Samsung Galaxy S21 FE 5G: Still a strong alternative even after its late release

The Fan Edition of the Samsung Galaxy S21 offers a strong feature set starting at an MSRP of 749 Euros ($699 in the US). It has a 6.4-inch AMOLED display that operates at up to 120 Hz and that has been improved in terms of reproduction quality, as well as maximum and minimum brightness. The storage configurations remain identical to the predecessor, but Samsung has removed the microSD slot, so you should carefully consider how much storage you will need in the coming years. Since the S21 FE is intended to receive updates for a long time, quite a bit of data can accumulate over time.

There are no changes in the camera equipment. Once again, a triple-camera setup is used, which offers an additional ultra-wide angle and a 3x optical zoom. A big difference compared to the other representatives of the Galaxy S21 series is the integrated Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 5G, whereas the other models in Germany are equipped with the in-house Exynos 2100. The Galaxy S22 series will once again come with Exynos SoCs, so users who want a Qualcomm processor will have to go for the Fan Edition.

Do you find high-gloss polished stainless steel and glass too high maintenance? In that case, the Galaxy S21 FE 5G is certainly the better choice. The plastic back and matte aluminum frame proved to be less susceptible to fingerprints in our test.

Another important criterion is definitely the price. The Galaxy S21 FE 5G is still new, but it has nevertheless already dropped in price by more than 100 Euros (~$114). This will probably take a bit longer to happen with the Galaxy S22. In addition, we expect it to be cheaper than the Galaxy S21 sooner or later, so it might be worth waiting, especially since the delayed market launch means that updates will be available for a longer period of time.