Well, what time do you call this? We were expecting the Samsung Galaxy S21 FE to show up in August, and when it was a no-show, some rumors said it'd been canceled; it's finally shown up though, at the annual tech event CES 2022.
That's interesting timing for this new addition to the Galaxy S21 family, as the new member of the line comes eleven months after its siblings, and likely only a month or so before the Samsung Galaxy S22 series debuts.
- Read our Samsung Galaxy S21 FE review
The S21 FE has a starting price of £699 in the UK and $699.95 in the US for the model with 6GB of RAM and 128GB of storage, and maxes out at £749 / $769.99 for the 8GB RAM/256GB version.
While those numbers look roughly the same, the cost is anything but – when directly converted, £699 equates to around $941 in the US, which means Americans are paying far less for the same handset.
Luckily, Australian pricing for the S21 FE seems to be based on the handset's US price, starting at AU$999 for the 6GB/128GB model, and topping out at AU$1,099 for the 8GB/256GB variant.
That's lower than the Galaxy S21's launch price, though not necessarily cheaper than current Galaxy S21 pricing. Aside from price, there are a few reasons to pick this newer handset over the higher-specced older one.
This is how much Samsung Galaxy S21 deals currently cost for you:
It's better to view the Samsung Galaxy S21 FE as a middle member of the line, sitting between the standard and Plus models, instead of a budget alternative like we expected.
Samsung Galaxy S21 FE specs
So what's this mobile actually like? Well, you can visit our full Samsung Galaxy S21 FE review for the low-down, but we can run you through the specs now.
The phone has a 6.4-inch FHD+ 120Hz display, and as with many Samsung phone screens, this is the highlight of the mobile. The design comes in at a close second though, as it's a fairly slender mobile, and it's visually quite similar to the S21.
For photography, the S21 FE packs the same 12MP main and ultra-wide cameras as the S21, as well as an 8MP telephoto snapper (replacing the 64MP equivalent in the S21). While the older phone has a 10MP front-facing camera, the FE bumps that up to 32MP.
Running the Galaxy S21 FE is the same Snapdragon 888 chipset that certain models of S21 used (though that depended on region), with 6GB or 8GB RAM and 128GB or 256GB storage. There's a 4,500mAh battery with 25W wired, 15W wireless and 4.5W reverse wireless powering.
Finally, the phone runs Android 12 with the company's One UI 4 laid over the top.
The Samsung Galaxy S21 FE is just one of a few phones we're expecting to debut at CES 2022, and it was unveiled at the same time the OnePlus 10 Pro received its first official tease, so expect more phone news over the next few days.
