SAMSUNG Galaxy S21 FE 5G Cell Phone, Factory Unlocked Android Smartphone, 256GB, 120Hz Display Screen, Pro Grade Camera, All Day Intelligent Battery, US Version, Graphite

October 21, 2023 by Singh

Price: $769.99
(as of Oct 21,2023 17:14:03 UTC – Details)

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Great phone, marred by some pretty big issues.

Reviewed in the United States on November 18, 2020

Color: Cloud NavySize: 128GBStyle: S20 FEPattern Name: Cell PhoneVerified Purchase

Edit (7/30/2023): This will be the last update I write about the S20 FE, as I plan on getting a new phone in the near future.

After 3 years with this phone, I can’t say my feelings have changed very much. The only reason I’m writing this is to warn anyone thinking about getting this as a budget phone at some point in the future. The glue holding the back panel has loosened to the point where it is lifting off the phone. There is no bulging battery, as far as I can tell. The cheap glue that they used to put the S20 FE together is just not holding together anymore. They tout having software/security updates for however many years, but what good is that if the phone falls apart before you get to that point?

To anyone reading this in the future: no, this phone isn’t worth $499 (the price amazon has it as I’m writing this) new in 2023. The chip is still okay and it has that precious SD slot that phone manufacturers don’t want to include nowadays so people buy the expensive, higher storage models. If you really, really want one to use as a budget phone, look for a refurbished one. I’ve found ones being sold for under $150. Who knows? Maybe the phone refurbishers used better glue to put the phone back together.

I haven’t decided which phone to get next. All I know is that it won’t be a Samsung.

Edit (8/18/2021): I’ve dropped my rating from 4 stars to 3 stars.

It’s been a little less than a year, and the issues mentioned above have started to affect daily use in a way that turns this from a great phone to an okay phone not worth your time. Okay, maybe not daily use, per se. But enough that it’s starting to effect my initial thoughts on it.

The amount of times this phone has turned on in my pocket because of ghost touches is insane. Every time I take it out of my pocket, it’s opened a random app and input a few letters on the keyboard. And this is after adjusting the settings to stop these sorts of things. I turned off double tap to turn on (despite wanting that feature) and turned on accidental touch protection (which did absolutely nothing). I even made it so that the phone needed face recognition or a fingerprint to unlock every time I close it. But it just keeps happening. No software update really fixed the screen, as suspected. This is a pure hardware messup.

Here’s the cold, honest truth: the screen on the S20 FE is terrible. Worse than my old S7. Worse than even a budget android phone’s screen. It’s beyond comprehension. The virtual proximity sensor is also worthless. I almost want to give it the classic “angry Amazon customer 1-star” review, but I’ll refrain. There’s still good here with the chip, customizability, and great battery life, but that stuff can only get you so far.

Here’s my advice: don’t bother with this phone. You can get a midrange smartphone for the same (or even a lower) price, with better specs. It’s still not the worst thing out there and I’m not tossing it in the trash just yet, but it’s definitely the last Samsung product I’ll be buying. So disappointing, but I couldn’t keep this review a 4-star in good conscience.

I decided on the Samsung Galaxy S20 FE for my smartphone upgrade for a lot of reasons. One, and most obviously, was the price. At $599 ( the price on Amazon when I purchased it), it was an unbeatable deal. Another was the specs: Snapdragon 865 and 6gb of RAM was perfect for my needs. My old Galaxy S7 looked practically primitive when set against the S20 FE. And so, I decided to give a midrange phone a try.

At first glance, the S20 FE seemed too good to be true. The screen, while not 4K, still looks great with the 120Hz refresh rate enabled. The rear cameras look incredibly good, nice and crisp. I’ve done everything from web browsing and gaming to word processing and photography, all with minimal issue. Battery life is solid, but not the best in the market right now. You’ll still be able to get a couple of days out of the S20 FE on 120Hz. Also, you can’t beat the customizability of Android. With the option to install launchers/widgets plus a wealth of storage (and SD card support), you get a lot of choice with the S20 FE. The size, while much larger than I was used to, still fits in the hand really well. I would recommend getting a case and screen protector for this one though, as I have seen people shatter the screen with a single drop.

