flagships.
The Galaxy S21 Atomic number 26 starts at $699 in the U.S. That's $100 less than the Milky way S21's debut price from concluding spring; depending on the Galaxy S21 deals available, you may even be able to notice last twelvemonth'southward flagship for less. Unless Samsung raises the price for the upcoming Galaxy S22 — and it's a possibility according to at least one rumor — the Milky way S21 FE won't price that much less from Samsung'southward newer flagship.
The Milky way S21 Fe went on sale January 11. The telephone is available through both carriers and retailers likewise as through its own online store. AT&T, T-Mobile and Verizon all announced plans to sell the phone, with discounts available every bit the phone launches if y'all've got a device to trade-in. Our guide on where to purchase the Samsung Galaxy S21 FE includes information about those deals.
If you lot plan on ownership the S21 FE, make sure you choice upwards one of the best Samsung Galaxy S21 Iron cases to protect your investment.
Samsung Milky way S21 FE review: Design
With Samsung moving to its plastic-dependent polycarbonate design for the Galaxy S21 and Milky way S21 Plus, there'south no mystery as to what material the phone maker would use for the Milky way S21 Atomic number 26. It's plastic, and while that's non necessarily a big trade-off from the S21, there'south no attempt to disguise what this phone is encased in. A brume finish on the back of the phone gives the Galaxy S21 FE a professional person veneer, but no one'southward going to confuse this phone with a premium handset.
The Galaxy S21 Iron does adopt i of the S21's improve design flourishes with the contour cut design that houses the rear camera array. While there is a crash-land holding that strip of vertically aligned lenses, it blends seamlessly into the side of the phone, making the assortment seem less prominent.
I wish the sides of the Galaxy S21 Iron were a petty chip more prominent, though — instead, they're fairly slick, making the telephone difficult to hold on to. Within a couple hours of taking possession of the Galaxy S21 FE, the phone had already slipped out of my hands a couple times, and only my cat-like reflexes kept it from tumbling to the footing.
Like the regular S21, the Galaxy S21 FE uses a fingerprint reader that'southward embedded under the display. An overlay that appears when the telephone is locked makes the sensor like shooting fish in a barrel to find, and I've certainly plant it more responsive than the Pixel 6's pokey unlocking feature.
The Galaxy S21 FE adopts some other Galaxy S21 feature that's likely to annoy some users. There's no microSD card slot like there was on the Galaxy S20 so the storage on the phone you buy — whether it's 128GB or 256GB — is what y'all're getting.
The blackish graphite colour of my review unit is hands the to the lowest degree exciting of the Galaxy S21 FE's four color options. You can also become the phone in lavander, olive and white. Lavender's the slickest-looking option in my opinion, only your mileage may vary.
Samsung Milky way S21 FE review: Brandish
The vi.4-inch AMOLED console on the Milky way S21 FE is larger than the standard S21's 6.two-inch brandish, though a wee bit smaller than the 6.5-inch screen on the Milky way S20 Atomic number 26. The smaller console doesn't feel particularly cramped, and I'd go so far as to say it probably makes the S21 FE easier to utilize with one hand than the previous model.
Like the S20 Atomic number 26, the Galaxy S21 Iron can support a 120Hz refresh rate, if you prepare movement smoothness to Loftier in the device's Settings app. That means scrolling will wait smoother on the Galaxy S21 Atomic number 26'south display, which leads to a improve overall experience with the phone. That said, it looks like you can but toggle betwixt 120Hz and 60Hz manually; the other phones in the Galaxy S21 lineup take adaptive displays that accommodate on the wing. It's perchance a minor stardom, but it helps explain that $100 difference with the standard S21.
Watching the Dr. Strange in the Multiverse of Madness trailer on the Galaxy S21 Iron, I thought the Wizard Supreme's red cape looked suitably vibrant — well, except when he was strolling around the moodier sections of the multiverse. An episode of AP Bio streaming via the Peacock app was too brilliant and clear.
Our testing confirms the Galaxy S21 FE does a pretty proficient job with colors, every bit information technology reproduces 119.8% of the sRGB color spectrum in natural manner. That compares to 109.two% on the Galaxy S21. Both Samsung phones recorded Delta-E ratings of 0.29, so colors are simply as accurate on the Galaxy S21 FE as they are on the more expensive model.
