Samsung launched the Galaxy S21 FE in early 2022 ahead of the Galaxy S22 series launch. The device comes powered by either Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 or Exynos 2100 depending on the market it is sold in.
As usual, India got the Exynos version. But now, one and a half years later, Samsung launched the Snapdragon variant of the smartphone in the country recently. For the unaware, the same happened with the Galaxy S20 FE a couple of years ago.
Exynos chips are notorious for poor thermals, performance throttling, and less efficiency. So despite being a good handset overall, the Galaxy S21 FE featuring the Exynos 2100 is subjected to these issues.
However, Samsung began offering heavy discounts on the phone a few months after its release. This made it a comparatively good value than when it debuted for consumers who are not heavy users.
Right now, the company has stopped selling the Exynos model by replacing it with the Snapdragon variant. But the new version is priced at ₹49,999, which is about the same as the price of the original Exynos variant at launch.
So is the Samsung Galaxy S21 FE Snapdragon variant worth buying in India?
Samsung Galaxy S21 FE Snapdragon variant is worth buying only during discounts
The Samsung Galaxy S21 FE continues to be a good smartphone in India in 2023. It is now even better with the Snapdragon 888 chip.
But the above statement is only applicable when the device is available at the right price Because the market has evolved a lot since the initial launch of the Galaxy S21 FE.
The Fan Edition Galaxy S phone is still the only product on the market with the feature set it offers. It is a true flagship killer and one of the well-balanced handsets.
However, its pricing is terrible when compared to competitors. Thankfully, Samsung has a habit of offering steep discounts on its products a few months after release.
Thus, despite being introduced at ₹54,999, the Galaxy S21 FE Exynos version was available between ₹30,000 and ₹40,000 most of the time. Perhaps the same could happen with the Snapdragon 888 version, which carries an official price tag of ₹49,999.
The Galaxy S21 FE is the only smartphone in its segment to offer these features together — an IP68 rating for dust/water resistance, a telephoto camera, a metal frame, wireless/reverse wireless charging support, and up to 5 years of software support.
The phone is eligible for four Android updates. This means it will receive up to Android 16 as it has already received Android 13. Therefore, even being an old handset, its software longevity matches the competition.
Finally, it is worth noting that just like the Exynos 2100 version of Galaxy S21 FE, the Snapdragon 888 variant is also not meant for gaming. So gamers should stay away from it.
Otherwise, the Galaxy S21 FE Snapdragon version is still a good buy in India in 2023 at the correct price. So you can consider it whenever it is discounted.
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