S21 FE - Don't Listen To The Hate

Samsung S21 FE vs. the Pixel 6. The best phones under $600
Available Here - amzn.to/3rg8yFE
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[@Dave2D]

S21 FE > Pixel 6 (unless they can fix the 5000 bugs)

[@AaronMobileGaming]

Oneplus 9 pro vs Samsung s21 FE? mmm...

[@preetamS]

Finally someone praising the plastic back phones, the glass backs are just to be kept inside a cover.. which again is a plastic, why not purchase plastic in the first place, which keeps the cost down as well

[@luigideff]

Google just dropped today the January update with a lot of fixes

[@clickbaitpro]

Extra year of update worth S21 Fe over the regular S21

[@DemeDemetre]

i would flash some other android onto it tbh

[@aayushjain2438]

randomly quitting twitter might be a quality of life feature honestly

[@Dave2D]

lol. true

[@rajneesh8960]

Bruh 😂

[@abhinayarahuls7880]

@@rajneesh8960 😂

[@revantsrivastava7463]

lmao

[@tom_marsden]

Digital Wellbeing enabled

[@ranniesd]

The pixel glass cracking animation is gold 🤣

[@tnh723]

My highscool lunch money went to Street Fighter 2 ♡

[@amanrastogi8615]

Exactly. Beautiful and creative

[@nawalmansuri7715]

Exactly

[@Sadik-568]

Haha it had me laughing too

[@josstav1397]

Hahahahahahha very comic

[@susanaattaway4329]

Had the S21 FE for about a week now, I upgraded from an S9. Zero remorse, literally none, even after seeing the S22 launch, none! It performs beautifully only issue I've noticed is when restarting the device it's a little sluggish loading everything but it's easy for me to ignore that seeing as the overall performance is awesome. Thanks for confirming a good choice. 👍 👌

[@USMC19777]

you can get the s21 fe for $499 right now

[@dirtydirtsgt4751]

All androids tend to lag after restart

[@aleksandarpetrov434]

@@USMC19777 where??

[@USMC19777]

@@aleksandarpetrov434 best buy

[@aleksandarpetrov434]

@@USMC19777 It's 830$ in best buy Canada

[@djross95]

I could not agree more, Dave. This was the exact choice I was faced with when contemplated an upgrade from my Pixel 4a 5G. I went with the FE from Best Buy at $499. Net of my trade-in, my cost was $275. The phone has been problem free for me and the specs and value for money are terrific. And I love the plastic back and HATE glass-backed phones! I wanted to get the Pixel for its cleaner Android build, but the problems just don't seem to be going away for many.

[@autosaver]

It’s nice to see tech reviewers acknowledge the sales tactics that Samsung employs. Almost every other video was laughing at the MSRP without realizing that the phone is likely to go on sale every other day.

[@TaureanSmoke]

Yeah this is why I don't really like watching KZbinrs anymore they don't understand the business practices of these phone manufacturers. Samsung phones are very cheap and they break easily that's why they go on sale every 3 days but Dave 2D doesn't understand that a pixel phone is higher quality than a Samsung that's why they didn't go on sale on Black Friday because it's not just some cheap piece of technology that you just push out the door because you got to get rid of them that Samsung's business model. Google wants to make a flawless phone because flawless people buy them. Samsung just doesn't care that's why they sold the phone that was melting in people's pockets it's very clearly just about the money for Samsung!

[@DeepakRaofletcher]

@@TaureanSmoke HA! HA! that just made me laugh, I might need to know your definition of *FLAWLESS PEOPLE* and *FLAWLESS PHONES* , cause all I've been hearing lately is about all the bugs that have been plaguing pixel users.

[@BigTadger]

@@TaureanSmoke I mean pixel phones aren't made good at all but I get your point but you also don't have much of a clue

[@imgettingold9407]

@@TaureanSmoke imagine thinking google is more durable than samsung

[@TaureanSmoke]

@@DeepakRaofletcher from people that aren't using the phone but if you're an actual user like me bugs on a pixel or the same as bugs on a Samsung or OnePlus and ironically I have all those phones and yeah the experience is pretty much the same! Don't be brainwashed by the internet

[@ashishkumawat6110]

I loved how someone actually talked about the practicality of things and not just the on paper and technical promises... Great Job Dave2D

[@j.powellnetwork]

This was exactly my experience too when I had the pixel 6 pro. I returned mine and got the S21 FE instead. Super happy with it.

[@tristinyaeger9222]

I bought a pixel 6 and returned it 3 days later because I had so many daily annoyances and bugs with it, I got an s21 instead and use a stock Android skin, the experience has been so much better.

[@_Marc_D]

I wonder how many people have returned their Pixel 6s… I also returned mine!

[@Ziadgamer3218]

Why would you get the s21 fe?? Galaxy s21 (the base s21) can be found cheaper at Amazon and it's basically better in every way.

[@OdubintheSix]

I just sold my pixel 6 because I just had it with all the little annoyances. Going to get an s22+

[@riccardomakananghiem9329]

@@Ziadgamer3218 I keep the S21 for two weeks. The thing that anyone say is that 6.2 inches in 20:9 is a crap. S21 Fe is 6.4 in 19:5:9. Different thing

[@smolzillamakes]

Got the January update for my pixel 6. Went to it from my iPhone 8 and I've seen a hearty jump in improvements. Shouldn't be this buggy at all but I'm happy some of the annoying things I was dealing with got fixed

[@JetBen555]

The better choice is the regular S21. Since it came out almost a year ago, its always on sales every where so you can get it for pretty much the same price as the FE (or even cheaper)

[@landon1136]

True, fe seems pointless and it feels so cheap. I’m fine with plastic backs, my 4a5g has one but the s21 fe feels hollow and terrible in comparison. S21 feels great on the other hand even though it’s also plastic

[@theyoutuber273]

The regular is 21 looks awsome, and you could find it cheaply in the US, but not everywhere. I agree with you in the US, but samsung doesn't have that agressive pricing out of the US.

