Samsung FE models have always been built in line with the concept of making more consumers feel innovative technology. The series has a long history on Samsung mobile phones, and it can be seen as early as the Note series. In addition to the just-released Galaxy S21 FE 5G, the most recent one is the Galaxy S20 FE. In fact, from the comparison of hardware parameters, we can see that compared with the Galaxy S series, the model of the FE suffix is more like a cheap version, changing some configurations while making the price more affordable, allowing more consumers to experience Samsung's products. However, it is worth mentioning that the "configuration change" here is not the same as "configuration shrinkage", and the personalized change even makes many consumers more fond of the FE version of the model.
Product parameters
CPU: Qualcomm Snapdragon 888
GPU：Adreno 650
Screen: 6.4 inch 2340× 1080 resolution 120Hz refresh rate
Camera pixels: 32 million (front)/12 million + 12 million + 8 million (rear)
Fingerprint recognition: Screen fingerprint
Battery capacity: 4500mAh
Charging power: 25W (wired) / 15W (wireless)
Dimensions: 155.7mm×74.5mm×7.9mm
weight:
177g reference price: 4599 yuan (8GB + 128GB set version)
New choice of colorful fuselage
Light grip for a good feel
On the Galaxy S21 series, we see Samsung thinking more about quality, especially on the S21+ and S21 Ultra, the metal camera base + the material of the glass back cover makes the phone feel full of texture. On the Galaxy S21 FE 5G, the colorful appearance and thin and light experience are the focus. S21 FE has a total of four colors of shanti green, truffle gray, light taro purple and frosted white, which is more lively than the black, silver and purple colors of the S21 series, and the low-saturation color with the same color metal border also brings a good visual look. In addition, in the camera area, the S21 FE uses an integrated design, with different planes of high and low transitions in an arc, and consistent colors make the fuselage more integrated. In terms of body material, the Galaxy S21 FE 5G uses the same polycarbonate material on the S21 standard version, which is warm and easy to stain fingerprints.
▲The previous camera's stitching style was changed to one-piece, and the transition between high and low planes was natural.
On the front of the fuselage, the S21 FE is equipped with a 6.4-inch cut-out screen, with a greatly reduced bezel width and the vivid colors presented by the second-generation dynamic AMOLED screen can bring an extraordinary visual look and feel, bringing more immersive visual enjoyment. In terms of refresh rate, the S21 FE does not castrate the smooth 120Hz high brush, not only able to read text smoothly and smoothly, but also experience rapid touch screen response in game mode. It is worth mentioning that the S21 FE also uses a solid layer of Corning Gorilla Glass Glass Victus on the screen surface, according to the official data, the protective glass of this model can fall from a platform of 2 meters high to the hard and rough ground and remain intact.
In terms of waterproof and dustproof, the S21 FE has the same level of IP68 dustproof and waterproof rating as the S21, which can protect the mobile phone from the intrusion of dust and water and other external objects, and can even be soaked in static water at a depth of 1.5 meters for 30 minutes.
Even with a larger screen and strong body protection, the S21 FE still controls the thickness and weight of the fuselage better, especially compared to the 8.4mm thickness and 190g body weight of the previous generation of S20 FE. The S21 FE has a thickest body of 7.9mm and a weight of 177g, which gives a good grip with the integrated fuselage we mentioned earlier and the curved design of the rear cover edge.
Image "Star" selection
Telephoto small flaw
As a FE version of the Galaxy S21, the S21 FE still continues the Samsung style on the S21 in terms of imagery. First of all, in terms of hardware configuration, the S21 FE is equipped with dual 12-megapixel main cameras and an 8-megapixel telephoto lens, which is similar in specifications to the main camera lens of the S21 standard version. Excellent imaging quality and color performance make S21 FE have a good shooting ability, especially in color performance, S21 FE can show a deeper color, whether it is red or blue, S21 FE photos are higher than the original color saturation, more prominent in the color-rich environment.
The S21 FE's telephoto lens has been reduced from 64 MEGApixels on the S21 to 8 MEGAPI, but still supports up to 30x space zoom and stabilization. It is worth mentioning here that the S21 FE's telephoto shooting interface, when the shooting interface is enlarged to 20 times, a preview frame will appear in the upper right corner of the picture, and it will display the panorama in real time. In addition, when the phone is stable for a few seconds, the view frame in the upper right corner will change from white to yellow, at which time the phone is in stabilization mode, which can record images more stably. In terms of actual effects, the telephoto effect of the S21 FE is not bad, even if the pixels are not too high, but you can get a sharper image.
In an indoor environment, the S21 FE gets expressive photos of food under the lights or brightly colored walls, perfect for sharing in circles of friends.
▲In the indoor shooting sample, the white balance and exposure are more accurate, and the color is deeper and textured.
In the performance of night scenes, thanks to the blessing of large pixels, the S21 FE can maintain the details visible to the naked eye, and the shadows and highlights can be truly restored. In addition, in night mode, the S21 FE also extends the exposure time and gets more tolerant photos.
▲ There is a good tolerance in night shooting, and the lighting and dark details are good.
