Galaxy S21 FE 5G Exynos review: Great phone, bad price

Apoorva Bhardwaj is a source.

The S20 FE was a big hit for the company. The S20 FE sold $10 million on its own in a year where the S21 series sold nearly as well as its predecessors. The phone's success was dependent on its value. It offered the same hardware as the standard S20 at a lower price point, making it one of the best phones of the year.

A similar level of success has been achieved by the S21 FE. The phone has a new design that is similar to the S21 and has updated internals. The S21 FE has the same camera modules as its predecessor, as well as the same battery and charging tech.

Software is one area where the S21 FE stands out. It's a big deal that the phone is the first from the company to offer OneUI 4 based on the latest version of the operating system. The first is that the phone will get the latest version of the operating system right out of the box, and the second is that the phone will get three versions of the operating system.

The S20 FE is not as fast as the Exynos 2100 version, but there is a new design that promises better performance. If you're interested in buying a value flagship in 2022, here's why you should pay attention to the S21 FE.

The S21 FE has the makings of a great value flagship, with a stunning 120Hz AMOLED panel, stereo sound, and the Exynos 2100 platform, which are well-suited for intense gaming sessions. The battery lasts all day, the cameras are great, and you get the latest version of the OS out of the box. The price is the only thing the S21 FE gets wrong.

Good 120Hz screen.
Out of the box.
Excellent hardware inside.
The cameras take pictures.
Wireless charging.
It is comfortable to hold and use.

Unreasonably high for what you get.
There is no microSD slot.
There was no bundled charger.

I used the S21 FE for two weeks in India before writing this review. The phone came with OneUI 4 and got a stability update midway through the testing window.

The price and availability of the S21 FE.

Apoorva Bhardwaj is a source.

The global sale of the S21 FE began on Jan. 11. The S21 FE is available in North America and South Korea, but not in other international markets. The device is the same as the Qualcomm variant.

The S21 FE Exynos is on sale in the U.K. for $950 for the 8GB/128GB model, and $799 for the 8GB/128GB variant. The retail price in the U.K. makes the S21 FE a poor choice.

The 8GB/128GB version of the phone is available in India for 54,999 ($735) and is already down to 49,999 ($670) on Amazon India. The 8 gigabytes edition was introduced at 58,999 and is now available on Amazon for 53,999. India is now the most affordable place to buy the S21 FE.

The design and display of the S21 FE.

Apoorva Bhardwaj is a source.

The design of the S21 FE is similar to that of the regular S21, making it look striking at the back. The rear camera design of the phone is called a contour cut. The design of the phone is very minimalist, and unlike other phones in this category, the camera housing doesn't have any branding.

When I switch to a new phone, I want it to be comfortable to use. After using the Mi 11 Ultra and the Z Fold 3 for most of the latter half of the year, I want to try out lighter phones this year, and the S21 FE fits the bill.

The device is lighter and thinner than its predecessor, coming in at just 7.8mm and 177g. The lighter design of the S21 FE is perfect for my use case, and the width of 74.5mm ensures it isn't unwieldy for one-handed use. The design has a matt finish at the back. It makes the phone look better and it's great to hold. It is the best phone in its category for ease of use.

When using the phone on a flat surface, the camera housing doesn't cause a wobble because it protrudes slightly from the body. The power and volume buttons are on the right, and the sim card tray is at the bottom. There's no option to add a microSD card to the tray, unlike the regular S21 series.

I understand that this is the direction the flagship series is going, but it could have kept the 3.5mm jack and the microSD slot. If you absolutely need a microSD card slot, you'll need to pick up the S20 FE.

Apoorva Bhardwaj is a source.

The S21 FE has a 6.4-inch screen, which is the same as the S21 and S21+. The FHD+ resolution is standard fare in this category, and the panel goes up to 120Hz and has touch polling.

The panel is very bright with great viewing angles. You don't get the same channels at the top and bottom of the stereo sound. The fidelity that you get on the Mi 11 is not close to the level of stereo separation that you can find on other phones.

There's a layer of Gorilla Glass Victus and there's a layer of HDR10+. The phone feels great in daily use, whether it's scrolling through text, playing a game, or watching a video.

You'll find a lot of options, including schedulable dark mode, the ability to adjust color balance and warmth, and an always-on mode that's among the best in the industry.

