This S21 FE 5G has design elements that were borrowed almost entirely from its family “brothers” in the S21 Series, compared with the Galaxy S20 FE version released at the end of 2020, which is a huge difference.
The internal cross-section has a large camera protruded into a seamless block that Samsung calls the Contour-Cut frame. The difference with the previous S21 version is that the camera cluster of the S21 FE 5G is made in the same color as the rear.
At the same time, on close observation, one can actually see that this camera cluster has been constructed in a monolithic style, swiping straight from the back rather than masking from border to inside like the predecessors.
The back is smooth plastic like the standard S21, well-suited to dirt and sweat, while the frame uses metal familiar with antenna divisions.
For those young people, priority is given to S21 FE 5G with some bright, fresh, and fun color versions, such as pastel purple or olive green, aside from the usual flora white and graphite black.
The machine also has a quite thin body; measured at just 7.9 mm thick and weighs 177 g, coupled with a moderate 6.4-inch screen that makes it feel neat and comfortable in the palm of your hand. An IP68 rating for dust and water resistance matches those of the S21 Series brothers.
From the neat 6.4-inch size, located 0.2 inches from its siblings, the S21 (6.2-inch) and the S21+ (6.7-inch), slightly smaller than the S20 FE at 6.5-inches, the screen is the S21 FE 5G’s glory as it still sports a thin bezel that mimics those of the S21 versions, not as thick and rotten like the previous S20 FE.
This is one of those considerable really improvements with respect to the way S21 FE 5G looks that give it a more up-to-date and flagship feel compared to its “big brothers.” The edges of the screen are also not very fat, only slightly curved 2.5D at the edges, like the S21/S21+.
The resolution is still Full HD + (1080 x 2400 pixels), 120Hz refresh rate, and 20: 9 aspect ratio, while other features are still premium with Dynamic AMOLED 2X panels, HDR10+ support, maximum brightness of 1200 nit, and optical fingerprint in the screen. Nevertheless, the refresh rate of the S21 FE 5G is fixed and does not change between 120Hz and 60Hz but has no function for saving battery based on content depending on the seniors.
Of course, the S Pen will not be there for S21 FE 5G, being only an exclusive feature of the top-of-the-range version of S21 Ultra.
True to tradition, the cameras is the single most cut item on all FE versions. The S21 FE 5G now has the following 3 camera specs:
– 12 MP main camera, f/1.8 aperture, 26mm focal length, 1/1.76″ sensor, 1.8µm pixels, Dual Pixel PDAF focus, stabilization using OIS
– 8 MP telephoto camera with a focal length of 76mm and a 1/4.5″ sensor, which has an aperture of f/2.4. Having a pixel size of 1.0µm using PDAF-based focusing, this module would be stable through OIS with 3x optical zoom and 30x digital zoom.
– 12 MP super wide-angle camera, f/2.2 aperture, 13mm focal length, 1/3.0″ sensor, 1.12 µm pixels, fixed focus
Didn’t they say that to attract the Gen Z group? It seems to do so with a self-camera “favored” with resolution up to 32 MP, an aperture of f/2.2, a focal length of 26 mm, a sensor of 1/2.74″, and 0.8µm pixels.
The S21 FE 5G almost mirrors the camera features of its S21 Series brethren. The highlight is Dual Recording mode, which lets the user show the pics captured from both the front and rear cameras at once, kind of like streamers and vloggers do, you know. You can pick to show the image from the front camera tucked into a corner, or go with a split screen format instead.
Dual Recording allows both front and rear camera images to be shown side by side.
Samsung says the camera setup on the Galaxy S21 FE 5G is slightly boosted in Night Mode, for those night time shots , and yeah with all three rear cameras plus the front camera too. So basically you can grab low-light selfies without needing to flip the flash on.
About the selfie side, the S21 FE 5G comes with a 32-megapixel camera and it also includes AI Face Restoration, which is meant to help bring facial clarity back, and basically in a more flattering way make the person behind the camera look.
Now ,so which configruation are we actually talking about here? The Galaxy S21 FE 5G keeps the same Exynos 2100 chip that the official S21 models sold in Asia use. The Exynos 2100 is Samsung’s first premium chipset with a built in 5G modem ,and it’s also their second chip made on the 5nm EUV manufacturing process after Exynos 1080. In terms of how it’s positioned it’s kind of comparable with Snapdragon 888 and Apple A14, in other words.
The Exynos 2100 packs a single Cortex-X1 core that can run up to 2.9 GHz, then three Cortex-A78 cores. and finally four energy-saving Cortex-A55 cores. Samsung states that this CPU is 30% quicker for multi-core workload, 45% stronger when it comes to graphics tasks, and 2x more capable for AI operations. And the Snapdragon 888 S21 FE 5G model, will land only in the United States market.
On the memory front there are variations across the Asian releases , for example 6/128GB, 8/128GB, and 8/256GB configurations.
There’s no microSD slot here at all, really. The battery hangs around the same 4,500 mAh capacity as the S20 FE, and it also keeps the same vibe for charging—25W wired fast charging, 15W wireless fast charging, and 4.5W wireless reverse charging too. For audio, the phone comes with dual speakers and it uses the speakerphone like a second outside speaker, which is kinda clever.
In software terms the S21 FE 5G runs Android 12 with the newest One UI 4 custom interface version from Samsung. The interface of One UI 4 has also not changed very much. The new feature is that whenever you change your wallpaper, with that, your icons, quick settings icons in the notification center, and certain system software will automatically change color accordingly to create Consistency with that wallpaper and hence seamless with the entire interface. There is also a new privacy dashboard to consolidate privacy and security controls into one convenient location.
One UI 4 comes with a new feature that changes the color of icons and system applications according to wallpaper in a more uniform interface style.
SAMSUNG Galaxy S21 FE 5G Cell Phone, Factory Unlocked Android Smartphone, 128GB, 120Hz Display Screen, Pro Grade Camera, All Day Intelligent Battery, US Version, Lavender: Buy it now
SAMSUNG Galaxy S21 FE 5G Cell Phone, Factory Unlocked Android Smartphone, 128GB, 120Hz Display Screen, Pro Grade Camera, All Day Intelligent Battery, US Version, Graphite: Buy it now
Tech Reviewer & Product Analyst
Định Bia has spent over 10 years testing consumer electronics with a focus on smart technology. He work as a product advisor at Biareview where he helped customers find the right devices for their needs. He personally tests every product featured on this site using a consistent evaluation framework covering quality, durability, and value. All reviews are based on experience, not influenced by the manufacturer.