[@vimukthisankalpa2805]

Regular S21 has worse battery life

[@9snaga]

@@vimukthisankalpa2805 note 20 user... All Samsungs have subpar battery life in my opinion.

[@robertcharron749]

@@theyoutuber273 True, in Canada the S21 when on sale is still $1,000 ($980). Ridiculous; that's why iPhones are where they are today...in the hands of the majority of young people, thanks to Samsung.

[@LeFatalpotato]

For a phone called fan edition, the lack of headphone jack and SD card expansion seriously bugs me. Of course a moot point in comparison between pixel and fe.

[@bobbybaeX]

FE is just a budget version of the premium galaxy phones

[@LeFatalpotato]

@@bobbybaeX old fe used to have a headphone jack if I remember correctly.

[@bobbybaeX]

@@LeFatalpotato So did all samsungs phones. But almost every major phone brand has choosen to remove the headphone jack

[@LeFatalpotato]

@@bobbybaeX old as in one year old. Samsung phones have been missing headphone Jacks for a couple of years now. I liked the fact that they added the option to the FE when the original phone was lacking it. It showed an understanding of what "fans" are looking in a phone.

[@halo2bounceguy]

@@LeFatalpotato nope my S20 FE does not

[@ColinRichardsonMUSIC]

Absolutely bang on when it comes to sales prices on the S21 FE. Got it with my carrier for essentially half price thanks to promos + accessories tossed in

[@sajedul_alam]

I love your reviews because I feel like it's me talking about the phone. The series of emotion you get through in a review is so much fun 😁

[@kevinpeng8295]

So many bots

[@junior-OG]

@@kevinpeng8295 😡

[@TheRealZenMaster]

It's called real world usage.

[@guitaripod]

I mean no disrespect, but what you're saying is you like it cause he's echoing your views. Not a review at that point, just a cirklejerk 😅

[@bijitachoudhury2759]

Pablo Escobar ♥️

[@onapersonalnote7045]

The plastic back of the 21 FE feels amazing tbh. I thought it'd feel cheap, but it ended up being more premium feeling than the 21 and 21 plus.

[@icedcoffeecapricorn]

I don't know about more premium but I agree that it does feel premium.

[@HanSolo__]

It's been in Europe for 1 year and it didn't sell. A52 or A52s is 1000000x better option.

[@AbsoleteAim]

@@HanSolo__ Not at all

[@kia8077]

Interesting opinion. Personally I felt the opposite. The plastic back is so low quality feeling to my touch, a party gag I do with the s21 is to put it against my mouth and blow into the microphone holes. It literally inflates the plastic back of the phone into a bubble. Not premium feeling in my opinion, but to each their own.

[@corey7219]

I was just in a best buy store today and I compared the s21 fe and s20 fe (my phone). I liked the back of the phone and the fact that doesn't have a silver ring anymore is awesome!

[@willimanga740]

these long term reviews are so much more useful when deciding between 2 phones, there are so many small details about phones that you have to deal with everyday ... 120 hz becomes irrelevant after a few days, the brightness of your screen dropping to 1 in plain day light is something that will annoy you all day every day

[@juliantaffa4089]

I'm a really big fan of 120Hz, makes everything so much smoother

[@Benjy86]

I have to disagree that 120hz becomes irrelevant after a few days. Yes, it may not be something you consciously pay attention to, but overall it makes the UI experience soooooooo much more fluid. Try switching back to 60hz after a few days and you'll see what I mean 🤣

[@Vnm-sh1jv]

Man, even the s20 fe was better than my current s21 ultra in so many levels. I honestly would get the s21 FE. It was the best, affordable flagship quality phone in the market.

[@Savage_7_99]

Could you elaborate more on why?

[@Vnm-sh1jv]

@@Savage_7_99 that was a year ago. I don't remember lol. I just know it was as fast, the settings were better placed, the camera was really good and uh... I think it also had 120ghz for a cheaper price phone.

[@Samuel-bu7xr]

In New Zealand, the S21 FE costs more than the S21 at launch. Pricing makes no sense 🤦

[@V0ayger]

That's Samsung for ya..

[@hairynigga6464]

@@V0ayger ye ye samsung is our world leader who can control prices anywhere

[@tusharkardam2282]

Yes even in India it costs freaking 800$ approx*

[@SweetSourGhost]

Maybe because of the spec .

[@boulangiu9533]

@Ghost G nah man, they make a 25% profit or maybe even more of that phone.Usually it should be around 15% under normal circumstances but they usually do it at 20%.They have a mid-life crisis back in South Korea...probably

[@kunshanand1433]

Always like your reviews Dave! Minimal and straight to the point

[@ChrisHall]

I had the Pixel 4a for about 2 years. After about a year it too started having some of the same issues that you mentioned the Pixel 6 does. Currently purchased the S21 FE. So far, so good.

[@VanjaTrikic]

I had the A52 that had a very smooth plastic back, and now almost 2 years later I got the S21 FE, which also has that niceee back of the phone. Really like it, feels nice on hand.

[@relaxtothemaxxx]

I am always handsdown impressed whenever Dave2D explains something out of a new product particularly of a smartphone. I used to get confused with these products and launches and specs and all that stuff but Dave2D always saves my day and because of that I understand more about the product and the difference between them.. Thanks Man! I Salute You!! 😊👍

[@TaureanSmoke]

Wow the fact that you feel like a KZbinr that's lying about a product is good is sad. Dude told you the worst phone was the better phone the whole internet says the pixel 6 is better the whole internet has a perfect experience with the pixel 6 and yet one KZbinr tells you that the pixel 6 is a terrible phone and you shouldn't buy it and you believe them the dude literally told you he doesn't see the point with the internet saying that the pixel 6 is better that's because everybody under the Sun is having a good experience with a pixel 6 because it's literally a better phone and is cheaper this is why you have to hate KZbin they will always point you in the wrong direction and it's the KZbinrs favorite direction.

