Samsung Galaxy S21 FE 5G
From RM2,899.00
Pros
- Good battery life
- Waterproof/dustproof
- Gorgeous colour options
- Good for gaming
- Good camera
Cons
- A little pricey
Fan Edition. Remember that name. I have been a fan of the “Fan Edition” Galaxy series since the first Galaxy Note FE back in 2016. I have also reviewed their last FE series back in late 2020, the Galaxy S20 FE, which I love so much. And earlier this year, Samsung released their new FE series, the Samsung Galaxy S21 FE.
A little history behind the FE name. Fan Edition simply means a compilation of the popular features that Samsung fans are asking for and put it in an already great device – in this case it’s the Galaxy S21. Because of that, we now have better colour options, better SoC, upgraded softwares and better camera system.
Since I have always been a fan of the Fan Edition, I will always recommend this version to anyone who asks about what phone to buy. And they are never disappointed with my recommendation.
Read on to know why I think the Galaxy S21 FE is my choice for new upgrades.
First Look
The review unit that I receive is the Olive Green variant. During its launch, I said to myself that if I have the extra cash and want to purchase the new FE unit, I will buy this colour option. I love the soft pastel tone for the colour. It covers all around the aluminium frame and throughout the back including the camera bump, unlike the original S21 which has a stainless steel coloured camera bump regardless of the phone’s colour option.
The Galaxy S21 FE has the same three camera system like the original S21 but with an updated software to capture better images. The only thing it lacks is the ability to shoot 8K videos and only stuck at 4K, which is still good. And the telephoto camera is down to 8MP from 64MP on the S21.
While it loses the ability to have the same resolution telephoto camera, the S21 FE has an upgraded front facing selfie camera which has been bumped up to 32MP from 10MP. So now you will have a better selfie camera to use. This is what the FE is all about. Fans were asking about a better selfie camera and Samsung delivered it on the S21 FE. More on the camera later on.
The front display is a Dynamic AMOLED 2X with up to 120Hz refresh rate and comes with HDR10+ for a better contrast in colours. This is basically the same as the S21 and we all know that Samsung’s AMOLED is the best for displays. The selfie camera is placed right at the top center of the display, which I think is a good spot for it.
It has a slightly larger front display compared to the S21 with 6.4” at 1080×2400 screen resolution and it is also protected by the new Gorilla Glass Victus. I have experience with this Gorilla Glass Victus before and I can say that it is good. I don’t have any screen protectors on but I managed to keep the screen from any scratches.
As for the buttons, Samsung kept everything at the same place so that Samsung users will feel at home familiar with the button layouts. The volume rockers are on the right side of the phone and the power button is right below it.
Nothing much on the left side and around the top. While everything is right at the bottom such as the SIM tray, USB-C port and the bottom firing speaker. Keep in mind that the Galaxy S21 FE comes with stereo speakers, which means there is also another speaker at the top to blast out some good surround sound while you’re watching videos or playing games.
I like the overall size of the Galaxy S21 FE. It fits nicely in my jeans pocket and handling the phone in one hand is comfortable. Other colour options that you can find are White, Graphite and Lavender.
Performance and Daily Usage
The Galaxy S21 FE comes with Android 12 with OneUI 4 straight out of the box. With OneUI 4, there are tons of customisations that you can do on your device and it works really well with the new Android 12. The OS is stable and feels really smooth. Scrolling web pages with the 120Hz dynamic refresh rate is a real pleasure.
And to support the awesome upgraded OS is the new upgraded version of Samsung’s Exynos 2100 v2 SoC. The chipset is still based on the same 5nm process but with improvements on the speed and reliability. The GPU is still based on the same Mali-G78 M14 but has also been upgraded to version 2. Not much information I can get on the details at the moment but bottom line is, it’s been upgraded/improved.
Supporting all that power from the SoC and GPU is the 8GB of RAM with 128GB of storage space that goes up to 256GB. The base version is cheaper but you will only get 6GB of RAM but still have 128GB of space. My advice? Just go for the 8GB of RAM version.
To power everything up is the upgraded 4500mAh battery, which has been bumped up from 4000mAh in the S21. I remember that I can get 2 days of use with the Galaxy S21 when I did the review last year but I almost got up to 3 days with this new Galaxy S21 FE. This is without gaming and no YouTube binge. Just use it as it is for normal chats and social media with a little photo taking here and there.
Of course when I use it for PUBG Mobile gaming, the battery depletes quicker but I’m still able to get 2 days of use. If I start the game at 100%, it will drop down to 75% after 2 hours of gameplay. That is quite impressive if you ask me.
And now we’re in the performance and gaming subject. One thing I should say is that the Exynos 2100 version 1 from last year tends to heat up quite a bit when playing games for a long time. But with this Exynos 2100 version 2, it feels a little cooler. It does not heat up as much as before and the gaming performance is somewhat better.
I am able to get the graphic settings set to the highest and it mustered through like it’s nothing. Graphics are rendered smoothly and the phone itself is very responsive. There’s nothing wrong can be said about the Galaxy S21 FE here. And yes, lower heat means better CPU/GPU performance.
I also put the Galaxy S21 FE through the Antutu benchmark test. The Exynos 2100 version 2 scored a good 556891 points, placing it among the top 30% in the result tier.
If you multitask a lot, you’d be happy to know that the Galaxy S21 FE is very user friendly for multi-tasking. OneUI comes with an edge panel where you can quickly access your favourite apps simply by swiping inwards from the edge. You can also have picture-in-picture mode to watch videos while doing something else. The number of customisations that you can do on OneUI 4 is endless. So it’s all up to you on how you want the phone to look and behave. And you can play around with the colour palettes too.
