Samsung Galaxy S23 FE vs Samsung Galaxy S21 FE 5G Comparison and Differences
Smartphone 1
Samsung Galaxy S23 FE
Smartphone 2
Samsung Galaxy S21 FE 5G
Smartphone 3
Differences between Samsung Galaxy S23 FE and Samsung Galaxy S21 FE 5G - Which to Choose?
Reasons to consider the Samsung Galaxy S23 FE:
- Newer model with more recent technology (2023 vs 2022).
- Higher resolution main camera (50 MP) for potentially better photo quality.
- Runs on newer Android 13, upgradable to Android 14.
- More advanced GPU options (Xclipse 920 or Adreno 730 depending on region) for potentially better graphics performance.
- Superior AnTuTu v10 benchmark scores, indicating potentially better overall performance.
- Supports Wi-Fi 6E connectivity for faster wireless speeds (note that spec is slightly malformed and may imply different Wi-Fi versions).
- Comes with Samsung DeX capabilities for desktop-like experience.
- Improved charging technology with 25W fast charging and wireless charging support.
- Slightly larger screen-to-body ratio (83.2% vs 89.6%) providing more display area on the front.
Reasons to consider the Samsung Galaxy S21 FE 5G:
- Higher resolution selfie camera (32 MP) which may result in better front-facing photos.
- Lighter weight (177g vs 209g), which can contribute to better handling and comfort.
- Slightly thinner design (7.9mm vs 8.2mm).
- Potentially more durable with Gorilla Glass Victus protection.
- Lower launch price in Euros (750 EUR), which might translate to better value depending on current market prices.
- Inclusion of Samsung Pay for convenient contactless payments.
Both smartphones offer a suite of premium features like 5G connectivity, dynamic AMOLED displays with 120Hz refresh rate, and large batteries. A choice between the two would hinge on prioritizing newer tech and better performance (S23 FE) versus possibly better selfies and a lighter design (S21 FE 5G).
Samsung Galaxy S23 FE or Samsung Galaxy S21 FE 5G Specs Comparison
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Common specs
| Brand and model | Samsung Galaxy S23 FE | Samsung Galaxy S21 FE 5G | |
| Rating | (+0) | (+2) | |
| Release date | 2023, October 04 | 2022, January 07 | |
| Dimensions (HxWxD) | 158 x 76.5 x 8.2 mm | 6.22 x 6.22 x 3.01 in | 155.7 x 74.5 x 7.9 mm | 6.13 x 6.13 x 2.93 in | |
| Weight | 209 g | 7.37 oz | 177 g | 6.24 oz | |
| Body Build | Glass front (Gorilla Glass 5), glass back (Gorilla Glass 5), aluminum frame | Glass front (Gorilla Glass Victus), plastic back, aluminum frame | |
| Case | buy from Amazon | buy from Amazon | |
| Colors | Mint, Cream, Graphite, Purple, Indigo, Tangerine | White, Graphite, Lavender, Olive | |
| Battery | 4500 mAh, Li-Ion, non-removable | 4500 mAh, Li-Ion, non-removable | |
| Approximate price | $ 550 | 750 EUR | |
| Check price | from Amazon | from Amazon |
Screen
| Technology | Dynamic AMOLED 2X | Dynamic AMOLED 2X | |
| Touchscreen | capacitive touchscreen | capacitive touchscreen | |
| Display colors | 16M | 16M | |
| Screen size | 6.4" in | 6.4" in | |
| Screen area | 100.5 cm2 | 103.9 cm2 | |
| Screen format | 19.5:9 (height:width) | 20:9 (height:width) | |
| Screen to body ratio | 83.2% | 89.6% | |
| Screen resolution | 1080 x 2340 px | 1080 x 2400 px | |
| Screen PPI /points per inch/ | 403 PPI | 401 PPI | |
| Screen protection | Corning Gorilla Glass 5 | Corning Gorilla Glass Victus | |
| Other specs | - 120Hz, 1450 nits (peak) - |
- 120Hz -HDR10+ -Always-on display |
|
| Screen protector | buy from Amazon | buy from Amazon |
Camera and Video
| Rear camera, main | 50 MP, Triple | 12 MP, Triple | |
| Camera specs | -50 MP, f/1.8, 24mm (wide), PDAF, OIS -8 MP, f/2.4, 75mm (telephoto), PDAF, OIS, 3x optical zoom -12 MP, f/2.2, 123˚ (ultrawide) |
-12 MP, f/1.8, 26mm (wide), 1/1.76", 1.8µm, Dual Pixel PDAF, OIS -8 MP, f/2.4, 76mm (telephoto), 1/4.5", 1.0µm, PDAF, OIS, 3x optical zoom -12 MP, f/2.2, 13mm, 123˚ (ultrawide), 1/3.0", 1.12µm |
|
| Functions | LED flash, auto-HDR, panorama | LED flash, auto-HDR, panorama | |
