Samsung Galaxy S21 FE 5G deals

Samsung Galaxy S21 FE at a glance

Billed as a mid-range phone in the Samsung Galaxy series, the S21 FE is here as a little step down from the original S21 in terms of specs and price.

It comes with all the fantastic processing power and top quality display you’d expect from a flagship – identical to the standard Galaxy S21 model, in fact.

But elsewhere, a few bits and bobs have changed. In some cases Samsung has offered some improvements, while in other places it’s cut corners to keep the handset’s price down.

Availability and price

The Samsung Galaxy S21 FE is out now, released in January 2022.

At the time of release, it’s priced from £699.

However, that price will change over time, and there are plenty of contract deals available to help spread the cost.

Design

The Samsung Galaxy S21 FE is pretty much identical to the original S21 – it’s ever so slightly bigger, but you won’t notice it.

It has a nicely sized 6.4-inch screen that covers just about the entire front of the phone with almost no bezel, and the tiniest of holes at the top for the camera to poke through. It’s made from Gorilla Glass Victus, the toughest Gorilla Glass to date at the time of writing, so you don’t need to worry about cracks and smashes.

The aluminium and plastic back panel comes in a range of tasteful pastel colours – white, graphite, lavender, and olive. Just like the regular Galaxy S21, you’ll see three camera lenses in a column in the top corner.

Camera

The main camera on the back of the Samsung Galaxy S21 FE has three lenses. There’s a 12MP wide lens, an 8MP telephoto lens with 3x optical zoom, and a 12MP ultrawide.

As for the front-facer, there’s an incredible 32MP lens for stunningly high-res selfies.

Altogether, those lenses make for some top quality snaps. You can even record video in 4K using either camera.

There’s unique Samsung photography software to help them along, too. That includes Single Take on the main camera, which captures a shot on multiple lenses so you can pick the best photo; Dual Recording, which lets you record video on the front and back cameras at the same time; and of course Portrait Mode.

Specs and processors

The Samsung Galaxy S21 FE is runs on the same chipset as the flagship S21: either a Snapdragon 888 or Exynos 2100. That means incredibly fast, powerful processing. Loading times are ultra quick, and you can play games or use battery-sapping apps with no problems.

It’s supported by 6GB of RAM, running hefty processes with ease. And comes in storage options of 128GB or 256GB.

As for the battery, the S21 FE is packing a 4500mAh unit. That’s large enough, though perhaps not large enough to be impressive – you’ll likely get better battery life on the standard S21 and the super-sized Plus and Ultra models.

What’s the difference between the Samsung Galaxy S21 FE and Samsung Galaxy S21?

As the lower-end iteration of the Samsung Galaxy S21, the FE model comes with a few slightly different features and specs. Many are minor things under the hood, but others you may notice.

For one, the cameras have been adjusted on the S21 FE. The main camera has a lower resolution, while the selfie camera has a much higher resolution, but lacks some of the tech on that of the regular S21.

The main difference here for budding photographers to note is that the telephoto lens has been reduced quite significantly. The original S21 has a 64MP telephoto lens, while the S21 FE has an 8MP version.

The S21 FE model also doesn’t support Samsung Wireless DeX, which means you won’t be able to lets you plug your phone into a dock and use it as a desktop computer.

And finally, there’s a bigger, longer-lasting battery on the standard S21 model. 

Can I get the Samsung Galaxy S21 FE with no upfront cost?

Yes. Lots of networks offer the Samsung Galaxy S21 FE on contracts with no upfront cost.

You can find them on this page by moving the upfront cost slider to zero – or to whatever amount you’re willing to spend upfront.

Can I get the Samsung Galaxy S21 FE with unlimited data?

Pretty much all networks offer unlimited data deals on the Samsung Galaxy S21 FE.

Find them by adjusting the filter above to show you unlimited data, or only deals above a certain data allowance. You may well find an amazing deal with a few hundred gigabytes per month – which serves most of us just as well as unlimited data.

What’s the cheapest way to get a Samsung Galaxy S21 FE?

The cheapest way to get a top smartphone like the Samsung Galaxy S21 FE is usually to buy it outright and get a cheap SIM-only deal to go with it.

But if you’d rather not spend a few hundred pounds upfront, there are a few ways to find a cheap contract deal.

You can:

• Choose a deal from a smaller, budget-friendly network, such as giffgaff or Tesco Mobile
• Find a deal on a refurbished handset
• Purchase a plan through a reseller
• Pick a smaller monthly allowance

Just pick the things you want from your deal using the filters above, and sort the whole table by cost.

Can I get the Samsung Galaxy S21 FE with poor credit?

It might be tough. The S21 FE may not be a flagship phone, but it’s still a fairly expensive one – and all networks run a quick credit check before they let you take out a contract plan.

Different retailers have different thresholds for who they’ll accept on a contract though, so there’s every chance you can sign up to a deal you like even with a bad credit history.

If not, you may have better luck choosing a deal from a smaller network, through a reseller, or on a refurbished handset – all of which tend to have more lenient credit requirements.

And if that’s no good, your best option is to buy a phone outright and go for a SIM-only deal instead. 

More Galaxy handsets

• Samsung Galaxy S22
• Samsung Galaxy S21
• Samsung Galaxy S20 FE 5G
• Samsung Galaxy S20 FE
• Samsung Galaxy A32
• Samsung Galaxy A12

Galaxy S21 FE 5G specs