Tag Archives: S21

One UI 6.0 is rolling out for Galaxy S21 FE in Europe! – SamMobile – Samsung news

  1. One UI 6.0 is rolling out for Galaxy S21 FE in Europe! SamMobile – Samsung news
  2. Android 14 update with One UI 6 reaches Galaxy S21 FE, A52s, A33, and Tab S9 FE – GSMArena.com news GSMArena.com
  3. Samsung Galaxy A14 LTE is Now Getting Android 14 x One UI 6 and November 2023 Patch Mobile Prices in Pakistan
  4. Samsung keeps unspoken promise with One UI 6 for millions of Galaxy devices SamMobile – Samsung news
  5. Samsung Galaxy S21 FE, Galaxy A14 LTE, Galaxy A33, Galaxy A52s, Galaxy A33 and Galaxy Tab S9 FE tablets start receiving Android 14 with stable One UI 6 updates Notebookcheck.net

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Reasons to upgrade from Galaxy S21 Ultra to Galaxy S23 Ultra

The Galaxy S23 Ultra is just one week away from its official unveiling. All the leaked information so far has painted a positive picture. Samsung upgraded almost every aspect of its upcoming flagship for 2023, and the Galaxy S23 Ultra is an interesting proposition for Samsung flagship customers, especially those living in markets where trade-in values are stellar.

We’ve already listed plenty of reasons why the Galaxy S23 Ultra might be a worthwhile upgrade for Galaxy S20 Ultra customers. But what about Galaxy S21 Ultra users? Should they consider the Galaxy S23 Ultra as their next flagship phone? Let’s answer this by looking at all the improvements the 2023 flagship brings over the 2021 model, and the things you might lose by switching to the newer phone.

Better, brighter display with 1-120Hz refresh rate

Both the Galaxy S21 Ultra and the Galaxy S23 Ultra have 6.8-inch Dynamic AMOLED 2X displays with similar resolutions. However, the 2023 model increases peak brightness from 1,500 nits to 1,750 nits, and reports indicate that Samsung has fine-tuned color accuracy to a superior level, especially for low-light usage conditions.

In addition, the Galaxy S23 Ultra supports a refresh rate of anywhere between 1Hz and 120Hz, whereas the Galaxy S21 Ultra’s panel can only go as low as 48Hz. This means that the Galaxy S23 Ultra panel is friendlier to battery life, which may compensate for the higher brightness.

All in all, the Galaxy S23 Ultra display is brighter and technologically superior.

The Galaxy S23 Ultra fully embraces the S Pen

Although the Galaxy S21 Ultra was the first S-series flagship to adopt S Pen support, the phone doesn’t have a built-in holster for this iconic input device. You could say that the 2021 model is the last pure Galaxy S Ultra flagship, and you could view that as a plus.

Nevertheless, if you have any interest in the S Pen, the Galaxy S23 Ultra is a worthy upgrade over the Galaxy S21 Ultra on the S Pen holster alone. The 2023 model fully embeds the S Pen and offers better stylus technology with lower latency. You no longer have to buy an S Pen case for your device, and the accessory will always be within reach.

Better build quality and a newer design

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. But even if you prefer the bulky camera housing of the Galaxy S21 Ultra, there’s something to be said about the design consistency of the Galaxy S23 Ultra.

The 2023 flagship has a squarer footprint and a much more minimalist camera setup without a traditional “hump.” It looks more up-to-date than the 2021 model, and the thicker metal frame makes the phone look sturdier.

Aside from its updated aesthetics, the Galaxy S23 Ultra also employs better building materials, such as a stronger aluminum frame with improved scratch and drop resistance, along with Gorilla Glass Victus 2 instead of Glass Victus display protection. The former should provide better protection against drops on hard surfaces such as concrete pavements. In essence, the Galaxy S23 Ultra is more suitable to use without a protective case than the Galaxy S21 Ultra.

Snapdragon SoC everywhere and more (possibly faster) base storage

For the first time, Samsung will no longer split the flagship market between Exynos and Qualcomm chipsets. The Galaxy S23 Ultra ships with a 4nm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 worldwide, which means that support should be better, and you’ll get to experience Qualcomm’s best SoC yet, even if you buy the Galaxy S23 Ultra in a so-called “Exynos market.”

And needless to say, the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 is a more powerful solution than the Snapdragon 888 or the Exynos 2100 SoCs. Furthermore, the Galaxy S23 Ultra reportedly uses an exclusive version of the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2, which boasts higher frequencies for better performance.

In addition, the Galaxy S23 Ultra offers more storage as standard. The base model has 256GB of storage, while the Galaxy S21 Ultra has 128GB or higher. On the flip side, you get 8GB of RAM with the Galaxy S23 Ultra rather than 12GB of RAM for the base model, but you can confortably compensate using RAM Plus since the phone offers more storage.

Finally, if rumors are true, the Galaxy S23 Ultra ships with faster UFS 4.0 storage instead of UFS 3.1, which should make file transfers faster and help performance for RAM Plus virtual memory.

Better cameras with a 200MP primary sensor

The Galaxy S23 Ultra is Samsung’s first smartphone to boast a 200MP primary camera. The new ISOCELL HP2 offers many improvements, especially in terms of low-light performance and autofocus.

The telephoto cameras are also better, even though they provide the same zoom capabilities. AI processing was improved, and zoomed-in shots should look much better on the Galaxy S23 Ultra.

One possible downgrade could be the 12MP selfie sensor, down from the S21 Ultra’s 40MP unit. However, the 12MP sensor appears to be brand-new, which could mean that it takes advantage of newer technologies to create better selfies with more accurate colors.

If you’re looking for a camera upgrade from the Galaxy S21 Ultra, the S23 Ultra certainly qualifies as one.

Faster battery charging (wired)

One of the most unusual choices Samsung made for the Galaxy S21 Ultra was to downgrade charging speeds to 25W. Thankfully, the Galaxy S23 Ultra has better specifications. Even though both phones have 5,000mAh batteries, the Galaxy S23 Ultra offers 45W super-fast charging.

However, Samsung also made an unusual choice for the Galaxy S23 Ultra. Although the 2023 model boasts faster wired charging than the 2021 flagship, it seems to have 10W wireless charging instead of the Galaxy S21 Ultra’s 15W wireless capabilities.

So, you win some, lose some. But if you’re looking for faster wired charging, the Galaxy S23 Ultra is the way to go.

Newer software and support until Android 17

Although the Galaxy S21 Ultra got upgraded to Android 13 and One UI 5.0 recently, Samsung will ship the Galaxy S23 Ultra with the newer One UI 5.1 firmware.

The Galaxy S21 Ultra may eventually get One UI 5.1, but the 2023 model will have a head-start. More importantly, even though both phones qualify for Samsung’s improved four-year Android OS upgrade policy, support for the 2021 model will stop at Android 15. On the other hand, the Galaxy S23 Ultra will receive Android 17 closer to the end of this decade.

Reasons not to upgrade from the Galaxy S21 Ultra

The Galaxy S23 Ultra undoubtedly offers many upgrades over the Galaxy S21 Ultra, but what’s the downside? Are there any reasons you should consider not upgrading to the 2023 model aside from the money you’d have to spend?

Well, as mentioned before, you might lose 5W of wireless charging speed, down to 10W, if you switch to the Galaxy S23 Ultra. If you care about wireless charging, this may be an issue.

You also lose 4GB of RAM for the base model, albeit you get more (and possibly faster) storage. Nevertheless, if you value more apps running in the background and don’t want to use RAM Plus, you might get a lesser experience on the Galaxy S23 Ultra.

On the software side, it is true that the Galaxy S23 Ultra will get support for longer, but the Galaxy S21 Ultra is no slouch. It still has two major OS upgrades planned for the future, so it’s not like you’ll miss out on the next few One UI versions if you decide to keep using the Galaxy S21 Ultra for a couple more years.

And lastly, a relatively smaller user base might want to know that the Galaxy S23 Ultra doesn’t have an FM radio. This feature was already market-dependent and available only for the Snapdragon-powered Galaxy S21 Ultra (no FM for Exynos). But now, the Galaxy S23 Ultra is likely to ditch FM radio support everywhere.

If you consider the Galaxy S23 Ultra a worthy upgrade, keep an eye out for Unpacked 2023. The event will take place on February 1, and the new flagship should be available for pre-order for roughly two weeks before shipping to early buyers. Until February 1, you can reserve the phone online and earn $50 in Samsung Credit.

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First post-Android 13 update for unlocked Galaxy S21 USA models is out

Unlocked Galaxy S21 models in the USA received Android 13 and One UI 5.0 almost a month ago, but that update came with a slightly older security patch (it had the October patch instead of the November patch, for those wondering). Now, Samsung is rolling out another Android 13-based update for unlocked Galaxy S21 modes, and this one doesn’t have the latest security patch, either.

Unlocked Galaxy S21, S21+, and S21 Ultras in the USA are currently receiving an update with firmware version G991U1UEU5DVL1, G996U1UEU5DVL1, and G998U1UEU5DVL1 respectively. The update includes the November 2022 security patch, even though the December patch is already available for Galaxy S21 models elsewhere in the world and for some carrier-locked variants in the country.

December security update still not here for unlocked Galaxy S21 in the US

Thankfully, it seems the update isn’t just about security enhancements. Unfortunately, we don’t have the changelog at this time, so there’s no telling what’s new or changed. However, Samsung has hopefully fixed some bugs that may have slipped past it in the initial Android 13 release and some users will find their One UI 5.0 experience getting better after installing the latest update.

Speaking of installing updates, the procedure remains the same as usual. You can either wait for a notification about the update’s availability to show up on its own, try a manual over-the-air download from the phone’s Settings » Software update menu, or upgrade by downloading the latest firmware from our site and installing it on your S21, S21+, or S21 Ultra using a Windows PC.

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Samsung Galaxy S20 FE 5G, S21 FE get December 2022 security update

We are approaching the end of December and the year 2022, and Samsung hasn’t stopped rolling out software updates to its smartphones and tablets. The latest Galaxy phones to get the new security update are the Galaxy S20 FE 5G and the Galaxy S21 FE.

The Galaxy S20 FE 5G is getting the December 2022 security update in Europe with firmware version G781BXXS4GVL1. The Galaxy S21 FE is getting the latest security update with firmware version G990BXXS2DVL1. If you can remember, Samsung launched a newer version of the Galaxy S21 FE in some markets with no hardware changes, and that variant of the phone (SM-G990B2) is getting the update in Europe with firmware version G990B2XXS1DVL1.

If you have any of these two phones and if you live in Europe, you can download and install the new software update by navigating to Settings » Software update and tapping Download and install. You can also download the new firmware file from our firmware database and flash it manually.

Samsung debuted the Galaxy S20 FE two years in the second half of 2020, with Android 10 onboard, while the Galaxy S21 FE was launched earlier this year with Android 12 onboard. Both phones are currently running Android 13, and it could be the last major Android OS update for the Galaxy S20 FE 5G.

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December 2022 security update arrives on Galaxy S21 FE in the US

After rolling out the Android 13 update to various smartphones and tablets over the past couple of months, Samsung has released a new security update to a bunch of Galaxy devices. The carrier-locked version of the Galaxy S21 FE is now getting the December 2022 security update in the US.

The latest software update for the carrier-locked version of the Galaxy S21 FE comes with firmware version G990USQS4DVL1. The update is currently available on Xfinity Mobile’s network in the US, and it could be released on other networks in the country. The update brings the December 2022 security patch that fixes 93 security vulnerabilities.

If you live in the US and have a carrier-locked version of the Galaxy S21 FE, you can now install the new update on your phone by navigating to Settings » Software update and tapping Download and install. You can also install the latest update by downloading the firmware from our firmware database and flashing it manually.

The Galaxy S21 FE debuted earlier this year with Android 12 onboard. It already received the Android 13 update a few weeks ago. It is eligible to receive three more Android OS updates in the future. Looking to buy a new Samsung device this holiday season? Check out our Holiday 2022 Gift Guide.

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Galaxy S21 series gets second Android 13 update with November security patch

Samsung has been working around the clock to make sure Android 13 and One UI 5.0 make their way to eligible devices as quickly as possible. But that has come at the detriment of security patches, with Samsung taking considerably longer time than usual to release the November 2022 security patch.

The Galaxy S21 lineup is one example of how the Android 13 and One UI 5.0 update didn’t come with the latest security patch – the update was released with the October security patch in most countries. But Samsung is now bringing over the November security patch to the Galaxy S21, S21+, and S21 Ultra through what is the second Galaxy S21 series update that is based on Android 13.

You already got Android 13, now it’s time for some security fixes

A new update is rolling out to the Galaxy S21 series (not including the Galaxy S21 FE, which received the November 2022 patch less than a week back) in a dozen or so European markets. It comes with firmware version G99xBXXS5DVK1 and includes the November 2022 security patch. And, well, that’s about it.

This update is focused solely on improving device security, which means that if you were having some issues on the first official Android 13 release for the Galaxy S21 series, you probably won’t see them getting fixed with the new software update. In Samsung’s defence, though, the Android 13/One UI 5.0 update has been pretty stable for most flagships that have received it, so most users shouldn’t have any cause for complaint.

You can download the November security update for your Galaxy S21 series smartphone over the air from its Settings » Software update menu using the Download and install button. As usual, you can also rely on our firmware archive if you are a fan of manually upgrading to new firmware instead of waiting for an over-the-air release.

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BREAKING: Public Galaxy S21 Android 13 and One UI 5.0 update is out!

The official public release of Android 13 and One UI 5.0 for the Galaxy S22 series happened pretty quick, and according to Samsung’s One UI 5.0 schedule, a handful of Galaxy devices will be updated before 2023. Today, Samsung has taken one step closer towards achieving that goal.

Samsung has started rolling out the One UI 5.0 update to the Galaxy S21 series today, after a few beta tests that gave customers the chance to provide feedback so Samsung could iron out any bugs or issues before releasing the stable firmware.

Initial rollout of the update seems to have started in Europe, but it should expand soon

The rollout of the stable update seems to have started in Europe, with multiple countries in the region getting the update at the time of this writing. We will have to wait and see when Samsung will bring the update to more regions, although given the speed at which the company is working on One UI 5.0, it should be sooner rather than later.

To check if your Galaxy S21, Galaxy S21+, or Galaxy S21 Ultra (the S21 FE is likely to get the update separately) is getting Android 13, open the phone’s Settings app, select Software update, and tap Download and install. The update might not show up instantly even if it’s out in your country, so do be sure to keep checking over the next few hours.

We also have the official Android 13 firmware for the Galaxy S21 series in our firmware archive, though we would recommend you try downloading the update on your phone over the air first. Also check out our YouTube videos below to find out all the awesome new features, like the extensive lock screen customization, you’re getting with the big new upgrade.

Did you receive the update yet? Let us know in the comments!

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Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra vs. S21 Ultra: Every spec compared

Samsung’s brand-new flagship Galaxy S22 Ultra, unveiled Wednesday at its Unpacked event, replaces last year’s Galaxy S21 Ultra. We loved the S21 Ultra for its awesome performance and its stellar camera system — in particular its amazing 10x optical zoom. 

But how do the specs stack up between last year’s model and the new one? You can see the full breakdown in the chart below, but it’s easy to see that there’s not a huge difference between the two phones, based on specs alone, which may come as a disappointment if you were you hoping for a radical new vision for the Galaxy S series this year. 

Both phones have 6.8-inch displays with pretty much the same resolution, they both have 12GB of RAM (although the S21 Ultra could be configured up to 16GB), both support 5G, both have pretty much the same camera hardware (including that 10x optical zoom, 8K video and 108-megapixel main sensor) and both have the same size battery. 

Read more: Where to buy Galaxy S22: Preorder deals for Samsung’s newest phones

The S22 Ultra comes with the latest Android 12 software (the S21 Ultra got an update to Android 12 late last year), along with Qualcomm’s latest Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 processor — or Samsung’s new Exynos processor, depending on the region. How these two chips really compare to the Snapdragon 888 chip in the S21 Ultra remains to be seen in our testing. 

The biggest physical difference is the S22 Ultra’s addition of the S Pen stylus, something typically only seen on the now-retired Galaxy Note series. If you loved doodling on Note phones then that’s one reason to consider the S22 Ultra over its predecessor. 

