We put the Samsung Galaxy S21 FE 5G (Snapdragon) through our rigorous DXOMARK Battery test suite to measure its performance in autonomy, charging and efficiency. In these test results, we will break down how it fared in a variety of tests and several common use cases.
Overview
Key specifications:
- Battery capacity: 4500mAh
- 25W charger (not included)
- Wireless charging – 15W
- 6.4-Inch 1080 x 2400 120 Hz OLED display
- Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 5G (5nm)
- Tested ROM/RAM combination: 128GB + 6GB
Scoring
Sub-scores and attributes included in the calculations of the global score.
Samsung Galaxy S21 FE 5G (Snapdragon)
82
battery
56
Honor X7b
Best: Honor X7b (221)
100
Samsung Galaxy M51
Best: Samsung Galaxy M51 (195)
95
Samsung Galaxy M51
Best: Samsung Galaxy M51 (198)
110
Realme GT Neo 5 (240W)
Best: Realme GT Neo 5 (240W) (224)
95
Realme GT Neo 5 (240W)
Best: Realme GT Neo 5 (240W) (212)
112
Nubia RedMagic 7 Pro
Best: Nubia RedMagic 7 Pro (205)
68
Apple iPhone 14 Pro
Best: Apple iPhone 14 Pro (194)
Key performances
These key points are derived from the lab measurements during testing and do not figure into the overall score. The lab measurements, however, are used for the overall score.
2h08 autonomy
after 5-minute charge
Position in Global Ranking
190
th
4. Honor Magic6 Lite (5800 mAh)
156
9. Honor Magic6 Lite (5300 mAh)
150
10. Realme GT Neo 5 (240W)
147
19. Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra
142
29. Samsung Galaxy A15 LTE
137
30. Apple iPhone 13 Pro Max
136
30. Xiaomi Redmi Note 12 Pro 5G
136
40. Apple iPhone 15 Pro Max
134
40. Xiaomi Redmi Note 11 Pro 5G
134
44. Apple iPhone 14 Pro Max
133
44. Vivo X60 Pro 5G (Snapdragon)
133
44. Xiaomi Redmi Note 11S 5G
133
51. Xiaomi Redmi Note 12 5G
132
51. Xiaomi Redmi Note 10S
132
59. Oppo Reno6 Pro 5G (Snapdragon)
130
59. Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra
130
61. Samsung Galaxy A34 5G
129
61. Samsung Galaxy A23 5G
129
61. Xiaomi Redmi Note 12 Pro+ 5G
129
61. Xiaomi Redmi Note 10 Pro
129
69. Samsung Galaxy A15 5G
127
78. Samsung Galaxy A13 5G
125
86. Apple iPhone 12 Pro Max
121
86. Samsung Galaxy A55 5G
121
89. Xiaomi Redmi Note 13 Pro 5G
120
89. Xiaomi Redmi Note 10 5G
120
101. Samsung Galaxy A14 5G
117
101. Xiaomi Redmi Note 13
117
108. Crosscall Stellar-X5
115
112. Samsung Galaxy Z Fold5
114
112. Xiaomi Mi 10T Pro 5G
114
117. Samsung Galaxy A54 5G
113
121. Motorola Moto G62 5G
112
125. Motorola Moto G9 Power
111
125. Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra 5G (Snapdragon)
111
125. Xiaomi Redmi Note 13 Pro Plus 5G
111
131. Samsung Galaxy Z Flip5
109
131. Samsung Galaxy S24+ (Exynos)
109
135. Samsung Galaxy S21 5G (Snapdragon)
108
139. Samsung Galaxy S24 (Exynos)
107
139. Xiaomi Mi 11 Lite 5G
107
141. Samsung Galaxy A52 5G
106
145. Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra (Snapdragon)
103
148. Motorola moto g34 5G
102
152. Samsung Galaxy S23 FE
101
152. Samsung Galaxy A35 5G
101
154. Samsung Galaxy S21 5G (Exynos)
100
154. Xiaomi Redmi 10 2022
100
159. Apple iPhone 13 mini
99
159. Samsung Galaxy Z Fold4
99
