The Best Phones Coming to the UK in 2022 Review
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In this case, the saying "better late than never" doesn't apply to the Samsung Galaxy S21 FE, which arrives just a few weeks before the next-generation Galaxy S22 lineup, five months after its original release date, and 11 months and one week after the other phones in the Galaxy S21 family.
Samsung's Galaxy S21 series is said to include a "budget" version with the same features and specifications as the main S21 family, but at a reduced price due to a few choice downgrades. Samsung's Fan Edition phones are not new, even though (it should be cited that the Galaxy S20 FE proved alternatively popular).
As a starting point, the cost is an issue. In spite of the fact that the FE in its name indicates that the S21 FE is a low-cost member of the S21 family, the S21 FE is being sold at full price while other phones in the S21 lineup have been reduced. If you can locate a decent bargain on the Galaxy S21, you can have a phone with better specifications and features for less money. "No points for second place," says Rick Rossovich in Top Gun.
Sadly, the Samsung Galaxy S21 FE's high price makes it an unattractive purchase when its price is lower. Nowadays, you can get phones with the same CPU, screen specifications, and camera capabilities for a lower price than before.
However, the phone's pricing isn't the only problem. Even with wireless charging, the phone takes a long time to charge and doesn't last long between charges. The phone's battery life might not always be extended by using it as usual.
Even unlocking and swiping menus took longer on this phone than on other devices we've tested. We also found the software to be a little sluggish. Even with a high-end CPU, a high-speed screen refresh rate, and an ample amount of RAM, Samsung's One UI is known to behave this way.
To be clear, we didn't give the Samsung Galaxy S21 FE a negative score since it isn't a poor phone. A bright and brilliant S21 FE screen made content viewing more engaging. The fast CPU is ideal for gaming, and the cameras were more than enough for the majority of our photo shoots.
It's possible to get a discount on the phone if you buy it as part of an all-inclusive deal or as a refurbished or used model. A recommendation is difficult to make at its current price point.
There's no word on the pricing or availability of the Samsung Galaxy S21.
The Samsung Galaxy S21 FE is available in two storage capacities: 16GB and 32GB. An entry-level device costs £699 ($699), while the top-of-the-line model costs £749 ($769.99) or AU $1,099 for eight gigabytes of RAM and 256 gigabytes of storage.
As of this writing, the Samsung Galaxy S21 8GB/128GB model is available for only $649/$649 or $999/AU $949/£649/$799, depending on where you live. (It has been even less expensive in the course of sales intervals like Black Friday and Cyber Monday).
It's also worth noting that several mid-range phones, like the Realme GT, Moto G200, Pixel 5, or iPhone SE (2020), cost far less and have similar specifications that make them more appealing mobiles.
Because of this, the Samsung Galaxy S21 FE's pricing seems excessive, particularly considering the S21 is available for a lower price.
Design
The Galaxy S21 FE is a dead ringer for the vanilla and plus members of its family, other than its size, making it easy to confuse the two.
There are three lenses on the FE's back, much like those seen in the aforementioned smartphones. The rear cameras on the FE are encased in plastic, but the ones on the S21 are made of metal.
Even though the moniker "Glasstic" is Samsung's marketing ploy, the phone is made of plastic, not glass, which is what most smartphones are made of. It's a trade-off: a plastic phone is more robust and easier to hold, but it's also a touch flimsy in the hand.
When holding it in our hands, the FE's power button and volume rocker were both simple to reach, much like on the S21. A USB-C to 3.5mm converter or Bluetooth headphones are required in order to listen to music over the device's USB-C connection.
You can carry this phone comfortably in your palm since it's incredibly thin and has the same thickness as the S21. The bezel (the narrow border around the phone's screen that separates it from the edge) is another example of Samsung's attention to detail, as it shows no signs of slacking off.
There are four colors of the Samsung Galaxy S21 FE available: black (shown), white (shown), pink (shown), and green (shown).
Display
Its 6.4-inch screen places it between the 6.1-inch S21 and the 6.7-inch S21 Plus, both of which have a display resolution of 1080 x 2400 and a refresh rate of 120Hz.
As far as similarities go, the Dynamic AMOLED 2X screen technology, which Samsung uses to describe an AMOLED panel that originally appeared in the Galaxy S20 phones, is another. A lot of tech jargon indicates that the screen is colorful, and we'd have to agree with that assessment after using the phone.
The Galaxy S21 FE's best feature is undoubtedly its large, vibrant screen. You can enjoy watching TV programs or playing games on your phone with stunning color, contrast, and brightness.
The cut-out for the front-facing camera on the top edge of the display separates it from the rest of the display, although it's not very large.
Cameras
Specs and performance
Even if the Samsung Galaxy S21 FE ends up being the final phone to utilize Qualcomm's Snapdragon 888 chipset, we wouldn't be shocked if it's the first phone to use Qualcomm's newly-unveiled Snapdragon 8 Gen 1.
If you have a 5G contract and live in a location that supports it, the Galaxy S21 FE will be able to connect to 5G networks using the 888 chipset. Depending on the phone model, you may choose between 6GB and 8GB of RAM to go along with the CPU.
In spite of the fact that it isn't the newest or most powerful CPU on the market, the Snapdragon 888 is still a phenomenally strong processor that can handle the most demanding applications without breaking a sweat.
There was no noticeable lagging or freezing when playing games on the phone, which we found to be rather impressive given its relatively low price point.
For mobile gaming and streaming video, the phone works well enough, but headphones are recommended. Why? because it was so simple to mistakenly cover the phone's speakers when holding it horizontally.
Software
Samsung's One UI 4 skin sits on top of Android 12 on the Galaxy S21 FE. One UI 4 adds the option to customize the color scheme of the menus and icons, which is a major addition to Android 12 over prior versions.
Navigating the FE's menus should be a snap because of its RAM, CPU, and screen refresh rate, but that wasn't the case for us. Even when utilizing gesture navigation, we noticed that swiping between home pages, accessing applications, and unlocking the phone was a touch slow. Using the phone menu's search function to locate a certain app was often slow.
However, although the phone isn't sluggish by any means, it is worth noting that the phone just isn't quick enough for its specifications. We would be negligent if we didn't bring this to the attention of our readers as tech reviewers.
It's also worth noting that the phone's menus were the only thing affected by the lag. Apps worked great on the phone.
Battery life
How long is the battery expected to hold a charge
The Samsung Galaxy S21 FE has a 4,500mAh battery, which is about average for a smartphone, but we were disappointed by how short the battery life was.
We found that the battery barely lasted a full day without recharging if we used it for light social media surfing, music streaming, and the occasional game or picture taking. Heavy use necessitated charging the phone late at night to assure it would last until the following morning.
The Galaxy S21 FE's battery life may be enough for light phone users, but if you're a heavy user, it may not last long enough.
Fast-charging phones may now go up to 65W or even 120W, which is a stunningly uncompetitive charging rate for a smartphone in this day and age.
A full charge takes roughly an hour and a half, although we expect most people to leave their phones plugged in overnight.
Even for a "cheap" phone, the Galaxy S21 FE comes with 15W of wireless power and 4.5W of reverse wireless power, which can be used to recharge other devices. Given that few mobile phones enable wireless power, the specifications may entice some purchasers.
Is the Samsung Galaxy S21 FE worth it?