Samsung Galaxy S21 vs S20 FE 5G | 2021 Flagship or Fan Edition?
Comparing Samsung's Galaxy S21 vs the Galaxy S20 FE 5G (or 'Fan Edition'), to see which has the best camera, battery life, performance and features. The fresh new Samsung S21 misses out on most of the premium specs found in the Ultra and in many ways is similar to the S20 FE 5G, including the UK price (£769 vs £699). However, the latest Galaxy smartphone rocks that Exynos 2100 while the Fan Edition goes with Snapdragon 865, and that has a serious impact on the battery performance.
Those camera results are also quite different. While both Samsung phones use a 12MP primary sensor, the Galaxy S21 boasts more accurate colour reproduction and stronger HDR and low light chops. You also get lots more video options vs the S21 FE 5G - but I still like last year's handset for shooting everyday photos and home movies.
That Fan Edition definitely wins for battery life, with the Samsung Galaxy S21 proving quite a disappointment so far. That Exynos 2100 struggles to keep you going all day, and loses in the battery drain test here. Thankfully gamers are well catered for by both handsets, helped by the flat, responsive screens.
Those displays are also different, Super AMOLED vs Dynamic AMOLED. You get better contrast and more natural colours from the Samsung S21 flagship, while the Galaxy S20 FE 5G won't stream HDR content on Netflix.
So which of these phones has won your respect? Let me know below, full review of the S21 coming soon!
I like note 20 mate
I've had the s20 fe since late November. It's been my favorite phone ever I always had galaxy flagship phones but they got too expensive. So I went to the A series. Liked them but no water proofing turned into a problem then came s20fe. Not much difference in price of A71 so I went for s20fe. I luv it. Don't care if it's plastic. It has a case on it. Not as good gorilla glass. That's t they sell screen protectors. Not enough difference between the fe & s20+ to pay the difference in $ & I lucked out & got it on a Thanksgiving sale for $350
ima get the s21 for 500 usd
No micro sd No 3.5mm jack No charger Price 20000 extra.... Bullshit
but if you get the 21+ it beats the s20 fe all round
How did Murr from Impractical Jokers get on Tech Spurt
Hei from Finland. Heads-up! I got a USB-C TO 3.5mm ADAPTER (DELTACO, a nordic brand). Ask for an 'active' type not passive. FYI, gorilla3 glass on S20 FE sucks, got a tiny nick on the edge of the left side about one mill in size. Not a clue where it happened while in a quality flip case. Hey you're clear, down-on-earth & funny so I subbed. Good job!!
Great description 👍🏽 very informative
Face not found? S21 judging you! 😁 😂 🤣
Hello what buy 20 ultra exynos vs s20 fe 5g??
I Decided to go for the S20 FE
If you don't mind me asking, did you notice any issues with touch screen while typing, scrolling or zooming in with two fingers ?
Is nobody gonna talk about the creepy doll?
Watching on iPhone 7
I didn't hear screen resolution specs or RAM specs. That's a couple of hugely important specs! FAIL
Battery life and SD card expansion and the constant 120mhz refresh all are wins for the FE. Kind of surprising. Great video
If my car takes aux cable... how do i stream music without bluetooth?
I got an S21 and my sister has the 20 FE. I frankly didnt know what the difference was so thanks for the info!
I’ve been seeing s20 FE’s nearly halved in price now.
@Pablo Izquierdo in his dreams, bud. 🤣
Can I ask where have you seen those prices?
did i just watch mulan for free
12:48 wtf is that xD
You look a bit like guardiola
My wife has the FE and she loves it. But has dropped it a few times with a case and sometimes the screen doesn't recognize her touching it but reset and it's fine.
I don't know if I should buy the FE 5G or the S21+ . I am really stuck between this two. What should I buy ?
S21+
Thanks to your video I do not regret buying S20FE, I do have some dead zones on the screen again(most of the middle of the screen is just not there at all lol but happens just once daily which isn't too bad) after the last update but overall a very good phone for the money. I only hope that Samsung will make it work properly asap as it been 6 months now and still not polished!
I brought s21 256gb phantom violet
I have to say the battery of my S21 isn't that bad. And with doing some maths during the movie drain test you find that 8% of 4500 Mah is 360 Mah for the S20 FE and 10% of 4000 Mah is 400 Mah for the S21. Considering the S21 puts out HDR when the S20 FE doesn't I feel the battery difference during the video part is negligible.
