“Better late than never” or “Too little, too late”? This is the inevitable question surrounding the delayed launch of the Samsung Galaxy S21 FE. Its predecessor sold 10 million units (4G and 5G versions combined), making it one of last year’s best-selling Galaxy phones, so this newcomer is in high demand.
We’ve been hearing about the S21 FE for about half a year, but between the pandemic and a global chip shortage, rumors of delays and cancellations started to circulate quickly. Well, the phone is so real, in fact, that it’s already on sale in some regions and will launch in more markets on January 11.
The base 5G model (6/128 GB) costs €750/£700, which is about the same as last year’s S20 FE 5G. However, there were also more affordable 4G versions at the time. No such luck this year, all models have 5G – but not all have the Snapdragon 888, some will get the Exynos 2100 (Australia seems to be one of those regions).
However, from the recent Black Friday sale, we still have fresh memories of the price of the regular Galaxy S21 – at one point it was down to £620. Is the new FE really worth the extra £80? A quick comparison highlights the differences.
The Galaxy S21 FE features a 6.4-inch 1080p+ display, and the Dynamic AMOLED display means it has a variable refresh rate of up to 120Hz. The same goes for the S21, but it’s one of the upgrades over the S20 FE. Additionally, the new model gets an upgrade to Gorilla Glass Victus, but that again puts it on par with the S21.
The camera settings are different, but because it is Same as S20 FE, we’re not expecting miracles – it’s fine, but so is the S21 camera. That leaves only a slightly larger display (6.4-inch vs. 6.2-inch) and a larger battery (4,500mAh vs. 4,000mAh). Samsung even did away with the microSD card slot, though it’s a fan-favorite feature.
There’s no shortage of Snapdragon 888-powered phones around. Some, like the Motorola G200 5G, cost €450, well below the price tag of the S21 FE. There have also been recent launches such as the Realme GT2, as well as backbones like the original GT (€500), the OnePlus 9 (€700), and the Mi 11T Pro (€580).
Motorola Moto G200 5G • Realme GT2 • OnePlus 9 • Mi 11T Pro
Of course, the biggest competitor to the S21 FE will come from Samsung’s own camp — the Galaxy S21 has already dropped prices, and the S21+ isn’t far off. And they’ll only get cheaper when the S22 series arrives next month.
Speaking of which, rumor has it that the Galaxy S22 will be priced the same as the S21, meaning €850 in Europe. That’s just €100 more than the Fan Edition, and the launch promotion for the new series will likely offer more than a free pair of Galaxy Buds2 (that is, the S21 FE pre-order bonus).
What do you think of the Samsung Galaxy S21 FE?By the way, if you’re having trouble using the poll embedded below, try voting here.
Check out the infographic below for a quick look at the Galaxy S21 FE:
