Samsung Galaxy S21 FE 5G (Graphite, 8GB, 128GB Storage)

Saying this at the outset: not uploading pics because I’ve just recovered from COVID and didn’t have the chance to step outside and click outdoors photos. But the few pics I’ve clicked of myself and my flatmate are lovely, and just what you’d expect of a Samsung flagship.

I bought this phone because I’ve had the Nokia 7 Plus for almost four years now, and even though I LOVE that phone, its camera isn’t great. I wanted a phone with a good camera (especially for night shots). I was eyeing the S20 FE, but with the S22 around the corner and the S21, S21+, and S21 Ultra too far beyond my budget, I opted for the S21 FE.

It’s a choice I do not regret despite the Exynos 2100 processor.

Caveats here: I’m not a gamer/heavy user. I use my phone for work+emails, social media, and streaming (Netflix, Prime Video, Hotstar, Spotify). And this is where the phone shines. The display is amazing, and so is the sound and call quality. In short, audio and video is 10/10.

Battery life: I’ve limited my battery charging capacity to 85% to extend battery life in the long term (I’m someone who holds onto a phone for 3-4 years or more, so battery longevity is very important to me). I charged my phone yesterday afternoon, and it’s 29% now, after about 28 hours. So I’m more than content with battery life.

As for the processor- this is what people have been complaining about. Yes, it does suck that the S21 FE doesn’t come with the SD 888 processor here, but the other S21 variants *also* have Exynos. If you see the Exynos 2100 benchmarks (which I made sure to look up before buying the phone), they’re very, very close to the SD 888. And as far as the comparisons to the S20 FE go: I know that phone was a gamechanger and rightly so, but it will also be left out of software updates sooner than this one. Also consider that the S21 FE has a better, lighter form factor. If these two points matter to you, then the S21 FE is a great choice.

My only pet peeves with Samsung is that it’s doing away with the very things that made people choose it over Apple (microSD slot, headphone jack, charger in the box). The lack of an SD slot is why I chose the 256GB variant. I wish this phone came with a headphone jack and charger. Because if it did, I know people (including me) would be over the moon over what is otherwise a good flagship at an affordable price.

PS: as for those complaining about the price- do not forget that the S20 FE was also launched around the Rs 50,000 mark. People have short memories, clearly.

All in all, I’m happy in the four days I’ve had with this phone. Hope it won’t let me down.

Firstly, S21 FE is a great phone. Camera, screen, UI and everything else is great. Even though this is a great phone, you need luck to get a phone without battery draining or heating issue. I bought this phone and it drain battery like craze 82% to 0 l% in like 7-8 hours only using a browser, instagram and listening music. Note: I used insta for like a hour and was not using it continously and listening to music when battery was about 20%.

Even all this, 21 fe is a great phone but due to it’s age (from release date) , battery may be weak

So mobile specification is fine but starting few days might be 15 to 20 days one can feel that battery is draining faster and there is some heating issue while editing, use camera for long hours and while gaming as well. But once this 20 days are gone mobile will functiom according to use case. So, battery will be optimised, heating issue will be only seen in high end task like huge file editing or playing game for long hours. Rest it will adapt.