[@1llixir]

@@TaureanSmoke Not sure if he's lying but definitely agree that he's biased. Had it been a OnePlus, he'd never go out of his way to mention the bugs coz he's biased towards the brand. And the "sale" point is what really made me laugh. That was just prime shitting on a phone for no reason.

[@gabrielchan3298]

@@TaureanSmoke Dude wrote the longest sentence I ever seen in my life

[@LOUISVILLECARDINALS]

I had the OnePlus 9 had connectivity issues with 2 of them got a S21+ next had issues with that device as well then bought the Pixel 6 haven't had any issues with it so i definitely would never buy a device based on this guy's recommendation

[@TaureanSmoke]

@@1llixir I don't know when you say stuff just for clicks or just to sway other people's opinion that's still a lie in my book when it's not true. But I can't say I don't agree with 90% of your statement.

[@zebrastripe665]

I wish glass backs had never become a thing! I miss plastic backs with removable batteries.

[@mrincredible7114]

Me too bro I can have 6 batteries at a time

[@vedaryan334]

Wireless charging tho

[@SIPEROTH]

@@vedaryan334 Destroying your battery life though, that you can no longer replace yourself.

[@Hugodenbeste]

@@vedaryan334 My LG G3 had removable back and wireless charging.

[@mastropieros]

I'm shocked and positively surprised on how your videos keep getting better and better Dave. Each time I feel you are at your peak, you prove me wrong and reach new heights. Best tech channel on KZbin, period.

[@Jack_Meadows]

I appreciate the great review Dave... I just found the S21 FE on sale for $499 and you really helped me drown out allot of the noise. I was really tempted to pickup a pixel 6, but paying more for that phone just doesn't make sense. Thanks !

[@nitashajohnson4767]

It's a good device. My only issue is that it doesn't have eSim or a Dual sim slot. But it's a great device for the price point.

[@HectorMartinez]

I had to get the 20FE because of chip shortages last year, and it's very solid. I'd rather have more power going to tablets where you can notice the graphics and play more. The phone is pretty much for social, GPS and email.

[@Ag3nt0fCha0s]

So why not do that with an A1, or whatever Samsung's budget option is these days?

[@_Makanko_]

@@Ag3nt0fCha0s first world problems...

[@huyduongquang1438]

@@Ag3nt0fCha0s well honestly the budget options are much better than before, but the performance headroom is still kinda bad, once you get busy with the phone, it's really annoying to restart every 30 mins. I think those budget phones would be nice as backup phones, but for daily "carefree" usage, it's better to have something at least like A5 or some older S model

[@d1st1nct]

@@Ag3nt0fCha0s It's impossible to have "great" experience even for navigation or social media with low-end models. The price of the smartphones are roughly equal to their video performance. If it's good, the device is pricey.

[@Ag3nt0fCha0s]

@@d1st1nct my A41 does everything well enough that I have only it and a laptop. And the laptop is rarely used.

[@TechOutAdam]

I love the fan edition better than the other models they’ve come out with. The Pixel 6 is awesome but I can’t trust the reliability.

[@akshatgosain1974]

Standard s21 is just million times better than s21 fe, for same price

[@TheRoobv]

@@akshatgosain1974 Fe is better tho

[@mihir1205]

@@TheRoobv how

[@akshatgosain1974]

@@TheRoobv not at all bro. Compared to regular s21, s21 FE has downgraded display, bezel-chin, downgraded telephoto cam, downgraded haptics, downgraded under display fingerprint scanner(ultrasonic to optical), downgraded speakers, downgraded build quality, thermals, and on top of that, it comes with A11 out of box, same as s21. Atleast should've come with A12. Soo many compromises, for same price, or even if 50$ less, are just not justifiable. Either buy regular s21, or pixel 6, or best to wait 1month for S22 series.

[@TaureanSmoke]

The pixel 6 is the most reliable Android phone on the market don't listen to this lying KZbinr. The pixel 6 is a perfect phone this guy just paid by Samsung to say the worst phone is the better one $700 for plastic and Samsung bugs I'm good. KZbinrs like this always ignore Samsung and Apple's issues that's why you can never listen to them. Cuz if we're saying Samsung has better software than Google you very clearly haven't used the s20 s21 or the s21 Fe

[@militarydocumentariesinc.7007]

Spot on video ! I have also had all the same problems with my Pixel and ready to kick it to the curb and grab something else. Keep up the vids.

[@teddeyishere]

I have been going back and forth back and forth for literal months, but I'm at a carrier that offers the S21 FE for $399.99, and we finally have it at our store so I'm just going with that over the pixel 6. Plus I wanted that 120hz over 90 so I think I'll be happy with this choice.

[@MikoKnight]

"Premium" materials are the biggest scam of the phone industory. My "premium" OnePlus 7 Pro with the glass back and metal frame looks like garbage and I am one who takes good care of his stuff, the only time I dropped it and even caught the drop with my foot partially, it broke my back glass. It's heavier, gets scratched quicker and looks worse as soon as it's damaged, the metal started shaving randomly and it isn't just a little cut like it would be with plastic which then smooths out usually, this is razor sharp and the frame around the camera is sharp as well and is literally damaging the tables I put it on. There's no plus with these premium materials like glass and metal, none.

[@sdiggly]

Thank you! I need a new phone but am dreading the "premium" materials of the 6 Pro.. it's waaay heavier than my current phone and I'm sure the glass will crack. My wife's iPhone back glass cracked in week 1.

[@Alex-de7rz]

Bought S21FE (previously using A52) as i want to feeling a bit of premium phones feeling since i never bought the 'pricier' one (at least where i lived), and yeah its good, especially the display, its amazing, the only thing i hope they improve is the camera when capturing images on night/low light, it didn't deliver as good as expected, hopefully software update can improve this.

[@mxyznk]

Wow what? A52 wasn't that bad of a phone from what I know, what's the major difference except the chipset?

