Samsung Galaxy S21 FE Review: The nice flagship for everyone

Whether it is the One UI 4 interface or the diversely vivid colours of Instagram timeline, they all look pretty on this display. Brightness levels are adequate and makes it easily legible under the sun. The 120Hz refresh rate makes every animation and scrolling appear smooth but the lack of a variable refresh rate tech means it isn’t as power efficient as the regular Galaxy S21’s display.

Samsung Galaxy S21 FE Performance

Critics have seen the Exynos 2100 chip as a rather “meh” alternative to the Snapdragon 888 on the US version. Frankly, I have witnessed more issues with the Snapdragon 888 phones over the last year and the Exynos 2100 had been more stable in comparison. The performance metrics are similar to what we saw on the Galaxy S21 last year, with the chip happier in managing daily tasks efficiently.

When it comes to gaming, the Galaxy S21 FE holds its might well. The Exynos 2100 almost matches the Snapdragon 888’s capabilities and after a year, games such as Call of Duty: Mobile and Shadow Fight 4 Arena are well optimised to make the most out of the chip.

That said, the audio output via the stereo speakers isn’t the best we have seen in the segment. The audio quality is good but in comparison to the ROG Phone 5 and the Xiaomi Mi 11X Pro, it seems flat. Volume levels are decent but loudspeaker volume during calls could have bene higher, at least for the Indian variant. 

Network reception has been strong so far, with the phone keeping hold of the Jio 4G network even in the basement. The chip supports 5G networks too but at this point in time, this is just a fancy feature.

That said, I was disappointed with the haptic feedback. The vibration motor isn’t as neatly controlled as the one on the Galaxy S21 and hence, it feels unsatisfactory, especially for a Galaxy S series device.

Samsung Galaxy S21 Cameras

The Galaxy S21 FE cameras do not have bragging megapixel count like its competition but it kicks them away with real-world performance. The main 12MP camera is brilliant in both daylight and night situations, preserving ample details and oodles of colours. Photos wear a traditional “Samsung saturated” look but every photo looks lively. I personally prefer the white balance and the sweet dynamic range (colour variety) this camera produces.

The 12MP ultra-wide is easily among the better ultra-wide cameras I have seen in this segment, having a largely identical colour profile and performance to the main camera. There are signs of struggle at night though. The 8MP telephoto camera is good for portraits and regular zooming, with 3X optical range coming handy in shooting birds. Zoomed photos look nice but pixel-peepers can notice the upscaling the camera does.

The video shooting performance is among the best in the class. Wide dynamic range, good noise suppression and decent stability are visible properties of the Galaxy S21 FE’s video mode. You can shoot up to 4K videos at 60 fps; no 8K videos here.

Lastly, the 32MP front camera impresses with its capabilities too, taking clear selfies with ample facial details and natural skin tones.

Samsung Galaxy S21 FE Battery

Having a 4500mAh battery on a flagship-grade phone is good enough these days, provided the entire system is well optimised. With the first build of One UI 4 on Android 12, the Galaxy S21 FE is strictly a single day phone. On weekdays when the phone was subjected to more “phone-like” tasks (phone calls, reading emails, texting, social media and occasional camera work), I was finishing the day with 25-30 percent power remaining. Adding video calls often dropped the battery meter under 20 percent. Maybe a future update can improve the stamina and I genuinely hope Samsung does it, given that most Samsung phones don’t improve their stamina figures as they age.

With no charger in the box, I relied on the 120W Xiaomi charger to keep the phone alive. With the battery under 20 percent, it takes over 1.5 hours for a full charge. Doing the same charging with a 15W wireless charger makes you wait over 2 hours. In a world where phones worth half the price charge entirely under 20 minutes, this seems slow by all means.

Verdict

The Galaxy S21 FE is in many ways more like the iPhone 12 -- just a nice high-end phone for everyone. Samsung seems to have built a phone for those seeking a nice high-end experience without shelling a penny north of Rs. 60,000. Unlike the Galaxy S20 FE, where the cost cutting was more evident, the Galaxy S21 FE feels no different to use than a regular S21. It’s got a superb display, genuinely nice cameras, effortless performance, and an overall well-rounded user experience.

It is not perfect though. For a phone that costs Rs. 55,000, the Galaxy S21 FE looks dull in comparison to the iPhone 12, a much cheaper iQOO 7 Legend, and Vivo’s X70 series – this Samsung isn’t grabbing eyeballs even without the case. The battery life has room for improvement and the charging speeds are slow by modern “flagship” standards.

So, who should buy the Samsung Galaxy S21 FE? Based on our experience, we feel you will be genuinely happy with S21 FE if you care deeply for a sublime Android experience sprinkled with Samsung-ness, a lively display for your Netflix/Prime Video sessions, timely updates and security patches, and a versatile yet solid camera experience. We also recommend gamers to keep this in consideration but anything running on a Snapdragon 888, or Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 at this price will be superior.