First Look at New Samsung Galaxy S21 FE: All The Reasons to Love This Budget Flagship Phone


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Samsung announced its newest flagship smartphone, the Samsung Galaxy S21 FE, as part of its CES 2022 lineup today. Samsung touts the phone as having all the “fan-favorite” Galaxy premium features like the minimalist design, fast speeds and a pro-level camera, plus Samsung ecosystem connectivity in a sleeker, faster and improved package.

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If you’re looking for a premium phone that won’t cost you $1,000 like a typical flagship, then this is it. With a seamless camera housing and several new color options including olive, lavender, white or graphite with a matte finish, the Samsung Galaxy S21 FE will retail for $699.00 and will be available for purchase starting on January 11, 2022.

Samsung says its new S21 FE 5G features a 7.9mm-thick body, so it can easily slip into a pocket, plus it’s got the now-smartphone standard (if vaguely defined) “all day battery life.” The S21 FE 5G comes with Galaxy’s “super-fast application processor – the same powerful processor used in the S21 series,” according to Samsung’s press materials. Expect ultra-crisp graphics and picture quality, and more enjoyable gaming thanks to the S21 FE 5G’s new 240Hz touch response rate and 120Hz refresh rate, which Samsung says provides the highest resolution on a Dynamic AMOLED 2X display.

Samsung Galaxy S21 FE first look
Samsung Galaxy S21 FE first look

Stunning photography and Night Mode

Samsung has photography nailed on its smartphones and has been an industry leader on high-quality smartphone cameras for years (I got to go hands-on with a demo model in the Canadian rainforest a few years ago as part of a press event, and have been wowed ever since).

The Galaxy S21 FE 5G uses the same professional-level setup found in previous Galaxy devices which takes sharp and vividly colored photos. It also includes an improved Night Mode setting compared to S20 FE.

Samsung Galaxy S21 FE camera closeup
Samsung Galaxy S21 FE camera closeup

Superior selfies

Use S21 FE 5G’s advanced 32MP front camera to click away at your mug then use the enhanced AI Face Restoration capabilities to make you look like Giselle Bundchen. While it might not quite rival Portrait mode on the latest generation of iPhones, it’s certainly more than enough to make you look your best.

Samsung provided this sample selfie to show off the new smartphone’s selfie mode:

Samsung Galaxy S21 FE selfie 3
Samsung Galaxy S21 FE selfie 3

Dual camera video recording

Samsung has solved one of the biggest frustrations for vloggers and influencers with its Dual Recording option. When you’re making a video, Dual Recording means you can capture video from both the front and rear cameras at the same time. Magic!

That’s a seriously cool feature that you won’t find in many other smartphones.

Samsung Galaxy S21 FE dual camera recording
Samsung Galaxy S21 FE dual camera recording

SPY.com will be reporting on CES 2022 all week long, so keep checking back for more exciting product announcements and our selection of the Best of CES 2022.

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