[@shreyashasane9100]

@@mxyznk i have the A52, ..you dont get metal chasis, pro cameras (except main one, its good) and Dex feature.. which are present on S21

[@lkcbharath]

@@shreyashasane9100 i think Dex is on a52 too as a developer tool feature

[@venomshubrata8194]

Use Gcam. You will forget stock camera app

[@josesandate9260]

Hey man I just subscribed to you. Awesome work Dave!

[@tristinyaeger9222]

Bought a pixel 6 a week ago because all the reviews recommended it and I generally like stock Android, I returned it 3 days later because it was so buggy and annoying to use. It takes two swipes to turn off Wi-Fi, you can't switch sound output unless something is actively in the media player, the fingerprint sensor was so slow and got so many false readings that just opening my phone was an annoyance, I had a slower connection periodically than my wife's iPhone SE from the same carrier, and auto rotate would periodically just not work at all. There are a lot of features I really miss but it was just so annoying to use day to day.

[@fruitenantcolonel9207]

The real Question is do we get S21 FE over the S20 FE 5G. It's about 30% cheaper during sales and comes with a snapdragon 865 instead of the Exynos 2100 (in India). This could be the real S21 FE killer unless Samsung Kills it soon.

[@SweatyFeetGirl]

S21 Fe already has the Snapdragon 888 outside america..

[@vedaryan334]

@@SweatyFeetGirl honestly sd 865 is better

[@fruitenantcolonel9207]

@@SweatyFeetGirl Didn't know that other countries had the 888 too. Edited my comment to only say India.

[@snehanshourya3850]

I'd say definitely save the money and go for s20fe.

[@ayzu7670]

Exynos 2100 ain't that bad. It's been vastly improved over previous versions.

[@ScottishBonobo]

Had similar issues with my pixel 6 the adaptive brightness is the main one for me but I've also had charging issues as well. Quite frustrating

[@andrehb]

yup dealbreaker

[@nemezzyyzz]

What the hell with the bots

[@mikldude9376]

Sorry to hear it mate . Build quality has never been a strong point for pixels imo . if you look back in history , for some reason the software giant seems to have more than its share of issues , even my brothers 3 xl has issues today . After all these years you would think they would have an idea how to build a phone without problems . Not a fan of either , but if i had to pick one , i would probably go the galaxy .

[@ZeerakImran]

Pixels always have a major flaw - screen issues, microphone prone to breaking, terrible battery. In terms of reliability pixel is a no go. Google doesn't care about the pixel unfortunately. Google also has a reputation for being like this with most of their services. They used to cheap out on hardware while charging so much. They've lowered their prices now though. Different target market. Just to maintain their low effort. Android is also lagging behind tbh.

[@roahnosh]

But but my Pixel 6 is flawless /s

[@darthraider450]

4:10 Pixel 6 had some insane sales in the UK, going as low as £450 for the 6 and £600 for the 6 Pro

[@noormalik9761]

thank you for your video. i just bought FE on June 03, 2022 and was feeling bad after watching some negative reviews but after watching your video feeling much better! the phone does over warm but otherwise it is a great phone overall!

[@sgregorybird]

I literally want a white S21FE even though I have a Note 20U and S Flip 3. I like the design tweaks over the S21 and it seems like a generally well rounded package, especially once they start selling for $200 off in another month or two.

[@daddyknowsbest2341]

Hello. Not sure what region you are in, or if you are locked to a carrier, but in my region metropcs (if you do the prepaid thing) is offering the S21FE for $299.99 when you switch your number over.

[@confused.cat.]

@@daddyknowsbest2341 that's an amazing deal

[@ive_beenthere_2638]

I have the white one and it's an amazing device. No issues whatsoever. I imagine the performance is on par with the flagship devices. I'm loving mines.

[@MaxClyde]

more KZbinrs should make updated reviews after using devices for a while

[@Mafer.Vz89]

I think I'm very grateful for my pixel, I haven't had any bugs on apps or animations or fingerprint sensor, it actually is pretty fast and accurate. And I haven't had the S21FE but I did just watch a video from another review where it cracked quite easily (it wasn't a durability video) they literally just wanted to see what could happen with a casual drop from the pocket and the bump from the camera cracked, they did the same drop with the S21+ and nothing happened (they even dropped it a couple more times and nothing). So I guess plastic and glass have their good and bads

[@MustachioFurioso9134]

Dave, the issues you're having are EXACTLY the same as I'm having with my OnePlus 8. It's so freaking annoying! So I feel you there. The adaptive brightness just randomly drops down to dim, autorotate doesn't work...fingerprint randomly doesn't read...I've factory reset it... So yeah, I 100% get where you're coming from

[@PouyaKhadem]

Dave is the best tech reviewer on KZbin, period. He totally gets what actual consumers want and gives relatable opinions. Thanks and keep up the good work 💪

[@RossParker84]

Good review. I have to say I'm quite tempted by the S21 FE. Maybe an unpopular opinion, but I actually prefer the look of this to the standard S21. Just waiting to see if it gets discounted once the S22 drops.

[@andrewpm2]

Love your content and practical thoughts. Much appreciated

[@wht-rabt-obj]

Just ordered one of these and I can't wait for it to come! 😎

[@Motokeuh]

Would've loved to hear your opinion on software experience in general. I love the clean android experience phones like pixel and OnePlus offer, dislike the bloatware on Samsung's. But then again, I haven't had a Samsung in ages, so your take on this would be awesome!

[@nikshiith]

But Samsung doesn't have any bloatware on its flagships. It just has bloatware on budget mobiles. They do so inorder to cut the price of the budget phones.

[@-Burb]

@@nikshiith I moved from an Iphone 5s to a Galaxy S8 when it came out and the horrible bloatware and software experience turned me off of samsung for good. Im back on an iphone now and am thinking of switching to android again, but theres no way Im even trying samsung after my experiences with them last time.

[@seb9940]

@@-Burb no one is forcing you lmao. There is no bloatware tho thats all hes saying. Most iphone users think samsung users are forced to only use bixby and all the other samsung apps, but i use all the google app versions without any problems.

