Which one is right for you?

Thanks in part to the ongoing semiconductor shortage, Samsung took its sweet time in announcing the Galaxy S21 FE. While the phone has an impressive spec sheet, its price tag is a bit puzzling. With a starting price tag of $699, the S21 FE is just $100 cheaper than the Galaxy S21 released this time last year.

If you are in the market for a new compact phone with flagship-like specs, should you buy the Galaxy S21 or go for the Fan Edition and save some cash in the process? While both phones are very similar in some aspects — especially on the surface — they differ in some key areas that may sway you one way or another. So, which one is worth your money? Find out in the comparison below.

Glass front, plastic back

The Galaxy S21 and S21 FE take a similar route to keep their price in check, pairing Gorilla Glass Victus along the phone’s front with a matte “glasstic” back that sandwiches an aluminum frame. Some users may frown on Samsung for using a plastic back on $700+ smartphones, but ultimately, with most people usually putting their phone in a case, it won’t matter much. On the bright side, plastic does not crack nearly as easily as glass, though it does pick up scratches. Both phones are IP68 certified, capable of getting submerged in up to 1.5m depth of water for up to 30 minutes without any issues.

Aside from those differences in size and weight, the phones more or less share a design. The Galaxy S21 FE does have a larger footprint, thanks to a larger display, something that certain shoppers may see as a selling point. The only difference comes from the camera hump on the S21 FE, which is made of plastic rather than the metal extension seen on the regular Galaxy S21.

Both phones are available in a bunch of colors, one of which you’re bound to like. However, while the S21’s camera bump comes in a different shade than the body, the Fan Edition has the same color throughout. Other minor differences include the missing AKG certification for the S21 FE’s stereo speakers and the use of an optical instead of the ultrasonic in-display fingerprint scanner found on the mainline S21.

120Hz OLED displays

The Galaxy S21 and S21 FE feature flat 120Hz FHD+ resolution OLED displays covered by Gorilla Glass Victus. Samsung phones are known for their excellent screens, and you cannot go wrong with any of them here: they are bright, have excellent viewing angles, contrast, and vividness.

The S21 FE has a larger 6.4-inch display than the regular S21’s 6.2-inch panel. However, there’s a catch: the Galaxy S21’s panel can dynamically adjust the refresh rate depending on the content you are viewing to save battery power or deliver improved smoothness. On the other hand, the Fan Edition’s display can only work at 60Hz or 120Hz — it cannot dynamically adjust its refresh rate. That might lead to an impact on its battery life in real-world use.

Flagship performance

Qualcomm’s 2021 flagship chipset — the Snapdragon 888 — powers both Galaxy S21 variants, with Samsung’s Exynos 2100 chip found in select markets outside of the US. In either model, day-to-day performance will not be an issue, as you won’t find an app or game that can bring these phones to their knees. The Exynos chip does get a bit hot when under load, but that has always been an issue with the Korean company’s in-house silicon.

The Galaxy S21 comes with 8GB RAM as standard, while the base FE model ships with 6GB. To get 8GB of RAM with the FE, you’ll need to grab the 256GB model. There’s no microSD slot on either phone, so storage space is limited by the variant you buy. Both phones are also eligible to receive three years of OS updates and four years of security patches.

Similar cameras

The Galaxy S21 and S21 FE feature a triple-camera setup at the rear, with the same 12MP f/1.8 primary camera that’s optically stabilized. The ultra-wide camera is also the same, though the one on the FE has a slightly wider field of view: 120° vs. 123°. It is the telephoto shooter where both phones differ. While the Galaxy S21 features a 64MP telephoto sensor with 3x hybrid zoom and OIS, the Fan Edition uses an optically stabilized 8MP shooter with 3x optical zoom and a slower f/2.4 aperture.

The Galaxy S21 was praised for its consistent and impressive camera performance, and the S21 FE is no different in this regard. The latter’s zoomed-in photos are not as good as the S21 — and both fall short of performance offered by the rival Pixel 6 — but most users are unlikely to notice this. Due to the missing 64MP sensor, though, the Galaxy S21 Fan Edition cannot record 8K videos like the regular S21— it tops out at 4k 60fps. The sensor also allows the S21 to offer 12x digital zoom while recording videos, while the FE maxes out at 10x zoom. The latter is also limited to recording Super Steady videos at 1080p@30fps, while the S21 can record at 60fps in this mode.

The Galaxy S21 FE has a higher resolution front camera than the S21: 32MP vs. 10MP. However, the former’s selfie camera misses out on autofocus, which means it’s the S21 that can take sharper photos despite the lower resolution sensor.

Connectivity

On paper, the Galaxy S21 and its FE variant have the same specs: 5G with mmWave support, 4×4 MIMO, Wi-Fi 6, and Bluetooth 5.0. However, when you look closely, you’ll notice the S21 FE supports a maximum theoretical download speed of 1.6Gbps, while the S21 supports LTE Cat.20 for download speeds of up to 2Gbps. The latter also supports Enhanced 4×4 MIMO with up to 7CA.

Basically, this means the Galaxy S21 should pull slightly higher download speeds on 4G and 5G networks. However, the difference should not be massive — don’t consider this a dealbreaker in any way.

Battery life

The larger dimensions of the Galaxy S21 FE have provided Samsung with more room for a larger battery. It packs a 4,500mAh battery, while the S21 comes in slightly smaller at 4,000mAh. As noted in our review, the latter offers average one-day battery life, which can drain quickly if you utilize mmWave 5G or are in an area with a poor network connection. The Fan Edition does feature a bigger battery, but it also has a larger and more power-hungry display. So overall, its battery life should be in the same ballpark as the regular S21.

Both phones deliver the same fast charging speed: 25W wired and 15W wireless. Samsung does not bundle a power adapter with either phone, so you’ll have to buy one separately.

The right choice

On paper, the Galaxy S21 FE makes just the right set of compromises to achieve its $100 lower price tag than the S21. However, the latter is frequently discounted to around the same price as the Fan Edition.

At almost the same price, buying the S21 FE over the S21 only makes sense if you want the larger 6.4-inch display. Otherwise, the regular Galaxy S21 makes for a better buy. Once the S21 FE starts seeing deals in the coming months, it’ll be a much more tempting offer.

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Buy Samsung Galaxy S21 FE

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