Here’s why the Samsung Galaxy S21 FE is our favourite new gadget from CES 2022

By George Storr

Published: Friday, 07 January 2022 at 12:00 am

CES might be the biggest tech show going, but it’s not traditionally thought of as the home of new phone releases — MWC takes that prize. As a result, we were pleasantly surprised when Samsung unveiled the new Galaxy S21 FE during the behemoth Las Vegas tech convention.

It might not make as many headlines as BMW’s new colour-changing e-paint, or Sony’s electric SUV complete with PS5, but the FE is much more likely to make a practical, mass-market impact.

Yes, the oddities of CES are a huge part of its appeal and it’s hard not to be excited about the huge array of eye-catching technological advances on display in Nevada, but so many of the gadgets and gizmos on show will never be available for purchase. In contrast, the FE represents another step towards making top-end tech more accessible.

The standard Samsung Galaxy S21 has been a huge hit for the company. It’s a popular handset and a fantastic all-rounder. It’s got a great camera, plenty of power and a sleek, compact design. We loved the whole Galaxy S21 family and the S21 Ultra bagged a rare five-star rating from our experts. Read the full Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra review for more on this.

Samsung sells the standard handset from £769 and the FE will start at £699 for the 128GB edition, with a 256GB model available for £749. There’s also the option to buy the handset direct from Samsung on a £19.42 per-month contract. Twin that with one of the affordable SIM-only deals below and it’s a good value proposition. For more deals take a look at our January sales round-up.

"Samsung

The success of the S21 range was central in a superb year for the brand too. Research from Gartner showed Samsung selling more phones than any other brand mid-way through 2021, outperforming third-place Apple and runners-up Xiaomi. We expect this trend to bear out across the whole year when data becomes available and overall Samsung’s reputation seemed to go from strength to strength in 2021. As well as the S21 range, the Z Flip 3 impressed us, turning the flawed innovations of its predecessors into a much more usable and tempting package. It bagged a four-and-a-half star rating in our full Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 3 review.

So, Samsung’s newest release tags onto the bottom end of a successful line of phones, making the S21 range that bit more accessible. It’s an interesting addition to the mid-range landscape and another appealing looking handset from Samsung. Of course, there is one glaring issue. The phone’s price-tag looks pretty hefty when compared to the Google Pixel 6, which comes with a similar feature package at £599 – that’s £100 less than the FE.

Unlike the Pixel 6, the Samsung phone packs a telephoto camera and a 120Hz refresh rate, which will give the FE an edge in terms of its responsive display. However, it remains to be seen whether these additions are worth the price bump.

The price of the Samsung Galaxy S21 FE could drop off quite quickly though, given the imminent release of the Samsung Galaxy S22. Also, Samsung is currently offering £150 off S21 FEs pre-ordered on the Samsung website, if you trade in “any Android phone in any condition”. That knocks the 128GB handset down to £549 – making it cheaper than the Pixel 6. Plus, UK customers will get three months of Disney Plus for free if they order directly, via the site.

So, all in all, the offering of a fantastic upper-mid-range phone – that shares most of its tech with the top-rated S21 and S21 Ultra – for less than the Google Pixel 6 is fantastic. If you have an old Android phone to trade in and you’re looking for a good mid-range replacement, the FE could be an ideal next handset.

For more on Samsung check out our best Samsung phone round-up or take a look at our best Android phone guide. Or head over to our technology homepage to stay up to date with the latest product releases.