But, if you’ve been reading up on the S20 FE at all, then you know that there are problems. First off, the virtual proximity sensor on the phone is spotty at best. Testing it out myself, I had to be right on top of the sensor for it to detect my face. And for phone calls, that means a few more accidental muted/ended calls than usual. The face recognition and fingerprint scanner are also not great. I’d say it works about 85% of the time, but when it doesn’t, do you ever feel it. Adding on, the front-facing camera is pretty lackluster. Not bad, but it’s not flagship levels by any stretch. You’ll need to be in absolutely optimal lighting to get a decent picture out of it. So if you’re looking for a phone to take selfies indoors with, I’d look elsewhere.

From what I’ve seen, the standout complaint with the S20 FE is the touchscreen. And yes, my phone (ordered in early November) has the issue too. Pretty horrendous ghosting when testing it in the touchscreen test app. There’s undeniably a hardware issue with the S20 FE. There have been updates since the phone released, but none have fixed it entirely; merely a band-aid on a bloody gash. The real question is: does it affect everyday use? Will you notice it every moment you use the S20 FE? The answer to both is no, at least for me. While I’m sure it does affect certain tasks (most notably those that involve fast touches or 3+ fingers), I really haven’t noticed it in actual use. Pinching/zooming with your fingers close together will cause the screen to jitter, but that’s about all I’ve seen. If that worries you enough to pass on the S20 FE, I don’t blame you.

It really is a shame that I can’t give the S20 FE a perfect 5 stars, because it does deserve it in some aspects. But with these hardware issues, there’s always the worry that time will make them worse. It’s a genuine worry, I get that. But even with the problems, the Samsung Galaxy S20 FE is a pretty great phone. It really does feel like a flagship phone, but with a massive price cut and a few downgrades. Only time will tell if the problems the phone has will get worse, but for right now, I’m more than happy with it.

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M Mullins

Love love love! Best phone I’ve ever had! Came from an A series phone!

Reviewed in the United States on August 17, 2022

Color: GraphiteSize: 128GBStyle: S21 FEPattern Name: Cell PhoneVerified Purchase

My last phone was a Samsung A10e, and anyone coming from a cheap A series phone can for sure tell you that this is a MAJOR upgrade. I got the 128gb S21 FE model and I only paid $590 USD for the black version, despite really really wanting the white version, yet that one was priced at $699 USD. Would I pay $699 for it? Probably not, but everyone has a different budget for everything!

When I received the phone, it came in its regular factory box which is very thin, like I was concerned for a second that they just sent me a case, but nope! They’ve cut down on everything that they send you. It came with the phone, a manual in a tiny box, a sim card tool behind that box, and I believe short type c cable, I already have a charging cable so I didn’t pay any attention to it. Not that big of a deal really, it just worried me for a second haha.

Now I’m someone who worries about storage, and this phone does NOT come with a micro SD card slot (unlike the S20 FE), however I’ve not had any problems with my storage yet, I still have roughly 61GB out of the 128GB to go. The system itself is 22.5GB which is expected as this is a very beefy and fast machine, and then I play a lot of games so my apps take around 39GB. I don’t take many photos either so I only have around 1GB used, but if you are someone who loves to take photos, I recommend getting a separate portable hard drive or even using your personal computer to send your photos over, as spending $70-$130+ for just 128GB of more storage is a lot when you could use that to get around 500GB on a standalone drive. It is also worth mentioning that getting the bigger storage version for this phone, also adds 2GB of ram to it, giving it a speed boost, but I’m about to go over some things about the phone’s speed.

