I’ve by no means actually understood Samsung’s Fan Version branding. To me, followers are the people who find themselves first in line, first to learn all of the associated information and rumors, and most significantly, the primary to take a look at the newest merchandise from their favourite gadget makers. So when Samsung introduced the $700 Galaxy S21 Fan Version nearly a full 12 months after the unique S21 got here out, it felt lengthy overdue. What we’re taking a look at right here is much less of a telephone for die-hard fanatics and extra of a remix that includes among the S21’s finest traits for a cheaper price. Sadly, all that does not remedy the S21 FE’s drawback of it feeling outdated primarily on day one.
Design
Look, the S21 FE would possibly technically be a brand new telephone, however let’s not faux we have not seen it earlier than. It is received primarily the identical form and design queues as earlier S21s, simply with a barely totally different dimension. That includes a 6.4-inch display screen, the S21 FE lands squarely between the 6.2-inch S21 and the 6.7-inch S21+. That stated, at round six ounces the S21 FE feels barely lighter than its siblings due to some streamlined design modifications.
Professionals
- Cheaper than a normal S21
- Robust battery life
- Excessive-res selfie cam
- Vivid 120Hz display screen
Cons
- Barely outdated
- Decrease-res zoom digital camera than the S21
- No microSD slot or headphone jack
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Round again, the S21 FE nonetheless options Samsung’s Contour Lower design, however as a substitute of getting a digital camera bump with a steel shroud, the telephone’s again is comprised of a single piece of matte plastic. (Samsung calls it glastic as a result of it is plastic that form of feels form of like glass.) And as a substitute of a two-toned colour scheme, the S21 FE is monotone all through, with a colour alternative of blue, lavender, bronze, white, purple and graphite (proven above).
Elsewhere, the S21 FE primarily has the identical design as its forebears, that includes a centrally situated selfie cam in entrance, an influence button and quantity rocker on the fitting, and a USB-C port on backside for information and charging. There is a speaker grille down under that works with the telephone’s earpiece to offer stereo audio, which sounds wonderful even when it is somewhat gentle on bass for my style.
Show
Samsung makes the most effective telephone shows within the business, and although the display screen on the S21 FE is not fairly as large or high-res because the S21 Extremely’s, there’s not a lot to complain about. You get robust brightness that tops out at over 700 nits, a 120Hz refresh fee, and a couple of,400 x 1,080 display screen decision — the identical as what you get on the S21+.
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In entrance, the S21 FE’s show is protected by Gorilla Glass Victus. It additionally homes a helpful fingerprint sensor beneath its display screen. And whereas the S21 FE’s optical in-screen fingerprint sensor is not as subtle because the ultrasonic sensors Samsung used within the authentic S21 fashions, in my expertise, it is quick and reliable.
Android 12
Whereas Samsung (and carriers) proceed rolling out Android 12 to older S21 gadgets, the S21 FE comes with One UI 4.0 (which is predicated on Android 12) pre-installed. Visually, this does not have a huge impact on the S21 FE’s general UI and format, although the additional personalization choices do make it simpler to customise your private home and lock screens. And since Samsung’s spin on Android has lengthy included assist for options like scrolling screenshots, a very powerful improve in One UI 4.0 is the brand new Privateness Dashboard. Along with new notifications that decision consideration to when apps are accessing the telephone’s mics or cameras, the Privateness Dashboard gives a easy and simply accessible manner of managing issues like permissions, information and monitoring settings and extra. At a time when digital privateness stays a relentless concern, extra management over your information is certainly a very good factor.
Cameras
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The S21 FE’s cameras are one other space the place Samsung’s spec shuffle actually comes into impact. The telephone has a well-recognized huge, ultra-wide, and telephoto digital camera setup on its again, however with a lower-res 8-megapixel sensor in comparison with the 64MP sensor you get on its predecessors. You continue to get a 3x optical zoom, however from a digital camera that produces footage that simply aren’t fairly as sharp or as detailed as a normal S21.
