Samsung has initiated on its previous generation of high-end smartphones, the Galaxy S20 not to mention them, a new version called FE for Fan Edition. The idea? Bring together all the essential qualities of the other Galaxy S, or almost, in a mobile marketed at a more affordable price. The Galaxy S21 FE presented here is the second iteration of this concept.

The release of this terminal would have been delayed by the shortage of electronic components caused by the health crisis. By dint of being postponed, its marketing comes quite close to that of the new high-end mobiles from the manufacturer. Indeed, many rumors point to the imminent release of the Galaxy S22. However, the launch of a new smartphone leads to a price drop, or promotions, on the previous generation Galaxy S21. This could therefore cause the S21 FE to lose some interest.

But let's look at the product. This smartphone is launched in four colors: black, white, lilac and olive green. Samsung also offers two memory configurations. The first has 6 GB of RAM and 128 GB of storage. A more muscular version has 8 GB of RAM and 256 GB of memory. We tested the first model.

Design, ergonomics and interface

Physically, the Samsung Galaxy S21 FE is not really different from other S21s. We thus find the very particular features of the photo block which encompasses the angle of the smartphone. However, it is a little less prominent here than on the other devices, which is not really to displease. This disturbs the balance of the mobile less, the rear part of which gains in sobriety, especially since Samsung plays the tone-on-tone card. As on the S21, the manufacturer has opted for plastic. Even if it does not have the same prestige as glass, the choice of material presents here very well, including in terms of touch. It is quite resistant to fingerprints and its satin appearance is attractive. The S21 FE boasts excellent build quality, which isn't really surprising. It also benefits from the IP68 standard: it is thus resistant to immersion for 30 minutes at a depth of 1.5 m of water.

The front of the terminal is approximately 85% occupied by a 6.4-inch screen protected by a glass plate Gorilla Glass Victus. This diagonal is slightly larger than that of the S21 (6.2 inches), but a little smaller than that of the S20 FE (6.5 inches). Logically, this has an impact on the dimensions of the smartphone, which measures 155.7×74.5 mm against 151.7×71.2 mm for the S21. The thickness of the phone is identical (7.9 mm). The Galaxy S21 FE is not too big in the hand and it is comfortable to use. It must also be said that the manufacturer has placed the various physical controls so that they fall naturally under the fingers. Only the smallest hands will have, in our opinion, a little difficulty in turning up the volume.

At 177 g, the smartphone is rather heavy, without it being really disturbing in everyday life. What might be for some users, however, is the lack of a headphone jack and memory card slot. But that's the trend now.

At the top of the screen, the panel is drilled to accommodate the front camera. It also incorporates an effective fingerprint reader, which we will only blame in the end for its location… a little low.

This model has the honor of releasing the new software duo consisting of Android 12 and the One UI 4.0 in-house overlay. The main changes, at least the obvious ones, concern the design and aesthetics of the user interface. Samsung thus takes over the Monet function of Android 12, which pushes the possibilities of personalization even further. A good point.

The user thus accesses options to choose accent colors for menus, notifications, etc. The colors change according to your wallpaper in order to adapt to it. The other stylistic changes are mainly there to adapt to the Material You design of Android 12. It's not really revolutionary, but, overall, it's rather pleasing to the eye and ergonomic. From a functional point of view, Samsung has above all focused on taking care of the details in all the applications and functions of the smartphone. The settings related to the confidentiality of personal data are becoming clearer.

The screen

Unsurprisingly, the screen of the S21 FE retains the 20/9^e format of the other smartphones in the series, with a resolution of 1,080× 2340 pixels. AMOLED technology, so dear to the Korean brand, is naturally part of it. We therefore find all its intrinsic qualities, with ultra-deep blacks and beautiful brightness. Although we are awaiting the results of our various tests carried out in our Lab, the screen seemed to us to be excellent in use.

The panel is capable of reaching, like the other smartphones of the siblings, the refresh rate of 120 Hz. This improves the impression of general fluidity in a significant way. Small disappointment, the FE is not entitled to the dynamic technology which automatically varies the refresh rate between 10 and 120 Hz depending on the use made of the smartphone. However, this technology makes it possible to optimize the electrical consumption of the screen and therefore the autonomy of the mobile. Here, it's up to the user to manually choose between 60 Hz, the standard, and 120 Hz. It's a bit of a shame, but you have to differentiate between the models.

Performance and speed

For its Galaxy S21 FE, Samsung has decided to trust the Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 processor, which we have already come across on several occasions. This high-end chip is based on a complex architecture bringing together a total of eight cores, the fastest of which reach a frequency of 2.84 GHz. As a reminder, the other S21s marketed in Europe have an in-house chip (Exynos 2100). In the context of everyday use, the Samsung Galaxy S21 FE, tested here in its version with 6 GB of RAM, provides excellent comfort of use. Pushed to its limits by resource-intensive video games, however, we noted a slight tendency to heat up. A visit to our Lab will allow us to have a more precise vision of the terminal's performance.