Galaxy S22 Ultra vs. Galaxy S21 Ultra specs comparison

Galaxy S22 Ultra Galaxy S21 Ultra
Display size, resolution 6.8-inch AMOLED (3,088×1,440 pixels) 6.8-inch AMOLED (3,200×1,440 pixels)
Pixel density 501 ppi 515 ppi
Dimensions (Millimeters) 77.9×163.3×8.9 mm 75.6×165.1×8.9mm
Weight (Ounces, Grams) 229 g 8.07 oz; 229g
Mobile software Android 12 Upgraded to Android 12
Camera 108-megapixel (wide), 12-megapixel (ultrawide) 10-megapixel (telephoto) 10-megapixel (telephoto) 108-megapixel (wide), 12-megapixel (ultrawide), 10-megapixel (3x telephoto), 10-megapixel (10x telephoto)
Front-facing camera 40-megapixel 10-megapixel
Video capture 4K 8K
Processor Snapdragon 8 gen 1 Qualcomm Snapdragon 888
RAM/Storage 8GB + 128GB ; 12GB + 256GB; 12GB+512GB; 12GB+ 1TB 12GB, 128GB/256GB, 16GB, 512GB
Expandable storage No No
Battery 5,000 mAh (45W wired charger) 5,000 mAh
Fingerprint sensor In-display In-display
Connector USB-C USB-C
Headphone jack No No
Special features 5G (mmw/Sub6), bundled S Pen, 100x Space Zoom (digital), 10x optical zoom, 47 W charging support IP68 rating, 5G-enabled, 100x Space Zoom, 10W wireless charging, 10x optical zoom
Price off-contract (USD) $1,200 $1,200 (128GB), $1,250 (256GB), $1,380 (512GB)
Price (GBP) £1,149  £1,329
Price (AUD) AU$2,170 (converted) AU$1,849

Samsung

Samsung’s latest flagship superphone, the Galaxy S22 Ultra has an impressive lineup of specs, including a quadruple rear camera, a big, vibrant display and the S Pen stylus you might remember from the Galaxy Note series. It comes with a high price, but those of you looking for one of the best Android phones around should have this on your short list.

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Its replacement might have arrived, but last year’s Galaxy S21 Ultra is still available to buy and many of the key specs aren’t that different, so don’t worry about it feeling outdated. The camera is superb, with a mind-blowing 10x zoom lens, while the processor will put up with anything you’re likely to throw at it. You might want to wait until discounts kick in, however.

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Leaked Samsung Galaxy S22 prices for the US are $100 higher than the S21 series

Yesterday we heard that the Galaxy S22 series will cost the same as last year’s models in Europe. Today we’re hearing that US buyers are facing a $100 price hike across the board. The info comes by way of @TechInsider and @chunvn8888 and is backed up by a survey that was shared on Reddit.

We compiled a table below that compares the Galaxy S21 generation with the upcoming S22 models. Note that the Galaxy S22 Ultra will likely start with 8 GB of RAM instead of 12 GB like last year’s Ultra, although that may not be the case for the US model, given the higher price. The S22 and S22+ should keep their memory configurations the same.

2021 2022
Model Storage Price ($) Price (€) Model Storage Price ($) Price (€)
Galaxy S21 8/128 GB $800.00 €850 Galaxy S22 8/128 GB $900.00 €850
Galaxy S21+ 8/128 GB $1,000.00 €1,050 Galaxy S22+ 8/128 GB $1,100.00 €1,050
Galaxy S21 Ultra 12/128 GB $1,200.00 €1,250 Galaxy S22 Ultra 8?/128 GB $1,300.00 €1,250

It’s not clear what pre-order goodies and trade-in deals Samsung will offer this year, but they better be good to make up for that extra $100 on all three models. For the S21 series Samsung offered up to $200 credit and a free Galaxy SmartTag in the US (and Galaxy Buds Live + SmartTag in Europe).

Here’s a screenshot of the survey. Unfortunately, it makes no mention of pre-order goodies.

A survey that seems to confirm the rumored Galaxy S22 prices

The Samsung Galaxy Unpacked seems to be scheduled for February 9 (Samsung is yet to officially confirm the date). Besides the phones, it will bring the new Galaxy Tab S8 series of tablets as well. The euro pricing for those has also leaked. For the US the base Tab S8 is expected to start at under $850, the Tab S8+ at $900-$1,000 and the flagship Tab S8 Ultra at $1,100 or higher.

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Samsung Galaxy S21 FE review: A solid budget phone, but is it right for you?

The Samsung Galaxy S21 FE trickles down the Galaxy S21’s great display, impressive cameras and versatile software into a more affordable, less flashy package. And though the $699 S21 FE is not the company’s first full-featured phone to go for under $1,000, this time it’s launching with stiff competition in the form of the $599 Google Pixel 6.

After a week of living with Samsung’s latest smartphone, here’s what you need to know about the S21 FE.

An affordable Galaxy phone

The S21 FE is best for those who want an affordable Galaxy smartphone that doesn’t skimp on features like an immersive display and a trio of cameras.

