Samsung - Galaxy S21 FE 5G 256GB (Unlocked) - Graphite

Been needing a new phone for a while and switched to this phone after hemming and hawing over Black Friday deals. Missed the Black Friday sale on the S21 Ultra unlocked for $850 (down from $1,250) @ BestBuy and really regret it. So when I saw the S21FE 256gb on sale a week ago for two hundred off (I paid $569.99 on sale) I figured it was time. (In addition to the extra storage of the 256gb vs. 128gb I like the fact that I am getting an extra 2gb of RAM - the 128gb S21FE has 6gb of RAM; the 256gb S21FE has 8gb of RAM.) I am coming from an LG G7 ThinQ which was a great phone for the first 18 months or so, but the last two years have been rough! It had a 3,000 mAh battery from the factory, so after two years I had to charge it at least twice a day. I would charge it in the morning t 100%, set it on the counter for 30 minutes and come back to it at 90%. And the LG G7 had become VERY laggy. This new Galaxy S21FE DOES NOT DISAPPOINT!! For example, I fully charged the phone yesterday morning (took about 75 minutes to go from 6% to 100% battery with a Samsung 25 watt wall plug and the included cord) and then I went all through the day yesterday, all last night until bed time, today all day at work and at 5:00 this evening, I was finally down to 7% battery and decided it was time for another charge. That's what going from a 3,000 mAh battery to a 4,500 mAh battery will do!! I consider that to be OUTSTANDING battery life compared to my old phone. I can't imagine what the S21 Ultra would've been like!! The S21FE is very fast and does not lag at all compared to my LG G7 ThinQ. My only complaint would be Samsung customer care. I called them with a few questions - one being that I wanted to add a desktop "widget" for the folder "videos" where I keep all my downloaded movies. I had done this on my LG 24 months ago but couldn't remember how to do it on this phone - the agent wanted me to create a Samsung Care customer profile and when I didn't want to, she got rather snarky. Told me that I was unable to do what I wanted to. I then mentioned that it wouldn't be a very good look for them if my 30 month old LG G7 was more customizable than their new Galaxy S21FE, which did not go over well either. I was also told that I should only use Samsung brand cables and wall plugs or I risk damaging my device. I mentioned that all of my existing wall plugs were either LG brand or Anker and my cables were all Amazon Basics or Anker brand, but I was told those would possibly hurt my battery. When I asked "how?" I did not receive a straight answer and was told I could "do whatever I wanted." I checked this information with several of the people in the technology department where I work (most of them have Galaxy S20's or S21's) and they all laughed! Seems as long as you're using solid brand wall plugs and cables like Anker, Spigen, Amazon Basics (and I have had good luck w/ the brand UGreen) then you'll be fine. Ultimately I figured out how to make a "shortcut" to the videos folder on my homescreen myself without their help - all you have to do is press and hold on the folder you want, then once it's check marked, touch the three little vertical periods/dots near the word "MORE" in the bottom right and select "Add to home screen" and it's done. There are tons of good YouTube videos out there about "Things to do Immediately After You Turn on your S21FE" which are somewhat helpful, although I wasn't interested in all the suggestions. And YouTube has videos showing how to do ALMOST anything you're not sure how to do on the Galaxy S21 series. One thing I did immediately was change the screen refresh rate from 120hz to 60hz. 60hz is fine for me and apparently saves a decent amount on battery life. The cameras on my new S21FE are noticeably better than my LG G7 ThinQ's cameras, too. The zoom is INCREDIBLE!! The ONLY area I think my LG has this S21FE beat are the factory speakers - the speakers on the LG G7 still sound great and are noticeably better than the S21's speakers, especially when the phone is set down on a table or desk. This S21FE is still solid with it's stereo sound (2 speakers) but it's only about 70% as good sound quality as my LG was. I also bought a Spigen Tough Armor case from Amazon for about $14 and some KKT brand tempered glass screen protectors ($10.99) and so far they're working just fine - no bubbles after installing the screen protector. For $500-$600 or less, this phone in 128gb or 256gb is a SOLID option. Samsung should have priced it $100 lower from the factory in my opinion ($599 for 128 gb and $669 for 256gb) and then with the $200 off sale it would have been $399 and $469 which feels more appropriate considering all the great value/performance offered by Android phones from Motorola and OnePlus. This S21FE doesn't seem to have any of the issues that plagued the Pixel 6 during it's first 4-5 months on the market, like the fingerprint reader (my S21FE's fingerprint reader has been GREAT even with a budget brand tempered glass screen protector from Amazon). This S21FE combines all the essentials of their flagship S21 line with a lower price - HIGHLY RECOMMEND this phone if you're looking for an excellent value!! Just wait for it to go on sale again before you buy. I would NOT recommend this phone at full price ($699 or $769) because the value is not there.

The S 21 fe has been a great phone. Takes great pictures. I haven't had any issues at all.

Battery life could be better, but OK. Screen is clear and sharp. Camera is excellent. Big improvement over my old S8, which lasted 6 yrs.

Really like this phone, easy to use, light weight, and long battery charge. I prefer Samsung products and this one didn't disappoint. This is the first Galaxy phone ever owned. I'm satisfied with this item.

I love my new phone. This is definitely an upgrade from my last phone. this is not the phone that I was going to purchase. Samsung had a chip shortage. Only a phones few in store to pick from. I decided to purchase this phone. glad I did

The Galaxy 21 FE 5G is a good phone. I haven't had any problems. It's fast and reliable. No complaints. Long battery life and no glitches at any updates. Really enjoy the phone.

Operation is a little different than my previous Samsung S7 but I'm liking it. No memory card; therefore, I had to order the 256G. Have not used the camera.

Great phone. Wish there was a micro sd card option on the phone. However i opted for 256gb and its enough storage for me.