Samsung's Galaxy S21 FE brings a critical niche feature to the US: dual SIM card slots to let you carry two cellular subscriptions at once. Outside of that, however, there simply isn't much reason for this phone to exist. All around, the Galaxy S21 FE very slightly remixes last year's $799.99 Galaxy S21 at a somewhat lower base price of $699.99. But considering it's so similar to the previous model and coming out so close to the Galaxy S22 launch, it's hard to recommend unless you're specifically looking to buy a dual-SIM phone.A Familiar Face The Galaxy S21 FE comes in four attractive colors: dark gray, green, purple, or white. It has the S21's beautiful basic design, with a matte back panel and the camera bump flush to the upper right corner, as opposed to the "floating" camera bump on the Galaxy S20 FE. At 6.14 by 2.93 by 0.31 inches (HWD), it's a bit bigger than the standard Galaxy S21 (5.97 by 2.80 by 0.31 inches), although it isn't as big as the S21 Ultra (6.50 by 2.98 b...

The Samsung Galaxy S21 FE is similar to the standard S21 model, but it costs $100 less and adds dual-SIM functionality to the company's US phone lineup.

Two physical SIM slots; Powerful front-facing camera; Solid connectivity

Processing power is aggressively throttled; Not much of an improvement over the Galaxy S21

On paper, the Samsung Galaxy S21 FE is a fine mid-range phone, with adequate features like an attractive screen, powerful processor and capable cameras for those looking for a handy, less expensive mobile. However, the launch price is still far too high for what you get, not to mention issues like slow charging speed, laggy software and an unimpressive battery life.

Vibrant display; Lots of processing power; Slender design;

Far too expensive; Takes a long time to charge; Unimpressive battery life

The Galaxy S21 FE is a great phone, launching at a pretty bad time.

Impressive screen, Great performance, Decent battery life, Comes with Android 12 & One UI 4 out of the box

6GB of RAM is not enough for everyone, Not as great of a value as the Galaxy S20 FE was, Camera is okay, nothing to write home about

You should probably buy the Pixel 6 instead

Big, high refresh rate screen, Good telephoto camera, Great software support policy

Fast charging brick costs extra, Arrives late in the S21-series product cycle

For a quick note on audio output from the Galaxy S21 FE's bottom and earpiece stereo speakers, we'd offer that there's not too much to get excited over acoustically. Though lately we've been hearing a trend of better audio output from on-board phone speaker systems, it's obviously a tertiary feature...

Solid Design And Build Quality, Gorgeous High Refresh Rate Display, Feature-Packed, Great Camera Performance, 32MP Selfie Cam, Solid General Performance

Bigger and (slightly) cheaper than the original S21, could the Samsung Galaxy S21 FE be 2022’s first must-buy smartphone?

Sleek design, Solid performance, Dazzling HDR screen

A bit too expensive, Poor battery life

The Fan Edition of the S21 arrives at an awkward time, with the 'full fat' Galaxy S21 now selling at a similar price and the Galaxy S22 due to to launch in February. But this is still a powerful handset, so while it might be out-specced by some cheaper rivals, for those looking for a more affordable...

Plenty of power, Great display, Good looking phone, Latest software

No microSD card slot, Price and launch timing is awkward - S22 is incoming

The Samsung Galaxy S21 FE ticks multiple boxes, offering good performance and a well-thought-out feature list. It isn’t the most exciting phone I’ve reviewed recently, though, and I can’t help but feel it’s been released a little too late.

A very complete package, Bright, colourful screen, An IP rating and Qi charging

Overpriced compared to the competition, Camera not as good as Pixel 6, Average battery life and charging speeds

The Samsung Galaxy S21 FE is the epitome of value, packing flagship-grade features including a large 120Hz display, excellent performance and great cameras at a decent price point.

Excellent 120Hz display Flagship grade Exynos 2100 processor Good overall performance Solid camera performance

No 3.5mm jack No bundled charger No microSD card slot

“The Samsung Galaxy S21 FE 5G is the capable successor to the S20 FE, but comes at a poor time with the S22 around the corner, making it tougher to justify its value.”

Powerful specifications, Solid cameras, Impressive 120Hz display, Priced well for a flagship

Touchscreen issues, Battery just OK, Too much competition at its price point