[@jasimaneesahamed1033]

@@-Burb That was back in 2017, fast forward to 2022, and they are almost in line with Pixels and other "stock-Android" brands when it comes to bloatware

[@jasimaneesahamed1033]

Samsung phones don't have much bloat nowadays. Sure some Microsoft apps, but this could be useful for some, useless for others. The overall UI/UX is more like Samsung taking its own spin on Stock Android elements. Overall, its a fresher experience compared to Stock Android FYI: I have used both One UI from versions 1.0 till 3.1 and Stock Android for like a long time now, from Android 6.0 till Android 11, so am not doing a biased review.

[@BuDu-ms2qe]

I got the FE a couple of weeks ago and I'm thoroughly enjoying it. Even after the S22 launch I am not having buyer's remorse. at 448 usd out of pocket plus 100 usd BB GC even better.

[@justetan3566]

i was wondering, since i'd like to have more than 4-5 hours SOT, does power saving mode ( i would use it mainly to reduce the 888 speed to 70% since the chip is kinda power hungry) actually improve to atleast 6 and half oe maybe 7 under wi fi?

[@BuDu-ms2qe]

@@justetan3566 either way you'll have plenty of sot with the 4500 mAh battery. I get 18 hours of usage on 70% worth of battery

[@foth3rmucker]

@@BuDu-ms2qe how do you rate it after a month? camera, performance?

[@BuDu-ms2qe]

@@foth3rmucker honestly from 0 to 10 I'll give it an 8. mainly because the display could be a little bit brighter and a tad bigger. Also the speakers could be a bit louder. Otherwise camera and performance are very good. Everyday photos and social media are like any other phone. I'm not a camera geek so it does the job just fine. I'm getting over a day of battery life which is big for me. The biggest plus is that I'm not financing the thing for 2-3 years. I guarantee you my next phone will be an FE edition.

[@lrajoo11]

great review! people need to hear this

[@CandyGirl44]

I bought the FE for my hubby after his S7 fried - he wanted to stay in the Samsung family, even though in our country it's still ridiculously expensive. He's still getting used to the much larger screen size, but really enjoying it. I'm waiting for the S22

[@EdwinRodriguez-zt5fx]

I picked up my S20 FE on December 2020 (just 2 months after release) for $200 on a 2 year contract with Tmobile. It has been, by far, the best money I've spent on any smartphone.

[@AlexRubio]

The galaxy s20 Fe has lasted and love the flat screen so the s21 looks very good for me. Only thing I have to find out is if the spen can work on it

[@BAMTech22]

It doesn’t unfortunately

[@AlexRubio]

@@BAMTech22 dam..

[@johnalfredgare1723]

Watching again this vid on my new S21 FE. Thanks for the review, Dave.

[@mohammedkenadid2336]

I always enjoy watching your reviews.

[@mohammedkenadid2336]

Ha ha ha. It was a genuine complement!

[@rafacnavarro]

It's insane how different are the prices compared here to Brazil. I've just paid U$ 340 for a S21 Fe and they also gave me Galaxy Buds 2 as a gift. Just for comparison, a iPhone 13 Pro Max would cost here something like U$ 1399. That's crazy!

[@DanielClear2]

Bought S20 FE (Snapdragon) recently. It is great. No performance issues, great camera. Got the latest One UI 4 (A12) update. The battery is also improved with the update. I don't even think about it anymore. I come home with at least 30% (using LTE).

[@Prithvidiamond]

How is One UI 4 update, is it stable or is it buggy?

[@AravindRp112]

@@Prithvidiamond Stable so far. Haven't noticed anything wrong.

[@Prithvidiamond]

@@AravindRp112 great to hear that, I will update my phone too then

[@GeekAbhishek]

Totally agree with you

[@DustinGorman]

Loved the video, as always. Dave... how can you stand your watch to be on your wrist like that? That drives me crazy!

[@danpluso]

I just went with the S21 FE over the Pixel 6. With the FE sales currently on, the FE was actually $30 cheaper so it seemed like the right choice. I almost got the S20 FE because it was a good deal and has the SD card slot. But in the end, I decided the Snapdragon 888 and extra year of support would be worth the extra $120. Just sad about the lack of SD card slot on the S21 FE :(

[@exudosid]

Actually, you're getting 2 extra years of software support and 3 extra years of security support starting with S21 according to Samsung's new policy so cheers! You just dodged a bullet.

[@ianb.1603]

I feel the same way, but I actually went with the 256gb model because of the lack of sd slot, and it also comes with 8gb ram, instead of 6gb which does make a noticeable difference.

[@e21big]

Are you sure that the FE has one more year of software though? I remember that when I check a page on their S10 and Note10 Lite, both phones were having the same end of software update period as the regular S10 despite coming nearly a year late, which mean they don't exactly have more support compare to the regular model. Not sure about this FE though.

[@muhammadhaziqbinzafri870]

Yes it can update to android 15 meanwhile normal s21 only to android 14

[@jasimaneesahamed1033]

Yep Samsung will provide 3 platform upgrades. Till Android 15, whereas S21 series (including the Ultra lol) will be updated till Android 14.

[@MRJLS15]

Great video always love your input

[@AbhishekSharma-bl7ih]

Hi Dave great videos...In India we dont officially get the Pixels but there are some good competitively priced chinese flagship phones that go on sale on Amazon or Flipkart and are priced similar or even less than the S21FE so apart from the launch price I would anytime prefer a Samsung device for being a brand that has been a consistent performer over the years and maintained good quality across the board. I think Oneplus 9RT is the obvious competitor to it which is selling for less than the S21FE at launch, apart from the aforementioned chinese flagships like Realme, Oppo, Xiaomi, etc. and to some extent the Asus ROG Phone and not considering the Iphone 12 on sale I believe this is a solid choice for Android users who want to go with a reliable everyday performer. How about a comparison with the Oneplus and Asus ROG phone.