As for game wise, I play Genshin Impact, Colorful Stage/Project Sekai, Stardew Valley, Pokemon GO, and Fallout Shelter, and this thing runs them all like a BEAST. I wouldn’t recommend getting the extra 2GB of ram in the bigger storage model since this phone can run pretty much anything you throw at it. Anyone who’s ever played Genshin Impact knows how heavy the game is, and it can run it at max settings just fine, the only problem, is that it gets INCREDIBLY hot. So hot that it lowkey hurts to touch after playing for more than just 5-15 minutes. This could be completely fixed if you get a cooling mount for around $20-30. I do prioritize game functionality and speed over looks so I do play extremely comfortably in low-medium settings as it still looks great! However if you’re looking for a gaming machine with smooth fps and no lag at all with maximum settings on heavy games (since bigger temperatures means lowering the processing of your game, causing lag), I’ll have to recommend looking for a different phone such as an Iphone or a Oneplus since they do that well.

The camera is good for me! I take photos of my dog and that’s it. It also has a 30x zoom which is crazy. The front camera is really good and I sometimes put it up to my head and angle it to make myself look like a goldfish and it’s super funny haha. The fingerprint reader works extremely well even with a screen protector. Fun fact I found: you can lay your finger over your fingerprint reader while the screen is off and it’ll unlock! So you don’t even have to double tap your screen to wake it up or press a power button. I was never a fan of 120hz screens and I still am not, but it looks super smooth when I have it turned on. The AMOLED screen was a huge game changer for me, it’s beautiful and has incredible contrasting colors.

I know people say they have tons of issues with the battery to this device, but I honestly haven’t had any problems whatsoever. Now I do keep medium power saving mode on as I just don’t see too much to the use of allowing your phone to do any big background services when you’re not using it. It lasts about a day and a half. I work 9-5 and I come home with 70% battery after being on it or checking it very often and frequently. Now I will say there has been some connectivity issues during heavy storms and heavy storms only, but I experienced that issue with my last phone so there’s a massive chance that’s just my mobile data provider (which is US Cellular). By the way, this phone is unlocked, so it should be able to accept just about any other provider you use. I also think it supports 2 sim cards? I’m not too sure as I’m not someone who would ever have to use it, but if you are, then that’s a plus.

Overall this phone is absolutely amazing and I 11/10 recommend it 🙂

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Leonardo

Muy buen telefono

Reviewed in Mexico on December 2, 2020

Color: Cloud NavySize: 128GBStyle: S20 FEPattern Name: Cell PhoneVerified Purchase

Tengo prácticamente una semana con el equipo y no me arrepiento de nada, vengo de un galaxy s8+ y el salto es muy bueno, quería un s20+ pero después de tantos videos de análisis que ví me decidí por este s20 fe ya que no le pide nada al plus, solo el tema de que la parte de atrás es de plástico pero seamos sinceros la mayoría lo ocupará con funda así que estarás poco en contacto con esa parte. Voy por partes:

Tiene: carga inalámbrica, carga reversible, snapdragon 865, resistente al agua y polvo, 6 de ram, 128 de almacenamiento, tasa de refresco 120, pantalla Amoled, batería 4500 mha, Cargador “mexicano” pero de 15w yo te recomiendo que compres uno de 25w cuando hagas tu pedido para que tengas carga súper rápida ya que es lo que admite el teléfono, la entrada es USB c, trae pinchito, admite tarjeta SD, solo un SIM, si se puede usar en México sin problema yo lo ocupo con Telcel sin problema.

No tiene: pantalla curva que en mi caso agradezco ya que algunas áreas en las pantallas curvas son difíciles de alcanzar, me pasaba mucho con mi s8+, no trae funda por lo que recomiendo que compres una al mismo tiempo que hagas tu pedido del celular para que cuando te llegue tu equipo puedas usarlo con su funda y estés más seguro 😊. No tiene entrada de audífonos 3.5 por lo que si no tienes audifonos Bluetooth vayas pensando en comprar uno o comprar un adaptador, para mí no es ningún problema ya que los audífonos no los ocupo casi.

