Samsung Galaxy S21 vs Galaxy S20 FE

By Georgi Zarkov Last updated Jan 14, 2021

We may earn a commission if you make a purchase from the links on this page.

The Galaxy S21 series was just announced. As last year, we have the super-premium Galaxy S21 Ultra and the more reasonable duo of Galaxy S21 and S21+. In just a few days, Samsung’s new flagship family will take its rightful place in stores and carriers’ lineups. Commercials and lucrative deals will entice you to buy one. But to decide if you should, you need to have a good idea what the new phones offer compared to what is already out there. Which is why we’re doing a series of 1-vs-1 phone comparisons and in this article, we’ll be looking at the Galaxy S21 and the Galaxy S20 FE.

If you’re already a proud S20 FE owner, you’re probably not thinking about upgrading but you might be wondering: “Should I have waited for the S21?” You should be able to find out soon enough. And if you’re considering an upgrade to a Samsung flagship but don’t want to spend $1,000+ on it, chances are the Galaxy S21 and the Galaxy S20 FE are on the top of your list.

So, let’s dive right in!

Galaxy S21 vs Galaxy S20 FE design comparison

The Galaxy S21 and S20 FE being released just a few months apart means we shouldn’t expect a huge difference in how they look. As you can see below, the main difference between the two phones, at first glance, is the size. That’s to be expected since the S21 is the smallest phone of the S21 trio, but we’ve picked the S21 rather than the S21+ because the price will likely be a bigger factor for people than a fraction of an inch in size difference.

The Galaxy S21 also has a slightly slimmer bottom bezel than that of the S20 FE, but that’s just nitpicking. Here are some more display specs:

Display	Galaxy S21	Galaxy S20 FE
Size	6.2″	6.5″
Resolution	2400 x 1080	2400 x 1080
Type	Dynamic AMOLED	Super AMOLED
Refresh rate	120Hz	120Hz
Shape	Flat	Flat

The displays are actually more similar than some of you might have expected. The lower resolution and the flat panel on the premium Galaxy S21 are the biggest changes this year. Of course, the panel on the S21 will be one of Samsung’s best so far and a tier higher than that on the S20 FE. The “dynamic” part refers to the Galaxy S21’s adaptive refresh rate. The phone will automatically adjust its refresh rate within the range of 48 to 120Hz.

You’ll have to put the two phones side-by-side to tell exactly what the differences are in a real-life scenario. Once we have our S21 unit, we’ll make sure to do just that and report the results.

It’s worth noting that the glass on the Galaxy S21 is Gorilla Glass Victus, Corning’s best right now, which should make the S21 more durable than the S20 FE.

The same can’t be said for the back of the S21, however, as Samsung has downgraded the back panel of the Galaxy S21 to a plastic one, rather than the glass that was covering the S20’s back panel. The Galaxy S20 FE, being a budget flagship, also has a plastic back.

Galaxy S21 left, Galaxy S20 FE right

The biggest difference on the back sides of the phones is the camera module. The signature design element on the Galaxy S21 series is the camera bump’s edge overflowing on the side of the phone, while on the S20 FE the camera bump is a typical rectangular island.

And yes, you do get different colors with each phone.

Galaxy S21 vs Galaxy S20 FE specs comparison

Moving to the internal specs, the differences start to become more obvious. Here’s a quick rundown of what the two devices offer:

Specs	Galaxy S21	Galaxy S20 FE
CPU	Snapdragon 888 (US) Exynos 2100 (Global)	Snapdragon 865
RAM	8GB LPDDR5	6GB LPDDR5
Storage	128GB	128GB
Battery	4,000mAh	4,500mAh
Wirelss charging	Yes	Yes
5G	Yes	Yes
IP68 rated	Yes	Yes

The biggest advantage for the Galaxy S21 is its chip. Both options should offer similar performance, but if you’re interested in the details, check our Snapdragon 888 vs Exynos 2100 article. Both chips use the same manufacturing process and have an almost identical core structure. Either will be much faster than the Snapdragon 865, that’s for sure. How much that will benefit the user experience it’s hard to say, but the S20 FE is no slouch either and will likely remain snappy for quite a while.

Despite the Galaxy S21 having a smaller battery, the smaller display it needs to power and the more efficient system chip (as well as the adaptive refresh rate) should result in excellent battery life. Once we get to test it, we’ll add here the exact numbers from our battery life tests so you can easily compare the two phones.

Overall, however, the Galaxy S21’s lead over the S20 FE is still marginal, maybe the cameras will tilt the scales? Let’s see!

Galaxy S21 vs Galaxy S20 FE camera comparison

Cameras are key for every flagship phone. So, what is Samsung offering users with its cheapest Galaxy S21 model compared to the budget Galaxy S20 FE. Here’s the hardware side of it:

Camera specs	Galaxy S21	Galaxy S20 FE
Main	12MP, OIS, PDAF	12MP, OIS, PDAF
Second	12MP Ultra wide	12MP Ultra wide
Third	64MP Telephoto	8MP 3X Telephoto
Front	10MP	32MP

Main and ultra wide sensors are pretty much identical (there are some slight differences) and for telephoto, the S20 FE is using a camera with actual optical zoom unlike the Galaxy S21, which uses a large sensor and crops for zoom. Which approach gives the better results, we’ll know for sure once we take both phones out for a camera comparison.

The Galaxy S21’s chip allows for some new camera software features which the Galaxy S20 FE will lack, but most of those will likely have niche application in real life regardless of how cool they look in marketing materials. Again, we’ll have to wait and see, but the quick conclusion at the moment is that the Galaxy S21 doesn’t seem to offer anything next-gen compared to the S20 FE.

Galaxy S21 vs Galaxy S20 FE software comparison

Moving on to software, the Galaxy S21 will be released with Samsung’s One UI based on Android 11. Some Galaxy S20 FE units are already receiving the update that brings Android 11, but depending on your carrier/country, you might have to wait a while longer. In short, the software experience will be the same on both phones. One UI is a heavily modified version of the so-called stock Android, you can learn more about it from our Samsung One UI 3.0 review. One UI 3.1 will bring some new features and design changes.

The biggest software difference we expect to see is in a year or two, the Galaxy S21 receiving a major software update that the Galaxy S20 FE won’t get. But those are concerns for another time.

Galaxy S21 vs Galaxy S20 FE price comparison

Time to put all those specs and features into perspective by adding a price tag to each phone.

Galaxy S21 price: $799
Galaxy S20 FE price: $699

Samsung pleasantly surprised its fans this years by slashing the prices of its new S21 phones by $200. At $800, the Galaxy S21 is just $100 more than the Galaxy S20 FE. The S20 FE can easily be found for $599 right now, but we’re sure discounts for the Galaxy S21 will start popping up in a few months and carriers will definitely have some nice promos right after the Galaxy S21’s launch.

So, we’re dealing with a $100-200 difference. Is the Galaxy S21 bringing $100 worth of features on the table? It’s hard to say right now. On paper, you have to really care for cutting-edge performance and the smaller body to fork out the extra cash for the Galaxy S21. Ultimately, it might come down to the camera performance and battery life. The Galaxy S20 FE value is hard to beat, but with its new, lower price tag, the Galaxy S21 could pull off a win. Our hands-on experience with the Galaxy S21 will be the deciding factor and we can’t wait to put it through its paces and deliver the final verdict. Either way, we’ll know soon enough!

Source