[@carlosbalza504]

Bro, I've been having those exact same bugs with my Galaxy 20 since I update it to android 12. Specially the automatic brightness, it drop the brightness for no reason at all all the time. So the bugs on the nexus I don't think are a reason for skipping it, if anything more like a reason to skip Android. (Although not really, I assume they'll fix what ever they messed up)

[@carlosbalza504]

How annoying is it. That my response it's remove immediately, but your scam isn't?

[@austincodes]

I really wanted to get the pixel 6 but I figured that the massive software and hardware changes would have some bugs in the beginning. I think I'm gonna wait for the pixel 7

[@darsh2209]

I don't think the bugs will last for a very long time, you could consider buying the pixel 6 after a couple of months, if they still don't get solved you could look for other options

[@javierdominguez6007]

i have a Pixel 6 and I have encountered 0 bugs since I bought the phone. Previously I had Samsungs ( s10 and 20) and the significant upgrade in software and processor ( I'm from Europe, Exynos :( ) are worth it. pixel 6 > Samsung FE imho.

[@tacocrunchies]

The only bug I've encountered since I've had the phone on launch was sometimes the icons aren't colored correctly to match my wallpaper. Other than that the phone has been perfectly fine for me.

[@javierdominguez6007]

@@tacocrunchies and that's is clearly a beta feature, so I don't know why many people talk like it's a bugfest. it's not

[@alexisaguirrevazquez7900]

@Zader Temyn Nobody gives a shit.

[@joshg6792]

Already got an s21 ultra a month ago, awesome review 👏.

[@nihalrao4991]

Waiting for Dave to start making sense. Might have to wait a long long time.

[@UncraftedPlays]

Had the exact same issues with my Pixel 5a; Ever since the official Android 12 launch, my phone has become a buggy mess and I've really been missing my Samsung S20+. It's gotten better with the January update, but I also miss Samsung KNOX and some other great features that are exclusive to their phones.

[@Mike-In-O-Town]

Two thoughts. One, I opted for the S20 FE last year and have been very happy with it. Getting it for $499 made it an even better buy. Two, the S21 FE coming out so close to the launch of the new S22's should result in some aggressive discounts being applied to it, so in the end it may be less expensive than the Pixel 6.

[@Arman-ff3kt]

I bought the S20 FE 4 months back for 299 dollars

[@TheManWithNoName786]

Yup, just got the S21 FE for £430 which i though was an excellent price. May drop even more by summer

[@metalhammer5]

@@Arman-ff3kt i brought it for free

[@milliemegel2500]

Great video , I just got minds a few days ago s21fe, AT&T made a mistake sending me the s21fe I ordered the s21plus , I opened the box not knowing it was the fe , turns out it's cheaper in price and all the reviews including yours all said ots a pretty good phone , so yeah il keeping it , thanks for the review

[@wonskrad7240]

thanks for this! since google pixel 6 is not available in my country. im now confident to choose S21 FE as my next company phone and daily driver.. subbed!

[@assassinul95]

I honestly never understood glass back on phones, My s9 went trough 3 glass backs meanwhile the screen was just fine.

[@silverrayleigh6284]

Yeah..... Metal back is just better.

[@Concabar7]

Been using the S21 fe for the last month and it is so good. It got it for about 620 dollars and it did not disappoint. Even the exynos 2100 is faster than the Google tensor, never mind the snapdragon 888🤦🏻‍♂️

[@arch391]

All the chips are manufactured by Samsung...

[@Concabar7]

@@arch391 Maybe, but the point is - Samsung doesn't put the inferior Tensor in its phones.

[@arch391]

@@Concabar7 yes...But when you own a separate market for processor and display, we can expect them to do much better than this...I wanted them to innovate...But they are too busy chasing their rivals that they don't even know that they have launched too many "almost similar" products too many times...and rather than innovating they too believe in profits and cost cutting and help our environment by providing the limited amount of items with their smartphone...

[@Concabar7]

@@arch391 Yes I agree, they all take part in this cost cutting game. I do feel that the S21 fe got a bit of hate due to its price and release date, however it is still a more favourable phone than the Pixel at the moment.

[@cidsx]

Thanks for the honest review of the pixel. I've been going insane because my 4a's battery life is dying after two hours after updating to android 12. It's horrible and I'm tired of it.

[@lrajoo11]

The insights on plastic as a better material and how the Samsung is designed to go on sale are so important - awesome stuff.

[@dontmatter4423]

6:18 damn apple is still sitting on the throne of performance AND efficiency while being a generation behind. Not that I care much for performance, since it's insignificant at this point, but this is really impressive.

[@DeepteshLovesTECH]

Definitely not as flexible for a power user. That's a big deal.

[@dontmatter4423]

@@DeepteshLovesTECH how do u "poweruse" a phone?? A midranger is more than enough for an average user, just bc microchip perf and efficiency have improved immensely

[@DeepteshLovesTECH]

@@dontmatter4423 I have a 4 year old Zenfone Max Pro M1, it's 115usd. It's my daily driver, I do things on it that iOS won't allow me to in a million years. It's just the way Android works and the things it allows it's users to do. Will be buying a new phone in the coming month. Android platform has a ton of options, will choose something in the 400usd range, use it for the next 4-5 years. Staying in a walled garden has advantages like a tailored experience (efficiency) but way too many compromises when not in any closed ecosystem.

[@Cosplayinghuman]

@@DeepteshLovesTECH wow you still use that phone, mine died last year due to very less battery, you had a battery change or something?

[@dontmatter4423]

@@DeepteshLovesTECH ok..... i was talking about performance and efficiency only, dont know where all that came from

[@ouonouanwilfried-desire7758]

To be honest I am not comparing that phone with Pixel 6. I compare the S21 Fe with the regular S21 that you can find currently at a lower price.

