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    Galaxy S21 FE vs Galaxy S21 Ultra: Budget-friendly vs no-compromise

    Phone
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    Last updated: January 4th, 2022 at 10:12 UTC+01:00

    After Galaxy Unpacked at CES, the Galaxy S21 FE became the most affordable model in the entire Galaxy S21 series. At the other end of the spectrum, the Galaxy S21 Ultra remains the most expensive device in the lineup, thanks to a combination of advanced technologies and exclusive features. So, how does the cost-effective Galaxy S21 FE compare to Samsung's greatest, no-compromise “candy bar” mobile phone yet? Let's have a look.

    Galaxy S21 FE vs Galaxy S21 Ultra: Displays and cameras

    Quite obviously, the Galaxy S21 FE has a smaller 6.4-inch display, whereas the Galaxy S21 Ultra is equipped with a 6.8-inch panel.

    More importantly, the Galaxy S21 FE has a lower resolution of 2340 x 1080 pixels, and the panel doesn't have a built-in digitizer for the S Pen. In fact, the Galaxy S21 Ultra remains the only Galaxy S phone to offer S Pen support, at least for a few more weeks until the Galaxy S22 Ultra becomes official.

    The Galaxy S21 Ultra's AMOLED panel can top a higher peak brightness level of 1,500 nits, up from the FE model's 1,200 nits. So, the Galaxy S21 Ultra has a superior display, but the Galaxy S21 FE's Dynamic AMOLED 2X panel can certainly hold its own, especially at its lower price point.

    As for the cameras, the Galaxy S21 FE is similar to the base Galaxy S21 model, save for the fact that it has an 8MP telephoto shooter with 3x optical zoom and a higher-resolution 32MP selfie sensors. So how does this hold up against the top-tier variant? Needless to say, the Galaxy S21 Ultra is a vastly superior camera phone next to the Galaxy S21 FE, as it boasts four main shooters, 10x optical zoom, and a 40MP selfie shooter with PDAF.

    Galaxy S21 FE vs Galaxy S21 Ultra: Cheaper vs pricier

    The Galaxy S21 Ultra is, without a doubt, better in virtually every category, save for the fact that it ships with Android 11 instead of Android 12 and One UI 4.0. Thankfully, Galaxy S21 Ultra customers can grab the One UI 4.0, but as far as future-proofing is concerned, the Galaxy S21 FE should benefit from one extra Android OS update roughly three years from now.

    Firmware aside, the Galaxy S21 Ultra model has a larger battery, more powerful cameras, a bigger, brighter, higher-resolution display with S Pen support, UWB, a higher build quality, and more.

    Then again, the Galaxy S21 FE offers similar performance levels because it uses the same Exynos 2100 / Snapdragon 888 chipset. Despite this, the Fan Edition model costs almost half the price of the Galaxy S21 Ultra, and it should be obvious why. The Ultra model is a no-compromise phone, whereas the Galaxy S21 FE works the other way around.

    If you're looking for a budget Samsung flagship, you already know that the Galaxy S21 Ultra isn't it because it never was. As to whether or not the higher price of the Galaxy S21 Ultra is worth it over the Galaxy S21 FE, that's for you to decide. It all comes down to how much you use mobile cameras, whether or not you need an S Pen and UWB, whether you'll care about firmware support a few years down the line, and other factors.

    Galaxy S21 Ultra review

    Samsung
    Galaxy S21 FE

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    Samsung
    Galaxy S21 Ultra

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    General Information

    • Model Name

      Galaxy S21 FE

      Galaxy S21 Ultra

    • Model type

      Bar

      Bar

    • Colors

      Graphite ()Lavender ()Olive ()White ()

      Black (Phantom Black)Silver (Phantom Silver)Brown (Phantom Brown)Navy (Phantom Navy)Titanium (Phantom Titanium)

    • Announced

      2022, January

      2021, January

    • Released

      2021, January

    Physical specifications

    • Dimensions

      Bar: 155.7 x 74.5 x 7.9 mm

      Bar: 165.1 x 75.6 x 8.9 mm

    • Weights

      177g

      229g

    • IP rating

      IP68

      IP68

    Operating system

    • Operating system

      Android 12

      Android 11

    • One UI version

      4.0

      3.1

    Networks

    • SIM

      Dual SIM model

      Dual SIM model

    • SIM card sizes

      Nano-SIM (4FF)

      Nano-SIM (4FF)

    • Networks

      2G3G4G5G

      2G3G4G5G

    • eSIM support

      No

      Yes

    Display

    • Kind

      Main Display

    • Name

      Infinity-O Display

      Infinity-O Display

    • Technology

      Dynamic AMOLED 2X

      Dynamic AMOLED 2X

    • Size

      6.4 inch / 162.6 mm

      6.8 inch / 172.72 mm

    • Resolution

      FHD+ / 2400x1080 pixels

      WQHD+ / 3200x1440 pixels

    • Pixel density

      411 PPI

      515 PPI

    • Screen to body ratio

      ~89.9%

    • Refresh rate

      120Hz

      120Hz


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    Phone Galaxy S21 FEGalaxy S21 Ultra

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