Samsung Galaxy S21 FE: Flagship experience without being highly-priced

Price: Rs 49,999 (introductory launch price)

Specs: 6.4-inch Dynamic AMOLED display with 2340 x 1080 p resolution, 1200 nit brightness, 120Hz refresh rate, 12MP wide lens with F 1.8, 12MP ultra-wide lens with F2.2, 8MP telephoto lens, 32MP front camera; Exynos 2100 SoC, 8GB RAM, 128G ROM, Android 12 with OneUI 4.0, 4500 mAh battery, 177 grams, IP 68

In the Box: Samsung Galaxy S21 FE, charging cable

Colours: Olive, lavender, white and graphite

With a strong line-up from the likes of Xiaomi, OnePlus and Oppo, plus the aggressive pricing of iPhone 12 series, there are plenty of smartphones to choose from in the sub Rs 50,000 range. So how can Samsung stay behind? With the Galaxy S21 FE, Samsung is offering its flagship S Series experience, minus a few extras, without being highly-priced. 

To emulate the flagship S21-series experience, the design of S21 FE has been kept very close to the S21 range. However, it doesn't feel as premium as its flagship siblings. S21 FE is housed in a metal frame with a flat glass front panel with Gorilla Glass Victus but with a plastic rear panel. There is a vertical camera bump at the top left rear with a slightly different execution -- it is a part of the plastic panel and does not blend into the metal frame. 

The handfeel of S21 FE isn't the best as it feels like those dummy smartphones on the counter. However, with a weight of 177 grams (I am used to holding 240 grams iPhone 13 Pro Max), it complements the ergonomic design, making it super convenient to use with just one hand. When held in the right hand, both the volume control and power button were reachable via my right thumb.

You know people who are not best dressed but you spend time with them to know them better? That's what Samsung S21 FE is. 

For seamless user interface sits the 6.4-inch full HD+ Dynamic AMOLED display (2340 x 1080 (FHD+). Although the display is sharp and looks great, at full brightness indoors, the screen was too bright for my eyes. It's legible in bright sunlight too. In addition, the 120Hz screen refresh rate makes scrolling and animations smoother while draining the battery a bit faster. The other option locks the refresh rate at 60Hz. It lacks adaptive motion smoothness that stutters between refresh rate basis the app requirement. As display settings are very subjective, there are options to customize -- dark or light mode, vivid or natural scene mode, eye comfort shield (adaptive), amongst others. The in-display fingerprint sensor is quick and unlocks the phone in a jiffy. 

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The camera system on S21 FE lives up to Samsung's reputation. Images captured on the main 12 MP camera were bright with boosted colours. The shots I captured of my terrace garden had bright hues of green and red. Some looked a bit artificial on the screen but mostly were apt for social media posts. Switching between wide, ultra-wide and telephoto is a no brainer. Surprisingly, even the colour tones on ultra-wide were impressive. Most smartphones do a tremendous job when shooting in bright daylight. So does S21 FE. It captured some stunning shots indoors and during the winter downpour in Delhi (yes, this is IP 68 certified). 

Images captured with night mode retained details with very little noise indoors, but it wasn't the case in the dark. Also, I had to hold my breath for a good 3-4 seconds for the night mode to perform its best. The camera UI is neat and user friendly, and more options hide this 'dual recording' mode which brings both the rear and front camera into action. This mode is great for vloggers, YouTubers or social media influencers. And the 32 MP front camera captures some decent selfies. There are options to choose between the natural or bright skin tone and even smoothen the skin tone. Overall, for the price, the camera system is rather impressive. 

And so is the performance. Using it as the primary phone means switching between multiple apps all the time, having multiple tabs open on the Chrome browser, endless calls, camera testing and the phone is paired with wireless earbuds all the time. With so much going on all the time, there wasn't any heating issue or significant lag. While Samsung has cut down a few corners on the design and camera, it has retained the same processor as on the flagship S21 series -- Exynos 2100. 

Running Android 12 with Samsung's One UI 4, the user interface is very Samsung-type and clean. It scored 7,00,392 on Antutu Benchmark, which was about 200 points lower than the S21+. Our review unit was the one with 128GB onboard storage, and there is an option of a 256GB variant too. But one will be stuck with the internal storage as S21 FE does not support expandable memory. 

In sleek form factor, Samsung has managed to fit in a 4500 mAh battery. However, it has done away with the adapter. I used it as my primary phone while reviewing, which just managed to last me till dinner time (8:00 PM). This included two email accounts, calls and Zoom + Teams calls, browsing the web, Whatsapp notifications, a little bit of social media, camera testing and gaming. 

While for a light user, it may last a day and a half, a heavy user might end up looking for a plug point by evening or so. On one end when Xiaomi is talking about 120W HyperCharge, this one support 25W super-fast charging and only 15W fast wireless charging. It also supports reverse wireless charging that can come in handy to juice up other wireless devices but given the day's battery backup, I would rather use it only during emergencies. 

With the Galaxy S 'Fan Edition', Samsung has figured out a great strategy to counter the competition -- offer its flagship experience, minus a few extras, without being highly-priced. The new Galaxy S21 FE is no different. It's a medium-sized device with a great camera and decent battery backup. Only if it was launched well in time, just like S20 FE in 2020, it would have been great. With Galaxy S22 launch just weeks away, the S21 series is bound to have a price cut.

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