Samsung Galaxy S21 vs Samsung Galaxy S20 FE: What’s the difference?

With only a few months between the release of the Samsung Galaxy S20 FE and the S21, the S20 FE manages to hold its own in some key comparison areas. It’s obviously the cheapest, but it also has a better selfie camera and it’s personal preference on the design front. Still, the S21 has more powerful innards, which may tempt Galaxy fans to spend the extra dollars.

In October 2020, the Samsung Galaxy S20 FE handset launched with great pricing and plenty of reasons to pick one up if you were a Galaxy fan who hadn’t yet bought an S20. Fast-forward a few scant months and the Samsung Galaxy S21 line-up is already upon us.

So whether you’re looking for a case of after-the-fact buyer’s remorse or are weighing up whether you should consider the newer S21 over the more affordable S20 FE, here’s how the two fare when stacked next to each other.

Purchased outright, you’re looking at spending $799 for the base 128GB Samsung Galaxy S20 FE or $1,149 for the 5G variant. Contrast that with $1,249 for the 128GB base S21 handset, which is a 5G phone (as are the S21 Plus and S21 Ultra).

If price is the be-all and end-all for you, the S20 FE is a no-brainer pick, especially if you’re only interested in buying a 4G smartphone, in which case you can pay $450 less than the new S21 handset.

Winner: Samsung Galaxy S20 FE

If you’re after Samsung’s newest handset, below is a regularly updating list of popular Postpaid plans for the Samsung Galaxy S21 128GB handset. If you're keen to check out other storage variants, the S21 Plus or S21 Ultra, simply click 'View Full Results' at the bottom of the table and adjust your handset choice there.

Scroll on if you’re after comparisons across specific meaningful categories, but before we get into that, here’s a side-by-side breakdown of comparable specs for the Samsung Galaxy S21 and S20 FE.

This is an interesting comparison because it will depend on which camera you prefer. If you’re a fan of taking selfies and video chat, the Samsung Galaxy S20 FE is the clear winner with its 32MP front camera (10MP on the S21) and ability to record 1080p resolution at 60 frames per second (fps).

Flip the handsets over, however, and while two of the three triple-camera configurations are identical, the 64MP telephoto camera on the S21 is eight times the resolution of the 8MP equivalent on the S20 FE. Similarly, the S21 can record 8K footage at up to 30fps, whereas the S20 FE taps out at 4K, 60fps.

Draw

If colour choices are your jam, the Samsung Galaxy S20 FE is the clear winner with its six picks versus the S21’s four. Both handsets favour a vertical rear camera stack, while there are some differences on the front. The S20 favours the recent trend of a 2.5D screen that curves on the edges to effectively eliminate the front-facing bezel.

The S21, on the other hand, opts for a flat screen, which means the bezel feels thicker in comparison (but mostly because it has a noticeable one). For looks, this means it’s down to personal preference of whether you prefer flat or 2.5D. In terms of weight, the S21 has a slight edge with smaller, thinner dimensions and lighter weight, but that’s because of the smaller screen.

Draw

This is another close comparison category. Both the Samsung Galaxy S21 and S20 FE boast AMOLED screens with 120Hz refresh rates and 1080x2400 resolutions, though the S21’s AMOLED screen is newer and has better colour. If you prefer a slightly larger screen, the S20 FE has you covered with its 6.5-inch display versus the S21’s 6.2-inch screen. The catch there is because the resolution is the same; expect on-screen items to have that ever-so-slight crispness on the S21.

In terms of screen brightness, the S21 blows the S20 FE out of the water with max brightness of 1,300, while the S20 FE taps out at 679. The extra brightness helps counter the glossy display that makes things trickier to see in bright environments, meanwhile Eye Comfort Shield intuitively adjusts the screen’s blue light based on a variety of factors to make for easier viewing.

Winner: Samsung Galaxy S21

You can expect noticeably better performance from the Samsung Galaxy S21 in comparison to the S20 FE. While they both have the same 8GB of RAM, the S21 boasts a newer Samsung Exynos 2100 processor compared to the older Exynos 990 processor inside the S20 FE. Both are eight-core processors, but the Exynos 2100 fares better in performance across everyday and intensive tasks (like gaming).

By default, the S21 is a 5G handset, whereas you have to pay extra for the S20 FE 5G model, and while both support WiFi 6, the S21 has the latest Bluetooth 5.1 standard (instead of Bluetooth 5.0 in the S20 FE). It’s worth noting that while both handsets have 128GB and 256GB variants, the S20 FE has a MicroSD port for up to 1TB storage expansion, whereas the S21 doesn’t have expandable storage.

Winner: Samsung Galaxy S21

While the newer Exynos 2100 processor inside the Samsung Galaxy S21 boasts around 17 percent battery efficiency compared to the Exynos 990 inside the S20 FE, the older handset is still likely to have better battery life. Why? It has a 4,500mAh battery compared to the 4,000mAh battery inside the S21.

Should the rumours prove true, the S21 is the first Galaxy series to ship without a wall charger (though you can purchase one separately), which may be the new trend started by Apple with the iPhone 12, but it definitely leaves a bad taste in the mouth for those wanting an all-inclusive solution out of the box.

Winner: Samsung Galaxy S20 FE

With draws in a couple of key categories, it really depends on what you’re after, with no handset clearly dominating the other. For pure performance, opt for the Samsung Galaxy S21. If you want a mix of budget and battery considerations, gun for the S20 FE. For photographers and videographers, it depends on whether you prefer the selfie or back camera: for the former, stick with the S20 FE; for the latter, go with the S21.