I brought S21 FE 8/128 from Samsung official website @32K , which is a Made In India product manufactured March 23
I will be adding edits at the end of review for future contents.
1. Build Quality --> Solidly built with proper curves to hold the phone! Back is matt that doesn't attract fingerprints! Most can handle the phone with a single hand too ( or can use One Hand+ operation module)
2. Display --> HDR 10 & HDR HLG supported! It's a really good display with good viewing angles & apt brightness! The only downer is that the display is not a dynamic one! ( my Tab S7 LCD supports 48/60/96/120Hz )
3. Camera --> To be frank, I'm not a big camera enthusiast; My main motive was it should take proper usable photo/videos whenever I click that shutter button! All the cameras are usable! Telephoto lens is awesome! It handles selfie well! Most flagship features are present (no RAW app nor Enhance X on Galaxy Store Enhance X has been launched in June 2023)
4. Processor -> Handles the UI really well! I feel Sammy's animations a bit slow hence made it 0.5x using developer options! Played a few games but for a limited time only to test it ( & any heating )! It could handle them properly! It does get warm a bit, but no real overheating issues! Even with 70% Processing speed via Power Saving Mode, I didn't felt any hiccup!
6. Battery -> Once a day charge should be enough. The device was kept at 120Hz with both sims active throughout the review
( I've enabled continuity with my tab hence that could also lead to a decrease in SOT too )
Charging from 2% with phone being switched off with 25W fast charger
35% by ~15mins
60% by ~30mins
100% takes about 70-80mins
I have turned on 85% battery + usually charge around 15-25% for longevity, hence for that 60% consumption I'm getting 3h to 3.5h (I got 8h on Day 2 & 9h on Day 3 of the phone & I would gladly accept a half of that battery stats )
7. Networks --> Mobile calls are absolutely fine; earpiece, proximity, bluetooth, NFC & WiFi work as expected. 5G download max speed I got was 290mbps. It took less than a minute to download 1.7GB Into the dead 2 game from playstore. Haven't noticed any heating while on call, well most calls of mine are <10mins. Auto-Hotspot works well with tab
8. Software --> Full fledged One UI 5.1 on A13 with April Update available ! It should get A16 update with an extra year of security update. It has all the perks & bells n whistles of flagship. Goodluck module is really a swiss-army options for most of your needs.
The major reason why I chose S21FE over others (see below) because I liked it's software & I already have the excellent Buds+ & Tab S7
9. Others --> Stereo Speakers are loud enough with balance b/w both of them being abt ~40-60, with Dolby Atmos support on loudpeaker itself too! I'm not a big fan of vibrations as such, however this device has adequate haptic.
Why S21 FE v/s others at this range?
1. OP11R --> It felt bulky & looks top-heavy too! Camera is not as good! Spend 8K if you really need that processing power ( & get mesmerized by that fast charging too )
2. A54 - Apart from a theoretical better battery, this is worthless phone @40K! You may give it to your parents/for personal use only if you get it <30K
3. Pixel 7a - yet to launch when I bought it! The specs & price looks good! It should he a good option if you can get <40K
4. Poco F5 --> yet to launch when I bought it! the main reason to buy this should be that 2 years of warranty by POCO, apart from that processor! However software can't be compared with OneUI
5. Nothing Phone --> a good allrounder which you can pick & save 3-5K!
6. S22 --> Bad Battery & Heating issues + not worth to pay 20K more ( S22+ could be a better option as it has far bettery endurance as it is a bigger phone )
7. Don't buy iPhone 11/12 at 40-45K! Invest 10K+ more for iPhone 13
Edit 1 - I spend 4-5days in my village where the phone showed really bad battery life ( about 3h ) with get a bit hot esp during charging & it has reduced after coming back to the state capital!
1. Build Quality --> Solidly built with proper curves to hold the phone! Back is matt that doesn't attract fingerprints! Most can handle the phone with a single hand too ( or can use One Hand+ operation module)
2. Display --> HDR 10 & HDR HLG supported! It's a really good display with good viewing angles & apt brightness! The only downer is that the display is not a dynamic one! ( my Tab S7 LCD supports 48/60/96/120Hz )
3. Camera --> To be frank, I'm not a big camera enthusiast; My main motive was it should take proper usable photo/videos whenever I click that shutter button! All the cameras are usable! Telephoto lens is awesome! It handles selfie well! Most flagship features are present (
4. Processor -> Handles the UI really well! I feel Sammy's animations a bit slow hence made it 0.5x using developer options! Played a few games but for a limited time only to test it ( & any heating )! It could handle them properly! It does get warm a bit, but no real overheating issues! Even with 70% Processing speed via Power Saving Mode, I didn't felt any hiccup!
6. Battery -> Once a day charge should be enough. The device was kept at 120Hz with both sims active throughout the review
( I've enabled continuity with my tab hence that could also lead to a decrease in SOT too )
Charging from 2% with phone being switched off with 25W fast charger
35% by ~15mins
60% by ~30mins
100% takes about 70-80mins
I have turned on 85% battery + usually charge around 15-25% for longevity, hence for that 60% consumption I'm getting 3h to 3.5h (
7. Networks --> Mobile calls are absolutely fine; earpiece, proximity, bluetooth, NFC & WiFi work as expected. 5G download max speed I got was 290mbps. It took less than a minute to download 1.7GB Into the dead 2 game from playstore. Haven't noticed any heating while on call, well most calls of mine are <10mins. Auto-Hotspot works well with tab
8. Software --> Full fledged One UI 5.1 on A13 with April Update available ! It should get A16 update with an extra year of security update. It has all the perks & bells n whistles of flagship. Goodluck module is really a swiss-army options for most of your needs.
The major reason why I chose S21FE over others (see below) because I liked it's software & I already have the excellent Buds+ & Tab S7
9. Others --> Stereo Speakers are loud enough with balance b/w both of them being abt ~40-60, with Dolby Atmos support on loudpeaker itself too! I'm not a big fan of vibrations as such, however this device has adequate haptic.
Why S21 FE v/s others at this range?
1. OP11R --> It felt bulky & looks top-heavy too! Camera is not as good! Spend 8K if you really need that processing power ( & get mesmerized by that fast charging too )
2. A54 - Apart from a theoretical better battery, this is worthless phone @40K! You may give it to your parents/for personal use only if you get it <30K
3. Pixel 7a - yet to launch when I bought it! The specs & price looks good! It should he a good option if you can get <40K
4. Poco F5 --> yet to launch when I bought it! the main reason to buy this should be that 2 years of warranty by POCO, apart from that processor! However software can't be compared with OneUI
5. Nothing Phone --> a good allrounder which you can pick & save 3-5K!
6. S22 --> Bad Battery & Heating issues + not worth to pay 20K more ( S22+ could be a better option as it has far bettery endurance as it is a bigger phone )
7. Don't buy iPhone 11/12 at 40-45K! Invest 10K+ more for iPhone 13
Edit 1 - I spend 4-5days in my village where the phone showed really bad battery life ( about 3h ) with get a bit hot esp during charging & it has reduced after coming back to the state capital!
TLDR --> The real cons of S21 FE @₹30-32K are a slightly warm processor & an average battery life
Ac room pai bi heat hojata hai 15 watt ka charger se bi