The performance and battery of the S21 FE.

Apoorva Bhardwaj is a source.

This version of the S21 FE is powered by the Exynos 2100. There isn't much to say about the hardware with the Exynos model.

There are some specifications.

The S21 FE is an Exynos variant.

There is software.

OneUI 4, Android 12.

There is a display.

A 6.4-inch display.

There is a Chipset.

2.90 GHz.

There is RAM.

8 gigabytes.

There is storage.

There are 128 and 128GBs.

The rear camera has a camera.

OIS 12MP /1.8

The rear camera has a second camera.

12MP /2.2 (wide-angle)

Rear camera 3.

8MP /2.4 (3x zoom), OIS.

There is a front camera.

32MP /2.2

It's connected.

There is a wi-fi network.

There is a battery.

25W.

There is security.

The screen has an optical in-screen fingerprint.

There are colors.

White, lavender, and olive.

There are dimensions.

155.7 x 74.5 x 7.9mm

The weight.

177g.

The difference is immediately noticeable when you use off-the-shelf Arm cores. I didn't see any of the issues that plagued the Exynos 990, because the S21 FE feels just as fast.

If you've used the S20 FE with an older phone, you'll see a difference when you switch to the S21 FE. There's a level of performance 888-282-0476 888-282-0476 888-282-0476 888-282-0476 888-282-0476 888-282-0476 888-282-0476 888-282-0476 888-282-0476 888-282-0476 888-282-0476 888-282-0476 888-282-0476 888-282-0476 888-282-0476 888-282-0476 888-282-0476 888-282-0476 888-282-0476 888-282-0476 888-282-0476 888-282-0476 888-282-0476 888-282-0476 888-282-0476 888-282-0476 888-282-0476 888-282-0476 888-282-0476 888-282-0476 888-282-0476 888-282-0476 888-282-0476 888-282-0476 888-282-0476 888-282-0476 888-282-0476 888-282-0476 888-282-0476 888-282-0476 888-282-0476 888-282-0476 888-282-0476 888-282-0476 888-282-0476 888-282-0476 888-282-0476 888-282-0476 888-282-0476 888-282-0476 888-282-0476

The hardware of the S21 FE can handle anything you throw at it, and that's a good thing, since the problems of the past are in the past. The positive feedback from the S21 series led to the decision to use the Exynos 2100 in India.

I didn't see any issues with overheating or lag even during extended gaming sessions, and in my use, the Exynos 2100 feels just as reliable as the Snapdragon 888.

If you need more storage, there's an 8gigabyte/128gigabyte variant if you need more storage. There should be no issues with the selection of 5G bands that SAMSUNG has. I had no problems using the phone to connect to my wi-fi 6 and to my audio devices.

The call quality was good, thanks to the use of the internet, and the dialer was bundled with the phone. Other brands have switched to the standard option of the internet giant. You have the ability to choose.

The feedback for keyboard strokes and gesture navigation is delivered by the vibration motor. The S21 FE has an optical in-screen fingerprint reader, which is faster and works better than the regular S21 series ones. The S21 FE has dust and water resistance, so you don't have to worry about using the device near water bodies or in the tub.

Apoorva Bhardwaj is from the Android Central.

The battery life is adequate. I got a day's worth of usage and didn't run into any issues in this area. When I needed to rely on cellular data and navigation, there was a 20% charge by the end of the day.

The S21 FE is almost the same as last year. The phone has the same battery that charges over 25W, as well as the ability to charge other devices.

You'll have to buy a wall charger for the phone because there isn't one in the box, but the phone goes up to 50% in 30 minutes with a 25W charge. The move feels shortsighted and not in line with the ethos that this is a phone meant for fans.

A full charge takes over 80 minutes, and the company is on the backfoot for charging tech. The 25W charging standard is starting to look outdated with mainstream devices like the 11T Pro offering 120W wired charging.

The cameras of the S21 FE.

Apoorva Bhardwaj is a source.

The primary shooter on the cameras is a 12MP f/1.8 lens, joined by a 12MP f/2.2 wide-angle lens and an 8MP zoom module. There's a 32MP camera at the front and OIS at the primary and zoom lens.

The layout of the interface is essentially the same as it was before the switch to OneUI 4. You can find all the shooting modes and settings in one place. The S21 FE has the ability to shoot 4K video at 60 frames per second.

