At CES 2022, Samsung has announced its new Samsung S21 FE (Fan Edition). The FE series is typically designed as a premium tier that offers excellent technology for the price. There was speculation about the S21 FE in 2021, but the mystery is now solved, and Samsung’s new phone will carry the legacy of the S21 generation in 2022.
The Samsung Galaxy S21 FE is a smartphone with a 6.4-inch FHD display that makes it neither too big nor too small for most people, another sign that this is a phone designed to please the masses.
With 74.5×155.7x7.9mm dimensions and a weight of 177g, it is very thin and should be agreeable to hold and carry. I often pick large phones like the S21 UItra because they often have superior cameras, but they are big in the pocket.
The design is, of course, reminiscent of the original Galaxy S21, but Samsung is bringing new color options to make the phone truly yours. The industrial design is streamlined, probably to make the S21 FE slightly more affordable to build in so many variants. However, the iconic S21 design is recognizable. If you wonder, it is also waterproof, with an IP68 rating.
While the FHD resolution might seem a bit basic, consider that even higher-resolution phones are typically set up to render to FHD by default, and few people realize it. This screen is built on a Samsung Dynamic AMOLED 2X 120Hz panel with all the latest eye-comfort bells and whistles.
The Galaxy S21 FE triple-camera system has Primary (12MP), Ultrawide (12MP), and Telephoto (8MP) lenses. The primary seems well equipped, with dual-pixel autofocus, optical image stabilization, and an f/1.8 aperture. The zoom camera seems interesting, and we’re looking forward to having more technical data about it. The Ultrawide seems pretty similar to what Samsung uses on previous phones, so no surprises there.
Overall, we expect this camera set up to produce a good CAMERA HW score, but we’ll get back to you on that. The value score should also be fascinating in this category as the FE series is traditionally affordable.
The system performance of this phone should be excellent since Samsung will use the same 5nm processor as it did on the S21 series. The carefully worded announcement hints that some regions might feature different processors. Check what the S21 got in your specific area, and the S21 FE should be similarly equipped.
Having a computing platform similar to the S21 also means that the modem performance is identical to the higher-end S21 phones since the modem is integrated to the processor. For specific antenna and band configurations, it’s best to refer to your local carrier models.
As a result, there’s no compromise in performance, and the speed “per dollar spent” should be off the charts. It’s one of the best metrics to look at if you’re trying to make the most of your money. We’ll have charts and numbers when we review, but this is looking very good so far.
6GB RAM/128GB storage or 8GB/256GB are the two options we’ve seen in the official announcement.
The 4500 mAh battery is not far off the S21 Plus 4800 mAh battery size, so I’d consider it very good, especially if you think of the compactness of the phone. The battery can be charged at 25W (wired) or 15W (wireless) and supports reverse-charging as well in case you need to top off your Galaxy Buds Pro earbuds.
Overall, the new Samsung Galaxy S21 FE is everything its notorious predecessor was but refreshed to the latest specs. We’ll keep an eye on the MSRP, and potential deals carriers might have on this hottie.