S21 FE owners: How has your experience been with your phone?

purchase

Samsung is offering an absolutely killer deal right now, with $150 off and a whopping $500 trade in credit for a working S20 FE conspiring to slash the price down to $120 for a 256gb model for me! I am very tempted to take this offer, as the Android 12 update ruined my daily driver Oneplus 8T and I'm getting a bit annoyed with touchscreen issues on my secondary S20 FE.

So how has the S21 FE experience been for y'all? Strengths/weaknesses of the phone? Is it worth it for $120 coming from my aforementioned Oneplus 8T and S20 FE?

Posted Apr 6, 2022, 4:39 PM UTC

119
isniffsquirrels•

I pulled the gun on this. It's coming in this weekend.

It seems like compared to the S20FE, the battery life is marginally worse and you lose microsd card support. The biggest thing that I don't think reviewers addressed was the phantom touch screen issues with the S20FE. They tried fixing it with software, but I still felt touches felt off and wouldn't register if I had a screen protector installed.

5
tanvirulfarookGalaxy S21 FE•

Shifted from OnePlus 7T (used that for 2 years and I was a lifelong OnePlus user)

Everything is great for me so far . Haptics and front camera quality (sharpness) felt average compared to OnePlus 7T

5
shetty_chadda•

using 7t since last 3 years will be buying S21FE in 5 days

Hop itwill be worth it..done with oneplus shitty/no update

1
DarthZelous•

I have the s21fe and at $120 that sounds great. I came from the note 8 so this is already a massive upgrade for me. I don't know if you'll really notice a difference coming from a s20fe.

3
nofilmschoolneeded•

Coincidentally, I'm a 3 year note 8 user, thinking of pulling the trigger on an s21fe soon.

1
t3rrannova•

Mine is kinda a big upgrade from my previous phone which was a Nokia 7plus. I will try to keep it simple.

Huge improvement is camera, performance. The 120hz refresh rate doesn't impress me to be honest. Can't really tell why everyone is so obsessed about it.

One UI is not a big deal for me. I'm used to clean android phones ,so there's a ton of appd here I don't know what they do or i've already uninistalled.

Battery for me is fine. My older Nokia had 3700 mah battery and can easily compete with the s21fe. Although I'm not a heavy user ,no gaming at all, it can last over a day for me with 4-5 hours screen on time. Again I have no complains here, but for some people this doesn't suffice.

My biggest issue is the signal strength. I get 2 bars(down to 1) where I had 3-4 with my Nokia in my home. It boosts when phone calls occur to 3-4 bars but generally it has a weak antenna. Dont know if this happens to everyone.

The phone came with galaxy buds 2 which are very welcome.

Although I don't think u will see a big improvement, only to get rid of your touch issues.

3
mkdr•

My biggest issue is the signal strength. I get 2 bars(down to 1) where I had 3-4 with my Nokia in my home.

The signal strength Samsung phones shown is not the same as other phones. 1-2 bars with Samsung is kinda 3-4 bars with other phones. You can find lots of posts about this.

1
corywmc•

I switched to the S21 FE after getting rid of that God awful Pixel 6 Pro. My only complaint is battery. It drains quick. I have to charge at least once and day and sometimes twice to top off. Other than that, no issues whatsoever. The phone and software experience have been perfect.

2
aminoxlab4•

Why pixel 6 pro was so awful?

1
corywmc•

Software bugs and connectivity. The system and apps would crash frequently. I also had trouble with connectivity. Many dropped calls or no signal. Google may have gotten the software worked out by now.

1
Pythagosaurus69•

I've tried it. Compared to the S21, S21 FE has not so good haptic feedback and a slow fingerprint sensor.

1
ivanraptor730S21 FE (SM-G990E)•

Sort of great! Pulling some great SOTs, love the screen, aesthetics, the feel of the plastic back, and 5G. I hated how hot the phone has been in its first week but it's actually fine now. Probably just learning the usage pattern or something. Also kinda had to get used to the new power button placement. I always end up pressing volume up key because thats where the power button was in the S10+.

One of the dealbreakers with the S20/S21s for me was the lack of SD Card slot and Headphone jack, but now, i don't think its such a big deal anymore.

I have now kitted this phone out with a case and tempered glass to avoid those pesky micro scratches.

1
[deleted]•

[removed]

1
syedib1•

Some good deals in the UK too. Just got 256gb for £200..

Been using it for few weeks and it had been good. Battery is great I won't say it's brilliant but you can result get a day with 20% left.

Software is awesome with oneui4.1 i think it's a good deal no heating up or anything.

Best thing for me it's cheap flagship level and is plastic and I'm using it naked!!!!!! I had pixel 3a it was naked, 4a was naked too and pixel 5 naked never dropped or broke anything. Love plastic backs....

1
mkdr•

you got a new S21fe 256gb for £200 !?

1
Ok-Roof291Custom (edit text)•

Where did you buy it? I'm currently looking.

1