Samsung Galaxy S21 FE 5G review: Too late
A TEST REPORT from Kevin Özgun 
on February 18, 2022, 17:35 | Write a comment
At CES 2022 in Las Vegas stars Samsung is very belatedly presenting the Samsung Galaxy S21 FE 5G. It puts the "low budget" device next to its bigger brothers, the Samsung Galaxy S21 5G and S21 Plus. We have examined the new Fan Edition for you.
Much later, shortly before the launch of the Galaxy S22 series, Samsung dared to launch the Samsung Galaxy S21 FE 5G. Samsung should have carried out this launch a lot earlier so that it does not overlap with a new generation of Galaxy.
Jump to section
The scope of delivery: environmentally friendly or a cost-saving measure?
In the meantime, doing without a power supply unit has almost become standard. Apple started doing away with the power adapter with the iPhone 12, and manufacturers in the Android space soon followed. Now you only get the essentials: A USB-C to USB-C cable, guarantee slip and of course the Samsung Galaxy S21 FE 5G.
Image: Kevin Özgün /TechnikNews
Very high quality workmanship
The Samsung Galaxy S21 FE 5G is both lightweight and a real beauty. Although the S21 FE 5G does not have a back made of Corning Gorilla Glass, you can enjoy a soft polycarbonate back. Wireless charging and reverse wireless charging are also on board - not with fast charging, but at least with 7,5 watts. Fast charging is still possible with various available power supplies.
Nevertheless, it is extremely high-quality, inexpensively processed and, as usual, feels very good. Compared to a glass back, it also offers enormous advantages in the event of falls due to the polycarbonate.
-
- Image: Kevin Özgün /TechnikNews
-
- Image: Kevin Özgün /TechnikNews
The display is great
Corning Gorilla Glass Victus is used on the front. This covers the 6,4-inch (approx. 16 cm) Dynamic AMOLED display with a resolution of 1.080 × 2.400 pixels and thus has an elongated aspect ratio of 20:9. Of course, it also supports HDR10+ for various content. You can carefree consume content with full brightness in strong sunlight without having to go into the shade. 120 Hertz is also supported in the Samsung Galaxy S21 FE 5G, but unfortunately not adaptively, which is why you have to choose between 60 and 120 Hertz. Unfortunately, the lack of an LTPO panel does not benefit consumption, as the screen permanently supports 60 or 120 images pro second.
Image: Kevin Özgün /TechnikNews
The cameras
Samsung installs three modern lenses: 12 MP, f/1.8, 26mm (wide angle), 8 MP, f/2.4, 76mm (telephoto) and a 12 MP, f/2.2, 13mm, 123˚ (ultra wide angle).
Photography is optically possible up to a 3x zoom without digital intervention in the image quality. If you still want to zoom closer to objects, you can digitally up to 30x, but this leads to a significant loss of quality and makes the captured images almost unusable. In my opinion, the images have a high dynamic range and are detailed and sharp. Colors are displayed true to nature and do not appear oversaturated. However, this only affects the three optical lenses, since the detail fidelity is significantly lost with digital zoom.
-
- Image: Kevin Özgün /TechnikNews
-
- Image: Kevin Özgün /TechnikNews
-
- Image: Kevin Özgün /TechnikNews
-
- Image: Kevin Özgün /TechnikNews
-
- Image: Kevin Özgün /TechnikNews
The software is up to date
The Samsung Galaxy S21 FE 5G comes with the in-house user interface One UI 4 based on Android 12. The software is incredibly adaptable thanks to the integrated artificial intelligence (AI). Apps and backgrounds adapt to the contrast of the wallpaper and give a feeling of one piece.
-
- Image: Kevin Özgün /TechnikNews
-
- Image: Kevin Özgün /TechnikNews
CPU and battery life
Unfortunately, Samsung has never been known for its advanced battery life – but in Europe this is due to the company's own Exynos processors, which are less efficient at managing energy than the Qualcomm Snapdragon CPUs used in the USA.
But the Samsung Galaxy S21FE 5G actually has a Qualcomm Snapdragon S888 (SM8350) 64-bit 5nm octa-core processor with 1x 2,84 GHz + 3x 2,4 GHz + 4x 1,8 GHz installed for the EU. Although this improves the energy management internally of the operating system, it still only lasts for a day with everyday use. However, if you rarely or never use the smartphone, you can also manage up to two days with the Samsung Galaxy S21 FE 5G.
My conclusion
The Samsung Galaxy S21 FE 5G came onto the market much too late and slowed down itself with the launch of the S22 series and thus received significantly less attention. Basically, you get a solid smartphone with the Samsung Galaxy S21 FE 5G, which is priced behind its big brothers, the S21, S21+ and S21 Ultra, but has more than sufficient technology installed. If you want to buy it, you currently have to put at least 700 euros on the table.