Nosotros measured the Galaxy S21 FE's brandish at 700 nits with Adaptive Brightness turned on. That's merely shy of the Galaxy S21, which maxed out at 711 nits. And while the 795-nit iPhone 13 outshines the S21 FE, Samsung's latest phone is yet brilliant enough to meet outdoors.
Samsung Milky way S21 Iron review: Cameras
Cameras haven't inverse all that much on the Galaxy S21 FE when compared to the previous generation, at to the lowest degree in terms of hardware. As with the S20 Iron, the new phone features a 12MP main camera, augmented past a 12MP ultrawide lens and 8MP telephoto lens, with the latter shooter capable of delivering a 30x Space Zoom. Even the apertures on those 3 lenses are unchanged from the S20 FE.
The 8MP telephoto lens is easily the biggest trade-off betwixt the Galaxy S21 Fe and Samsung's standard flagship. Both the Milky way S21 and Galaxy S21 Plus featured a telephoto camera with a higher resolution — 64MP, specifically. I don't have either an S21 or S21 Plus on manus, only I imagine photos taken with either phone's telephoto lens will wait a trivial sharper than what yous become from the Galaxy S21 Atomic number 26.
Nevertheless, the Galaxy S21 Atomic number 26 at least has a telephoto lens, which is not something you tin say for other phones in its price range. The Pixel 6, which costs $100 less than the Galaxy S21 FE, lacks a dedicated telephoto lens, equally does the iPhone 13, which costs $100 more. Considering those two devices rank amongst the all-time camera phones, information technology's worth seeing how the Milky way S21 Atomic number 26's photographic output measures up.
Y'all'd be hard-pressed to find any difference in these dueling shots of a plate of tacos other than how I framed the shot with the Galaxy S21 Iron and Pixel six. The cilantro leaves topping the tacos in the Galaxy S21 Iron shot stand out a bit more than distinctly, and the texture of the lime light-green wall in the background is more detailed. Otherwise, these two photos are roughly the aforementioned, and that speaks well of the Milky way S21 Iron'south optics.
Moving outside to a covered vegetable stand up, we see the Galaxy S21 FE exhibit a familiar trait for Samsung camera phones — information technology likes to amp up colors, even if the stop issue teeters on over-saturating the shot. I recollect the Pixel 6'south warmer tones atomic number 82 to a better composed shot — the tomatoes may not look as vibrant equally they practice in the S21 Atomic number 26'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, similar in this shot at a nearby marina with downtown Oakland in the groundwork. I similar the brightness of the bluish sky that the S21 FE captures and how it's reflected in the h2o. The iPhone 13's photo — while more accurate — doesn't pop equally much.
It'due south hard to exam the Galaxy S21 Fe'due south zoom lens against either the iPhone 13 or Pixel 6, equally those phones must rely entirely on digital zooms. You meet the edge the Galaxy S21 FE has when you max out the iPhone 13's zoom to 5X and compare it to a like shot from the S21 FE. The name of the Tribune Building is very legible in the S21 FE photo; it'due south just a blur when captured by the iPhone.
Of class, the Galaxy S21 FE can go across 5x, as the telephoto lens supports a 30x Space Zoom characteristic. It'southward hard to frame a shot when maxing out the zoom without using a tripod, but Samsung's zoom lock feature can at least help you get a focused shot without too much blur. This shot of the Tribune building isn't every bit sharp as a purely optical zoom would exist, but the photo is clear enough to not only display the Tribune name but to also make out the Wells Fargo sign on the next edifice.
The ultrawide angle lens on the Galaxy S21 Iron has a 123-degree field of view, which is essentially the same every bit the 120-degree FOV on the iPhone 13. Consequently, both phones capture an equal amount of detail in ultrawide fashion. They also add a noticeable distortion around the sides of the picture, as you can see from the way the lamppost on the right is list. The bend seems more pronounced on the Milky way S21 FE'southward shot, merely I think that's partly because people are walking into the frame just as I striking the shutter button.
