After a year of leaks, postponement, and even Samsung allegedly canceling the Samsung Galaxy S21 FE at some point, the device finally launched in early January, about a month before the all-new Galaxy S22 series which will launch on February 9th.
The device has been received with mixed reactions, mostly because of the price and the timing, I already gave my first impressions on all of that, check that out here. That aside, I have had the device for a few weeks now, and here are the features I like about the device. If I don’t mention it, I didn’t.
Samsung Galaxy S21 FE Display
I still wouldn’t go out and buy the Samsung Galaxy S21 FE, but if I really had to, it’d be because of the display. The S21 FE has the best of the best in terms of displays from Samsung, it features a 6.4″ flat FHD+ (2400×1080) Dynamic AMOLED 2XInfinity-O Display which refreshes at up to 120Hz.
The display is HDR10+ certified for all your media consumption from popular streaming platforms like Netflix.
This is one of the best displays I have used on a smartphone, the color reproduction is brilliant, the true black AMOLED brings out vibrant visuals, for the display alone, I’d recommend this device.
Most specs sheets say the device has a 20:9 aspect ratio, I have struggled a lot to see it, unlike other smartphones which come with super tall displays, Samsung opted for a slightly wider aspect ratio on this phone (same as the iPhone) if I were to guess I’d say it’s probably a 19.5:9? (don’t quote me on this.) Do I like it? I don’t know.
Performance
In terms of performance, I’d have loved to get the Snapdragon 888 version of the device, given the next lineup of flagships will get the new SD 8 Gen 1, what I have is the Exynos 2100, the device performs brilliantly though, no lags or stutters in my day to day use.
The phone does get hot after you push it for a while, playing Call of Duty: Mobile for about 40 minutes and you can feel the device start to get very warm.
I run a few benchmarks below here from Geekbench as well. Not the best at the price, but I’ll let you be the judge of that.
In terms of battery life, the phone boasts of an upgraded 4,500mAh battery, the device struggles to make it a full day on normal usage, mostly ending the day with less than 10pc of charge.
Camera
The Samsung Galaxy S21 FE has a 12MP main camera, a 12MP ultrawide lens, and an 8MP telephoto lens. If you fancy the telephoto lens, the S21 FE is currently one of the only devices in its price range with one. It supports a 30x Space Zoom feature, and the zoom lock feature allows you to stabilize the image even with maximum zoom.
As expected the camera is superb both at night and during the day, Follow us on Instagram for Picture samples
Short Review Conclusion
If you’re a Samsung enthusiast and want the latest and greatest device from Samsung and Samsung alone, waiting for the Galaxy S22 series would be the move, however, if you want a cheaper flagship experience with the same three years worth of software updates, the S21 FE is a solid device.