On paper, the Samsung Galaxy S21 FE is a fine mid-range phone, with adequate features like an attractive screen, powerful processor and capable cameras for those looking for a handy, less expensive mobile.

Vibrant display, Lots of processing power, Slender design

Far too expensive, Takes a long time to charge, Unimpressive battery life

The S21 FE is a phone out of time. It’s a pretty great, well-rounded hardware package and I doubt many people would come away disappointed, but it’s launched six months too late.

Under-stated, attractive design, Impressive triple rear camera, Updates through to Android 15

Expensive for the specs, Average battery & charging, Older tech

Bigger and (slightly) cheaper than the original S21, could the Samsung Galaxy S21 FE be 2022’s first must-buy smartphone?

Sleek design, Solid performance, Dazzling HDR screen

A bit too expensive, Poor battery life

A step below the flagship Galaxy S22 series in certain areas, but also significantly kinder to your bank account.

Quality cameras, Plenty of power on offer

Dull colours, Only 25W charging

A bit late. The community smartphone is supposed to combine the most popular features of the Galaxy S series with a strong price-performance ratio. Among other things, the S21 FE aims to get fans' hearts racing with a strong performance, extensive video features, a fantastic display, and an IP...

high system performance, bright and accurate 120 Hz AMOLED display, modern communication interfaces, IP68 certification

optional memory expansion removed, performance drops under load, bundled accessories decrease, price increases

At the end of the day, the Samsung Galaxy S21 FE is a phone caught up in the whirlwinds of transformation happening in the smartphone industry. Samsung has allegedly had this phone on the backburner for months, wondering whether it should release it or not, and when it finally has released it, it...

Fast performance, 120Hz Adaptive refresh rate, Excellent camera performance, Lightweight construction, One of few dual SIM phones in the US

Priced very close to flagship models, Plastic construction might disappoint some, No microSD, no headphone jack, Thermal throttling is an issue

For a quick note on audio output from the Galaxy S21 FE's bottom and earpiece stereo speakers, we'd offer that there's not too much to get excited over acoustically. Though lately we've been hearing a trend of better audio output from on-board phone speaker systems, it's obviously a tertiary feature...

Solid Design And Build Quality, Gorgeous High Refresh Rate Display, Feature-Packed, Great Camera Performance, 32MP Selfie Cam, Solid General Performance

So… where does that leave the Samsung Galaxy S21 FE. If you’re looking at the phone in a vacuum, it’s a pretty spectacular device. The issues really only come to light when the $699 sticker price comes into play.

Performance, Display, Cameras, Battery life

Price, Slow charging

You should probably buy the Pixel 6 instead

Big, high refresh rate screen, Good telephoto camera, Great software support policy

Fast charging brick costs extra, Arrives late in the S21-series product cycle

The Galaxy S21 FE is a great phone, launching at a pretty bad time.

Impressive screen, Great performance, Decent battery life, Comes with Android 12 & One UI 4 out of the box

6GB of RAM is not enough for everyone, Not as great of a value as the Galaxy S20 FE was, Camera is okay, nothing to write home about