[@abrar859]

yes but the s21 has a slightly smaller screen and will only get two more years of software updates (if you get it now) compared to 3 on the FE. Really makes no sense in choosing the s21 at this point

[@robertcharron749]

I agree; the Pixel 6 and 6 Pro are history, gone to the abyss of Google hell. The S21 you can get for $150 less than the S21 FE, and it's the better phone. * You want a bigger screen than the S21; just get the S21+ for the same price as the S21 FE.

[@alpha5124]

@@robertcharron749 but with the s21fe u still have 3years of software updates. Only 2 left for the s21

[@mouth7137]

@@alpha5124 The fe also uses a 3x optical zoom camera instead of cropping on a 64mp 1.1x camera

[@newbshifu1624]

What a brilliant review! More what the users want to know.

[@eulgwapo2]

OMFGGGGGGGGG THAT STREET FIGHTER SCENE TOOK ME TO PLACES!! DAMN SON, FELT NOSTALGIC THERE!!

[@chrisgousias8096]

S21 fe its an amazing divice . Perfect at all parts. For me it was so worth bc i bought it cheaper and plus that they gave me galaxy buds 2.

[@nami1540]

just got the s21 fe for 350. I think that is a pretty good option today. Just wondering whether green will turn out great of if I should have gone with black

[@seiru]

Another thing I'd like to add is that you can easily get the google camera app by side loading it on the samsung. It won't be perfect or work as seamlessly as on a pixel but, you'll get the basic software enhancement of the google camera app and most likely almost pixel grade quality snaps.

[@itssomeoneelse]

Love that G-shock GA2100 series with the AP Royal Oak design.

[@tringuyen7519]

I am shocked at the TDP for the Snapdragon 8 gen 1. Sadly, the Exynos 2200 will probably be even worse in terms of TDP. Is there a problem with ARM v9?

[@Watchandlearn91]

I believe they are trying to compete with Apple's A series which have always been superior and the only way to try and get close is to bump up the wattage. Same thing Intel did when AMD came out with their Zen architecture and started being really competitive. They had to bump up their TDPs and that means higher heat output and worse battery life. Apple's A15 draws 25% less power and is about 15-20% better graphically and about 60% better CPU (single core) than the Snapgragon Gen 1 at the TDP they are putting it at now. At least that's my theory but who knows.

[@Evenmixer]

I’m also disappointed... I heard the Cortex X1 and X2 are the problem that can lead to throttling That's why the snapdragon S870 and the mediatek dimensity 1200 are seen as better value than the S888 No Cortex X1 core Let's see what the Exynos 2200 will do but some rumors already told that there are throttling problems while attempting to run some benchmarks

[@probablyaman]

One thing to note is that The snapdragon gen 1 is produced by Samsung foundry. While the A15 is made by TSMC. There has been issue with iPhone 6 before where the chips made by Samsung were overheating, while the ones made by TSMC does not. Ever since then apple only have TSMC as their chip supplier.

[@MrAria2000]

armv9 is not the problem

[@Dongzzzzzz]

It's samsung's fault. They make the SD 888 and exynos. The last thing tsmc touched was the sd 870.

[@mindenamidani1918]

I have to admit, I haven't noticed any stutter or bugs on my S20 FE so far and got android 12 as well. Definitely one of my most reliable phones so far.

[@fredvoid5976]

Android 11 is a little bit buggy, even On my samsung A20 and A52 5G

[@milena14791]

The power button fell off on my S20FE 😐 (I never drop it) Also, I'm having problems with the microphone. People can't hear me clearly when I call them.

[@bananafone1414]

@@milena14791 wtf? That definitely is a seller problem.

[@milena14791]

@@bananafone1414 The button problem is a big deal, but I can unlock my phone with two taps, so that's not bothering me. Also, the microphone problem got fixed when I updated the device to Android 12

[@bananafone1414]

@@milena14791 ah, glad to hear you are having a better experience now.

[@MartinOckovsky]

I recently bought Pixel 6 (previously Samsung s10, s7, nexus 6, galaxy nexus...) and I'm in love with the phone. But I agree with you, there are bugs. And it has to be called out. I just hope that they won't screw it and they'll fix it. I can never understand how programmers of that magnitude can release such a buggy software.

[@fishpaleryder393]

Although very minimalistic, I love the setup of your room with the diagonal walls.

[@TheMacco26]

I'd not recommend a Pixel 6 to a potential S21FE buyer. I would recommend a stock S21 vanilla version. Being available since 11 months it's so much cheaper than MSRP, yet superior on almost every way to S21FE. Unless S21FE drops way below its MSRP, of course.

[@tommylehomme8695]

what the fuck is MSRP

[@Ecastro179]

Yeah, i bought the s21 a few months ago near half the price on ebay and it's worth it. Maybe I would've liked the bigger battery in s21 Fe but besides that I like choosing the base 21 over the fe.

[@Ecastro179]

@@tommylehomme8695 it's the suggested retail price a retailer (Amazon, phone carriers, etc.) should sell a product.

[@TheMacco26]

@@tommylehomme8695 manufacturer's suggested retail price

[@agps4418]

ive been buying the interesting gadgets when they come out... laptops, tablets, smartwatch, but for a phone i really dont see any need to be so advanced.. mine is S10 lite and i don't see any necessity it doesnt accomplish

[@jasimaneesahamed1033]

S10 Lite is like one of the best mid-range phones Samsung ever made. Its so under-rated now in 2022.

[@zee9276]

you just made my purchase decision a lot easier. I think I'm guna go with Xiaomi Mi 11, I was confused b/w that and 6 pro. maybe 6 pro is not such a great choice right now.

[@AndrewHahaLee]

Ever since Jerry Rig tested the ceramic on the Mi 11 Ultra - and it scratches at lvl8 with deeper grooves at lvl9, and doesn't shatter, I just wished more phones used that material now.

[@legochicano]

Wish those prices were in CAD because it's starting price for a 128GB is closer to $1000 (at $949 on the Samsung Canada site). The Pixel 6 128GB model is $799 CAD which already wins on price even with all the bugs. Another great review Dave. Keep 'em coming.

