With Samsung’sGalaxy S22 lineupdue out in just a span days , I ’m sitting here wondering : What exactly is the power point of the fellowship ’s new Galaxy S21 Fan Edition ? There seems to be no element of buff service to it whatsoever , and I ca n’t imagine what devoted Samsung user would pull the induction on this speech sound today just for a slightly lower cost .
The Galaxy S21 FE 5 G is n’t a bad smartphone by any means . But it does feel like you ’re scraping the bottom of the barrelful ( a nice barrel , but a bbl even so ) . Some people might be o.k. with that , but with the smallerGoogle Pixel 6offering a better camera for $ 100 less , you have to really need a Samsung speech sound to choose this “ buff variant . ”
Galaxy S21 FE 5 G
The Samsung Galaxy S21 FE 5G.Photo: Florence Ion / Gizmodo
What is it ?
Samsung ’s cheapest Galaxy S21
Leontyne Price ?
The Galaxy S21 FE 5G looks similar to the Galaxy S21, but cheaper.Photo: Florence Ion / Gizmodo
commencement at $ 700
Like
Compact design , beautiful screen , expert assault and battery life
The Galaxy S21 FE 5G looks similar to the Galaxy S21, but cheaper.Photo: Florence Ion / Gizmodo
Dislike
Night sight is n’t as skilful as the Pixel 6 , telephotograph lens bring about jerky photograph , less storage than the regular Galaxy S21
A Perfectly Fine Design
If I can take account one affair about Samsung ’s equipment , the hardware always palpate premium even when it ’s unquestionably not . Samsung ’s designs stand out from the sea of Androids , and the Galaxy S21 FE continues in that vein with a stack rearward triple - tv camera array , which hearsay state us we ’re going to lose with the next multiplication of Galaxy phones .
Despite its “ fan edition ” moniker , this variation of Samsung ’s flagship look cheaper than the other Galaxy S21 simulation . There ’s no fancy trim around the smartphone ’s bound , and the back cover version feel like just a mere plastic shell . At the very least , it ’s flatness - like , so the telephone set is n’t slip and sliding around like the OnePlus 9 and Pixel 6 smartphones when it ’s on a table . The S21 FE comes in multiple people of colour , include violet , olive green , and lily-white . I test it in black , though it appears dark grey-haired in person .
The Galaxy S21 FE 5 G has all the same feature as the Galaxy S21 in the same places . The volume rocking chair and force release are both on the right side of the gadget , and the talker grillroom and SIM tray are at the bottom . The front side feature a nearly boundary - to - butt against 6.4 - inch Dynamic AMOLED display , which makes it the goldilocks of Galaxy gadget if you think the Galaxy S21 + ’s 6.7 - inch screen was too big and the Galaxy S21 ’s 6.2 - inch screen was too diminished . There ’s only a tiny sliver of bezel , so your cradling thumb is n’t touch off the screen . There ’s also an in - video display fingermark sensor . It works fine , though it seems to be particular about how you place your thumb .
The Galaxy S21 FE can handle multitasking, but it would have been so much snappier with a bit more RAM.Photo: Florence Ion / Gizmodo
The Galaxy S21 FE also has a 120Hz refresh pace , which makes things count prissy and smooth . I love watching videos on this smartphone — even my 720p TV display take care salutary on the Galaxy S21 FE . The stereo speakers are trashy enough to hear the dialog on an episode of Beverly Hills , 90210 one room over .
Sacrifices Add Up
These days , you’re able to typically gauge how good an Android smartphone is by its specs . The Galaxy 21 iron 5 G sports Qualcomm ’s Snapdragon 888 central processing unit , the microchip that powered most of 2021 ’s Android flagships . But now we ’re in 2022 , and new processors are coming through the grapevine — for Android , that ’s the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 . If you buy this telephone set now , ask yourself if you ’re okay with living with last year ’s ironware .
The other matter to consider is that the Galaxy S21 FE only comes with 6 GB of RAM . That ’s mid - range living if you ’re an Android exploiter , and there ’s a slightly noticeable carrying out difference in the day - to - day between this gimmick and the OnePlus 9 I use day by day , which has the same C.P.U. paired with 8 GB of RAM . It ’s minimum , but the difference prune up in minuscular ways , like whether an animation is bumble or fluid in intensive apps like Pokémon Go .