The who, what and how

Who this is for: The S21 FE is ideal for someone who wants a bright display and a versatile set of cameras to shoot with for under $700, or who wants Samsung’s software and exclusive features on a budget.

What you need to know: The S21 FE is smooth in everyday use, can handle intense tasks and is a solid shooter for photo or video. Samsung’s many modes include portrait, a night mode and Single Take, which removes the fuss out of capturing content. The phone also offers smooth, fluid processing, a triple-camera system and long battery life.

How this compares: The Galaxy S21 FE isn’t best in class like the more expensive S21 smartphones, but it offers a vibrant display, swift processing and better-than-average cameras housed in a less-than-premium build. But if you’re not married to Samsung’s interface, we’d opt for another phone like the Pixel 6. Google’s latest flagship delivers the best camera experience on any Android phone we’ve tested, and while it has only two lenses — wide and ultrawide — we didn’t miss the telephoto, thanks to its excellent digital zoom. And if you’re not after the latest and greatest hardware, the Pixel 5a With 5G is an excellent $449.99 phone with similar camera chops, and Samsung’s Galaxy A52 5G ($449) offers a dose of future-proofing with full support for mmWave and Sub-6 5G. If you’re looking for an Apple product, the iPhone SE at $399 is a high performer with a classic design, while the iPhone 11 ($499) and 12 ($599) are both available at discounted prices — just be wary of the storage limit on these models.

Jacob Krol/CNN

The Galaxy S21 FE looks like a modern smartphone with one catch. Like the S21 and S20 FE, Samsung is using less premium materials. The frame is aluminum, but the back is polycarbonate — aka plastic. It doesn’t necessarily feel cheap in hand and is plenty comfortable and light, but the smooth plastic finish on the back shows fingerprints, leading us to recommend a case.

The S21 FE is slightly larger than the standard S21, and though it’s built with similar materials, it feels cheaper. For instance, the camera bump on the back, which contains the three-camera system, still comes out of the device’s frame — yet instead of the metal on the Galaxy S21, here it’s all polycarbonate.

The S21 FE also fully supports wireless charging and works on any standard Qi charging pad, though you can also plug it in via a USB-C cable. The port is flanked by a speaker and the Micro SIM card slot, while the power/sleep button and volume rocker live on the right side. You’ll also find cutouts and bands for 5G support — the S21 FE supports both the Sub-6GHz and mmWave standards. This not only future-proofs you as these networks continue to roll out, but it fixes the 5G conduction of the previous S20 FE, which only packed support for the slower Sub-6 spectrum.

The front of the phone is mostly screen surrounded by thin bezels. Centered at the top of the screen is a pinhole notch with a 32-megapixel selfie camera, though it doesn’t distract in everyday use.

Jacob Krol/CNN

The 6.4-inch Dynamic AMOLED display is immersive, with vibrant colors that pop when scrolling through Instagram, taking in a TikTok or swiping through various apps. Watching an episode of “The Book of Boba Fett” showcases how the S21 FE’s display can handle vibrant areas like a glowing sun against the dark armor of the bounty hunter in the same scene. Other displays, mostly on cheaper phones, may struggle with scenes like this.

The display also features a 120Hz refresh rate, which is becoming the new standard for mobile phones. It’s not adaptive like the 60Hz screens on the S21 or the iPhone 13 Pro, so it won’t adjust based on the content you’re watching or what you’re doing on the phone, but you’ll see a marked difference in how the higher refresh rate enhances action scenes and allows for smoother scrolling. You can set the display to 60Hz or 120Hz in the settings menu — going with the former option could increase battery life.

The in-display fingerprint sensor may not be as fast as the standard S21, S21+ or S21 Ultra, but it performs admirably. Samsung’s using a less advanced optical sensor in the S21 FE, unlike the zippy ultrasonic sensor that impressed us on the more expensive models.

Smooth performance and solid battery life

Like nearly every higher-end Android phone that launched recently, the Galaxy S21 FE packs the zippy Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 processor, letting you easily browse social media, handle productivity tasks (email, web browsing, G Suite and spreadsheets) and even engage in some play, whether that be streaming video or gaming.

And because the Galaxy S21 FE is launching close to a year after the main Galaxy S21 family, you’ll score Android 12 running Samsung’s One UX 4.0 out of the box. We especially appreciate the new privacy tab in settings to get a better sense of how the hardware is being used.  However, if you’re expecting clean Android without the Samsung user interface, you’ll want to look at the Google-made Pixel 6.

