Comparing the Samsung Galaxy S21 FE and Galaxy S20 FE is a frustrating game of telling the difference; despite launching over a year apart, Samsung has not made that many significant changes between these two entry-level flagship phones There are no

However, the changes that have been made are still important ones to see The Galaxy S21 FE offers a lighter design, new camera improvements and features, and better performance However, other aspects such as display, battery, charging, and price remain the same

Our Galaxy S21 FE review is still in progress, so come back to this page later and don't worry if some of our conclusions have changed For now, this is our current comparison of the Galaxy S21 FE and the Galaxy S20 FE

Samsung's Galaxy S21 FE will officially launch on January 11 for $699; the Galaxy S20 FE is currently the same price, but we expect a price drop once the S21 FE is available Our guess is a $100 discount, but we will know in due time

It would be difficult to tell the difference between these phones from the front Both models have rounded corners and a punch-hole camera positioned above the display [The backs are still similar, but at least they are distinguishable The Galaxy S21 FE has a redesigned camera bump compared to the Galaxy S20 FE, reflecting the "contour cut" camera block of the regular Galaxy S21 Both models use plastic on the back, a feature that helps to lower component prices

Perhaps as a result of its smaller size (64"), the S21 FE is slightly lighter at 62 oz (177g) than the 65" S20 FE (67 oz/190g) This may be good news for users who prefer smaller, lighter devices for comfort and practicality

Samsung has narrowed the color selection from six colors for the S20 FE to four colors for the S21 FE: black, white, olive green, and lavender for the S21 FE The S20 FE, on the other hand, offers six colors to choose from: navy, lavender, mint, red, white, and orange, but not all colors can be found at all carriers and retailers

There are very slight size differences between the two FE phones The Galaxy S20 FE has a 65-inch display and the Galaxy S21 FE has a 64-inch display Both use FHD OLED panels with a maximum refresh rate of 120 Hz, but this refresh rate can only be switched manually

The most important difference between these displays is their material The Galaxy S21 FE uses a Gorilla Glass Victus panel, one of the strongest smartphone materials available today; the S20 FE uses the older standard, Gorilla Glass 3 This means that the S21 FE's screen should be able to better withstand scratches and other damage

The S21 FE's display has several other enhancements compared to the S20 FE In our tests, it was slightly brighter, 700 nits versus 679 nits on average Color accuracy is also slightly improved, with a Delta E score of 029 versus 03 (the lower the number, the better)

There appears to be no difference at all in the camera packages of these phones, at least in specs On the back, both have a 12MP main camera, a 12MP ultrawide camera, and an 8MP telephoto camera (3x optical zoom) On the front, both have a 32MP selfie camera

The real changes are in the software: new features of the S21 FE include an improved night mode for low-light photography, simultaneous video recording from the front and rear cameras, and zoom lock for more stable telephoto shots

We have yet to use the S21 FE's camera in person, so check back later when we have images to show you the differences between these phones

Here's the biggest difference between the S21 FE and the S20 FE Samsung uses the Snapdragon 888 in the S21 FE, while the S20 FE 5G uses the Snapdragon 865, or the Exynos 990 chipset in the 4G version sold in certain markets In any case, the S21 FE has a newer chipset and therefore performs better in benchmarks The CPU benchmark Geekbench 5 gave it a score of 3,199, while the S20 FE 5G scored 2,928

These models can be equipped with 6 or 8 GB of RAM and 128 GB of storage, or 8 GB of RAM and 256 GB of storage, depending on the specifications However, the S20 FE allows storage expansion via microSD card, which the S21 FE does not

Both models support 5G, which is not the norm for the S20 FE A 4G version of this phone was sold in Europe and served as a cheaper option alongside the same S20 FE sold in other regions There is no such difference this time around; the S21 FE is 5G-enabled worldwide and has no 4G option In fact, the S21 FE has a double-sided SIM tray, allowing the use of two 5G SIM cards While this is not convenient for everyone, it is an advantage for users who need to use two different phone numbers on a regular basis and want to manage both on one device

Both models have a 4,500 mAh battery and are capable of 25W wired charging and 10W wireless charging, but only the Galaxy S20 FE comes bundled with a charger (albeit a 15W one); the S21 FE does not, so a spare or separate purchase is required S21 FE does not come with a charger, so you will need to have a spare or purchase one separately

We have not yet tested the Galaxy S21 FE in our custom battery test, and we expect it to do much better than the S20 FE, which we found to be disappointing at under 9 hours

There is a big difference here: the Galaxy S20 FE launched with Android 10 (in the form of One UI 2), the 2020 standard at launch, and is now upgradeable to Android 11 It will offer many new features, including new widget designs, enhanced privacy, and greater customization of how different parts of the phone's interface look

It is likely that Samsung will eventually introduce the Android 12 version of One UI on the S20 FE However, being an older phone, Samsung will likely abandon any major OS updates earlier than the just-launched S21 FE After this point, the S20 FE will still receive security updates to keep it secure, but it will not receive everything that Samsung and Google's software team will create for future editions of One UI and Android

At launch, we called the Galaxy S20 FE a "value win" However, the S21 FE is not much different and is priced the same

There are still reasons to pick up the new phone: the S21 FE has a more powerful chip, new photo capabilities, newer Android 12 software, and a more compact and lighter body The S20 FE, on the other hand, rivals the S21 FE in camera hardware, battery size, charging, and 5G support Also, once the S21 FE is released, it will likely be much cheaper if inventory can be found

This is simply one of those phone comparisons where the differences are not that great However, it is unfortunate that a Samsung phone released in 2020 matches so closely a phone just released in 2022