Samsung Galaxy S21 FE 5G review: Hangs with the best of premium smartphones

The Samsung Galaxy S21 FE 5G boasts an AMOLED screen of 120Hz refresh rate, dual stereo speakers, IP68 protection, fast wired and wireless charging, and OIS-backed triple-camera set-up on the back

South Korean electronics maker Samsung opened its account for 2022 with a smartphone in its fan edition line-up. Named the Samsung Galaxy S21 FE (Fan Edition) 5G, the smartphone boasts an AMOLED screen of 120Hz refresh rate, Exynos 2100 system-on-chip, dual stereo speakers, IP68 protection, fast wired and wireless charging, and a triple-camera set-up on the back with optical image stabilisation (OIS) available for primary and telephoto sensor. On paper, the Galaxy S21 FE 5G seems to be a capable premium smartphone that hangs with the best in its segment. But does it beat them on any parameter? Let’s find out:

Design

The Samsung Galaxy S21 FE 5G looks similar to its siblings in the Galaxy S21 series. It has a compact form factor and lightweight build, a combination not easy to find in most premium smartphones. Speaking of build, the smartphone boasts Gorilla Glass protection on the display, metallic frame, and polycarbonate back cover. Though some might not be impressed by plastic on a premium device, it is in no way detrimental to design, durability or utility of the smartphone. That said, the Galaxy S21 FE 5G is among the few premium smartphones you can use without a case or protective cover simply because its plastic back cover is less prone to scratches, fingerprints, and damages. Moreover, one must give it to Samsung for retaining features like wireless charging and reverse wireless charging despite using a plastic back cover. On top of that, the Galaxy S21 FE 5G is IP68-rated, which makes it resistant to water and dust-related damages.

Display

The 6.4-inch Dynamic 2x AMOLED screen of the Galaxy S21 FE 5G is of a flagship grade. It is bright, vivid, and smooth. Moreover, it stretches from corner to corner, leaving negligible bezels around. Even the bigger bezel on the chin is not too big. That said, the screen dominates the entire front with almost no visible distraction of any form. There is a centre-aligned punch-hole on the display for the front camera, but it is tiny and does not look awkward. Importantly, the user interface is optimised to minimise the distraction caused by screen punch-hole.

Camera

The Samsung Galaxy S21 FE 5G sports a triple-camera array on the back, featuring a 12-megapixel primary sensor of an f/1.8 aperture backed by OIS and dual-pixel autofocus tech, a 12MP ultra-wide-angle sensor of an f/2.2 aperture and 123-degree field of view (FoV), and an 8MP telephoto lens of an f/2.4 aperture with OIS. On the front, the phone sports a 32MP sensor of an f/2.2 aperture and 81-degree FoV.

Details aside, the Galaxy S21 FE 5G is an imaging powerhouse, despite the absence of megapixel-rich sensors. Both the primary and ultra-wide-angle sensors perform well irrespective of lighting conditions. The telephoto lens with its narrow aperture is not great in low light, but its utility in taking portrait shots is impressive. Speaking of portraits, Samsung has added new colour filters and each of them adds zing to shots. Aside to regulars, the Galaxy S21 FE 5G gets Samsung’s flagship-centric imaging features – Pro video, portrait video, dual recording, HDR10+ videos, and single take.

As for the videos, the Galaxy S21 FE 5G is capable of recording 4K resolution frames at up to 60 frames per second. However, it can use all its available sensors for 4K resolution video recording only at 30fps. In terms of performance, the video recording experience is smooth and as good as you get in any other flagship smartphone.

Coming to the front camera, it is good but not the best. It takes shots with natural colour tones without any brightening effect, which many of its peers heavily use to artificially improve selfies and group selfies. And if you find the need to use some extra brightness to brighten the selfies, just toggle on the option in settings and you are good to go. Like the rear cameras, the front camera can do 4K 60fps video recording.

Performance

Though powered by the Exynos 2100, the same system-on-chip available in other Samsung Galaxy S21 series smartphones in India, the Galaxy S21 FE 5G behaves and performs quite differently. It does not heat up like its siblings and performs consistently even under stress while handling power- and graphic-intensive apps. Complementing the performance is the new and improved user interface, the Android 12 operating system-based OneUI 4.0. Though the new UI is heavily customised and lacks some of the goodies you get with stock Android 12, it operates well and irons out most of the inconsistencies of the previous version.

Battery

This is one area where the Galaxy S21 FE 5G fails to live up to expectations. Powered by a 4,500 mAh battery, the phone barely keeps up for a day of regular usage. As for charging time, it takes about two hours to go from zero to 100 per cent using the supported 25W fast charger. Important to note that the phone does not ship with a charging adaptor.

Verdict

Priced at Rs 54,999 for the base variant with 8GB RAM and 128GB on-board storage, the Samsung Galaxy S21 FE 5G is an all-round premium smartphone that hangs with the best in the segment. Though it does not beat its peers on any parameter, I would still pick it over others just for its comfortable ergonomics, which greatly improves handling experience.