159. Vivo X80 Pro (Snapdragon)
99
164. Motorola Edge 30 Pro
98
164. Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra (Exynos)
98
168. Samsung Galaxy A33 5G
96
171. Samsung Galaxy Z Flip4
95
171. Samsung Galaxy S22+ (Exynos)
95
171. Samsung Galaxy A53 5G
95
176. Xiaomi Redmi Note 13 5G
94
178. Apple iPhone 12 mini
93
178. Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra 5G (Exynos)
93
181. Samsung Galaxy Z Fold3 5G
92
182. Motorola moto g54 5G
90
182. Samsung Galaxy S22 (Snapdragon)
90
188. Apple iPhone SE (2022)
84
190. Samsung Galaxy S21 FE 5G (Snapdragon)
82
194. Samsung Galaxy S22 (Exynos)
75
Position in Premium Ranking
38
th
2. Vivo X60 Pro 5G (Snapdragon)
133
4. Oppo Reno6 Pro 5G (Snapdragon)
130
23. Samsung Galaxy S21 5G (Snapdragon)
108
24. Samsung Galaxy S24 (Exynos)
107
29. Samsung Galaxy S21 5G (Exynos)
100
36. Samsung Galaxy S22 (Snapdragon)
90
38. Samsung Galaxy S21 FE 5G (Snapdragon)
82
40. Samsung Galaxy S22 (Exynos)
75
Pros
- Strong autonomy when calling on the go
- Very low residual power drain
Cons
- 5% of power drained during the night in a typical usage scenario
- Poor autonomy recovered after a quick boost
- Very high discharge current when gaming
- Very slow wireless charging
Impressive specifications on the Samsung Galaxy S21 FE 5G (Snapdragon), such as the Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 5G chipset, a 4500 mAh battery and wireless charging, could not help the device overcome an overall poor performance. The autonomy is low, and the charging time is quite long, whether wired or wireless. It stands near the last in our general database, as well as in its price segment.
Test Summary
About DXOMARK Battery tests: For scoring and analysis in our smartphone battery reviews, DXOMARK engineers perform a variety of objective tests over a week-long period both indoors and outdoors. (See our introductory and how we test articles for more details about our smartphone Battery protocol.)
The following section gathers key elements of our exhaustive tests and analyses performed in DXOMARK laboratories. Detailed performance evaluation reports are available upon request. Please contact us on how to obtain them.
The table below shows the battery capacity, tested charger, display type and resolution, and processor specifications for the comparison devices.
|
Battery |
Charger |
Wireless |
Display |
Processor |
| Samsung Galaxy S21 FE 5G (Snapdragon) |
4500mAh |
25W
(not included) |
15W |
OLED
1080 x 2400 |
Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 5G |
| Apple iPhone 13 |
3227mAh |
20W
(not included) |
15W |
OLED
1170 x 2532 |
Apple A15 Bionic |
| OnePlus 9 |
4500mAh |
65W
(included) |
15W |
OLED
1080 x 2400 |
Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 |
Autonomy
72
Samsung Galaxy S21 FE 5G (Snapdragon)
197
Honor X9c
Honor X9c
How Autonomy score is composed
Autonomy score is composed of three performance sub-scores: Stationary, On the go, and Calibrated use cases. Each sub-score comprises the results of a comprehensive range of tests for measuring autonomy in all kinds of real-life scenarios.
