SpecEagle
SpecEagle review · Samsung

Galaxy S21 FE review: The Fan Edition S21 — flagship core at a lower price.

SpecEagle Editorial·Jan 2022·$699
Overall
78/100
Class rank
#12 of 31
Tier
Premium
Buy?
At the right price
The verdict, up front

The value S21 with a real telephoto.

Galaxy S21 FE delivered flagship cameras and 120 Hz at a sane price. The 3× tele is the standout at this tier.

01Display

84/100

84/100 puts it above the 82-point average for premium phones of 2022.

TypeDynamic AMOLED 2X, 120 Hz
Size6.4 inches
Resolution2,340 × 1,080 px

02Camera

78/100

78/100 — right at the average for premium phones of 2022.

Main12 MP, f/1.8, OIS
Ultrawide12 MP
Telephoto8 MP, 3× optical
Selfie32 MP

03Performance

80/100

80/100 — right at the average for premium phones of 2022.

ChipsetSnapdragon 888 / Exynos 2100 (5 nm)
RAM6 / 8 GB
Storage128 / 256 GB

04Battery

76/100

76/100 trails the 78-point cohort average for premium phones of 2022.

Capacity4,500 mAh
Wired25 W
Wireless15 W

05Build

78/100

78/100 — right at the average for premium phones of 2022.

06Value

80/100

80/100 — right at the average for premium phones of 2022.

What works
  • Real 3× telephoto at $699.
  • 120 Hz AMOLED + IP68.
  • 4,500 mAh battery.
  • 4 OS updates.
What doesn't
  • No microSD.
  • No headphone jack.
  • 6 GB base RAM.
  • SD888 thermals.
Cross-shop it against
Realme GT Neo 5
$449 · score 83/100

How this review is built: every section score, spec row and comparison on this page comes from SpecEagle's tracked catalogue — scores weight measured specs against the 31-phone cohort of premium devices released around the same time. We don't publish invented lab anecdotes. Spot an error? .