Fresh from its CES 2022 debut last week, Samsung’s latest smartphone, the Galaxy S21 FE 5G (which is no stranger to us), started selling in various markets around the world yesterday.
Price and availability
In Kenya, the device is already available for purchase at any Samsung brand shops and other stores countrywide. It is going for Kshs 88,299 for the base (6GB RAM, 128GB storage) model and Kshs 96,999 for the 256GB (storage) model (with 8GB RAM).
A brief history of the FE line
The Samsung Galaxy S21 FE picks up from where the Galaxy S20 FE last year. In many cases, Samsung has been releasing the FE models of its devices to act as placeholders just before it introduces refreshes to its premium mobile product lineup.
Last year, just before it release a new set of foldables, the company announced the Galaxy S20 FE, marking a return of the Fan Edition since its then first and last outing 3 years prior. Back then, the Galaxy Note FE had been introduced in the wake of a recall and withdrawal from the market of the Galaxy Note 7.
This year, the FE device, the Galaxy S21 FE, comes in just before Samsung unveils its 2022 flagship smartphone series.
As evidenced by the above-quoted price, what was initially thought of the lineup – a cheap alternative to any existing flagship mobile devices from the brand – is not the case. The device is markedly pricey.
Features
As hinted by the name, the Samsung Galaxy S21 FE borrows many of its features from the Galaxy S21.
It packs a bigger 6.4-inch display but keeps the same refresh rate (120Hz) and tech (obviously, Super AMOLED), the same Snapdragon 888 chipset from Qualcomm that powers the S21, and, the same main and ultra-wide cameras (at 12MP each).
Bar the display size, the other notable differences are in the telephoto camera which is an 8-megapixel unit with 3x optical and an f/2.4 aperture (slower). By comparison, the standard Galaxy S21 has a 64-megapixel telephoto lens with an f/2.0 aperture.
Other differences, which play into the S21 FE’s favour, include the larger (4,500mAh) battery and superior front-facing camera (32-megapixels).
On the software front, the Galaxy S21 FE has the distinction of being the first Samsung smartphone to ship with the company’s new One UI 4, its take on Android 12.
As we had noted previously, the device arrives with no charger in the box, even though both 25W (wired) and 15W (wireless) charging are supported.
The device comes in Lavender, Olive and White colour options.
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