Even ignoring all that, I think the iPhone xiii did a better job here, with its darker, more balanced limerick. Once again the Galaxy S21 FE has highlighted the colors, particularly the bluish sky, but it'south done out some elements of the film theater's fine art deco facade.
The Milky way S21 Atomic number 26'due south portrait mode does an adequate job blurring the groundwork of shots to highlight your subject, fifty-fifty if it aggressively smooths out faces. You can't even tell that my daughter has freckles in the S21 FE's photograph, when they're somewhat evident in the Pixel six shot.
I too recall Google's phone is smart about what to blur and what to leave alone. The ukulele next to my daughter in the left side of the portrait merely gets a modest blur from the Pixel 6. The Galaxy S21 FE, on the other hand, is a lot more inexact with how it applies that mistiness. Samsung'due south photo does conspicuously differentiate between her and the groundwork though, which is what you want in a shot similar this.
Samsung says it improved the Night Mode on the Galaxy S21 Atomic number 26, and I retrieve that's evident from this shot of a skeleton nosotros have hanging in our basement workshop. ("Why do you have a skeleton hanging down there?" you enquire? Why don't you, I reply.) The skeleton emerges clearly from the shadows in the Galaxy S21 FE shot, and Samsung'southward phone even does a good chore balancing the ambient lighting streaming in from the right side of the picture. Looking at Samsung's shot, yous'd be hard pressed to realize it was taken in a pitch black room.
The iPhone 13's effort is a little darker, particularly on the left side of the shot. That probably makes for a spookier photo, but the image comes out more clearly in the Galaxy S21 Fe shot.
Ane thing I'd add about Dark Way on the Galaxy S21 FE: When taking photos in low-light with the S21 Fe's camera app, a crescent moon will appear in the viewfinder. This might make you think that Night Mode is turning on automatically, merely information technology's not — yous have to manually enable the feature, and I've found that the all-time way to do that is from the More options listed amongst the different camera modes. Otherwise, you might wind upward with a shot that'south all the same very much in the dark.
The 32MP sensor on the front of the Galaxy S21 FE takes an uncharacteristically muted selfie. Colors look accurate, simply are a lot more muted than what the iPhone 13'due south TrueDepth camera produces. I look hale and hearty in the iPhone 13 selfie, whereas the Galaxy S21 FE has an ashen quality.
Amongst the Galaxy S21's video features is back up for dual video capture. That means you can record video using both the front and rear lenses of the S21 Atomic number 26, only as yous would on the standard Galaxy S21. It'south a prissy feature to accept if video blogging or Instagramming are amongst your passions.
Samsung Galaxy S21 FE review: Functioning and 5G
Many of the new top-of-the-line Android phones coming out this year will run on Qualcomm'southward latest Snapdragon viii Gen 1 chipset, but the Galaxy S21 FE will stay a twelvemonth backside with 2021's Snapdragon 888 silicon. On the vivid side, the Snapdragon 888 is the same system-on-chip that powered the entire Milky way S21 lineup, and so y'all tin look comparable performance with those models. And the three S21 phones were amid the best performing Android handsets we've tested in the last year.
Yous make a merchandise-off from the rest of the Milky way S21 lineup when you opt for the FE, though. 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. That affects the ability to quickly switch between apps, though not so much that you'll notice a serious lag.
Certainly, I was able to switch dorsum and along between apps without any issues on the Galaxy S21 Iron. I also appreciated how the phone tin handle some adequately enervating apps without hesitation. I played PUBG Mobile on the Galaxy S21 Atomic number 26, and the game ran smoothly without sacrificing any of the starting time-person shooter'southward detailed graphics.
My experience is reflected by our criterion tests for the Galaxy S21 FE. When nosotros ran Geekbench 5 on the new Samsung phone, nosotros got a multicore score of iii,199. That's not as practiced as the 3,302 result the standard Galaxy S21 posted on that full general operation test. The OnePlus 9, a comparably priced Snapdragon 888-powered telephone that comes loaded with 12GB of RAM, posted a iii,618 score. The Pixel 6, which is powered by Google's Tensor silicon, lags the Milky way S21 Fe with a 2,696 multicore score.
