Samsung Galaxy S21 FE review: A good flagship smartphone you can buy

Samsung Galaxy S21 FE review: After almost seven months of leaks and rumors, the South Korean smartphone brand Samsung launched its most-awaited smartphone -- Galaxy S21 FE 5G in India from the most popular and premium Galaxy S21 series. The smartphone is offering flagship-level specifications and features similar to the Galaxy S21 series.

Samsung Galaxy S21 FE #Samsung pic.twitter.com/u31u8Rs9Zn

— Bharat Upadhyay (@bharatupadhya11) January 10, 2022

The Samsung Galaxy S21 FE 5G price in India starts at Rs. 54,999 and comes in four colours – including Olive, Lavender, White, and Graphite. The smartphone also comes with the super-strong Corning Gorilla Glass Victus and a modern haze finish. Galaxy S21 FE, the successor of Galaxy S20 FE, is packed with a triple camera setup, 6.4-inch FHD+ Dynamic AMOLED display, 120Hz refresh rate, and powerful 5nm Exynos 2100 chipset. For the review, I used the Olive Colour variant for more than a week and here's what I have to say about this newly launched device from Samsung.

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Let's start with design and outlook, the newly launched Samsung Galaxy S21 FE 5G is totally an upgraded version in looks when you compare it with Galaxy S20 FE. Just like the Galaxy S21 series, the Galaxy S21 FE 5G has a contour-cut design for the camera module but that portion is built from plastic instead of the metal frame. The back panel is also plastic but the display gets Gorilla Glass Victus for better scratch protection. I can say that the device is pretty slim (7.9mm) and lighter weighing just 177 grams. The good thing about this smartphone from Samsung is,  the back panel rarely attracts fingerprints. The phone is extremely lightweight, comfortable, and easy to hold when you compare it with the Galaxy S20 FE. You can easily hold the device for long hours. Overall, the looks of this Samsung Galaxy S21 FE 5G are really premium and appealing. It will definitely attract the attention of young buyers, especially those who look for a simple and elite design.

On the rear side of the Galaxy S21 FE 5G, you can easily see a triple-camera setup with the LED flash and Samsung branding at the bottom. On the left edge of the device, the Galaxy S21 FE 5G houses the power button and a dedicated space for the volume keys. At the bottom, the device features a Type-C USB charging port,  Nano-SIM Card Slot, and stereo speakers. The smartphone is not offering a 3.5mm audio jack. The speakers performed extremely well during the review period. Connectivity options on the Samsung Galaxy S21 FE 5G include Wi-Fi, GPS, NFC, USB Type-C, 3G, and 4G. Sensors on the phone include an accelerometer, ambient light sensor, barometer, compass/ magnetometer, gyroscope, proximity sensor, and in-display fingerprint sensor. Also, the IP68 rating makes the Samsung Galaxy S21 FE 5G dust and water-resistant.

In terms of display performance, the Samsung Galaxy S21 FE has a 6.4-inch 2340×1080 AMOLED display with support for a 120Hz refresh rate and a 240Hz touch sampling rate. You will also see the punch-hole camera in the center top of the display with an in-display fingerprint sensor and face recognition which worked pretty smoothly and lag-free during the review period. The display is flat on all sides and it has very slim bezels as well. During our review, the display offers good colours and sharpness The fingerprint sensor works well too and the high refresh rate makes this phone really premium. The overall experience while using the screen was smooth and lag-free. Our multimedia experience was great, the colors came out good on the screen in the various light conditions.

Camera performance: Samsung Galaxy S21 FE has a triple-camera setup on the back of the phone, with a 12MP main sensor with OIS, a 12MP ultrawide sensor, and an 8MP 3x telephoto sensor. The smartphone has a 32MP front camera, that captures stunning eye-catching selfies. The pro-grade camera system comes with Dual Recording, Portrait Mode, Enhanced Night Mode, and 30X Space Zoom for an epic experience. The rear camera captures bright and stunning pictures. The ultra-wide lens adds additional perspective to your clicks to fit all the details in one frame.

While reviewing the Samsung Galaxy S21 FE, we used most of the modes to check the camera performance and we found that Portrait Mode, Pro Mode, Single Take Mode produced very sharp and detailed pictures in various light conditions. The photos we captured were colorful and beautiful. While taking multiple shots with different modes, the device did a decent job here. The videos also came out good on this mobile phone. However, if we compare the images captured with Samsung Galaxy S21 FE in low light conditions in normal settings with the OnePlus 9 P and Vivo X60 Pro, this Samsung phone lacked sharpness. In terms of front camera performance, the smartphone captures good shots in daylight conditions but lacked sharpness in low lights.

Samsung Galaxy S21 FE Performance: Powered by the flagship chipset -- 5nm Exynos 2100 processor, the smartphone ensures high speed and unstoppable performance. On the software side, the Samsung Galaxy S21 FE 5G runs One UI 4 is based on Android 12. The new version has small tweaks throughout the interface and menus which look good. The 5nm Exynos 2100 processor chipset makes the gaming experience smooth and lag-free on this smartphone. The good thing is the UI is very easy to use and users might not face any issues. While playing games like Battlegrounds Mobile India and other light gamers, we witnessed lag-free gaming here. The graphic quality was good in normal settings.

Overall, the Samsung Galaxy S21 FE 5G was fast, smooth, switching between the apps, including WhatsApp, Instagram, and more, was easy and the performance was flawless. In terms of battery performance, the Samsung Galaxy S21 FE is backed by a 4500mAh massive battery with 25W fast wired charging, 15W wireless charging, and reverse wireless charging. Once fully charged, the Samsung Galaxy S21 FE lasted for over a day during normal to medium usage. Also, the device did not heat up during gaming and video streaming for long hours.

Samsung Galaxy S21 FE Verdict: Available at the starting price of 54,999, the Samsung Galaxy S21 FE comes with a flagship tag and premium features at reasonable rates. The device offers a great display, decent camera performance, and premium design. For those who are looking for a premium experience in Android, this Samsung phone might meet your demands.