Thank for a full and detailed review. These are too rare... Currently rocking the s8. Getting a new phone on a deal. The S20 Fun Edition 5G seems by far the best bet for me.
My sister is looking for a phone and I also have a Samsung S10 Note Plus. If I was buying for myself I would almost think I would get the Samsung S20FE. My sister is going from a Samsung S8, so a big change. I am very happy with my Samsung Galaxy S10 Note Plus.
here we got the exynos on both phones so whats better???
I'm getting the s20 fe
So...one is bigger and one is smaller. Everything else is the name, change some names around.
i'm leaning towards getting the s20 fe.
The S21 is a beautiful phone, however I think the S20 FE is a better phone for your money. Especially the Snapdragon version
Unlocked phones will not video call on carrier calling app. Need third party app. Some other features may not work. There are ususlly work arounds just FYI.
FE does have a 256 gig version. I have it right here. Otherwise great video!
In indonesia S20FE 8/128 4G : ~ $642 S21 8/256 5G : ~$892 I'm buying S20FE. No regret 😆
In France it's 659€ vs 859€
The S20 FE 5G has the lattest and new unbelievable failure ghost tap screen 1.0. Samsungs newest creation in having much fun. Designed and testet for a great User experience you never had in you're life.
Take the flagship, because the screen is working and has no touch issues.
I returned the FE in 24 hrs. I just couldn't get with the cameras. Especially the front cam seemed so dull and fuzzy compared to my S9 and S21. I was washed out so bad.. I tried with the settings but I'm happy with the S21. It's a beautiful phone. I wanted to like the FE so bad for the price. But I really just want my broken S10 back
Ive always wanted the s20 fe 5g, but i don't have access to it. Hope you can give it to me? :)
How the heck does the S20 FE speakers sound clearly better? And the camera is also so neck and neck...I think the S20 FE is the best bang for the buck high end phone in years
s21 has a bang o 1970s luxury off it. wouldnt be completely out of place propped up beside a bar of Imperial Leather while youre watching Hart to Hart in the bubble bath.
Damn... I'm really thinking about getting the Galaxy S10 honestly xD
That doll with the fucked up hair at 14:00 is going to haunt me in my dreams tonight.
Your daughter is very cute! Brings a smile on the face..
A great help video. Thank you. Decided to go get the A71 5G
S 20fe for meeeee!! Thank you..
My A71 5G comes with a Super AMOLED Plus screen while my S20FE comes only with a Super AMOLDE screen. Strange.
it's difficult accent to understand 😅😅💜
Would trading in the S20 FE for the s21 be worth it if I am not pleased with the s20FE screen display resolution? My front facing camera pictures are white and look weird compared to my s9 that i had before
Where'd you get that wallpaper??
Good review
Samsung pay mst changed my mine
I bouught new original S20 FE 5G 8/128gb for €500 from china... no regrets at all
gad damn it, why are they phasing out headphone jacks, so annoying.
And here's me contemplating an S10 Plus
Am I the only one that prefers the s21 matte plastic back compared to the glass backs
Weird, but I can get the S21 right now for $20 cheaper than the S20 FE. Bit of a no brainer I suppose. Virgin mobile, Alberta Canada.
Oppo number 🥊
Was debating getting the S21 but glad I went for the S20 FE. Brilliant in-depth video 👍🏾
Can someone give me suggestion thanks Should i go for s21 or s20 fe , both is the same price atm
FE all the way. Why samsung got away from sd support and chargers I don't know. If I want an apple I'll buy an apple!
Might not be a popular vote, but I'm sold on the s21! Thanks for this great comparison!!
Watching with my fe and I love it
Geordie reviewer strikes back with the best joke on facial recognition!
Where I'm from, Samsung is really pushing the S21s. The price with contract for 5G 256GB is $608 for S21 and $708 for the S20 FE! With this price negative gap, would one lean towards the S21? Without contract, the S21 is only $80 more than the S20 FE. ($1=€0.62)
Interesting take as some other reviews tend to say there is not much difference between them when you consider the extra money involved to buy the s21. But I do appreciate the review, thanks!
im going with s20 fe 5g
Thanks for the review! But that doll in the corner is pretty scary...myb u can put something else instead 😱 nice review btw!