In terms of shooting gameplay, S21 FE integrates filters and beauty together, click on the small magic wand in the upper right corner to make personalized adjustments, and there are rich beauty elements for users to choose. In addition, in the shooting mode, the "housekeeping skill" of the Samsung series - AI one-button multi-shot function is of course not absent, just a light press can shoot including highlights video, boomerang clip, rewind clip, 24-hour delay clip and other effects, which further enriches the user's choice.
Snapdragon 888 is smooth enough to use
In early 2022, when the new Snapdragon 8 flagship blowout, the S21 FE launched by Samsung only carries the Snapdragon 888 mobile platform, which seems to be somewhat conservative. But the FE version always has the "tradition" of retaining the core configuration of the same level, so it is not surprising that it is equipped with the same chip as the Samsung S21. So what about the Snapdragon 888 experience on the S21 FE?
First of all, in the theoretical test, S21 FE can get 793315 points in the "AntuTu Review" and perform well. In the GeekBench5, which tests CPU performance, it can also get single-core 1095 and multi-core 3396 results.
▲ In the "AntuTu Review", you can get 793315 points.
▲ In GeekBench5, you can also get the results of single-core 1095 and multi-core 3396.
In the game link that can show more actual performance, we still use the two games of "Glory of the King" and "Original God" for testing, in the "Glory of the King" under the full height special effects, S21 FE can maintain the average frame rate of 92.4fps throughout the whole process, whether it is a team battle in the early stage or a team battle in the late stage, the S21 FE basically does not stutter, and the whole process is very smooth.
▲ In "Glory of kings" under full-height special effects, the S21 FE can maintain an average frame rate of 92.4fps throughout the whole process.
In the "Original God" with higher performance requirements, we still chose to run the map at night at LiyueGang under the highest image quality, and after 30 minutes of testing, we can see that the S21 FE can maintain an average frame rate of 42.7fps, and if you want a smoother experience, you can appropriately reduce the game quality. In terms of performance, the S21 FE equipped with snapdragon 888 can fully meet the daily use of users, as long as it is not a heavy load and high-quality large-scale 3D game, there is no need to worry about performance.
▲ In "Original God" under full-height special effects, the S21 FE performed decently, with an average frame rate of 42.7fps.
In terms of battery life and charging, S21 FE is still a 25W wired fast charge with a 15W wireless charging function, which is slightly insufficient in the 60W fast charge now. Fortunately, the S21 FE is equipped with a larger battery capacity than the S21, and the large battery of 4500mAh can support more than 1 day of moderate use.
OneUI 4.0 adapts to new habits
On the previous generation FE model, the S20 FE, the factory pre-installed OneUI2.5, while on the S21 FE, Samsung's latest OneUI 4.0 was pre-installed. So how does the latest OneUI 4.0 perform on the S21 FE?
The most easily noticeable to users is obviously the change of desktop animation, the zoom animation when entering from the main interface or returning from the app, the jelly animation when sliding to the bottom, and the animation changes in various details, telling the user that this is a new OneUI every moment. In the drop-down status bar that users use the most, the brightness bar of OneUI4.0 changes from a narrow line to a cylindrical shape, which is more convenient. In the calendar, weather, and shooting interfaces, animations and interfaces have been re-adapted to make them more intuitive and easy to use.
▲In the most used drop-down status bar for users, the brightness bar of OneUI4.0 has changed from a narrow line to a cylindrical shape, and the animation effect has also changed.
In terms of security, OneUI 4.0 emphasizes the privacy of apps. When the app is using a camera or microphone, a small green dot will appear in the upper right corner of the screen to prompt the user. You can view it in the drop-down bar or block all apps from using the camera or microphone in the shortcut panel. In addition, OneUI 4.0 has added security and emergency situations, which can be accessed directly from the settings. You can add medical information, such as your medical history, allergies, current medications, blood type, and other emergency information. Even in a coma, medical personnel can access this information to provide the most appropriate treatment.
▲ You can add personal medical information in OneUI 4.0's security and emergency situations.
OneUI 4.0 also has a lot of improvements in some personalization settings, such as side screen flash style selection, multi-expression combination, picture editor interface changes, and the addition of a new driving detector in digital health... I won't go into it all here.
In the overall experience, OneUI4.0 is more like the icing on the cake of OneUI 3.5, which is richer and more personalized in terms of functions, but there is still a lot of room for improvement in menu logic and animation effects. But don't worry, OneUI 4.0 still has a whole year to slowly optimize, and it will obviously become more and more mature over time.
Write at the end
Compared with the Samsung Galaxy S21, the S21 FE imaging quality is slightly lower, the screen has no LTPO adaptive refresh rate and does not use ultrasonic fingerprint recognition. But again, the S21 FE has a bigger screen, a larger capacity battery, and more room to cut prices. It is also these differences that may make some consumers choose to throw themselves into the arms of S21 FE. While the current price of new listings is higher, refer to the price reduction curve of the S20 FE released last year. The price of S21 FE in the later period will obviously be lower than that of S21, and the cost performance will become increasingly prominent.