After months of speculation, the Samsung Galaxy S21 FE is officially a reality. The smartphone will be available from January 11 and starts from 749 euros.
The Samsung Galaxy S21 FE was officially expected along with the launch of the two folding smartphones Galaxy Z Flip 3 and Galaxy Z Fold 3. Despite the big leak beforehand, no official announcement followed. In late September, all references on official Samsung sites were deleted, suggesting that the model was scrapped due to the global chip shortage. After that, things went quiet around the smartphone, until now.
Samsung has now officially announced the Galaxy S21 FE and the device will be in stores starting January 11. The device bridges the gap between the current Galaxy S21 (6.2-inch screen) and Galaxy S21+ (6.7-inch screen) with a convenient intermediate size (6.41-inch screen). Otherwise, the specifications of the Samsung Galaxy S21 FE are almost identical to its two other brothers, with some not insignificant exceptions.
What are the differences?
Compared to the traditional Galaxy S21, there are a number of changes to consider:
- Gorilla Glass Victus: there is no mention of the strong screen in Samsung’s official message, suggesting that the Galaxy S21 FE has a slightly more scratchy screen.
- 8 megapixel zoom camera: the original Galaxy S21 has a 64 megapixel sensor on board, combined with a 1.1 optical zoom. The Galaxy S21 FE makes do with fewer megapixels, but gets a 3x optical zoom. In our opinion, the better choice because you don’t lose quality with a larger optical zoom.
- 32-megapixel front-facing camera: a big upgrade compared to the 10-megapixel variant in the Galaxy S21.
- 4,500 mAh battery: exactly in line with the Galaxy S21’s 4,000 mAh battery and the Galaxy S21+’s 4,800 mAh battery.
As you can see above, the new Samsung Galaxy S21 FE barely differs from its two brothers, filling an interesting gap within the lineup. The price is also competitive compared to the other two models: 749 euros (128GB) or 819 euros (256GB). You can find the Galaxy S21 online today for an average of 700 euros, while the Galaxy S21+ crosses the counter for an average of 850 euros. All prices include VAT.
Android 12
The Samsung Galaxy S21 FE comes with Android 12 and is entitled to 3 years of security updates and 3 years of OS updates. There is no charger in the box. Charging can be done at a maximum of 25 watts via USB-C Power Delivery. Half an hour of charging is good for 50 percent battery capacity, according to Samsung. Like to compare the three Samsung Galaxy S21 models in detail? Then click here.
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