Samsung Galaxy S21 FE 5G Initial Impressions

Samsung has recently unveiled their newest smartphone in the market and it belongs in the flagship segment and it’s the Samsung Galaxy S21 FE 5G. The smartphone shares a lot of hardware similar to its older Galaxy S21 brothers, but it cuts some slack to make it more affordable and to belong in the Fan Edition.

First, the Samsung Galaxy S21 FE 5G does share a lot of similarities from its brothers including the Exynos 2100 processor inside along with 8GB RAM but where did they cut some corners? First, there’s the 12MP ultra-wide camera and then there’s the 12MP wide camera, and also an 8MP telephoto camera but unlike the other Galaxy S21 series, the smartphone uses a way cheaper plastic back unlike the Galaxy S21.

First, the smartphone comes in a lot of color back colors and it combines the design of the Galaxy S series and also the Galaxy A series. Unlike the Galaxy S series, this one doesn’t have a separate camera module cover as this one uses a single plastic back cover on the smartphone.

Is it bad? No not really. The smartphone still does feel whole and solid and the best part about it is that the smartphone feels very light unlike the other Galaxy S series smartphones. Surprisingly, the frame of the smartphone is metal so it does add to the premium feel of the smartphone.

Onto the front, we’re getting here a 6.4-inch Full HD+ Dynamic AMOLED 2X Display with a flat screen and honestly, I really did like it and it’s definitely great for its class. Aside from that is a 120hz refresh rate but unfortunately, there’s no dynamic refresh rate on this one so it doesn’t conserve battery on the display department. And yes, the smartphone features an optical fingerprint scanner on the display as well.

The smartphone uses USB-C with no headphone jack as expected and it still maximizes a 25W wired charging with 15W Wireless Charging and support for Wireless PowerShare. No surprise about that. For the battery, there’s a decent 4500mAh battery inside but of course, we have to fully review the smartphone to know more about it.

As for the hardware inside, the one that we’re getting is still the Exynos 2100 variant unfortunately which lags behind its Snapdragon counterpart but it’s definitely better than the previous Exynos processor that we’ve tested before on the Galaxy S20 series. For the memory, there’s the 8GB RAM and it comes in 128GB and 256GB variants. The processor might not be the latest one but it’s definitely capable of playing games and also the latest apps in the market right now.

As for the camera of the smartphone, it has been downgraded but it’s still on a flagship level so I wouldn’t really complain about the camera of the smartphone. It’s still good but definitely not the best on both rear and front cameras of the smartphone.

Overall, Samsung really did cut some corners to make the smartphone more affordable. Is it bad? No, not really. Yes, the smartphone is now using a plastic back and build but we still got here a solid feel on the smartphone and it’s also lightweight and available in many colors. They did downgrade the camera of the smartphone but it’s still performed well. It’s still using an Exynos 2100 processor but it can still perform on games and it runs definitely like a flagship smartphone.

The Samsung Galaxy S21 FE 5G can now be pre-ordered in the Philippines starting today until January 10, 2022 and you can get a free Pair of Galaxy Buds Live worth Php7,990. The Samsung Galaxy S21 FE 5G starts at Php38,990 for the 128GB variant and Php41,990 for the 256GB variant. It’s available in Olive, Lavender, Green and Graphite colorways.

You can get it at Samsung.com, Samsung Experience Stores, select Authorized Samsung Stores, Lazada, Shopee, Abenson.com, and MemoXpress Online.

Samsung Galaxy S21 FE 5G Specs

• 6.4-inch Full HD+ Dynamic AMOLED 2x Display 120hz refresh rate
• Exynos 2100 Processor
• 8GB RAM
• 128GB/256GB Internal storage
• 12MP wide lens + 12MP Ultra wide lens + 8MP Telephoto lens
• 32MP Selfie camera
• In-display fingerprint scanner
• 25W Wired Charging, 15W Wireless Charging
• 4500mAh battery
• OneUI 4 based on Android 12