In graphics testing, the Galaxy S21 FE produced similar numbers to the Galaxy S21. Both Samsung phones churned out 34 frames per 2nd in the 3DMark Wild Life Unlimited test. That's too the score the OnePlus 9 and Pixel 6 both produced. It'southward worth noting that the iPhone 13 and its A15 Bionic chip outperforms all these Snapdragon 888 devices, with a 55.9 fps result. All the same, the takeaway here is that the Galaxy S21 FE can hold its own against the best Android phones.
With support for both mmWave and sub-6Ghz 5G, the Galaxy S21 Fe should piece of work only fine on whatsoever 5G network in the U.South, just like any other Galaxy S21 model.
Samsung Galaxy S21 FE review: Battery life and charging
You become 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 than power efficient chipset running the new phone, you'd be inclined to expect some improvement in battery life over the Galaxy S20 Iron'due south so-so performance.
Sadly, that'south not case. The Galaxy S21 Iron did well plenty in every day apply, though it was in a need of a charge by the end of the day. However, in our demanding battery test — we accept a phone surf the web continuously over 5G until information technology runs out of power — the Galaxy S21 FE fell flat. The phone averaged seven hours, 46 minutes on our battery test, which is roughly two hours shorter than the average smartphone.
Nosotros got that time with the screen's 120Hz refresh charge per unit turned on. Disabling that feature improves things considerably, with the Galaxy S21 FE lasting 9 hours and xv minutes. That'due south amend 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 clasp more battery life out of the Milky way S21 FE.
Considering that the Milky way S21 suffers from a similar gap — fewer than 7 hours with its adaptive way turned on, ix hours and 53 meetings in 60Hz mode — Samsung needs to do a better task with battery life on its flagships.
At least Samsung has additional the charging speed from the Galaxy S20 Fe, equally the S21 Fe supports up to 25W charging. That should get a drained phone to a l% accuse after half-an-60 minutes. In that fourth dimension, my Galaxy S21 FE got back to a 46% accuse, though I wasn't able to run that test with a 25W charger.
That'southward because Samsung doesn't include a charger with the Galaxy S21 FE, just like it doesn't include that accessory with other S21 models. There are perfectly audio environmental reasons for that motility, but it puts the brunt on consumers to already accept a charger that tin can support the Galaxy S21 Iron'southward speeds or to purchase one along with the phone. A 25W charger from Samsung runs you anywhere from $20 to $35.
Samsung Galaxy S21 Iron review: Software
The delayed Milky way S21 FE launch has a silverish lining in one regard — you lot won't have to expect for an update to Android 12. Instead, the Galaxy S21 FE ships with Google's latest software already installed, along with Samsung'south updated One UI iv.0 interface.
I UI iv introduces a number of means to customize the look of your telephone's home screen, icons, wallpapers and more. Widgets get a redesign, and are more customizable, as well. Samsung also adopted many of the privacy features Google congenital into Android 12, so that y'all can get alerts when an app tries to use the Galaxy S21 Atomic number 26'south microphone or camera. Information technology's a meliorate experience, overall.
Samsung Milky way S21 FE review: Verdict
The Galaxy S21 Atomic number 26 is a fine improver to Samsung'southward S21 lineup, retaining the very best features of those flagship phones for a more modest price. The tradeoffs you take 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.
Otherwise, this is a solid phone, matching the performance of the summit Android flagships from a twelvemonth ago and delivering photos that hold their own confronting some of the best photographic camera phones we've tested.
But nosotros can't only compare phones to what's come before them. In that location'south also the matter of what's coming next, and with the Galaxy S21 FE, that next is coming very soon. With the Galaxy S22 virtually to launch, it's hard to recommend buying the Galaxy S21 FE until y'all've at least seen all the upcoming telephone's new features and whether they'll justify paying a fiddling fleck extra for that handset. It could well be that the Galaxy S21 FE is withal the improve buy, though odds are the S22 is going to prove to be a more compelling pick. (We consider make that case in our Galaxy S21 Fe vs. Galaxy S22 comparison.)
In the end, the biggest flaw surrounding the Galaxy S21 FE is the timing of the telephone's release. And that may be the hardest 1 to overcome.
Source: https://www.tomsguide.com/reviews/samsung-galaxy-s21-fe
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