A 6.4-inch phone with a 120 Hz AMOLED screen, three rear cameras and wireless charging. UK models use Snapdragon 888 with 128 GB or 256 GB storage.
Screen
6.4″
Display
OLED, 120 Hz
Chip
Snapdragon 888
Memory
6 GB – 8 GB
Storage
128 GB – 256 GB
Main camera
12 MP
Zoom
3×
Battery
4,500 mAh
Weight
177 g
What reviewers say
Reviewers praise the bright display, capable main camera and strong performance, but find battery life and launch value disappointing. TechAdvisor finds ordinary use lasts a day, while TechRadar and Tom's Guide see more restrictive endurance at 120 Hz. TechRadar notices menu lag; Tom's Guide finds everyday performance smooth. Expert Reviews finds the ultra wide weaker than the other cameras.
Flat Dynamic AMOLED 2X; 6.4 inches as a full rectangle or 6.3 inches accounting for rounded corners. Samsung UK support and Australian specifications give 2,340 × 1,080, taking precedence over 2,400 × 1,080 in TechRadar and Expert Reviews.
Screen protection
Gorilla Glass Victus, according to TechAdvisor and Expert Reviews
Display features
120 Hz refresh with 240 Hz touch sampling in Game Mode; Eye Comfort Shield with AI blue-light control; manual 60/120 Hz selection confirmed by Tom's Guide
Performance
Chip
Snapdragon 888
Memory
6 GB – 8 GB
Storage
128 GB, 256 GB
CPU
Snapdragon 888 in the UK model, confirmed by Expert Reviews and TechAdvisor; Samsung publishes a 5 nm 64-bit octa-core processor and lists Snapdragon 888 or Exynos 2100 depending on region/operator. Expert Reviews identifies CPU clusters at 2.84/2.42/1.8 GHz.
Storage type
UK 6 GB RAM with 128 GB storage or 8 GB RAM with 256 GB, confirmed by TechAdvisor and TechRadar; Samsung's global 8/128 GB configuration is regional. No microSD expansion.
Cameras
Main camera
12 MP
Ultra wide camera
12 MP
Telephoto camera
8 MP
Optical zoom
3×
Front camera
32 MP
Main camera
12 MP, f/1.8, Dual Pixel autofocus and OIS; Expert Reviews identifies a 1/1.76-inch sensor with 1.8 µm pixels
Ultra wide camera
12 MP, f/2.2 and 123° field of view; the first UK support comparison table drops the leading digit and says 2 MP, while its second table and global launch correctly say 12 MP
Telephoto camera
8 MP, f/2.4, 3× optical zoom and OIS confirmed by Samsung UK support; TechRadar's 1.1× optical/3× hybrid description conflicts with the maker
Front camera
32 MP, f/2.2, fixed focus and 81° field of view
Zoom
3× optical and up to 30× digital Space Zoom
Video recording
Rear camera records up to 4K 60 fps; 960 fps HD and 240 fps Full HD slow motion in Samsung's Australian exact-model sheet
Front video
Up to 4K 60 fps, according to TechRadar
Camera features
Night Mode, AI Face Restoration and simultaneous front/rear Dual Recording; Single Take described by TechRadar
Battery and charging
Battery
4,500 mAh
Wired charging
Up to 25 W
Wireless charging
Up to 15 W
Battery life detail
4,500 mAh typical; 4,370 mAh rated minimum in Samsung's global release. The UK launch footnote instead calls 4,500 mAh the rated minimum; global specification footnotes control.
Wired charging
25 W Super Fast Charging; Samsung claims over 50% in 30 minutes with its separately sold 25 W charger
Wireless charging
15 W wireless charging
Charges other devices
Wireless PowerShare supported; maker launch does not publish wattage
Design
Type
Standard
Weight
177 g
Thickness
7.9 mm
Height × width
155.7 × 74.5 mm
Water and dust resistance
IP68
Materials
Plastic back and aluminium frame, according to TechAdvisor; Contour-Cut camera housing and haze finish
Colours
Graphite, Olive, Lavender and White in Samsung's UK launch release; the support comparison additionally lists Navy without a UK launch configuration
Water resistance detail
IP68; global launch footnote states up to 5 feet of water for 30 minutes
Biometrics
Optical in-display fingerprint sensor; camera-based face recognition described by TechAdvisor
Sensors
Accelerometer, barometer, fingerprint sensor, gyroscope, geomagnetic sensor, Hall sensor, light sensor and proximity sensor
Speakers
Stereo speakers, according to TechAdvisor
Software
Operating system
Android
Software at launch
Android 12 with One UI 4
Software updates
Samsung's February 2022 policy includes S21 FE for up to four Android/One UI generations and five years of security updates, superseding the shorter commitment in January launch reviews
In the box
Charger excluded, confirmed by Samsung; no other UK box contents verified
Connectivity
Mobile network
5G sub-6, LTE FDD/TDD and 4×4 MIMO in Samsung's global specification; US review mmWave coverage is regional
SIM
Dual SIM, according to Expert Reviews; nano-SIM format in Samsung's exact-model specification
Wi-Fi
Wi-Fi 6, according to TechAdvisor and Expert Reviews
Bluetooth
Bluetooth 5.0, according to TechAdvisor and Expert Reviews
NFC
Samsung Pay with NFC; payment availability depends on market
USB
USB-C; no 3.5 mm headphone socket, according to TechAdvisor
Storage options
Storage
Memory
128 GB
6 GB
256 GB
8 GB
Pros and cons
Pros
+Dedicated 3× optical telephoto with OIS
+IP68 water and dust resistance
+Wireless and reverse wireless charging
Cons
−No microSD expansion
−Charger sold separately
−Screen switches manually between 60 Hz and 120 Hz
