(NEW) Samsung Galaxy S21 FE 5G

Edit (7/30/2023): This will be the last update I write about the S20 FE, as I plan on getting a new phone in the near future. After 3 years with this phone, I can't say my feelings have changed very much. The only reason I'm writing this is to warn anyone thinking about getting this as a budget phone at some point in the future. The glue holding the back panel has loosened to the point where it is lifting off the phone. There is no bulging battery, as far as I can tell. The cheap glue that they used to put the S20 FE together just isn't holding together anymore. They tout having software/security updates for however many years, but what good is that if the phone falls apart before you get to that point? To anyone reading this in the future: no, this phone isn't worth $499 (the price amazon has it as I'm writing this) new in 2023. The chip is still okay and it has that precious SD slot that phone manufacturers don't want to include nowadays so people buy the expensive, higher storage models. If you really, really want one to use as a budget phone, look for a refurbished one. I've found ones being sold for under $150. Who knows? Maybe the phone refurbishers used better glue to put the phone back together. I haven't decided which phone to get next. All I know is that it won't be a Samsung. _________________________________ Edit (8/18/2021): I've dropped my rating from 4 stars to 3 stars. It's been a little less than a year, and the issues mentioned below have started to affect daily use in a way that turns this from a great phone to an okay phone not worth your time. Okay, maybe not daily use, per se. But enough that it's starting to effect my initial thoughts on it. The amount of times this phone has turned on in my pocket because of ghost touches is insane. Every time I take it out of my pocket, it's opened a random app and input a few letters on the keyboard. And this is after adjusting the settings to stop these sorts of things. I turned off double tap to turn on (despite wanting that feature) and turned on accidental touch protection (which did absolutely nothing). I even made it so that the phone needed face recognition or a fingerprint to unlock every time I close it. But it just keeps happening. No software update really fixed the screen, as suspected. This is a pure hardware mess up. Here's the cold, honest truth: the screen on the S20 FE is terrible. Worse than my old S7. Worse than even a budget android phone's screen. It's beyond comprehension. The virtual proximity sensor is also worthless. I almost want to give it the classic "angry Amazon customer 1-star" review, but I'll refrain. There's still good here with the chip, customizability, and great battery life, but that stuff can only get you so far. Here's my advice: don't bother with this phone. You can get a midrange smartphone for the same (or even a lower) price, with better specs. It's still not the worst thing out there and I'm not tossing it in the trash just yet, but it's definitely the last Samsung product I'll be buying. So disappointing, but I couldn't keep this review a 4-star in good conscience. _________________________________ I decided on the Samsung Galaxy S20 FE for my smartphone upgrade for a lot of reasons. One, and most obviously, was the price. At $599 ( the price on Amazon when I purchased it), it was an unbeatable deal. Another was the specs: Snapdragon 865 and 6gb of RAM was perfect for my needs. My old Galaxy S7 looked practically primitive when set against the S20 FE. And so, I decided to give a midrange phone a try. At first glance, the S20 FE seemed too good to be true. The screen, while not 4K, still looks great with the 120Hz refresh rate enabled. The rear cameras look incredibly good, nice and crisp. I've done everything from web browsing and gaming to word processing and photography, all with minimal issue. Battery life is solid, but not the best in the market right now. You'll still be able to get a couple of days out of the S20 FE on 120Hz. Also, you can't beat the customizability of Android. With the option to install launchers/widgets plus a wealth of storage (and SD card support), you get a lot of choice with the S20 FE. The size, while much larger than I was used to, still fits in the hand really well. I would recommend getting a case and screen protector for this one though, as I have seen people shatter the screen with a single drop. But, if you've been reading up on the S20 FE at all, then you know that there are problems. First off, the virtual proximity sensor on the phone is spotty at best. Testing it out myself, I had to be right on top of the sensor for it to detect my face. And for phone calls, that means a few more accidental muted/ended calls than usual. The face recognition and fingerprint scanner are also not great. I'd say it works about 85% of the time, but when it doesn't, do you ever feel it. Adding on, the front-facing camera is pretty lackluster. Not bad, but it's not flagship levels by any stretch. You'll need to be in absolutely optimal lighting to get a decent picture out of it. So if you're looking for a phone to take selfies indoors with, I'd look elsewhere. From what I've seen, the standout complaint with the S20 FE is the touchscreen. And yes, my phone (ordered in early November) has the issue too. Pretty horrendous ghosting when testing it in the touchscreen test app. There's undeniably a hardware issue with the S20 FE. There have been updates since the phone released, but none have fixed it entirely; merely a band-aid on a bloody gash. The real question is: does it affect everyday use? Will you notice it every moment you use the S20 FE? The answer to both is no, at least for me. While I'm sure it does affect certain tasks (most notably those that involve fast touches or 3+ fingers), I really haven't noticed it in actual use. Pinching/zooming with your fingers close together will cause the screen to jitter, but that's about all I've seen. If that worries you enough to pass on the S20 FE, I don't blame you. It really is a shame that I can't give the S20 FE a perfect 5 stars, because it does deserve it in some aspects. But with these hardware issues, there's always the worry that time will make them worse. It's a genuine worry, I get that. But even with the problems, the Samsung Galaxy S20 FE is a pretty great phone. It really does feel like a flagship phone, but with a massive price cut and a few downgrades. Only time will tell if the problems the phone has will get worse, but for right now, I'm more than happy with it.