The Samsung Galaxy S21 FE 5G (Snapdragon) came to market in January 2022, and as befits a device in our Premium ($600-$799) segment, it comes packed with goodies. Let’s take a look at how it did in our comprehensive Display protocol tests.
Key display specifications:
- 6.4-inch AMOLED display
- Resolution: 1080 x 2400 (411 ppi)
- Aspect ratio: 20:9
- Refresh rate: 120 Hz
- Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 5G (5 nm) chipset
About DXOMARK Display tests: For scoring and analysis in our smartphone and other display reviews, DXOMARK engineers perform a variety of objective and perceptual tests under controlled lab and real-life conditions. This article highlights the most important results of our testing. Note that we evaluate display attributes using only the device’s built-in display hardware and its still image (gallery) and video apps at their default settings. (For in-depth information about how we evaluate smartphone and other displays, check out our articles, “How DXOMARK tests display quality” and “A closer look at DXOMARK Display testing.”)
Test summary
Scoring
Sub-scores and attributes included in the calculations of the global score.
Samsung Galaxy S21 FE 5G (Snapdragon)
130
display
127
Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra
Best: Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra (164)
133
Google Pixel 8
Best: Google Pixel 8 (165)
135
Samsung Galaxy S23 (Snapdragon)
Best: Samsung Galaxy S23 (Snapdragon) (163)
119
Google Pixel 7 Pro
Best: Google Pixel 7 Pro (164)
Please be aware that beyond this point, we have not modified the initial test results. While data and products remain fully comparable, you might encounter mentions and references to the previous scores.
Position in Global Ranking
64
th
2. Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra
155
8. Apple iPhone 15 Pro Max
151
12. Samsung Galaxy S23 (Snapdragon)
149
13. Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra (Snapdragon)
148
16. Samsung Galaxy S23 Plus (Snapdragon)
147
16. Samsung Galaxy A55 5G
147
18. Apple iPhone 14 Pro Max
146
21. Samsung Galaxy Z Flip5
144
22. Samsung Galaxy A35 5G
143
24. Apple iPhone 13 Pro Max
142
24. Samsung Galaxy Z Fold5
142
28. Samsung Galaxy S23 FE
140
32. Honor Magic4 Ultimate
138
42. Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra (Snapdragon)
135
42. Xiaomi Redmi Note 13 Pro Plus 5G
135
47. Samsung Galaxy S22+ (Exynos)
134
50. Samsung Galaxy Z Flip4
133
50. Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra (Exynos)
133
50. Samsung Galaxy S22 (Snapdragon)
133
50. Vivo X80 Pro (MediaTek)
133
55. Samsung Galaxy S22 (Exynos)
132
60. Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra 5G (Exynos)
131
60. Vivo X80 Pro (Snapdragon)
131
64. Samsung Galaxy Z Fold4
130
64. Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra 5G (Snapdragon)
130
64. Samsung Galaxy S21 FE 5G (Snapdragon)
130
75. Samsung Galaxy A54 5G
129
79. Apple iPhone 12 Pro Max
127
83. Vivo X60 Pro 5G (Snapdragon)
126
103. Apple iPhone 11 Pro Max
122
103. Motorola Edge 40 Pro
122
107. Apple iPhone SE (2022)
120
113. Samsung Galaxy A52 5G
114
115. Motorola Razr 40 Ultra
113
118. Samsung Galaxy A53 5G
108
124. Samsung Galaxy A22 5G
82
Position in Premium Ranking
11
th
3. Samsung Galaxy S23 (Snapdragon)
149
8. Samsung Galaxy S22 (Snapdragon)
133
9. Samsung Galaxy S22 (Exynos)
132
11. Samsung Galaxy S21 FE 5G (Snapdragon)
130
17. Vivo X60 Pro 5G (Snapdragon)
126
Pros
- Brightness is well suited for indoor use
- Accurate overall color fidelity
- Pleasant brightness when watching HDR10 content
Cons
- Colors shift to blue and appear desaturated when viewed on angle
- Visible aliasing when playing video games
- Noticeable stutters when playing video games
The Samsung Galaxy S21 FE 5G’s rendering of both still and moving content is particularly good indoors, though it does quite well in outdoor conditions, too. It is a very good device for watching HDR10 videos, with suitable brightness and color fidelity.
Brightness vs Contrast comparison (0 Lux)
Brightness vs Contrast comparison (30 000 Lux)
Although a bit too bright in low-light conditions, the Samsung Galaxy S21 FE 5G is readable indoors.
Readability indoors, from left to right: Samsung Galaxy S21 FE 5G, Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra 5G (Snapdragon), Google Pixel 6, Apple iPhone 13
(Photo credit: DXOMARK; for illustration only)
The device lacks brightness when viewed under sunlight.
Readability under sunlight, left to right: Samsung Galaxy S21 FE 5G, Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra 5G (Snapdragon), Google Pixel 6, Apple iPhone 13
(Photo credit: DXOMARK; for illustration only)
Colors are faithful and well rendered indoors. In outdoor conditions, a slight green cast is often visible.
Color rendering outdoors in shade, clockwise from top left: Samsung Galaxy S21 FE 5G, Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra 5G (Snapdragon), Apple iPhone 13, Google Pixel 6
(Photo credit: DXOMARK; for illustration only)
The left-hand chart below shows the Samsung Galaxy S21 FE’s color fidelity in the P3 color space. The center of each circle is the target color; the further the tip of the arrow is outside of the circle, the more users will notice the difference between the color on the display and the original color of the source material. The S21 FE has generally accurate color reproduction. The scatter chart on the right shows the device’s color shift to blue when viewed at an angle.
Samsung Galaxy S21 FE, color fidelity at 1000 lux in the P3 color space
Samsung Galaxy S21 FE, scatter graph of white point on angle
The left-most photos in the two arrays below illustrate the S21 FE’s color shift to blue as shown in the scatter chart.
Indoor color rendering on axis (top) and on angle (bottom), from left to right: Samsung Galaxy S21 FE 5G, Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra 5G (Snapdragon), Google Pixel 6, Apple iPhone 13
(Photo credit: DXOMARK; for illustration only)
The Samsung Galaxy S21 FE 5G’s video brightness is well suited for HDR10 content, with good mid-tone rendering. Some dark tones are missing in detailed areas and a slight green cast is noticeable, but the latter does not impact skin tone rendering.
Video color rendering, clockwise from top left: Samsung Galaxy S21 FE 5G, Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra 5G (Snapdragon), Apple iPhone 13, Google Pixel 6
(Photo credit: DXOMARK; for illustration only)
The S21 FE shows some frame mismatches for content at 30 fps and 60 fps, along with some stutters when focusing on background elements in video games (though the stutters do not adversely affect the gaming experience). The device manages motion blur well. Video playback is slightly delayed after moving forwards or backwards in the timeline.
The Samsung Galaxy S21 FE 5G is smooth when browsing the web and when scrolling in the gallery, but lacks smoothness when playing video games. It handles judder well, but the device is quite responsive to ghost touches and aliasing is visible when playing video games.
Samsung Galaxy S21 FE 5G, aliasing closeup
Samsung Galaxy S21 FE 5G, aliasing closeup
Samsung Galaxy S21 FE 5G, aliasing closeup
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