As fans of the Samsung Galaxy series phones, we were excited about the official release of the fan edition of a fan favourite - the Galaxy S21. We had the opportunity to have exclusive access to the phone and there’s a lot to talk about.
From our hands-on experience, the phone really resembles the Galaxy S21 and many aspects of it are inspired by said phone. However, one would argue that the fan edition is considered an upgrade to the S21 despite the price difference suggesting otherwise.
With a better front camera, newer UI and better battery, it looks like the S21 FE is not a bad shout and we think that it is worth the money. Here is an in-depth review of the phone so you can be the judge of that.
Watch what happened at our Samsung x Scavenger Hunt 2022 - the winner walked away with a Galaxy S21 FE!
Table of Contents
- Specifications
- Build and design
- Display
- Battery
- Performance
- Camera
- Other features
- Conclusion
- PROMO: Samsung Galaxy S21 FE
Specifications
- Dimensions: 74.5 x 155.7 x 7.9 mm
- Weight: 177g
- Processor: Qualcomm SM8350 Snapdragon 888 5G (5nm), Exynos 2100 (5nm)
- Memory: 8GB + 128GB, 8GB + 256GB
- Display: 6.4” FHD+ (2,340x1080)(401 ppi), Dynamic AMOLED 2X, 120Hz Refresh Rate
- Rear Camera: 12MP + 12MP + 8MP
- Front Camera: 32MP
- Battery: Li-Ion 4500 mAh, non-removable, Fast charging 25W, Fast wireless charging 15W, Reverse wireless charging 4.5W
- Operating System: Android 12, One UI 4
- Other Features: IP68 Water Resistance, Optical Fingerprint, Secure Processor
Build and Design
The Samsung Galaxy S21 FE has a really good design that feels good in our hands. It comes with a matte rear finish called “Glasstic” which gives a premium look to the phone, but one may argue that the glass rear finish looks better. Luckily, the Glasstic finish doesn’t really attract fingerprints compared to glass finishes which are notoriously known as fingerprint magnets.
As for the colour variations, the fan edition S21 comes in four colours, which are Olive, Graphite, White and Lavender. In our hands was the Lavender variant which is a very nice colour and in my opinion, suits those who are more into trendy yet minimalistic colours.
On that camera bump, Samsung has yet again gone with the Contour Camera Cut with the lenses vertically aligned. This design makes the cameras stand out more and really suits the rear colour scheme. If you hadn’t noticed by now, the S21 FE’s design is heavily inspired by the S21, which is no surprise considering the positive response from the community during the S21 release.
Display
The S21 FE comes with a 6.4” Dynamic AMOLED display with 120Hz Refresh Rate. With such a high refresh rate, you already know that scrolling or watching videos is super enjoyable and buttery smooth. As always, it is an always-on display with an on-screen optical fingerprint sensor that is responsive and fast.
Especially with a new UI - One UI 4, the phone feels fast and you can expect to hardly experience any lags or stutters, even when multitasking. Not to mention, there are many features that come with the new UI, including neater app arrangements, more personalisation options and others. It is essentially the same UI as the S21, but better and smoother.
Battery
The phone comes with a 4,500mAh battery which is an upgrade from the 4,000mAh battery on the S21. The battery can last up to a whole day, if not overnight on moderate usage. Based on our tests, the battery can last the average user for a whole day and that battery does not drain fast even when gaming.
As for charging, the S21 FE supports 25W Wired Super Fast Charging which can charge up to 50% within 30 minutes. However, do note that the Fast Charger does not come with the phone and that users will have to buy it themselves. On normal charging, the phone fully charges in 1.5 hours - the difference is quite apparent.
Performance
As for gaming and performance, the Samsung Galaxy S21 FE actually performs quite well even for a phone that’s not built for gaming.
The phone is built-in with the Exynos 2100 processor which is a very powerful chip that runs most of the latest applications and games smoothly. We tested the phone’s performance when gaming with Asphalt 8 and Genshin Impact; arguably two of the most demanding mobile games you can find now on Google PlayStore.
When we tested both games, we made sure to crank up the graphics settings to the highest settings to really push the phone to its limit. It is safe to say that the S21 FE delivered surprisingly well as we experienced near-zero lag when playing the games for a few hours. The experience was very enjoyable, especially with the high refresh rate display.
In addition, the phone didn’t really heat up too much, which was quite surprising considering games like Genshin Impact will cause most phones to overheat. However, keep in mind that we tested this without a phone case and that the temperature did rise slightly after more than an hour of gameplay, but not enough to cause FPS drops.
To add on, the phone is also built-in with Game Launcher - a software that launches and optimises games. Some of the features that come with the software include Game Optimisation, Game Booster, Instant Plays and statistics on games such as time played and more.
It is safe to say that the optimisation features really help a lot in terms of reducing lag and ensuring the most immersive gaming experience you can ask for.
Camera
As usual, Samsung once again delivered with its camera capabilities. The Galaxy S21 FE’s picture quality that came out of the phone was absolutely stunning. With a ton of features such as Dual recording, Single Take, Space Zoom and more, we were really impressed with the image and video processing of the phone, especially with zoomed-in pictures.
In our opinion, the outstanding feature of the camera is its 30x Digital Zoom which captures far away object with utmost precision and stability. This is probably one of the most consistent cameras in terms of capturing long-distance images.
Besides, the new UI makes it so much easier to share pictures and videos on social media or with friends and family. In the media gallery, you can sort your favourite photos or categorise your highlights during a trip to make it easier to find your best pictures taken. With the help of Quick Share, you can even access media on other devices such as your computer with just a few clicks.
Other features
Connectivity is the name of the game for the Samsung Galaxy S21 FE as it seems like Samsung put a lot more emphasis on its ecosystem.
If you want to connect your phone to other Samsung devices such as the Galaxy Watch or Buds, it is as easy as a click of a button. Most importantly, the UI is so easy to use that a toddler could probably connect your phone without issue.
Besides, there are also some other softwares such as Samsung Free which allows users to discover new games and applications, as well as download them easily. The phone is also compatible with SmartThings, Samsung Members, Samsung Shop, Samsung Pay and more.
Conclusion
The Samsung Galaxy S21 FE is a fan edition phone inspired by the Galaxy S21 and in our opinion, this phone is definitely an upgrade from the 2021 device. This phone is excellent in so many aspects, including its UI, battery life, performance and of course, the camera.
At the price of RM2,899 (8GB + 128GB) and RM 3,099 (8GB + 256GB), the phone may not be suitable for those on a tight budget. But it is a really good phone to consider if you are looking for an upgrade. If you want to know the differences between the S21 FE and S21 or you can’t decide between the two, check out our article below explaining that.
More: Samsung Galaxy S21 vs Galaxy S21 FE - Which Should You Get?
Table of Contents
PROMO ALERT! Customers can enjoy discounts and add-on promotions for selected accessories with every purchase of the Samsung Galaxy S21 FE 5G.
30% OFF the following Galaxy S21 FE 5G Accessories:
- Silicone Cover with Strap
- Smart Clear View Cover
- Clear Standing Cover
- Slim Strap Cover
- From 6 January - 28 February 2022
20% OFF the following Samsung Galaxy items:
- Galaxy Watch4 Classic (42mm & 46mm)
- Galaxy Watch4 (40mm & 44mm)
- Galaxy Buds (Pro, Live & Buds2)
- From 6 January - 28 February 2022