54h
Light Usage
Active: 2h30/day
38h
Moderate Usage
Active: 4h/day
24h
Intense Usage
Active: 7h/day
Position in Global Ranking
Battery Life (moderate)
188
th
8. Samsung Galaxy A15 LTE
78h
9. Honor Magic6 Lite (5800 mAh)
77h
11. Honor Magic6 Lite (5300 mAh)
77h
17. Xiaomi Redmi Note 11S 5G
72h
24. Xiaomi Redmi Note 10 5G
70h
28. Apple iPhone 15 Pro Max
69h
29. Samsung Galaxy A15 5G
69h
31. Samsung Galaxy A13 5G
69h
33. Apple iPhone 13 Pro Max
68h
35. Xiaomi Redmi Note 10 Pro
67h
36. Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra
67h
37. Xiaomi Redmi Note 12 5G
67h
43. Samsung Galaxy A34 5G
65h
45. Apple iPhone 14 Pro Max
65h
48. Samsung Galaxy A23 5G
64h
54. Motorola Moto G9 Power
64h
57. Xiaomi Redmi Note 12 Pro 5G
62h
58. Samsung Galaxy A14 5G
62h
59. Xiaomi Redmi Note 11 Pro 5G
62h
60. Xiaomi Redmi Note 10S
61h
63. Samsung Galaxy A54 5G
60h
82. Samsung Galaxy A55 5G
57h
89. Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra
56h
91. Samsung Galaxy A52 5G
56h
92. Xiaomi Redmi Note 13 Pro 5G
56h
94. Xiaomi Redmi Note 12 Pro+ 5G
55h
95. Realme GT Neo 5 (240W)
55h
104. Xiaomi Mi 11 Lite 5G
54h
105. Samsung Galaxy Z Fold5
54h
109. Motorola moto g54 5G
53h
111. Nubia RedMagic 7 Pro
53h
117. Motorola Edge 20 Pro
52h
127. Xiaomi Mi 10T Pro 5G
51h
131. Vivo X60 Pro 5G (Snapdragon)
51h
132. Xiaomi Redmi Note 13 5G
50h
138. Samsung Galaxy S21 5G (Snapdragon)
50h
140. Samsung Galaxy A35 5G
49h
141. Samsung Galaxy A53 5G
49h
146. Samsung Galaxy S24+ (Exynos)
49h
148. Xiaomi Redmi Note 13 Pro Plus 5G
49h
149. Samsung Galaxy S24 (Exynos)
49h
150. Apple iPhone 12 Pro Max
49h
151. Samsung Galaxy Z Fold4
49h
153. Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra 5G (Snapdragon)
48h
155. Oppo Reno6 Pro 5G (Snapdragon)
48h
158. Motorola Edge 30 Pro
47h
159. Samsung Galaxy A33 5G
47h
160. Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra (Snapdragon)
47h
161. Samsung Galaxy S23 FE
47h
163. Samsung Galaxy Z Flip5
46h
164. Samsung Galaxy S21 5G (Exynos)
46h
166. Nubia RedMagic 6 Pro
46h
171. Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra (Exynos)
44h
174. Vivo X80 Pro (Snapdragon)
43h
176. Samsung Galaxy Z Fold3 5G
43h
177. Samsung Galaxy Z Flip4
42h
179. Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra 5G (Exynos)
41h
181. Apple iPhone 13 mini
41h
182. Apple iPhone 12 mini
40h
184. Samsung Galaxy S22+ (Exynos)
40h
185. Samsung Galaxy S22 (Snapdragon)
39h
188. Samsung Galaxy S21 FE 5G (Snapdragon)
38h
191. Apple iPhone SE (2022)
37h
193. Samsung Galaxy S22 (Exynos)
35h
Position in Premium Ranking
Battery Life (moderate)
37
th
18. Vivo X60 Pro 5G (Snapdragon)
51h
20. Samsung Galaxy S21 5G (Snapdragon)
50h
23. Samsung Galaxy S24 (Exynos)
49h
25. Oppo Reno6 Pro 5G (Snapdragon)
48h
27. Samsung Galaxy S21 5G (Exynos)
46h
35. Samsung Galaxy S22 (Snapdragon)
39h
37. Samsung Galaxy S21 FE 5G (Snapdragon)
38h
40. Samsung Galaxy S22 (Exynos)
35h
56
Samsung Galaxy S21 FE 5G (Snapdragon)
221
Honor X7b
Honor X7b
A robot housed in a Faraday cage performs a set of touch-based user actions during what we call our “typical usage scenario” (TUS) — making calls, video streaming, etc. — 4 hours of active use over the course of a 16-hour period, plus 8 hours of “sleep.” The robot repeats this set of actions every day until the device runs out of power.
