It’s been nearly 2 years since I bought the Samsung Galaxy S21 FE for under Rs 20,000 from the brand’s official website during the 2022 festive sales. Not only did it seem like a pretty good deal at the time, but it was my first smartphone purchase in years. Phones are a lot more capable now and I’ve even used devices ranging from the budget to flagships since then. Despite all of this, I still have no plans to upgrade anytime soon.
Note: This is not a review nor has Samsung sponsored me in any way.
1. Why I’m still fine with my Galaxy S21 FE: Design & Display
One of my top priorities with a smartphone has always been the design and display. The Galaxy S21 FE doesn’t disappoint with its 6.4-inch AMOLED display that offers an FHD+ resolution, a 120Hz refresh rate, and HDR10+.
So watching videos or movies has always been a pleasant experience. Samsung is also well known for its AMOLED panels and every aspect ranging from its size, resolution, and brightness has been near perfect for me.
I’m not a big fan of tall displays since these phones always felt too big and bulky for my hands. A lot of premium smartphones have also become pretty hefty as well, often nearing or surpassing the 200g mark.
Thanks to the plastic back and thin and light design, the Galaxy S21 weighing 177g feels light and easy to hold. Measuring just 7.9mm in thickness, it’s not the thinnest but the weight and size hits a sweet spot.
2. Consistent Performance
The Galaxy S21 FE is undoubtedly slightly outdated at this point and I won’t recommend people to buy it in 2024 unless Samsung has another crazy sale. Gaming is a passion but playing on a phone was never for me. So the bells and whistles of the newest top end processors were never an immediate priority.
To put it simply, the Exynos 2100 is capable. You won’t find any glaring issues and it chugs through whatever is thrown at it. Sure it heats up, but in the Indian summer, that is more or less given for any phone.
Samsung’s software support hasn’t disappointed either and my S21 FE will also be receiving the Android 15 update as well. Unfortunately, the S21 lineup as a whole didn’t receive the AI features with the OneUI 6.1 update, although every other aspect of the UI isn’t lacking.
I still get access to Samsung DeX and other quality-of-life features that I often use. After almost 2 years, the Galaxy S21 FE doesn’t suffer from obsolescence, at least not yet. Hopefully, this is not foreshadowing.
3. Versatile Cameras
I believe that the best camera is always the one you have at hand, and despite having a 12-megapixel triple camera setup, the S21 FE has got the job done (for the most part). You can check out some of these random images I’ve taken from my phone to get an idea for yourself.
For the price I bought this device for, I’m content with a usable telephoto and ultra wide angle lens. It even comes in handy with my work on occasion as I also take pictures of review units if I don’t have a proper camera ready.
4. It’s not all perfect
The 25W wired fast charging is honestly pretty lackluster and its 4,500mAh battery pack while decent, doesn’t last me through a day. There might be days that the S21 FE requires charging two or more times. While the Exynos chip’s performance doesn’t bother me much, the poor battery efficiency can not be overlooked.
As capable as the cameras are on this phone, it still leaves more to be desired. Its low-light performance in particular is its biggest weakness. Coming from a phone with a glass back, the plastic rear panel was a bit off-putting. But if you’re using a cover like me, you know it isn’t that big of an issue.
All in all, do I wish that I had a better phone at times? Yes. Do I really feel like it’s worth leaving a fully capable device for something new and spending tens of thousands of rupees? No. One could argue that I have a “budget” in mind and squeeze the value from my phone, which is true to some extent. But this is just my two cents.
Nothing did tempt me recently with its new and refreshing designs, but I’ll still hold off for the time being.
