Samsung unveils new ‘Fan Edition’ Galaxy phone

CES Tech: S21 FE bumps up the screen but pares down the camera

The Samsung Galaxy S21 FE
The Samsung Galaxy S21 FE

From €769

Samsung has unveiled a new version of its flagship Galaxy S21 phone: the S21 FE 5G. The new phone comes with a larger screen, a triple camera and a slightly smaller price tag. At €879 for the 128GB version, the price difference isn't huge – the regular S21 starts from €769 – but the adition of the Fan Edition puts it on more of an even playing field with Apple, which offers four versions of its iPhone 13.

To get to that lower price, however, Samsung has made a few sacrifices. Although you get much of the same in terms of the 120Hz display, Gorilla Glass and the IP68 rating for dust and water rating, there have been some changes. The previously mentioned cameras include the 12 megapixel main and wide angle camera, and an 8 megapixel telephoto lens for zooming closer. That compares to a 64 megapixel zoom in the standard S21.

T here are also some differences on the inside, While the S21FE has the same chip and is 5G enabled, the 128GB version has 6GB of RAM, while the 256GB gets 8GB.

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The FE has an optical fingerprint sensor too, although it’s not quite as fancy as the ultrasonic one in the S21.

The S21 FE does come with a slightly larger screen – 6.2 inches on the S21 versus 6.4 inches on the S21 FE – and a larger battery capacity, although the refresh rate ranges from 60 Hz to 120Hz, versus the 48Hz lower limit on the S21 and S21+. It also comes in new colours, including olive, lavendar, graphite and white.

samsung.com

Ciara O'Brien

Ciara O'Brien

Ciara O'Brien is an Irish Times business and technology journalist