Samsung Galaxy S21 FE 5G: Looks and feels slick, works like a breeze

Think of any good, Android phone (across market segments) with numerous industry-first innovations, and it is only natural that Samsung comes to mind. Take for instance, the Galaxy S21 Ultra—a design masterpiece with remarkable performance, but with a steep price tag.

Samsung fans can shake a leg as the Fan Edition is back; the South Korean brand has introduced a fine addition to its S21 lineup in the form of Galaxy S21 FE that retains the best features of last year’s flagship device at a more modest price. Galaxy S21 FE 5G comes with eye-catching design, powerful performance, pro-grade camera and seamless ecosystem connectivity.

Aditya Babbar, senior director and head, Product Marketing, Samsung India, says, “The Fan Edition was launched to deliver the best of Samsung flagship experience to young Galaxy Fans. We carry forward the legacy with Galaxy S21 FE 5G which is tailormade to deliver a great user experience. With its great triple camera, 6.4-inch FHD+ Dynamic AMOLED display, 120Hz refresh rate, and powerful processor, Galaxy S21 FE 5G will make every day epic for young consumers.”

Let me throw some clarity here. The Samsung Galaxy S21 FE takes most of the important features from the Galaxy S21 models and presents them in a more affordable form. As far as its camera is concerned, the S21 FE sports a triple rear camera to address the millennials’ need for capturing photos and videos they find hard to resist. This reviewer has been using the Galaxy S21 Ultra and was quite tempted to check out whether all that Samsung promises in its first 2022 flagship really holds out for the consumers. Let us take a deep-dive to discover the finer details.

Trust me, basis a two-week intense scrutiny, the Galaxy S21 FE really impresses; it’s smart, stylish and ultra-fast. In fact, it is a blazingly fast phone with a bright display, professional grade camera system and long battery life. Out of the box, the Galaxy S21 FE 5G has a very nice grip to it, it looks and feels premium. Appearance-wise, the new phone continues the legacy of Galaxy S21 with a premium and signature design. The iconic contour-cut design with four attractive colours—Olive, Lavender, White and Graphite, the super-strong Corning Gorilla Glass Victus and a modern haze finish are sure to turn heads. Galaxy S21 FE 5G features a sleek and slim 7.9mm-thick body, so it can easily slip into a pocket to keep up with any on-the-go lifestyle. Our review unit was the Olive, 8+128GB variant, and the initial reaction: it’s a fan phone worth having. This is a good-looking and powerful phone with great display, latest software and plenty of interesting features in its cameras.

Switched on, the Galaxy S21 FE features a beautiful 6.4-inch FHD+ Dynamic AMOLED 2X Display with super smooth 120Hz refresh rate, 240Hz Touch Sampling Rate and AI-based blue light control for dynamic and silky-smooth scrolling experience that’s easy on the eyes. Powered by 5nm Exynos 2100 processor (Samsung’s fastest chipset offers faster speed, advanced computing and higher energy efficiency) and 4500mAh battery, the S21 FE 5G ensures high speed and good performance. It comes with wireless power share and wireless fast charging 2.0 and supports 25W Super-Fast charging. The IP68 rating makes the smartphone dust and water resistant. The phone comes with flagship power, speed and performance with an all-day intelligent battery, 5G and Wi-Fi 6 connectivity.

Moving on to the cameras, the Galaxy S21 FE 5G sports a very efficient triple camera set-up that will set your social media feed on fire. On the rear, it has the flagship grade 12MP (UW) + 12MP (W) + 8MP (Tele) camera that captures bright and stunning pictures. The ultra-wide lens adds additional perspective to your clicks to fit all the details in one frame. The 32MP front camera captures pretty good and eye-catching selfies. The pro-grade camera system comes with Dual Recording, Portrait Mode, Enhanced Night Mode and 30X Space Zoom for better-taking photos.

Overall, the Galaxy S21 FE 5G looks sharp, performs well, has a solid battery life and provides a great user experience at an attractive price. Highly recommended.

SPECIFICATIONS
Display: 6.4-inch Dynamic AMOLED 2X display, 120Hz refresh rate
Processor: 5nm Exynos 2100 processor
Operating system: Android 12
Memory & storage: 8GB RAM, 128GB/256GB storage
Camera: 12MP + 12MP +8MP rear camera, 32MP front camera
Key camera features: Dual Recording, Portrait mode, Night mode, Space zoom, Single Take
Battery: 4500mAh
Estimated street price: Rs 49,999 (8+128GB), Rs 53,999 (8+256GB)