The photo

At the back of the S21 FE, there are three cameras, as on the S21. However, there are some differences. The main module does not change. It is still the duo formed by a 12 megapixel sensor and a wide-angle lens f / 1.8, which is equivalent to a 26 mm film. For the zoom, Samsung returns here to a more classic solution. Instead of the 64 megapixel camera, we find a classic x3 optical telephoto lens (76 mm in film equivalent) which is based on a 12 megapixel sensor. Finally, the ultra wide-angle would be equipped with a 12-megapixel sensor a little less sophisticated than that of the other S21s. Its photosites would be smaller, theoretically resulting in poorer performance in low light. Its optics open at f/2.2 and offer a field of view of 123°.

For the video part, note that the FE gives up capturing in 8K, a function that is not really essential.

Taken outdoors in the winter greyness, our first series of photos allowed us to appreciate the sharpness offered by the main camera. The colors are a little "boosted" if we compare them to the natural rendering of iPhones, for example. This can be seen especially on the green of the grass. But the result is nonetheless very appealing. We appreciated the sharpness, which is surprising for a 12 megapixel sensor only.

The telephoto lens does very well, with an excellent level of detail and colors very close to those obtained with the main module. The dynamic is there. All these qualities only apply by taking advantage of optical magnification. Beyond x3, digital comes into play and the rendering loses quality quite quickly up to x 30.

The ultra wide-angle seems to us a tone below its two friends. The images produced lose sharpness in a rather noticeable way as soon as one moves away from the center. And the camera seems to have trouble handling the light. Halos penalize too strong a backlight. Note, however, that once again, the color rendering is rather homogeneous.

In low light, the three cameras surprised us. The Samsung Galaxy S21 FE shows rare efficiency while its three modules are nothing really extraordinary on paper. The rendering even seems to us to be superior to that of the other S21s. Is this due to updated software processing since the launch of the first models in the range? Or the presence of a Qualcomm  image processor? The wide-angle excels in these conditions and even the ultra-wide-angle, which is even more amazing. The telephoto lens is not ridiculous. It is simply necessary to ensure its grip to ensure a duration of exposure which necessarily lengthens.

At night, the appropriate mode brings a real plus. The smartphone invites you to use it, but the choice is yours.

The Samsung Galaxy S21 FE is a great tool for video enthusiasts. Without taking the lead on sharp settings, it is possible to make captures teeming with details and offering attractive colors. The dynamics are excellent and the autofocus is as fast as it is precise. Stabilization is a model of its kind, with the end result remaining natural. The main camera offers to shoot in 4K at 60 frames per second. A good choice but, beware, the generated files are heavy.

A quick word on the front camera with a 32-megapixel sensor that uses Pixel-Binning technology. The pixels are grouped together here in a somewhat special way since the smartphone automatically applies a crop resulting in images of 6.5 to 10 megapixels. It is of course possible to take 32 megapixel shots, but we do not really recommend it. Indeed, with the Pixels-Binning activated, the selfies are very successful with a good control of the exposure and a really satisfactory level of detail.

Audio quality

Like most if not all recent high-end smartphones, the Samsung Galaxy S21 FE has two speakers for stereophonic rendering. These two transducers did not impress us, neither by their power nor by the richness of their spectrum. Here too, our Lab measurements should confirm or invalidate our first impressions.

We find Dolby Atmos as well as Samsung AdaptSound technology, which adapts the equalization to your ears and your age. Interesting. The smartphone does without an analog headphone jack, so you will have to go through the supplied USB-C headphones or Bluetooth.

Communication

The radio part of the smartphone is based on the now well-known Qualcomm Snapdragon X60 modem, which is an integral part of the Snapdragon 888 platform. On the program, compatibility with all the latest technologies, including 5G. The set offers theoretical speeds much higher than what the mobile operators offer us. But who can the most...

We haven't noticed any connection problems. The network is quickly found, and phone calls go without a hitch. The S21 FE also has wifi 6 and Bluetooth 5.0, not to mention NFC, of ​​course, which is compatible with mobile payment solutions.

Autonomy

This new iteration of the S21 family incorporates a 4,500 mAh battery, the same capacity as the large S21+, the S21 being satisfied with a 4,000 mAh. The autonomy of the smartphone seems to us rather good in use. We can't wait to see how it performs against our demanding testing protocol. For our part, we did not need to recharge the device before a big day of intensive use, which is rather satisfactory in our eyes.

Lacking the supplied charger, we used the 25 W charger from a Note 20. This is good, because 25 W represents the maximum power supported by the S21 FE. Under these conditions, it took us just over 90 minutes to get a full charge. This is not disgraceful, even if today we frequently cross paths much faster. Good point on the other hand for the support of wireless charging and reverse charging.