Samsung Galaxy S21 FE 5G review – Fan edition, round two, still affordable

• The Samsung Galaxy S21 FE 5G is the latest premium offering from the smartphone maker.
• The device has been launched with a price tag of ₹54,999, making it the most affordable S21 series phone.
• Here’s our review of the Galaxy S21 FE 5G that will help you decide whether you should buy the device or not.

After the success of the Galaxy S20 FE, the most affordable device in the Galaxy S20 lineup, Samsung introduced the Galaxy S21 FE 5G as the first device from the company in 2022 in India.

The Galaxy S21 FE 5G is placed in the upper mid-range segment and is aimed at offering a premium device with flagship features at a relatively affordable price. Like its predecessor, the Galaxy S21 FE is offered in several eye-catchy colours to appeal to the younger generation.

I’ve been using the Samsung Galaxy S21 FE 5G for a couple of weeks now and here’s my full review of the latest premium smartphone from the company.

Samsung Galaxy S21 FE 5G price and availability

The Samsung Galaxy S21 FE 5G is priced at ₹54,999 for the 8GB RAM and 128GB internal storage variant and ₹58,999 for the 8GB RAM and 256GB internal storage variant.

It is available in four colour options – Olive, Graphite, Lavender and White. The device is available from Amazon India, Samsung online store and Samsung authorized retailers across the country.

As part of the launch offer, buyers can avail an instant cashback of ₹5,000 using HDFC Bank debit or credit card.

Samsung Galaxy S21 FE 5G – Design

The Galaxy S21 FE 5G is like the other Galaxy S21 series devices and it’s easy to confuse it with the other devices, especially the S21 and the S21 Plus. While it features an identical camera bump, the S21 FE 5G uses plastic instead of metal.

The device comes with a plastic back and sports a matte finish, with an aluminium frame running around the sides. Overall, it feels good to hold and the plastic back means it doesn’t get too cold or too hot in either weather condition.

While some may think the lack of glass or metal makes the S21 FE 5G a less premium phone, it looks and works just as well.

Samsung Galaxy S21 FE 5G – Display

The Galaxy S21 FE 5G sports a 6.4-inch Dynamic AMOLED display with a punch-hole notch in the centre, just like its other S21 siblings. It comes with a 120Hz refresh rate and Corning Gorilla Glass Victus protection.

In day-to-day usage, I found the display to be bright and vibrant enough, even under direct sunlight. The touch response is good and there’s some good news for fans of both flat and curved displays – while the display itself is flat, the edges of the glass are slightly curved. This makes it easier to use gestures and swiping from the edges is smooth, while flat sides add a break of sorts while swiping.

The display also houses a fingerprint sensor, which is optical this time around. While this makes it less secure than Samsung’s ultrasonic solution, it is faster and more responsive.

Samsung Galaxy S21 FE 5G – Performance and battery life

The Galaxy S21 FE 5G is equipped with the same Exynos 2100 chipset as its more expensive S21 siblings. This is paired with 8GB RAM and up to 256GB of internal storage.

From playing graphic-intensive games like Call of Duty: Mobile to multitasking throughout the day, the Galaxy S21 FE 5G handled everything I threw at it well enough. I also tried a wide range of activities such as streaming videos, playing music in the background and simply using social media apps and surfing the internet – the phone breezes through everything.

Coming to the battery department, the Galaxy S21 FE 5G is powered by a 4,500mAh battery with 25W wired charging support and 15W wireless charging support. On a typical day, the phone lasted me through the evening with moderate gaming, multitasking, plenty of texting and phone calls and clicking a few photos.

Samsung Galaxy S21 FE 5G – Camera

The Galaxy S21 FE 5G is equipped with a 12MP primary camera with optical image stabilisation, a 12MP ultra-wide sensor and an 8MP telephoto sensor with 3X optical zoom. On the front, the device sports a 32MP selfie camera.

Images captured in daylight turned out to be very well balanced, both in terms of details as well as colour reproduction. The primary camera also performed very well in terms of close-ups, with a great amount of detail and clarity.

Even while indoors under artificial light, the S21 FE 5G’s primary camera worked well, with well-saturated colours and detailed photos.

The ultrawide angle camera took decent photos, but it misses out on autofocus so you have to be careful, especially if there are moving objects. Other than that, the overall image quality remained good.

Wrapping up

The Galaxy S21 FE 5G is a great option if you are looking for a value flagship. It faces tough competition from the likes of the OnePlus 9R and OnePlus 9RT, among others, especially if you are a fan of fast charging speeds. However, the overall performance is well-rounded and makes a lot of sense for those who want a powerful Samsung smartphone at a good price.

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