It also comes with 5G so when the telcos start their 5G roll-outs, you are ready for the future. With 5G, you are better connected to work anywhere and everywhere. The Galaxy S21 FE also has the Samsung DeX feature where you can easily connect your phone with any TV or monitor via the HDMI port or wirelessly, if supported. With Samsung DeX, you can transform the phone into a fully working “computer” to work on any tasks. Super useful!
Unlocking the Galaxy S21 FE is super fast with the under display optical fingerprint sensor. I have always preferred to use a fingerprint sensor rather than using a face ID to unlock my phone. And I’m glad the sensor on the S21 FE is fast and responsive. This way I can quickly unlock the phone to take a quick photo. And that’s where we’re going next.
Camera
Photography has been one of the main focus for Samsung. They made so many improvements in the camera department over the years and have now made the Galaxy series as one of the best for photography, especially with the flagship S series.
The Galaxy S21 FE shares the same legacy. Much improvements have been made since the original S21 series and most of the improvements are based on the post-processing and SoC upgrade. I didn’t notice any “noise” from the night mode photos and it handled HDR much better.
Colours are a better match to IRL as well. But viewing on the awesome AMOLED display, it looks punchier and vibrant. Details are kept well on most of my shots without too much sharpening that will end up making it look fake. I use it mostly for landscape shots which I feel looks better with the ultrawide camera.
Now here’s the Galaxy S21 FE camera specifications:
Rear Camera:
- 12 MP, f/1.8, 26mm (wide), 1/1.76″, 1.8µm, Dual Pixel PDAF, OIS
- 8 MP, f/2.4, 76mm (telephoto), 1/4.5″, 1.0µm, PDAF, OIS, 3x optical zoom
- 12 MP, f/2.2, 13mm, 123˚ (ultrawide), 1/3.0″, 1.12µm
- 4K@30/60fps, 1080p@30/60/240fps, 720p@960fps, HDR10+, gyro-EIS
Selfie Camera:
- 32 MP, f/2.2, 26mm (wide), 1/2.74″, 0.8µm
- 4K@30/60fps, 1080p@30/60fps, gyro-EIS
If you notice the specs above, the selfie camera now has a gyro Electronic Image Stabiliser (EIS). This is not available on the older S21. With EIS, you will be able to shoot better and steadier selfie videos. And also notice the increased 32MP selfie camera for better and higher image resolution.
Now let’s have a look at the photos.
Taking a normal photo in a well lid area is a no brainer. Details are great and the colours are natural with a little punch to it.
When shooting a subject like above, we won’t lose any details either. On the left is the normal zoom while on the right is with 3x zoom. It still retains the detail and punchy colour.
Looking at outdoor landscape, again it looks good. On ultrawide angle camera, there are no distortions or warping around the edges, which is good. Great for group photos and such. Photo on the right is with 5x zoom and it still looks good. The faraway building looks sharp and good.
Then the sun goes down and getting dark, I did another series of ultrawide, wide and zoom shots. No details are lost with little to no noise can be seen.
When it gets really dark at night, I can still capture some good details in the photo. On the left is with normal mode while on the right is with the night mode turned on. You can see the difference on the image but still retains a clear shot.
Portrait mode is what I like most on the Galaxy S21 FE. The background and foreground becomes blurry with good bokeh effect while the subject stays in focus.
For food lovers, you can be sure to get some Instagrammable shots of your meals. And on the right is another indoor shot in low light that looks amazing. And also another night shot of a back alley that looks great even when candidly taken.
As for selfies, the 32MP front facing camera does not disappoint. For the front facing camera, there’s two modes you can choose from – a normal wide angle and a slightly wider angle, but not ultrawide. Both shots has good details.
Just like the original Galaxy S21, the FE version still managed to capture tons of awesome photos. I feel that is may be slightly better especially with the front facing camera. I enjoyed shooting with the Galaxy S21 FE and I would recommend this device to anyone who want good photography results.
Conclusion
Getting a Fan Edition Galaxy series is like getting a worthwhile upgrade. All the functions and hardwares are from those requested by you, as a Galaxy fan. If you want image stabilisation on your camera, just let them know. If you want a bigger battery, tell them. And from all the requests and submissions from the fan will be forged into a Fan Edition Galaxy phone. So what’s not to like about it? So yes, I am a fan of the Fan Edition. What’s not available on the S21, is done better on the S21 FE.
Camera performance is satisfactory to me. Most of my shots do not require a retake. And I only do minimal post-editing to the photos like increasing the brightness. Even the ultra-wide angle camera works great without any image warping or bending around the edges. Video taking works great too and thanks to EIS, I get more stable shots.
I love using the Galaxy S21 FE as a gaming device. The Exynos 2100 version 2 chipset powers the device through all the hard processing at excellent speed while being cooler than version 1. PUBG Mobile runs beautifully without any hiccups. Antutu scored quite well to place it in the top 30% tier.
OneUI is so user friendly that you can get it up and running almost immediately. If you are new with the device, I think there’s a software update for the Samsungs’ version of Android 12 and OneUI 4. So don’t forget to hit that update button.
If you’re looking for a really good upgrade to any phones you’re using, you can’t go wrong with the new Samsung Galaxy S21 FE. You have four colours to choose from. Go crazy!
The Samsung Galaxy S21 FE is now available for purchase at Samsung’s official store. The recommended retail price starts from RM2,899.00.