Typical Usage Scenario discharge curves
100
Samsung Galaxy S21 FE 5G (Snapdragon)
195
Samsung Galaxy M51
Samsung Galaxy M51
Using a smartphone on the go takes a toll on autonomy because of extra “hidden” demands, such as the continuous signaling associated with cellphone network selection, for example. DXOMARK Battery experts take the phone outdoors and perform a precisely defined set of activities while following the same three-hour travel itinerary (walking, taking the bus, the subway…) for each device
Autonomy for on the go use cases (full charge)
95
Samsung Galaxy S21 FE 5G (Snapdragon)
198
Samsung Galaxy M51
Samsung Galaxy M51
For this series of tests, the smartphone returns to the Faraday cage and our robots repeatedly perform actions linked to one specific use case (such as gaming, video streaming, etc.) at a time. Starting from an 80% charge, all devices are tested until they have expended at least 5% of their battery power.
Autonomy for calibrated use cases (full charge)
Charging
102
Samsung Galaxy S21 FE 5G (Snapdragon)
218
Realme GT Neo 5 (240W)
Realme GT Neo 5 (240W)
How Charging score is composed
Charging is fully part of the overall battery experience. In some situations where autonomy is at a minimum, knowing how fast you can charge becomes a concern. The DXOMARK Battery charging score is composed of two sub-scores, (1) Full charge and (2) Quick boost.
110
Samsung Galaxy S21 FE 5G (Snapdragon)
224
Realme GT Neo 5 (240W)
Realme GT Neo 5 (240W)
Full charge tests assess the reliability of the battery power gauge; measure how long and how much power the battery takes to charge from zero to 80% capacity, from 80 to 100% as shown by the UI, and until an actual full charge.
Two charts here below illustrate the full charge performance of the smartphone: (1) The charging curves, in wired and wireless (if available) showing the evolution of the battery level indicator as well as the power consumption in watts during the stages of charging toward full capacity.
(2) The time to full charge chart breaks down the necessary time to reach 80%, 100% and full charge.
Power consumption and battery level during full charge
Power consumption and battery level during wireless full charge
Position in Global Ranking
Charging Time 0-80%
129
th
1. Realme GT Neo 5 (240W)
0h08
23. Oppo Reno6 Pro 5G (Snapdragon)
0h22
30. Xiaomi Redmi Note 12 Pro+ 5G
0h24
31. Vivo X80 Pro (Snapdragon)
0h24
36. Xiaomi Redmi Note 13 Pro Plus 5G
0h26
57. Xiaomi Redmi Note 13 Pro 5G
0h31
62. Xiaomi Redmi Note 12 Pro 5G
0h33
70. Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra
0h37
71. Samsung Galaxy S22+ (Exynos)
0h37
75. Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra
0h38
76. Xiaomi Redmi Note 11 Pro 5G
0h38
79. Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra (Snapdragon)
0h39
80. Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra (Exynos)
0h40
81. Vivo X60 Pro 5G (Snapdragon)
0h40
86. Samsung Galaxy S24+ (Exynos)
0h42
91. Xiaomi Redmi Note 12 5G
0h44
96. Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra 5G (Snapdragon)
0h46
97. Honor Magic6 Lite (5300 mAh)
0h47
100. Samsung Galaxy Z Flip5
0h48
102. Samsung Galaxy S21 5G (Exynos)
0h48
103. Samsung Galaxy S24 (Exynos)
0h49
104. Samsung Galaxy S21 5G (Snapdragon)
0h49
106. Xiaomi Redmi Note 11
0h49
107. Samsung Galaxy S23 FE
0h49
109. Samsung Galaxy A23 5G
0h49
112. Samsung Galaxy S22 (Snapdragon)
0h50
114. Samsung Galaxy Z Fold5
0h51
115. Samsung Galaxy S22 (Exynos)
0h51
116. Samsung Galaxy A35 5G
0h51
118. Apple iPhone SE (2022)
0h51
118. Samsung Galaxy A34 5G
0h51
120. Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra 5G (Exynos)
0h51
121. Xiaomi Redmi Note 10
0h52
122. Apple iPhone 12 mini
0h52
123. Xiaomi Redmi Note 10S
