Samsung will bring its newest smartphone to the market in the Galaxy S21 FE 5G, and you can get your hands on one very soon.
This phone follows the same premise of the previous Galaxy S20 FE. That device was like an amalgamation of the three Galaxy S20 models Samsung launched in early 2020. This one does the same with the Galaxy S21 models we saw in 2021. It complements rather than replaces any of them, made clear by the specs and details involved. I will be getting one to review on the blog shortly, though here’s what we know so far.
Looking at the Galaxy S21 FE
You will notice that the phone’s overall design mirrors that of the other S21 models. From the finish to the camera layout, and on to the rounded corners, plenty looks familiar. The phone sports a 6.4-inch Dynamic AMOLED 2x display with 120Hz adaptive refresh rate. You also get a 240Hz touch sampling rate for Game Mode, making the screen more responsive to touches during gameplay.
The colours are white, graphite, olive and lavender—all the same as the Galaxy Buds2. So, if you’re looking to match things up with your earbuds, Samsung covers that here. On size, generally speaking, the Galaxy S21 FE will be closer to the Galaxy S21+.
The device will run on the same Snapdragon 888 processor the other S21 phones have. I wouldn’t expect any real performance changes relative to those models, as is. One thing that stands out is the lack of a microSD card slot. This phone comes with either 128GB or 256GB internal storage with, plus 6GB or 8GB of RAM.
It also retains the same water resistance at IP68, and the 4500mAh battery is the same size as the S20 FE. Everything else isn’t all that surprising based on the other specs, from the fingerprint sensor over to the connectivity features.
Galaxy S21 FE Camera layout
The rear camera array is very much a mix of the recent past. You get a 12-megapixel standard wide lens with an f/1.8 aperture, a 12-megapixel f/2.2 ultra-wide and 8-megapixel telephoto lens with 3x optical zoom. The telephoto lens can also do 30x Space Zoom. You also get a 32-megapixel front-facing camera. These specs are exactly the same as the S20 FE, though it’s unclear if these cameras use different image sensors. I would have to test them out to gauge whether photos or video look any different this time around.
That may also extend to the software. Samsung’s One UI 4 drives the overall experience, while the camera app includes many of the features that the previous trio of Galaxy S21 devices introduced. Samsung says images, especially in low-light conditions, will look much better compared to the S20 FE.
Gaming Mode
The gaming side of this has two elements to it. First, the specs make it easy enough to play more graphics-intensive games, including via Xbox Game Pass. You do need a really good Internet connection to make it a smooth experience, but it’s great when it works. The second part is that the improved improved touch sampling rate improves how you play touch-based games. That’s particularly true for fast-paced games where you have to react quickly to what’s happening onscreen. I’ll be testing this out to see how effective it really is.
Coming soon
Samsung is wasting no time releasing the Galaxy S21 FE 5G. Look for it to drop on January 11 in all four colours, and check out the upcoming review on the blog soon