On synthetic benchmarks , the Galaxy S21 FE ’s numbers were on par with Samsung ’s folding phones , which have the same C.P.U. . So while it ’s subject , there will be times when it wo n’t feel as snappy as if you had more retention retention . As for its shelling performance , the Galaxy S21 FE lasted 13 hours and 29 minute in our rundown test . The 4,500 mAh barrage fire offer mickle of barrage spirit .
The Galaxy S21 FE 5G has a triple-camera array on the backside.Photo: Florence Ion / Gizmodo
Don’t Zoom In Too Much
The Galaxy S21 FE has a triplex - lense rear camera array : a 12 - military policeman wide - slant lens with an f/1.8 aperture ; another 12 - MP ultra - wide photographic camera with an f/2.2 aperture , and an 8 - MP telephotograph camera with an f/2.4 aperture . There ’s a 32 - MP selfie camera on the front with an f/2.2 aperture , which I still imagine is too high resolution for a camera that ’s supposed to capture your face .
The photos I take in with the Galaxy S21 FE were okay . The telephone set kept up with my yearling during the daytime and catch broody evening photos with its low - brightness capabilities . But I ’m seriously considering the point of the rear zoom lens , as it caused me the most difficulty during testing .
Samsung swop out the 64 - MP macro sensor on the Galaxy S21 for this 8 - MP one , so photo taken with its 3x ocular zoom are n’t very sharp — and that was with the help of a tripod . Anything zoomed in past the optical length appeared too grainy to share publicly . I test it against the Pixel 6 Pro with a 48 - MP lens and a 4x optical zoom ( a lens that ’s not on the cheaper Pixel 6 ) .
The Galaxy S21 FE’s front-facing camera is a whopping 32-MP for some reason.Photo: Florence Ion / Gizmodo
I ’ve always been a footling miffed with Samsung ’s cameras , usually because of the overprocessing of the net product . The Fan Edition is no different .
pic taken in the daylight were curt and clear but take on a depressed tinge on extremely sunny day . It ’s especially plain with the same photograph taken by the Pixel 6 Pro , which tend to play down the gloss in party favor of bumping up detail . In some cases , the Galaxy S21 FE exposure of a scene would have more blown - out element than the one shot with the Pixel 6 Pro .
I also saw this overprocessing follow into play while zooming in to a rapidly - moving object . I took two subsequent photos of a flagstone flap in the confidential information , and both multiplication there was a blob of what bet like unprocessed pixel float around the scenery . It looked like anti - aliasing , and it was not something I could crop out of the photo .
Enjoy this scenic photo I took with the Galaxy S21 FE 5G.Photo: Florence Ion / Gizmodo
The nighttime capacity of the Galaxy S21 FE were also average in terms of functioning , because it does n’t have the Pixel 6 ’s smartness . The Pixel 6 photographic camera system automatically switch into an prolonged exposure mode when it senses it ’s on a tripod , which help snaffle elaborate exposure at night . You have manual capabilities with the Galaxy S21 FE within its photographic camera app to do the same , but you do n’t have access to the same algorithms .
In the tv camera example above , the Pixel 6 Pro ’s television camera stay open for four second and catch a gross ton of point . you may even see a plane aviate by in the distance and grain in the Benny Hill . The Galaxy S21 FE ’s night mood stopped curtly of that detail . The result is a dark-skinned night shot color with green .
Not Exactly Made for Fans
One bonus is that Samsung offer the late version of Android right out of the loge , with Samsung ’s One UI 4 layer on top of Android 12 . Samsung has promised up to four old age of security updates on its smartphones , so if you’re able to live with the Galaxy S21 FE ’s television camera for that long , it has that going for it .
One UI does have its own quirk . You wo n’t have memory access to the Material You theming capabilities that Google debuted on Android 12 , for example . However , there are other minuscule characteristic you might care ( or detest ) , include the slide - out dock that hide in the corner of the screen where you’re able to immobilize apps and thing . There ’s also a characteristic that let you link your Windows PC with your Samsung machine .
The Galaxy S21 FE 5 G may be for Samsung superintendent - fans , but it ’s get in way too belatedly and with too few features to make it worth buying . With the Galaxy S22 launching soon with a a wad of new feature article , including what will probably be near nighttime pic - pickings abilities , you ’re good off wait a little while longer than spending $ 700 on this repackaged but finally underwhelming flagship .
The Pixel 6 Pro’s Night Sight capabilities are on the left, and the right is the Galaxy S21 FE’s Night mode capabilities.Image: Florence Ion / Gizmodo
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The Galaxy S21 FE is a good phone, but it’s not better than its predecessors.Photo: Florence Ion / Gizmodo