I'm hearing reports that the Qualcomm 888 isn't as energy efficient.
People keeping their S20 FE are smart people. The only thing I see on S21 is the upgraded Snapdragon 888 that's it. S20 FE has microSD card slot, Samsung Pay with NFC and *MST*, bigger display, bigger battery, 32 MP front camera and a charging brick comes in box.
I had a Samsung Galaxy J7 Refine with Boost carrier and learned I couldn't do a trade-in upgrade because it's a J Series which was discontinued soo I LEAPED... For $770 TOTAL at Samsung.com I have a Samsung Galaxy S20 FE 5G unlocked and I researched the phones as I do and look, I MADE THE RIGHT CHOICE 💯 P.s...this review is REALLY great, you covered what I feel are KEY factors 😘💯
I still have my s9 and my phone plan allows me to now upgrade through trade in, thank you for this review. Honestly the lack of sd card is a deal breaker for me :/
Im confused between s21 or s20+, any options?
I mean the fe did have a sd processor and the s21 had a exynos so idk how that affects battery life
Fe all the way phone of 20/21
S20 FE which I'm getting today, is my pick, it comes with a charger, has the Snapdragon 865 (even if it's a year old) plus it has an SD card slot and of course, price. By the way, nice and we'll done comparison.
The direful snowstorm putatively start because bail notablely untidy without a arrogant modem. humdrum, used pepper
I think it's funny that the plastic back on the FE was considered a downgrade but now it's on the flagship.
Ikr!!?? Its just so funny!
That's wallpaper from one punch man 😃
The FE is the best between the two. I don't like the red-light camera compartment on the 21 line up. I also like the big lightweight phone once it is with all the flagship specs and that's what you get from the FE. Unless there is going to be an S21 Ultra FE edition coming in the future but right now the 20 FE is the ideal candidate for all Samsung's phones
S21 face unlock was probably struggling with the fact you have more hair on your mug than you do on ya head Chrissy 🤣.
S20 FE almost have the same specs and it has more color options❤️❤️
S20 FE 5G has better processor
I'm trading my S20 FE because the screen issues are too irritating to keep it.
same bro.why is this happening bro? i feel i wasted my money hmm
Just bought a S20FE over the S21+ S21+ costs way much more, and S21 costs the same as S20FE. S21 series in my country has only Exynos. Which is a huge deal breaker to me. The other deal breaker is the lack of expandable memory.
The s20 fe selfie camera is pretty gross even at the time it came out
Help guys, should I get the S20 FE 5G or the P30 pro?
Wrong info in the video. The FE does have a 256gb version with 8gb RAM...
You in the UK?
Thank you for this review I needed this before picking which one to get. Finally time to trade in my S10 + and upgrade.
@Jennifer Badillo Yeah Im also upgrading from the 10+ I went with the FE mainly because of SD Card. Also Samsung had a Sale this weekend and I got it for $149.00 with trade in of my 10+
Me too which are you choosing? Great trade in prices through Samsung now.
Just been offered s20fe unlimited calls unlimited texts and unlimited data on EE contract £37.00 is that a good deal and a great phone iv got s10e at moment im a Samsung geek
S20 FE still is the best phone not only for budget but overall a good phone for everyday use has a good battery too
Brother lets deal s20fe phone ❤️ plz bhai
I prefer S21 5G because in my country S20 FE coming 4G only.
Does s21 have black hole notification?
I used the FE for 9wks. Now the S21+. Is one better than the other, no not really? There both excellent, I just wanted the 888processer, I have a need for speed. Holy crumpets, this guy is super fast on the S21+. The Victus display is more durable. Plus the FE is cheaper! You could be happy with either or?
@David Martrano yup you defently did the right choice sd888 is insane and still better!
@Sphy US, no exynos version here? Very impressed with the speed of the 888processer, especially with the 120hz!
Where do you live? A country where you get a snapdragon chip guaranteed or?
How much price S21
You look like Murr from Impractical Jokers.
The FE it's a very good phone but it's too big. The s21 it's the same exact size as my phone witch I like,but f@ck Samsung for not sell it with the charger
Going for the S21 for its smaller size. Prefer my phone to be less bulky.