0h52
125. Samsung Galaxy A55 5G
0h52
126. Samsung Galaxy A54 5G
0h52
128. Xiaomi Redmi Note 13 5G
0h53
129. Samsung Galaxy S21 FE 5G (Snapdragon)
0h53
132. Samsung Galaxy A33 5G
0h54
132. Xiaomi Redmi Note 11S 5G
0h54
134. Samsung Galaxy A15 LTE
0h54
135. Samsung Galaxy A15 5G
0h54
136. Apple iPhone 15 Plus
0h54
137. Xiaomi Redmi Note 10 Pro
0h55
138. Apple iPhone 15 Pro Max
0h56
139. Samsung Galaxy Z Fold4
0h56
140. Honor Magic6 Lite (5800 mAh)
0h56
142. Samsung Galaxy A53 5G
0h57
143. Samsung Galaxy Z Flip4
0h57
144. Apple iPhone 13 mini
0h57
145. Apple iPhone 12 Pro Max
0h57
146. Samsung Galaxy Z Fold3 5G
0h57
152. Apple iPhone 13 Pro Max
1h01
156. Apple iPhone 14 Plus
1h03
162. Apple iPhone 14 Pro Max
1h06
168. Motorola moto g34 5G
1h12
170. Samsung Galaxy A52 5G
1h15
172. Crosscall Stellar-X5
1h20
176. Xiaomi Redmi Note 10 5G
1h22
178. Xiaomi Redmi 10 2022
1h25
181. Motorola moto g54 5G
1h26
182. Motorola Moto G62 5G
1h26
183. Samsung Galaxy A14 5G
1h28
184. Samsung Galaxy A13 5G
1h30
191. Motorola Moto G9 Power
1h53
Position in Premium Ranking
Charging Time 0-80%
33
rd
10. Oppo Reno6 Pro 5G (Snapdragon)
0h22
21. Vivo X60 Pro 5G (Snapdragon)
0h40
26. Samsung Galaxy S21 5G (Exynos)
0h48
27. Samsung Galaxy S21 5G (Snapdragon)
0h49
28. Samsung Galaxy S24 (Exynos)
0h49
29. Samsung Galaxy S22 (Snapdragon)
0h50
31. Samsung Galaxy S22 (Exynos)
0h51
33. Samsung Galaxy S21 FE 5G (Snapdragon)
0h53
95
Samsung Galaxy S21 FE 5G (Snapdragon)
212
Realme GT Neo 5 (240W)
Realme GT Neo 5 (240W)
With the phone at different charge levels (20%, 40%, 60%, 80%), Quick boost tests measure the amount of charge the battery receives after being plugged in for 5 minutes. The chart here compares the average autonomy gain from a quick 5-minute charge.
Average autonomy gain for a 5 minute charge (wired)
Efficiency
80
Samsung Galaxy S21 FE 5G (Snapdragon)
154
Oppo Reno6 5G
Oppo Reno6 5G
How Efficiency score is composed
The DXOMARK power efficiency score consists of two sub-scores, Charge up and Discharge rate, both of which combine data obtained during robot-based typical usage scenario, calibrated tests and charging evaluation, taking into consideration the device’s battery capacity. DXOMARK calculate the annual power consumption of the product, shown on below graph, which is representative of the overall efficiency during a charge and when in use.
Annual Consumption Samsung Galaxy S21 FE 5G (Snapdragon)
5.6 kWh
Efficient
Good
Bad
Inefficient
112
Samsung Galaxy S21 FE 5G (Snapdragon)
205
Nubia RedMagic 7 Pro
Nubia RedMagic 7 Pro
The charge up sub-score is a combination of four factors: the overall efficiency of a full charge, related to how much energy you need to fill up the battery compared to the energy that the battery can provide; the efficiency of the travel adapter when it comes to transferring power from an outlet to your phone; the residual consumption when your phone is fully charged and still plugged into the charger; and the residual consumption of the charger itself, when the smartphone is disconnected from it. The chart here below shows the overall efficiency of a full charge in %.
Overall charge efficiency
68
Samsung Galaxy S21 FE 5G (Snapdragon)
194
Apple iPhone 14 Pro
Apple iPhone 14 Pro
The discharge subscore rates the speed of a battery’s discharge during a test, which is independent of the battery’s capacity. It is the ratio of a battery’s capacity divided by its autonomy. A small-capacity battery could have the same autonomy as a large-capacity battery, indicating that the device is well-optimized, with a low discharge rate.
Average discharge current
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Camera
Audio
Display
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