Jacob Krol/CNN

Our other qualm with the Galaxy S21 FE is that it’s limited to 6GB of RAM in the 128GB of storage and 256GB with 8GB of RAM. This is a full 2GB less than the entry-level S21, though we easily got through several tasks and a full day of use. Those who use the phone for more intense tasks, like photo editing and gaming, might see more of a slowdown. Down the line, with software updates, this could present an issue as the system and apps get more demanding. And, of course, it won’t offer the same future-proofing as the S21 Ultra, which features a massive 12GB of RAM.

In day-to-day use, we found the S21 FE glitched or slowed down at times. This could get sorted out with software updates, but it’s worth noting we didn’t encounter these snags on the standard S21 or Pixel 6.

As we do with every device we test at CNN Underscored, we ran the Galaxy S21 FE through a series of benchmarks. On the standard Geekbench 5, which runs the phone through a series of tasks in a stress test, the Galaxy S21 FE scored 1,098 on single-core performance and 3,210 on multi-core tests, which are well in line with other Snapdragon 888-powered phones, including the standard Galaxy S21. Most importantly, though, the S21 FE’s scores match up with our use day in and day out.

In terms of battery life, Samsung’s 4,500mAh battery has been getting us through a full day.

The Galaxy S21 FE has a different look than the Galaxy S20 FE, but the camera hardware is identical.

The triple-camera main system performs well, allowing colors to pop without sacrificing the image’s details. Samsung’s software modes for taking photos and capturing content also help make the experience better. As we’ve called out before, Samsung’s Single Take mode is an intuitive feature for taking the fuss out of photographing a moment. You just tap the start button and move the phone around what you want to capture. It then uses AI to strategically snap shots and capture video. It’s a pretty neat feature, and we had no issues with processing.

Samsung also offers a variety of other modes, like a portrait bokeh effect and an efficient night mode, though if given the choice, we prefer shooting with Apple and Google’s proprietary modes for those same styles.

There’s also no battle when it comes to image processing against the Pixel 6 because Google’s images consistently look better and pack more details.

Here’s what to expect with the Galaxy S21 FE:

  • 12-megapixel ultrawide lens: You can pack a lot in a scene without physically moving by shooting with this 123-degree field of view. It’s a great way to frame different shots, and Samsung minimizes disruptions in the edges of the photos.
  • 12-megapixel wide-angle lens: The camera automatically opens to the 12-megapixel main camera. This works best for portraits and can handle more crowded shots with tons of colors and details.
  • 8-megapixel telephoto lens: The zoom lens is only 8 megapixels here, allowing for a 3x optical zoom and a 30x Space Zoom. This mixes optical and digital zoom into one shot. Though it’s a fun mode to use, the quality phases out past 10x zoom, resulting in blurry images.

You can see some images we shot on the device above. In direct comparison, the telephoto lens included here outperforms the Pixel 6 in zoom shots in most scenarios. Samsung also ups the vibrancy with its photos compared to rivals, and you can see that on the S21 FE. The selfie camera performs admirably and is excellent for capturing TikToks or posting on stories, while the overall performance of the wide and ultrawide lenses is on par with the previous S20 FE and nearly the same level as the S21.

Jacob Krol/CNN

As the last chapter in the story of the Galaxy S21 and the first Samsung smartphone of 2022, the S21 FE gets a lot right. But when it comes to timing and price, the smartphone space has other compelling models to offer.

If you’re not desperate for a Galaxy smartphone or a dedicated telephoto lens, we’d opt to save $100 with the Pixel 6. Google’s $599 phone delivers longer battery life, a higher-end design and fast processing along with one of the best cameras we’ve ever tested. But if you want a Samsung-flavored Android or an impressive zoom lens, there’s a lot to like with the S21 FE. You also might consider the standard Galaxy S21, which is frequently discounted from its $799 starting price and comes with more RAM, a better screen, a higher-end build and a better telephoto lens.

Right now Amazon has a great deal that gets you the S21 for $699 with a free $100 Amazon.com gift card. If you choose to order from Samsung, you can either get a $100 credit or choose a pair of Galaxy Buds Live or Galaxy Buds Pro for $29.99 with the purchase of the S21 FE. Either way, you’ll want to wait to purchase it at a discount or attached to a deal.

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