Samsung's Galaxy S21 FE looks almost exactly like the Galaxy S21

The Galaxy S21 FE is a cheaper version of Samsung's flagship phone that comes with a bigger screen, the same processor and some other differences.

Sarah Tew

I'm a visual storyteller, working primarily in the medium of photography and photoshop. I listen to more podcasts than I can keep up with and enjoy gardening, cooking, reading, and am striving for a sustainable lifestyle. A big-picture thinker, I am always trying to put the pieces together, and though things are scary these days, I believe humanity will pull through.

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Lisa Eadicicco Senior Editor

Lisa Eadicicco is a senior editor for CNET covering mobile devices. She has been writing about technology for almost a decade. Prior to joining CNET, Lisa served as a senior tech correspondent at Insider covering Apple and the broader consumer tech industry. She was also previously a tech columnist for Time Magazine and got her start as a staff writer for Laptop Mag and Tom's Guide.

Expertise Apple, Samsung, Google, smartphones, smartwatches, wearables, fitness trackers

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Sarah Tew

Lisa Eadicicco

Jan. 3, 2022 6:00 p.m. PT

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The Galaxy S21 FE launches on Jan. 11 and starts at $700, making it $100 less expensive than the regular Galaxy S21.

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It has a 6.4-inch screen that can boost its refresh rate up to 120Hz.

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The triple-lens rear camera includes a 12-megapixel ultra-wide lens, 12-megapixel wide lens and 8-megapixel telephoto lens.

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The 6.4-inch screen is larger than the Galaxy S21's 6.2-inch display.

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The regular Galaxy S21 (left) has a slightly more polished design with metallic accents on the camera module and sides compared to the Galaxy S21 FE (right).

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There's also a 32-megapixel selfie camera, which is the same resolution as the front camera on the Galaxy S20 FE.

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The Galaxy S21 FE is 7.9 millimeters thin, just like the Galaxy S21.

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One of the main differences between the S21 and S21 FE (pictured) is in their respective telephoto cameras. The Galaxy S21 FE has an 8-megapixel zoom lens, while the regular Galaxy S21 has a 64-megapixel zoom lens.