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
142
Apple iPhone 14 Pro Max
Best: Apple iPhone 14 Pro Max (160)
137
Huawei Mate 50 Pro
Best: Huawei Mate 50 Pro (163)
150
Samsung Galaxy S23 (Snapdragon)
Best: Samsung Galaxy S23 (Snapdragon) (162)
116
Huawei P40 Pro
Best: Huawei P40 Pro (155)
102
OnePlus 9
Best: OnePlus 9 (165)
100
Vivo X Fold
Best: Vivo X Fold (158)
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
36
th
2. Apple iPhone 14 Pro Max
149
4. Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra (Snapdragon)
148
4. Samsung Galaxy S23 (Snapdragon)
148
6. Samsung Galaxy S23 Plus (Snapdragon)
146
8. Apple iPhone 13 Pro Max
145
11. Honor Magic4 Ultimate
140
18. Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra (Snapdragon)
136
21. Samsung Galaxy S22+ (Exynos)
135
24. Samsung Galaxy Z Flip4
134
24. Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra (Exynos)
134
24. Vivo X80 Pro (MediaTek)
134
27. Samsung Galaxy Z Fold4
133
27. Samsung Galaxy S22 (Snapdragon)
133
27. Samsung Galaxy S22 (Exynos)
133
27. Vivo X80 Pro (Snapdragon)
133
32. Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra 5G (Snapdragon)
131
32. Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra 5G (Exynos)
131
36. Samsung Galaxy S21 FE 5G (Snapdragon)
130
42. Samsung Galaxy Z Fold3 5G
129
42. Samsung Galaxy Note20 Ultra 5G (Snapdragon)
129
48. Samsung Galaxy Z Flip3 5G
128
48. Samsung Galaxy Note20 Ultra 5G (Exynos)
128
51. Apple iPhone 12 Pro Max
127
57. Vivo X70 Pro (MediaTek)
125
57. Vivo X60 Pro 5G (Snapdragon)
125
73. Oppo Reno6 Pro 5G (Snapdragon)
123
73. Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra 5G (Exynos)
123
77. Apple iPhone SE (2022)
122
83. Samsung Galaxy A54 5G
120
91. Apple iPhone 11 Pro Max
116
96. Samsung Galaxy A52 5G
111
100. Samsung Galaxy A52s 5G
110
105. Xiaomi Redmi K50 Gaming
107
107. Nubia RedMagic 6 Pro
105
108. Samsung Galaxy A53 5G
104
114. Microsoft Surface Duo
99
116. Nubia RedMagic 7 Pro
97
117. Xiaomi Mi 10T Pro 5G
95
125. Samsung Galaxy A22 5G
74
126. Xiaomi Black Shark 3 Pro
69
128. Lenovo Legion Phone 2 Pro
60
Position in Premium Ranking
7
th
1. Samsung Galaxy S23 (Snapdragon)
148
5. Samsung Galaxy S22 (Snapdragon)
133
5. Samsung Galaxy S22 (Exynos)
133
7. Samsung Galaxy S21 FE 5G (Snapdragon)
130
11. Vivo X70 Pro (MediaTek)
125
11. Vivo X60 Pro 5G (Snapdragon)
125
17. Oppo Reno6 Pro 5G (Snapdragon)
123
38. Lenovo Legion Phone 2 Pro
60
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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