Envío: me tardo en llegar una semana prácticamente pero todo dentro de los días que me marcó desde el inicio la fecha de llegada, pudo haber llegado antes pero en mi caso DHL no llega directo a mi ciudad si no que hace reconexión, pero todo eso está contemplado en la fecha de llegada así que todo bien. La caja llegó en buenas condiciones y toda sellada nada abierta solo un poquito arrugadita de una esquina pero se entiende por el manejo de la mensajería, nada agrave prácticamente imperceptible.

Pago: pague lo que marca el precio en el anuncio, no tuve que pagar nada más ya que parece que los gastos de manejo vienen incluído en el precio anunciado, en México sin ser 5g y sin el procesador snapdragon el teléfono está en unos 16 mil y lo que pague que fueron $13,200 es un súper precio considerando que es 5g y trae el snapdragon.

Rendimiento: lo he usado con los 120 hzs y me ha durado todo el día la batería, llegó con un 20% a las 9 pm. Creo que es un rendimiento bueno pero no el mejor considerando que juego prácticamente nada al día, mi mayor uso son las redes sociales, correo y aplicaciones del trabajo pero las ocupo mucho que compensa esa parte del juego así que no creo tengas problema para terminar tu día con algo de batería y si no una cargadita de 20 minutos y listo. El rendimiento ha sido de unas 7.5 horas de pantalla encendida.

Cámaras: si considero que venía de un s8+ el salto ha sido muy grande, las cámaras tienen muy buena calidad y nada que envidiar al s20+ si no me crees ve los videos de reseñas y verás que no hay mucha diferencia por lo mucho más que pagas en el plus creo que el FE tiene mejor calidad precio.

En resumen es un buen telefono, me gusta mucho el módulo de cámaras, el color que elegí fue el azul y me agradó mucho, se siente como un premium y luce como un premium, yo pensaba en darle una oportunidad a un Xiaomi, realme, poco etc pero seamos sinceros Samsung es Samsung y si trae un snapdragon es mucho mejor, estoy seguro que los Specs suenan fabulosos en otras marcas pero no creo que su calidad de equipo aguante el pasar de los años, yo uso los teléfonos un promedio de 3 años, siempre Samsung y los he dejado prácticamente como nuevos. Así que si quieres un teléfono bueno, bonito y que te dure unos años este es tu opción ideal, no te vas arrepentir.

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Cliente de Amazon

Totalmente recomendable

Reviewed in Mexico on June 20, 2023

Color: Cloud RedSize: 128GBStyle: S20 FEPattern Name: Cell PhoneVerified Purchase

Después de 3 años les recomiendo este producto, uso gaming sin problema y fotos premium de calidad, excelente celular, lastima que se devalúa más rápido pero sin duda en pleno 2023 celular 100% recomendable (ojo solo la versión snapdragon) el exynos cambia totalmente la experiencia

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Jes G.

El mejor celular que haya tenido

Reviewed in Mexico on December 1, 2022

Color: Cloud NavySize: 128GBStyle: S20 FEPattern Name: Cell PhoneVerified Purchase

*Reseña Editada
Despues de varios dias de uso puedo traer una mejor reseña

📱Apartado Estetico:
Me encanta el diseño del celular, se siente comodo y se ve bonito
La pantalla Super AMOLED con 120Hz es lo mejor que haya visto, se luce cada color y la fluidez es excepcional
El material se siente a plastico pero yo compre una funda, aunque no me hubiera molestado de todos modos ya que es comodo pero por seguridad tengo la funda, te recomiendo ponerle una mica ya que por accidente una moneda le dio un ligero raspón a la pantalla

🔋Bateria:
El tema de bateria, muchos usuarios comentan que se acaba rapido cuando la batería te puede durar todo el dia aun con los 120hz activos solo necesitas actualizar el software, el celular hace el resto de aprender tus patrones de uso y así utilizar mejor la bateria por lo que no hay que preocuparse, puedes hacer tus propias configuraciones para darle varios matices al uso de la batería, 4500mah es suficiente para tu dia