| Video | 4K@30/60fps, 1080p@30/60fps; gyro-EIS | 4K@30/60fps, 1080p@30/60/240fps, 720p@960fps, HDR10+, gyro-EIS | |
| DxOMark Main Score | 127 | 120 | |
| DxOMark Photo | 124 | 126 | |
| DxOMark Video | 131 | 104 | |
| Front camera, selfie | 10 MP, Single | 32 MP, Single | |
| Specifications | 10 MP, f/2.4, 26mm (wide) | 32 MP, f/2.2, 26mm (wide), 1/2.74", 0.8µm | |
| Functions | HDR | ||
| Video | 1080p@30fps | Yes |
Performance
| Operating system - OS | Android 13, upgradable to Android 14, One UI 6.1 | Android 12, One UI 4 | |
| Chipset | - Exynos 2200 (4 nm) - Qualcomm SM8450 Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 (4 nm) - USA |
- Qualcomm SM8350 Snapdragon 888 5G (5 nm) - Exynos 2100 (5 nm) |
|
| CPU | - Octa-core (1x2.8 GHz Cortex-X2 & 3x2.50 GHz Cortex-A710 & 4x1.8 GHz Cortex-A510) - International -Octa-core (1x3.00 GHz Cortex-X2 & 3x2.50 GHz Cortex-A710 & 4x1.80 GHz Cortex-A510) - USA |
- Octa-core (1x2.84 GHz Kryo 680 & 3x2.42 GHz Kryo 680 & 4x1.80 GHz Kryo 680) - Snapdragon Octa-core (1x2.9 GHz Cortex-X1 & 3x2.80 GHz Cortex-A78 & 4x2.2 GHz Cortex-A55) - Exynos |
|
| GPU | Xclipse 920 - International Adreno 730 - USA |
Adreno 660 - Snapdragon Mali-G78 MP14 - Exynos | |
| External memory | No | No | |
| Internal memory | 128GB 8GB RAM, 256GB 8GB RAM | 128GB 6GB RAM, 128GB 8GB RAM, 256GB 8GB RAM |
Benchmark
| Antutu 10 Total | 1138152 | 778093 | |
| Antutu 10 CPU | 321429 | 220634 | |
| Antutu 10 GPU | 403889 | 220199 | |
| Antutu 10 Mem | 190016 | 167618 | |
| Antutu 10 UX | 321429 | 220634 | |
| Antutu 9 Total | 742147 | ||
| GeekBench 5 Single Core | 1850 | 1068 | |
| GeekBench 5 Multi-Core | 4890 | 3209 |
Communication and Connectivity
| SIM card | Single SIM (Nano-SIM) or Dual SIM (Nano-SIM, dual stand-by) or Dual SIM (2 Nano-SIMs or SIM & eSIM, dual stand-by) | Single SIM (Nano-SIM)Dual SIM (Nano-SIM, dual stand-by) | |
| Network | GSM / HSPA / LTE / 5G | GSM / CDMA / HSPA / EVDO / LTE / 5G | |
| Bands | -2G - GSM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900 - SIM 1 & SIM 2 (Dual SIM model only) -3G - HSDPA 850 / 900 / 1700(AWS) / 1900 / 2100 -4G - 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 12, 13, 17, 20, 26, 28, 38, 40, 41, 66 -5G - 1, 2, 3, 5, 7, 8, 20, 28, 38, 40, 41, 66, 77, 78 SA/NSA/Sub6 |
-2G - GSM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900 - SIM 1 & SIM 2 CDMA 800 / 1900 & TD-SCDMA -3G - HSDPA 850 / 900 / 1700(AWS) / 1900 / 2100 CDMA2000 1xEV-DO -4G - LTE -5G - SA/NSA/Sub6 |
|
| Speed | HSPA, LTE-A (CA), 5G | HSPA 42.2/5.76 Mbps, LTE-A (CA), 5G | |
| GPRS | Yes | Yes | |
| Edge | Yes | Yes | |
| Wi-Fi | Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/6, dual-band, Wi-Fi DirectWi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/6e, dual-band, Wi-Fi Direct | Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/6, dual-band, Wi-Fi Direct, hotspot | |
| GPS | GPS, GLONASS, GALILEO, BDS | Yes, with A-GPS, GLONASS, BDS, GALILEO | |
| NFC | Yes | Yes | |
| USB | USB Type-C, OTG | USB Type-C 3.2, USB On-The-Go | |
| Bluetooth | 5.3, A2DP, LE | 5.0, A2DP, LE | |
| Harmful irradiation |
SAR - 0.80 W/kg (head) 0.72 W/kg (body) SAR EU - 0.76 W/kg (head) 1.04 W/kg (body) |
SAR - 0.77 W/kg (head) 0.90 W/kg (body) SAR EU - 0.95 W/kg (head) 1.48 W/kg (body) |
Music and Audio
| Radio | |||
| Headphone jack | No | No | |
| Others | - 32-bit/384kHz audio |
Other features
| Sensors | - Fingerprint (under display, optical), accelerometer, gyro, compass | - Fingerprint (under display, optical), accelerometer, gyro, proximity, compass | |
| Other extras |
- Samsung DeX - 25W Fast charging, 50% in 30 min -Power Delivery 2.0 -Wireless charging - IP68 dust/water resistant (up to 1.5m for 30 min) |
- Bixby natural language commands and dictation -Samsung Pay (Visa, MasterCard certified) - Fast charging 25W, 50% in 30 min -Fast wireless charging 15W -Reverse wireless charging -USB Power Delivery 3.0 - IP68 dust/water resistant (up to 1.5m for 30 mins) |
Reviews and Opinions on Samsung Galaxy S23 FE and Samsung Galaxy S21 FE 5G
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