Why does the Galaxy S21 FE even exist: Samsung and Android users' paradox of choice

The post-S22 discounts should put the S21 right about on par with the S21 FE price-wise, since it's expected that the Galaxy S22 will cost the same as the S21 at launch, meaning not more than $799. The Galaxy S22 and S22+ are expected to bring a ton of iterative improvements on the inside, as well as a super sleek compact, bezel-less design.

But perhaps the most appealing offer for someone on a budget (considering the S21 FE is a "budget flagship") will be last year's Fan Edition phone - the Galaxy S20 FE. This one can be found for as low as $500 brand new, or $350-400 with a trade-in (or if you buy refurbished), which is literally half the price of the S21 FE.

Despite the 16 months between the two releases, the S21 FE and S20 FE are probably more similar than you realize. For example, three of the four pillars of a great smartphone are shared between the two models: They both have 120Hz AMOLED screens; both have 4500 mAh batteries, and both use the same camera setup, with the same camera sensors. Also, both the S21 FE and S20 FE come with IP68 dust/water resistance; wireless and reverse wireless charging and 6GB of RAM. 

In fact, what's interesting is that the Galaxy S20 FE has two great perks compared to the S21 FE - a charger in the box and a microSD card slot for expanding your storage, which I think is highly underrated. This also raises the question: Is the Galaxy S21 FE the "Fan Edition" Galaxy you've expected it to be, if it's omitting features that true Galaxy fans certainly care about?

The Galaxy S21 FE is better than the Galaxy S21, S21+ when it comes to...

If we compared the S21 FE with the S21, which will come down in price, just about the only reason to get a Galaxy S21 FE over a Galaxy S21 is that the phone will get three years of OS updates and four years of security updates, since thanks to its bizarre release schedule, it's launching with the latest Android 12 and One UI 4 onboard (beating the Galaxy S22 series to the punch).

That should see the Galaxy S21 FE get updated to Android 15. In comparison, the Galaxy S21 isn't expected to get past Android 14, while the older Galaxy S20 FE has one major OS update left - up to Android 13. So if you care about the longer software support, you could consider trading the better camera system, better fingerprint reader, and sleeker design on the Galaxy S21 to get the S21 FE or spend $200-300 extra to get it over the S20 FE, which gives you a free charger and a microSD card slot.

Should you buy a Galaxy S21 FE in Europe?

And that's just scratching the surface of Samsung's bizarre new entry since we've only looked at the US market. In Europe, for example, a brand new Galaxy S21 will set you back just 690 EUR, which is 60 EUR less than the S21 FE, while the Galaxy S20 FE goes for only 460 EUR, and that's considering you're buying brand new (which I personally wouldn't do at this point).

In fact, if the budget isn't what holds you back, you can shell out just 50 EUR more to get the Galaxy S21+, which comes with a premium glass sandwich design, a bigger screen, a bigger battery, thinner bezels, more RAM, a dynamic AMOLED screen, and UWB support which is handy for Samsung's Galaxy SmartTags.

The Galaxy S21 FE: Not the Fan Edition Galaxy of your dreams?

The Galaxy S21 FE has found itself in a bit of an ironic situation. For one, it's a Fan Edition phone that omits two things that Galaxy fans tend to care about - a charger in the box and a microSD card slot - both available on 2020's Galaxy S20 FE.

Furthermore, about 16 months after the release of the Galaxy S20 FE, the market has changed significantly. On the one hand, we have even more capable upper mid-range devices, or the so-called flagship-killers, that can save you a lot of money while offering comparable or sometimes even better experience than some more expensive phones.

Of course, some of them might lack an IP rating for water resistance or wireless charging, but if you can look past that, your options are many. For example, you have the OnePlus Nord 2, Google Pixel 5A (with very limited availability, just about any Xiaomi phone priced at around $500, and of course Samsung's own mid-range Galaxy A52s, which actually features IP67 dust and water-resistance.

Galaxy S21 alternatives: iPhone 13, Pixel 6, Galaxy Z Flip 3, or... Galaxy S22?

But what makes the S21 FE an even harder sell (for me) are phones like the iPhone 13, Google Pixel 6, and even Samsung's own Galaxy Z Flip 3. At least in Europe, Apple's latest iPhone 13 sits at just 820 EUR after discounts, which makes it only 70 EUR more expensive than the Galaxy S21 FE.

Of course, that's assuming you want an iPhone in the first place. I can tell you right now that Apple's flagship will take much better videos, possibly better photos, feel much more premium, and receive two extra years of software updates while being more compact (if that's what you want), as well as much faster, at least on paper.

Then, the Google Pixel 6 will give you some of the best photo and video quality currently available on Android; Google's pure software experience, and an extra 2GB of RAM. Software support will be on par with the Galaxy S21 FE - three years, but the Pixel is expected to get five years of security updates versus four with Samsung's phone.

Speaking of software, it's the Pixel-exclusive features that Tensor and Android 12 make possible that could sway me towards Google's phone. I've personally been using the Pixel 6 Pro for a few months now, and I can say that features like Action Pan, Magic Eraser, Google Lens, and the system-wide translation are an absolute joy to use and can make your experience both more fun and more productive.

Then you have the Galaxy Z Flip 3, which often can be found for as little as 700 USD/EUR/GBP if you don't necessarily want to buy directly from Samsung. Sure, the Flip 3 might not have a 3x zoom camera or a big battery, but it's an excellent opportunity to try something truly different and get your first modern foldable. 

But if we put the Pixel 6, iPhone 13, Z Fold 3, S21, and S20 FE aside, what would I do? If I was someone who wants and needs a new Galaxy phone and doesn't mind spending an extra $100, I would definitely hold my breath for the upcoming Galaxy S22.  As mentioned earlier, compared to the S21 series, the S22 is expected to bring a host of improvements on virtually every level, save for the rear design that will stay pretty consistent (which isn't necessarily bad).