Cuenta con un cargador europeo mas un adaptador generico de 15W de carga rapida, la verdad se siente que en minutos el celular se cargue completo

🧮 Procesador:
Magnífico trabajo con su procesador Snapdragon 865, desde mi punto de vista un procesador para tu dia a dia, te basta y sobra para juegos, emuladores podras desde el Switch hasta generaciones pasadas

📷 Camara:
No es la gran cosa pero he de reconocer que tanto de dia como de noche las fotos salen hermosas, los videos ni se diga con su resolucion hasta 4K 60FPS y buen audio

🎶 Audio:
Me gusta usar audífonos, pero este celular no tiene entrada de 3.5mm para jacks comunes, tienes que usar un adaptador, audífonos bluetooth o un audífono tipo C, sin embargo no me molesta ya que su calidad de audio es impresionante gracias a su salida estereo que con una ayuda del Dolby Atmos se escucha hermoso incluso sin audífonos

📡 Cobertura:
Viene liberado para todas compañias, funcionó con mi chip Telcel desde el primer dia, es compatible con la red 5G aunque para poder usarla del todo necesitas despues un chip 5G de un compañía celular

➕️ Extras
-Cuenta con una grabadora de pantalla por si quieres usarla en tus juegos
-Puede mejorar la calidad de imágenes si estan en baja resolución
-No cuenta con reproductor pero el que descargas desde Google Play, el Reproductor de Samsung es muy bueno
-Cuenta con reconocimiento facial y huellas
-Se ve mas o menos bajo el sol
-Se puede extender el almacenamiento con una MicroSD hasta 1TB

“Saludos y gracias a mi vendedor, FabricaDirecto, quien me asesoró en preguntas relacionadas al celular en un chat bastante rapido y amigable” ✨️🤩

💸💸 AVISO
Es un excelente celular si buscas un gama alta a un precio accesible, revisa con quien lo compras para tener uno con Snapdragon ya que las versiones con Exynos son algo inferiores, se calientan y no aguantarian el uso para juegos y redes sociales
No compres este celular por mas de $10,000 pesos no vale la pena, yo lo compré por $8500 y lo he visto en $8100 si los ves en ese precio no dudes en comprar

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Anon-neMouse

Multitasker

Reviewed in India on May 11, 2023

Color: GraphiteSize: 128GBStyle: S21 FEPattern Name: Cell PhoneVerified Purchase

Does everything, does it the right way, doesn’t know how to crash

Mayela

Mas de lo que esperaba

Reviewed in Mexico on October 8, 2023

Color: Cloud NavySize: 128GBStyle: S20 FEPattern Name: Cell PhoneVerified Purchase

Muy buen celular. Pase de Motorola a Samsung y me encanto. Llego en excelentes condiciones.

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REAL DISPLAY VISION: The high quality display with Dynamic AMOLED 2X delivers vibrant color and brightness, even in bright sunlight
PRO-GRADE CAMERA: The powerful pro grade camera delivers high quality photos and videos, with a Rear Camera that boasts 12MP Ultra Wide, Wide-angle cameras and an 8MP Telephoto Camera; It also features a Front Camera that includes a 32MP Selfie Camera
30X SPACE ZOOM: 30x SpaceZoom combines a 3x Hybrid Optic Zoom and 30x digital zoom for high resolution close ups, while the EngageZoom Lock reduces shakiness the further your zoom in
SUPERIOR PERFORMANCE: The power-efficient processor chip offers reliability and performance that boosts every experience, from graphic-heavy gaming to multitasking.
ALL DAY INTELLIGENT POWER: The 4500mAh intelligent battery outlasts the day, even on 5G, while Super Fast Charging can charge 50% in 30 minutes.

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