The huge and ultra-wide cameras take nice photographs, although the S21 FE nonetheless lags behind the Pixel 6. For instance, in a shot of some toys taken outdoors, the Pixel 6 preserved highlights on one toy’s face, whereas protecting the toy sitting within the shade from trying too underexposed. In distinction, the S21 FE blew out the sunlit face and eyes with out offering a lot in the way in which of additional sharpness or element. Google’s Evening Sight additionally constantly outperformed Samsung’s Evening Mode for low-light photographs, although the S21 FE usually wasn’t far behind. That stated, the S21 FE’s cameras aren’t dangerous; they’re simply inferior to the Pixel 6. And let’s not overlook the Pixel 6 solely has two rear cameras, missing any kind of devoted telephoto possibility such as you get from Samsung.
Gallery: Samsung Galaxy S21 FE digital camera samples | 7 Photographs
Gallery: Samsung Galaxy S21 FE digital camera samples | 7 Photographs
On the flip aspect, Samsung truly elevated the decision of S21 FE’s entrance cam to 32-MP (up from 10MP on the S21), which is good should you like a number of selfies or movies for social media. However on the identical time, I do not actually suppose this one improve is sufficient to change the general impression of the gadget, leaving it feeling extra like a pleasant bonus and fewer like a notable enchancment.
Efficiency
At this level, the Snapdragon 888 chip contained in the S21 FE is a reasonably well-known amount. It delivers speedy efficiency and helps assist options like 4K video seize throughout all the telephone’s cameras (at 60 frames per second on the principle wide-angle and entrance selfie cams and 30 fps for the remainder). Nevertheless, as a result of the bottom S21 FE solely comes with 6GB of RAM versus 8GB on a traditional S21, I observed the FE felt slower at occasions, together with when it was processing Evening Mode photographs.
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Granted, it is a fairly minor distinction, and also you may not even discover except you employ the 2 telephones aspect by aspect. However for individuals who do a number of memory-intensive duties like gaming or video enhancing, the FE’s decrease base RAM might be the most important purpose to pay $70 to improve to the 8GB mannequin or simply decide for the standard S21 or S21+.
Battery life
One other bonus of the S21 FE’s bigger physique is that it gives additional room for an even bigger battery. So as a substitute of a 4,000 mAh cell such as you get within the S21, the S21 FE encompasses a 4,500 mAh energy pack, which gives a noticeable enchancment in longevity. On our battery take a look at, the S21 FE lasted 16 hours and 55 minutes, or somewhat greater than an hour and a half longer than the S21’s time of 15:17. And in the true world, the S21 FE’s battery life usually feels much more prodigious than that, as I usually completed the day with upwards of 40 p.c battery nonetheless left within the tank.
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It is also price noting that, like the usual mannequin, the S21 FE does not include an influence adapter within the field. So if you wish to benefit from the telephone’s 25-watt wired charging, you will in all probability need to shell out for a separate charging brick. It is annoying for positive, however like Apple, Google and others, Samsung says not together with an influence adapter with its telephones ought to assist lower down on e-waste.
Wrap-up
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With the availability of ordinary S21 fashions beginning to dry up, the S21 FE is not actually competing towards the originals. It is a substitute that is sadly well past due. It is nonetheless a strong telephone, however the usual Pixel 6 shoots higher photographs, has a extra engaging design, and should you get the unlocked mannequin straight from Google, it prices $100 much less, too. The Pixel 6 is solely the higher purchase except you actually care about mmWave 5G (which the unlocked Pixel 6 doesn’t assist) or accessing a telephoto digital camera.
Hell, the S21 FE is so late Samsung is already planning to launch its subsequent large flagship within the coming weeks. So even should you’re an enormous fan of Samsung’s newest FE handset, on the very least, it is best to wait to see what the S22 has to supply earlier than buying what is basically a year-old telephone. Plus, the arrival of a model new Galaxy S telephone usually means reductions are coming quickly to older gadgets.
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Oh, and if Samsung desires to maintain this complete Fan Version factor going, what I might actually prefer to see is a tool that higher lives as much as the branding. As an alternative of a repackaged year-old telephone, why not make a premium remixed model sporting a microSD card slot and headphone jack? Not solely would this be a welcome different to a number of at present’s flagships with minimal ports, however it’d even be a thoughtful nod to old-school Galaxy telephone followers who could have felt betrayed when Samsung eliminated these options from the S20 in 2019. That is the form of buyer appreciation I can actually get behind.
Key specs
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