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Over the past few years, there has been a category in the market called value flagships. It feels like buying a high-end device with all the features at a lower price is getting away with something. The classics of the genre are the phones like the iPhone SE, the Pixel A-series, and the S20 FE, which combine the right features for the right price at the right time. The second entry in the category, the Galaxy S21 FE, is just a little off the mark on all the elements that would have made it a great value flagship.
The S21 FE arrives late in the product cycle, taking some of the shine off of this year's flagship for less appeal. The standard S21 has everything you get from it, with the exception of a couple less gigabytes of ram, a lower-quality camera, and a slightly larger screen. It is not cheaper than the $799 S21 at $699. The S21 FE doesn't look like much of a deal since the S22 is likely to arrive soon.
The S21 FE is a good device. Its processor and RAM are fast and easy to use. A 6.4-inch screen has a 120Hz refresh rate. Even with a big, bright, high refresh rate screen, its battery will last a full day. It is hard to recommend it to others when you can get the S21 for $100 less than you can get the Pixel 6.
Noupscale is a file onchorusasset.com.
The S21 FE has a 6.4-inch screen that has a 120Hz refresh rate.
The The S21 FE has a bright and vibrant 6.4-inch screen with rich blacks. The 120Hz refresh rate makes animations and scrolling very smooth. The frame is aluminum and the front panel is protected by Gorilla Glass. The display has an optical fingerprint scanner. So far, the flagship.
The S21 has a back made of plastic rather than glass. The plastic camerabump on the S21 FE is a little less expensive than the metal one on the S21, so that is a concession. This feels like a device on the very highest rung of the midrange ladder, with the other high-end components and a lovely screen to look at.
This feels like a device on the very top of the ladder.
The battery on the board was able to last through a day of moderate use. Power users may find themselves in a single digit battery percentage at the end of the day, especially with the screen smoothness setting at 120Hz. There is no option for a variable refresh rate, which would help conserve battery life while using the higher refresh rate setting.
The S21 FE supports fast wireless and wired charging. The box does not include a power adapter. If you don't have a compatible power brick on hand, you'll need to buy one if you want the best speeds.
Noupscale is a file onchorusasset.com.
The performance is excellent with a top-shelf processor.
The S21 FE has the same top-notch processor as the rest of the S21 series, but it has less memory as the base model option. The S21 FE opens apps quickly and is easy to jump between, so I didn't see it having a significant impact on day-to-day use. The phone was warm playing Call of Duty Mobile. I wouldn't expect seamless rendering, but I do notice a bit of lag in the live preview using portrait mode on the camera. Performance is very good.
The S21 FE has all of the new system customization options that it has to offer. If you set a photo as your wallpaper, the phone will suggest a color scheme to apply to buttons and icons. You can scale and adjust the wallpaper on your home screen. The stock weather app now has some links to clickbaity Weather Channel articles at the bottom of the screen, which I can live with.
Noupscale is a file onchorusasset.com.
The S21 FE has the same rear camera as the S21, but it has different modules.
The standard S21 has the same main rear camera as the S21 FE. The S21 has a bigger 3x hybrid digital / optical zoom than the telephoto camera, but it has a much smaller 8-megapixel sensor and 3x optical zoom. It is a true optical telephoto camera, but it is not guaranteed in the under-$800 class.
It is possible to take 30x hybrid zoom images with the S21 FE, but the camera is working with less data than the S21, so photos at that length look like watercolors. The native 3x zoom photos look better than the ones I used with the zoom lens, even in dim indoor lighting. That is a big deal for a small sensor. I would prefer if the main camera was the default for portrait mode rather than the zoom.
The main camera of the S21 FE performs well. Night mode renders an impressive amount of detail, provided your subject isn't moving, as we expect from SAMSUNG, and photos are bright and saturated. The S21 FE is not my favorite because of its warmer, more saturated look and because it can not match the camera of the Pixel 6. It does a good job, but it is not the best camera in its class.
The ultrawide camera is slightly less wide than the S21's. The S21 has a fixed-focus front-facing camera, whereas the S32 has a selfie cam. The first time you use the camera, it asks you to choose between natural and bright colors. I appreciate that I didn't have to look at the menu to find it. I don't think prospective S21 FE owners will care much about the differences between the ultrawide and selfie cameras.
Noupscale is a file onchorusasset.com.
The S21 FE is in a strange spot because of the components and timing.
The S21 FE is a fine phone, but it's not for everyone. Those who don't have a particular loyalty to the company would be happy with the Pixel 6. It has a better camera, is built with premium materials on the front and back, and has comparable performance to the S21 FE. The top screen refresh rate is 90Hz, not 120Hz, and you don't get a telephoto camera, which is reserved for the $899 6 Pro. The S21 FE is worth an extra $100 to you. The other people should go to the Pixel 6.
If you are a fan of the company, you will probably pay an extra $100 for the S21 to get more bells and whistles. You probably have already. The S21 is the Fan Edition of the S21 series because of its lower cost and back panel.
The S21 FE leaves me with very little to complain about, but not much to recommend it over the alternatives.
There is something to be said for a phone with a very good support policy, a decent camera, and top-shelf components that cost less than $1,000. I would usually steer potential buyers to the Pixel phone for faster software updates, but it appears that the company is committed to getting the major OS updates out earlier than in previous years.
The S21 FE leaves me with very little to complain about, but not much to recommend it over the alternatives. If you have held off waiting for it and you don't want to wait another few weeks to see what the S22 has to offer, then you should buy this phone. If you are more of a casual observer than a fan, I don't think this is the device for you.
Allison Johnson is a photographer.
Every smart device requires you to agree to a series of terms and conditions before you can use it. It is not possible for us to read and analyze all of these agreements. We started counting how many times you have to agree to use devices when we review them since these are agreements most people don't read and can't negotiate.
You must agree to this in order to use the S21 FE.
The terms and conditions of the company.
The Privacy Policy of the company.
The Privacy Policy is included in the terms of service.
The terms of service of the internet service providers.
Automatic installs from your carrier.
There are many options. There will be more of them if you use a carrier-specific version. Here are a few.
Information linking and sending diagnostic data.
For personalized ads, the service is called the "Customization Service" by the company.
Special offers and news from the company.
Offline finding should be turned on.
Diagnostic data, location services, backup, and more can be found on the internet.
The privacy policy for Bixby has to be used, along with optional options like personalized content, data access, and audio recording review.
There may be more. For example, the Weather app of the Korean company has its own privacy policy that may include sharing information with weather.com.
There are at least nine optional agreements.
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