Is the replacement of the Samsung Galaxy S20 FE with the Samsung Galaxy S21 5G worth it?

SmartphoneGalaxy S20 FE was probably the most well – received device of the South Korean manufacturer Samsung last year. Although it did not enchant with its design and was not even made of premium materials, it offered all the parameters of flagships at a very good price. Many of its owners are considering this year whether it makes sense to replace it with a recently introduced one Samsung Galaxy S21 5G. We will try to answer this in this article.

Design and construction: The Galaxy S21 has a more imaginative camera design and more compact dimensions

Samsung Galaxy S21 is a smartphone with water resistance IP68 certification, as is the case with the Samsung Galaxy S20 FE model. And its back is also plastic. However, it is covered by the latest Gorilla Glass Victus glass, which is much more resistant to falls than the older type, which uses the Galaxy S20 FE. The design of the front has not fundamentally changed and the hole for the selfie camera is again in the middle of the upper part of the display.

But the main difference is in the design of the camera module on the back. Again, it is located in the upper left corner, but its protruding part extends to the edges of the smartphone. The sensors make a greater optical appearance. But the most important difference is the size and weight. The Samsung Galaxy S21 is a much more compact model than the Galaxy S20 FE. However, the number of color variants is smaller. Instead of six, only four. The customer can choose from black, white, pink and purple.

Display and multimedia: The Galaxy S21 display uses newer technology

The display is made with Dynamic AMOLED technology, while in the case of the Galaxy S20 FE it is an older Super AMOLED technology. The novelty has a display diagonal of 6.2 inches, which is less than the 6.5 inches of last year’s model. However, the refresh rate is 120 Hz and the resolution is 2400 x 1080 pixels.

Like the Galaxy S20 FE, the Galaxy S21 plays sound through high-quality AKG stereo speakers. Again, unfortunately, the 3.5 mm jack is missing, so the device owner must connect the headphones via either the USB-C connector or the bluetooth interface. Quality sound is guaranteed by the support of 32-bit audio with a range of 384 kHz.

Performance and memory: New Exynos 2100 and missing card slot

The performance of the novelty is ensured by the new 5nm chipset Exynos 2100, which will provide 30% better than the predecessor Exynos 990 in the Galaxy S20 FE. The graphical core of the games is to be ensured by the Mali-G78 graphics core. An integrated 5G modem is a matter of course. The RAM has only one size of 8 GB. The internal memory of the UFS 3.1 type is 128 GB or 256 GB as in the case of the Galaxy S20 FE. The difference is in the presence of a micro SD slot. The Galaxy S20 FE has it, but the new Galaxy S21 does not.

Cameras: Galaxy S20 FE offers 3x optical zoom, Galaxy S21 only hybrid

The rear camera of the Galaxy S20 has a 12-megapixel main sensor with f / 1.8 brightness and optical stabilization. While the highest model Galaxy S20 Ultra has a telephoto sensor with a real 3x and also 10x optical zoom, the basic model must need 3x hybrid zoom. Basically, it’s just a matter of enlarging a 64-megapixel photo.

However, the Samsung Galaxy S20 FE offers an 8-megapixel telephoto sensor with a real 3x optical zoom. Both models have the same 12-megapixel ultra-wide sensor. For selfie shots, however, the Galaxy S21 uses a 10-megapixel selfie camera, while the Galaxy S20 FE has a 32-megapixel selfie camera. In both cases, the maximum video resolution of the rear camera is 8K at 24 fps and of the selfie camera 4K at 60 fps.

Connectivity, system and battery: No change except 5G modem

The only change in connectivity compared to the Galaxy S20 FE is the integrated 5G modem in the Eynos 2100 chipset. Support for the 5th generation mobile network will therefore be available in all markets. Galaxy S20 FE with 5G support is sold in our country, but it is not an official distribution. The new system is in the Android 11 version with the One UI 3.0 extension, which was already received by last year’s Galaxy S20 FE.

However, the difference between the models is in the battery capacity. While the novelty has a battery capacity of 4000 mAh, the battery of last year’s model has up to 4500 mAh, which theoretically means longer life despite the larger display. Both batteries are charged with the same fast charge with a power of 25 W, respectively 15 W in the case of wireless charging.

Verdict: Minimum reasons for the transition from the previous generation

Compared to the Galaxy S20 FE, the new Samsung Galaxy S21 brings changes in the design of the back side, a more compact body, a more durable cover glass, a more powerful chipset and an integrated 5G modem. The Samsung Galaxy S20 FE, on the other hand, has a real 3x optical zoom camera, card slot and a larger battery, which also means longer life. Replacing the Galaxy S21 will pay off, especially if you are hampered by its large size and do not own its 5G version.

Parameter table:

	Samsung Galaxy S21	Samsung Galaxy S20 FE
Display	6.2 inches, Dynamic AMOLED, 120 Hz, 2400 x 1080 pixels, 1300 nits	6.5 inches, Super AMOLED, 120 Hz, 2400 x 1080 pixels,
Chipset	Exynos 2100, 5nm	Exynos 990, 7nm
RAM	8 GB	6 GB/ 8 GB
Internal memory	128 GB/ 256 GB, UFS 3.1	128 GB/ 256 GB, UFS 3.1, micro SDXC
Rear camera	12 MP, f/1.8, 26mm , 1/1.76″, 1.8µm, Dual Pixel PDAF, OIS 64 MP, f / 2.0, 28mm, telephoto, 1 / 1.76 ″, 0.8µm, PDAF, OIS, 1.1x optical zoom, 3x hybrid zoom 12 MP, f/2.2, 13mm, 120˚ ultraširokouhlý, 1/2.55″ 1.4µm, Super Steady video	12 MP, f/1.8, 26mm (wide), 1/1.76″, 1.8µm, Dual Pixel PDAF, OIS 8 MP, f/2.4, 76mm, telefoto, 1/4.5″, 1.0µm, PDAF, OIS, 3x optický zoom 12 MP, f/2.2, 13mm, 123˚ ultraširokouhlý, 1/3.0″, 1.12µm
Selfie camera	10 MP, f/2.2, 26mm, 1/3.24″, 1.22µm, Dual Pixel PDAF	32 MP, f/2.2, 26mm, 1/2.74″, 0.8µm
Connectivity	5G, LTE, Bluetooth 5.0, Wi-Fi 6, NFC, GPS, USB-C	LTE, Bluetooth 5.0, Wi-Fi 6, NFC, GPS, USB-C
Battery	4000 mAh, fast charging 25 W, wireless charging 15 W, reverse charging 4.5 W	4500 mAh, fast charging 25 W, wireless charging 15 W, reverse charging 4.5 W
Dimensions	151,7 x 71,2 x 7,9 milimetrov	159,8 x 74.5 x 8,4 milimetrov
Weight	169 grams	190 grams