Samsung Galaxy S21 FE: 5 things we want to see

In 2020, the Samsung Galaxy S20 FE (which stands for “Fan Edition”) surprised everyone with how good it was. In fact, it was so good that it won our 2020 Best of Android Editor’s Choice Award. With this kind of pedigree behind the phone, it’s no surprise that we are very excited about the Samsung Galaxy S21 FE.

The problem Samsung is facing this year is the existence of the regular Galaxy S21. It’s only $ 100 more than the Galaxy S20 FE and offers many very similar specs. It’s possible that Samsung painted itself in a corner and the Galaxy S21 FE could just be a Galaxy S21 with only very subtle changes.

See also: Samsung Galaxy S Series: A History of the Biggest Name in Android

With that in mind, we thought we’d round up the things that we most wanted to see in the Samsung Galaxy S21 FE. Below are our five big wishes. Remember, these are not based on rumors or inside information – this is just a wish list made by smartphone fans. We also keep this list realistic. For example, it’s not worth asking to return the headphone jack as it definitely won’t come back.

Hold the camera Trifecta

One of the biggest things that separate budget-conscious devices from flagships is what we call camera trifecta. The Trifecta is a high quality primary lens, a wide angle lens and a kind of telephoto lens. Often times, brands drop the telephoto lens and cram it into any number of others – macro, chromatic, monochrome, depth, etc.

Connected: The best camera phones you can get

However, the Galaxy S20 FE has retained the Trifecta, and we hope that the Samsung Galaxy S21 FE does as well. Admittedly, Samsung would probably have to reduce the quality of the sensors. For example, it could offer an older / weaker version of the wide-angle version of the Galaxy S21 (Sony IMX563) to keep costs down. The telephoto lens could get the same treatment. We would be fine with that.

What we don’t want to see is the land of the phone with a fiddly lens or, worse, two Gimmicky lenses to give it the air of quality but not the substance. The Trifecta camera, please – no more and no less.

Don’t skimp on the processor

The Galaxy S20 FE came with the same processor as its more expensive sibling: the Qualcomm Snapdragon 865. This was probably the most exciting feature of the Galaxy S20 FE, especially since the 5G model opted for the same Qualcomm silicon in all regions, rather than an inferior one internal Exynos chip.

See also: Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 Series History: World-Class Android Processors

This year we’re not sure if the Samsung Galaxy S21 FE will feature the same processor as the Galaxy S21, the Qualcomm Snapdragon 888. Somehow, Samsung has to make the Galaxy S21 FE weaker than the Galaxy S21 without sacrificing so much that it would belong to the budget-oriented Galaxy A family. An easy way to do this is to get rid of the Snapdragon 888 and replace it with something else, such as the Snapdragon 870.

To be honest, we’d be fine with that. Obviously, we’d love to see this phone with a Snapdragon 888, but as long as Samsung doesn’t go lower than the Snapdragon 870 or switch to an Exynos equivalent, we’d be happy. Something lower and you might as well get the Galaxy S21, right?

Wide range of color options

Last year, the Galaxy S20 FE came in six fun colors around the world. It was nice to see Samsung offering them all at once to pretty much everyone (unfortunately with some excluded countries). Even with the Galaxy S21 series, certain color variants are only available in certain areas. This inevitably leads to too many buyers sticking to the usual choices: black, white or gray.

See also: Can someone please incorporate the style back into the smartphone design?

We hope that with the Samsung Galaxy S21 FE, Samsung will again offer a large selection of color variants. We don’t even need six color variations – four would be fine! As long as black, white and gray are not three of those colors. These phones are made for fans, and die-hard Samsung fans have proven that pops of color are extremely desirable.

In terms of colors, we also hope Samsung keeps the general design elements of the Galaxy S21 line, especially the camera module that is set back on the side. The phones look great and we would be disappointed if the Fan Edition didn’t look this good.

Same display as the Galaxy S21

One of the most surprising specs on last year’s Galaxy S20 FE was the display. It offered a refresh rate of 120 Hz on a 1080p OLED panel. Granted, this was a downgrade compared to the 1440p display of the Vanilla Galaxy S20. It was nice to see this quality on a $ 700 phone anyway.

Connected: Update rate explained: what does 60Hz, 90Hz or 120Hz mean?

As mentioned earlier, Samsung has to cut the specs on the Galaxy S21 in order to make the Galaxy S21 FE cheaper. However, we hope the company doesn’t sacrifice the display to make this happen. As it is already, the Vanilla Galaxy S21’s display is basically the same as that of the Galaxy S20 FE – 1080p, 120Hz refresh rate, HDR10 +, etc. If you lower this value, it takes into account the total value of the S21 FE question.

Now there are still ways Samsung could cut corners here. For example, the front of the S21 FE does not need to be covered with Gorilla Glass Victus. We just hope it doesn’t cut too much, or here, too, buyers might as well buy a Galaxy S21 or even the Galaxy S20 FE.

Same price as last year (or lower)

We have said over and over here how difficult it will be for Samsung to make the Galaxy S21 FE weaker than the Galaxy S21 without falling into the territory of Galaxy A. This also applies to pricing.

At $ 799, the Galaxy S21 is just $ 100 more than the Galaxy S20 FE. To be honest, a Galaxy S21 FE that costs more than $ 700 would be DOA. If it cost $ 749, why not just get the right deal? Samsung needs to keep prices at the same level as last year – or even lower, possibly at $ 649 or even $ 599.

We have no idea how Samsung would do this without removing the core features of the Galaxy S series. For example, if an attempt was made to remove wireless charging, would it even count as a Galaxy S device? What about the IP rating or the aforementioned camera trifecta? The company has really painted itself in a corner here, and we can only hope it doesn’t mess up the goodwill it rightly deserved with the Galaxy S20 FE last year. Don’t let us down, Samsung!

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That’s it for our Samsung Galaxy S21 FE wish list! What would you like to see of Samsung’s next budget flagship? Take our survey and let us know in the comments!