There's also the option to shoot from both the front and rear cameras at the same time, as well as the Night mode that the company made changes to to deliver better images in low-light situations. While the S21 FE doesn't get new hardware, the inherent changes to the camera tuning algorithm on the S20 FE make a noticeable difference.

The shots were taken in daylight. You get saturated colors that look great on the phone, because of the amount of detail you get. The wide-angle lens serves up photos of the same caliber as the primary lens.

The S21 FE is great in low-light situations, delivering excellent color vibrancy and plenty of detail. The Night mode works just as well on the wide-angle lens as it does in low-light situations.

The 8MP zoom lens offers shots with minimal noise and lens distortion at up to a 3x zoom level. The S20 FE sold well because it had a good camera, and will be followed by the S21 FE in 2022.

The software of the S21 FE is Exynos.

Apoorva Bhardwaj is a source.

The software side of things is being done well by the company. The S21 FE will get three guaranteed version updates, along with four years of security patches, when it is released. The S21 FE will get monthly patches.

The new features built into the phone are integrated into OneUI 4. Whenever the camera is accessed, you get recording indicators, as well as a privacy dashboard.

The interface was cleaned up around toast notifications. There's a better interface for picking out widgets, and it also has a derivative that works just as well.

A lot of extraneous services are included in the box, but they aren't worth the hassle. Thankfully, you can uninstall all of the services that you get pre-installed with Microsoft's collaboration with SAMSUNG.

It seems that the number of ads on the phones will be reduced. I haven't seen much in the way of ads other than a few push notifications to try out the store.

There isn't a lot that has changed from a user-facing point of view after the switch to the S21 FE. The interface didn't need to be changed, but it did need to be focused on a few areas. OneUI 4 feels great to use and is polished.

The competition is for the S21 FE.

Apoorva Bhardwaj is a source.

The S20 FE is still on sale in 2022, and it is a very decent option to consider. The S20 FE is an outstanding value in a lot of markets because it has plenty of hardware, the cameras are relevant, and you don't miss out on any extras. The S20 FE is a great choice if you don't mind the fact that the phone will only get an update to Android 13 after launch.

There is a strong option in this category. The phone has a robust hardware set up, including a 120Hz AMOLED panel, stellar cameras, and all-day battery life with 65W fast charging. In India, the price of the OnePlus 9 is 44,999.

Should you buy the S21 FE?

Apoorva Bhardwaj is a source.

You would like a value flagship in 2022.

The S21 FE has a good 120Hz AMOLED panel with robust internal hardware and all-day battery life. The S21 FE is flexible in day-to-day use, whether it's gaming, playing videos and movies, or just scrolling through social media.

You want great cameras.

The S21 FE has the same camera hardware as the S20 FE, but it can take better pictures.

You need all the extras.

The S21 FE will get three platform updates. It's not missing out on any of the extras you get on the regular S21 series.

You should not buy it.

The best value is what you need.

If you want to hit the value sweet spot, you'll have to pay a premium for the S21 FE.

You need a card in the box.

The S21 FE is too close to the regular S21 series, so you don't get a charger in the box, and the device misses out on the microSD card slot.

Apoorva Bhardwaj is a source.

It can deliver a value flagship that is all the right boxes with the S21 FE. There isn't much missing here; you get a vibrant AMOLED screen with a 120Hz refresh rate, the Exynos 2100 platform holds its own during intensive tasks, the cameras are great, the battery lasts all day, and it runs out of the box.

Water resistance and wireless charging are included in the S21 FE. The S21 FE will be relevant for several years to come because of the three Android version updates and four years of security patches. Pricing is the only thing the phone gets wrong.

The phone is not a good choice in the U.K. until it gets a substantial discount. In India, it is more acceptable at 49,999, but it needs to be sold in the vicinity of 45,000 to see the same level of sales figures as the S20 FE did.

If history is any indication, the offers for the S21 FE will be available in most markets very soon. The S21 FE will get a discount once the regular S22 is available in stores around the world. If you're interested in the S21 FE, I would recommend waiting a little while for it to go on sale.

The basics are delivered by theGalaxy S21 FE. It's a great package because it comes with the latest version of the operating system out of the box and will get three guaranteed updates, and there isn't much missing on the hardware front. The phone is one of the best in its category and you're paying a premium.

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