[@robertcharron749]

Exactly; the S21 FE 5G is $949.99 in Canada. The Pixel phones I wouldn't get, even when the Pixel 6 was on sale for $699.99 Canadian. The S20 FE was also on sale for $699.99 Canadian. ...All unlocked phones. That last one (S20 FE 5G) comes with expanded storage (MicroSD card slot) and a charger inside the box. In the USA the S20 FE you can get for $499.99 to $549.99 (same as the S21). * Pixel 6 > No telephoto camera and full of bugs. Get the Samsung A52 5G instead for $490 Canadian when on sale.

[@xijinping4640]

@@robertcharron749 If a charger and a crappy 8mp telephoto are the only buying points then it's not worth it. The whole vid is outdated as they released the new update literally the other day.

[@robertcharron749]

@@xijinping4640 You need to change your avatar and name first before I exchange further with you. It is what it is.

[@kazuto1905]

I was looking at a iPhone 13 mini and it was over 1k Cad. 🤣🤣🤣🤣. Things are so expensive here hahaha.

[@robertcharron749]

In Kanada we have the highest cellular rates also. It's very expensive here to talk to people...because the land is large and it costs too much to install cell towers in the forests where only couple people Iive with the mooses. ...Same in igloo country.

[@realmountainman]

I like my pixel 6. Haven't had the same bugs that Dave mentioned but it does seem like this has been a rough launch for google. Coming from Samsung though I feel like the pixel 6 is a better more consistent phone.

[@LOUISVILLECARDINALS]

Same here I had all the bugs on my S21+ switched to pixel 6 haven't had any bugs

[@wolfwoof2000]

i have a pixel 4a since launch, love it, it just works i wish they come back to a phone like a pixel 5 in the future, love the simple and small look

[@Brunoxid0]

I just got the S21 Fe, and other than battery, all about it's amazing. The pixel is not sold where I live, so this wasn't an option, but I do like Motorola too and this year had some interesting stuff. But tbh what did it for me is samsung trade in. I put my A71 towards the new phone and, with an additional discount, got the FE for around 300 bucks. And for that price I think it's a steal.

[@ThomasJarvis117]

I feel like I've gotten so lucky that my Pixel hasn't gotten worse lol. January update is supposedly fixing most people's problems

[@EnterTheOrb]

same here. The only thing I dont like is how time I spend on it

[@jed23ify]

Supposed to……

[@lindadee2053]

Samsung changes the trade-in price of the S21FE 5g every few days. When I checked yesterday they wanted $475, but when I bought mine about 6 weeks ago, they were asking $325. I also had an extra 5% off coupon so it actually cost me $310. The S21FE 5g is an excellent phone with a gorgeous display and the 4500 mAh battery is definitely a plus. I knew I couldn't go wrong for $310 so I grabbed it right away before Samsung upped the price again. You just gotta keep checking Samsung's site every few days to get the lowest price for such an excellent phone.

[@haninch.8525]

How is the battery life? Also does it get overheated? I read some reviews about that I have an iPhone 8 and i wanna change my phone to s21 fe to get a Tablet with it, s6 lite (basically both at the price of iPhone 13) is this this a good idea?

[@lindadee2053]

@@haninch.8525 The battery life is just fine. I get about 8+ hours with continuous use; more with only occasional use, of course, and mine hasn't ever overheated at all. The SD888 chip has plenty of power for everything and the phone runs very smoothly. There's really nothing I dislike about this phone, and the price I got was just great. I thought I might miss the extra SDCard storage, but I've found it doesn't bother me at all since there are so many other extra storage options. It's definitely a very fine phone, and I'm very happy with it.

[@justinnewbold8703]

I've owned the pixel 6 since launch, owned a pixel 3 xl before. I've had a few bugs(apps crashing and the auto rotate) but overall the experience with the phone has been really excellent.

[@michalmariakukuca7859]

Bought one couple months ago. Definitely made the correct choice. It was actually this review, that did convince me - thanks for that!

[@MrBasforce]

I used pixel 6 for a week. When my note 20 ultra got android 12 i switched back. And Samsung did mind-blowing better job with software. No bugs and no unnecessary UI option changes. How google managed to lose this competition in situation when they developed this system in the first place?

[@ihavenoideahelp5239]

It got fixed yesterday with the update

[@TaureanSmoke]

Liar your pixel wasn't that buggy it had one or two bugs that got fixed 4 weeks ago. The pixel 6 wasn't a buggy mess on day one and it's not a buggy mess now stop lying for KZbin

[@ihavenoideahelp5239]

@@TaureanSmoke literally the entire godamn tech community agreed on the fact that pixel 6 and the pro got buggy as hell. Nobody lyin, you jus a fanboy

[@MrBasforce]

@@TaureanSmoke ~2 weeks ago: Picture in Picture - works only on KZbin app. Sound switches from bt headphones to speakers. Alarms don't work if you don't turn on alarm app/edit and save alarms. And more small ones, but my feeling was what ever i trying to do it was a problem. I dont give a F about YT, why i would lie? Im heavy tech user. Using phone for mobile apk testing work, and media control. I can say for sure, that's number of bugs was unbearable in comparison for flagship Samsung in the same price range. Maybe you don't use phone in such extensive way, so u don't notice this things.

[@NirudhaPerera]

I've been using a Pixel 6 for some time and for whatever reason have none of the mentioned issues. The only thing I am waiting to be fixed is the high bit rate LDAC connection being buggy. I do think the S21 FE is a good phone (the display is one of the plus points), especially the plastic which I think is superior to glass backs.

[@tristinyaeger9222]

I bought a pixel 6 a week ago and had so many bugs and issues with it that I returned it despite the fact that I love stock Android and a lot of the features that Google put into that phone.

[@SuperPizzafish]

Apart from the auto rotate not working sometimes I haven't seen the other bugs on my Pixel 6, so this is surprising to me. I really love this phone.

[@RagdollRocket]

streetfighter sequence is so good. Thank you! :D