The Samsung Galaxy S21 FE is touted as the 'fan' version of the regular Galaxy S21 — offering many of its same specifications at a more affordable retail price. In 2020, Samsung did something pretty interesting with the Galaxy S20 series. After launching the S20, S20+, and S20 Ultra in March 2020, it released the S20 FE that October. The S20 FE had almost all the same specs as the regular S20, save for a $200 cheaper MSRP. It launched at the right time, had the right price, and was an instant hit among fans and critics alike.
Then came the Galaxy S21 lineup. The S21, S21+, and S21 Ultra all debuted in January 2021. Rumors of a Galaxy S21 FE circulated for months and months. However, it wasn't until a year later in January 2022 that the phone actually came out. The Galaxy S21 FE touts a nearly identical design to the S21, costs $699, and has many of the same specs as the flagship phone it's mimicking.
Starting with the design, Samsung confirms that the Galaxy S21 FE has a plastic body with dimensions of 74.5 x 155.7 x 7.9mm. It also weighs 177g, making it slightly heavier than the 'normal' S21. On the front of the S21 FE is a 6.4-inch Dynamic AMOLED display. It packs a Full HD+ resolution of 2340 x 1080, along with a 'Super Smooth' 120Hz refresh rate. Accompanying the screen are stereo speakers with Dolby Atmos support, but just like the S20 FE, there is no 3.5mm headphone jack.
More Galaxy S21 FE Specifications
The Galaxy S21 FE features three cameras on its back: A 12MP primary camera with OIS, a 12MP ultra-wide camera with a 123° FoV, and an 8MP telephoto camera with 3x optical zoom + 30x Space Zoom. Rounding out the camera system is a 32MP selfie camera, which rests in a small hole-punch cutout in the top center of the display.
Then there are all of the internal specifications. Powering the S21 FE is the Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 processor. It's the same chip found in the other S21 handsets, though it has since been replaced by the more capable Snapdragon 8 Gen 1. Joining that is a choice between 6 or 8GB of RAM, 128 or 256GB of storage, and a 4500 mAh battery. Samsung has ample charging options to choose from — including 25W wired charging and 15W wireless charging. There's also support for Wireless PowerShare, so the S21 FE can wirelessly charge other devices, too.
And, last but not least, there are all of the miscellaneous tidbits. Samsung Pay support is here, though only for NFC transactions and not MST ones. The S21 FE also has an optical fingerprint sensor underneath its display, an IP68 dust/water resistance rating, launches with Android 12, and has and support for both sub-6 and mmWave 5G. In short, it's a pretty solid overall package. The timing and pricing for the Galaxy S21 FE takes away from the excitement a bit, but looking purely at the spec sheet, Samsung made a lot of good decisions.
Source: Samsung