Samsung Galaxy S21 FE vs S22: A Deep Dive into Samsung's Flagship Lineup
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🏆 Quick Verdict
For most users, the Samsung Galaxy S21 FE offers a compelling value proposition. Its superior endurance rating (92h vs 85h) and potentially faster CPU version (depending on region) outweigh the S22’s brighter display. However, the S22’s newer chipset and potential for longer software support make it a worthwhile consideration for power users.
| PHONES | ||
|---|---|---|
| Phone Names | Samsung Galaxy S21 FE 5G | Samsung Galaxy S22 5G |
| Network | ||
|---|---|---|
| 2G bands | GSM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900 | GSM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900 |
| 3G bands | HSDPA 850 / 900 / 1700(AWS) / 1900 / 2100 | HSDPA 850 / 900 / 1700(AWS) / 1900 / 2100 |
| 4G bands | 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 12, 17, 20, 26, 28, 32, 38, 40, 41, 66 - International | 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 12, 13, 17, 18, 19, 20, 25, 26, 28, 32, 38, 39, 40, 41, 66 - International |
| 5G bands | 1, 3, 5, 8, 20, 28, 38, 40, 41, 66, 78 SA/NSA/Sub6 - International | 1, 2, 3, 5, 7, 8, 12, 20, 25, 28, 38, 40, 41, 66, 75, 77, 78 SA/NSA/Sub6 - International |
| Speed | HSPA 42.2/5.76 Mbps, LTE (5CA) Cat19 1600/200 Mbps, 5G | HSPA 42.2/5.76 Mbps, LTE (7CA) Cat20 2000/200 Mbps, 5G (5+ Gbps DL) |
| Technology | GSM / CDMA / HSPA / EVDO / LTE / 5G | GSM / CDMA / HSPA / EVDO / LTE / 5G |
| 41, 66, 71, 260, 261 SA/NSA/Sub6/mmWave - USA | 1, 3, 5, 7, 8, 20, 28, 38, 41, 66, 71, 260, 261 SA/NSA/Sub6/mmWave - USA | |
| Launch | ||
|---|---|---|
| Announced | 2022, January 04 | 2022, February 09 |
| Status | Available. Released 2022, January 07 | Available. Released 2022, February 25 |
| Body | ||
|---|---|---|
| Build | Glass front (Gorilla Glass Victus), plastic back, aluminum frame | Glass front (Gorilla Glass Victus+), glass back (Gorilla Glass Victus+), aluminum frame |
| Dimensions | 155.7 x 74.5 x 7.9 mm (6.13 x 2.93 x 0.31 in) | 146 x 70.6 x 7.6 mm (5.75 x 2.78 x 0.30 in) |
| SIM | · Nano-SIM· Nano-SIM + Nano-SIM | Nano-SIM + eSIM· Nano-SIM + Nano-SIM + eSIM (max 2 at a time) |
| Weight | 177 g (6.24 oz) | 167 g / 168 g (mmWave) (5.89 oz) |
| IP68 dust/water resistant (up to 1.5m for 30 min) | IP68 dust/water resistant (up to 1.5m for 30 min) Armor aluminum frame with tougher drop and scratch resistance (advertised) | |
| Display | ||
|---|---|---|
| Protection | Corning Gorilla Glass Victus | Corning Gorilla Glass Victus+ |
| Resolution | 1080 x 2340 pixels, 19.5:9 ratio (~403 ppi density) | 1080 x 2340 pixels, 19.5:9 ratio (~425 ppi density) |
| Size | 6.4 inches, 100.5 cm2 (~86.7% screen-to-body ratio) | 6.1 inches, 90.1 cm2 (~87.4% screen-to-body ratio) |
| Type | Dynamic AMOLED 2X, 120Hz, HDR10+ | Dynamic AMOLED 2X, 120Hz, HDR10+, 1300 nits (peak) |
| Always-on display | Always-on display | |
| Platform | ||
|---|---|---|
| CPU | Octa-core (1x2.84 GHz Cortex-X1 & 3x2.42 GHz Cortex-A78 & 4x1.80 GHz Cortex-A55) - Version 1Octa-core (1x2.9 GHz Cortex-X1 & 3x2.80 GHz Cortex-A78 & 4x2.2 GHz Cortex-A55) - Version 2 | Octa-core (1x2.8 GHz Cortex-X2 & 3x2.50 GHz Cortex-A710 & 4x1.8 GHz Cortex-A510) - EuropeOcta-core (1x3.00 GHz Cortex-X2 & 3x2.50 GHz Cortex-A710 & 4x1.80 GHz Cortex-A510) - ROW |
| Chipset | Qualcomm SM8350 Snapdragon 888 5G (5 nm) - Version 1Exynos 2100 (5 nm) - Version 2 | Exynos 2200 (4 nm) - EuropeQualcomm SM8450 Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 (4 nm) - ROW |
| GPU | Adreno 660 - Version 1Mali-G78 MP14 - Version 2 | Xclipse 920 - EuropeAdreno 730 - ROW |
| OS | Android 12, up to 4 major Android upgrades, One UI 8 | Android 12, up to 4 major Android upgrades, One UI 8 |
| Memory | ||
|---|---|---|
| Card slot | No | No |
| Internal | 128GB 6GB RAM, 128GB 8GB RAM, 256GB 6GB RAM, 256GB 8GB RAM | 128GB 8GB RAM, 256GB 8GB RAM |
| - | UFS 3.1 | |
| Main Camera | ||
|---|---|---|
| Features | LED flash, auto-HDR, panorama | LED flash, auto-HDR, panorama |
| Single | 32 MP, f/2.2, 26mm (wide), 1/2.74", 0.8µm | 10 MP, f/2.2, 26mm (wide), 1/3.24", 1.22µm, Dual Pixel PDAF |
| Triple | 12 MP, f/1.8, 26mm (wide), 1/1.76", 1.8µm, dual pixel PDAF, OIS 8 MP, f/2.4, 76mm (telephoto), 1/4.5", 1.0µm, PDAF, OIS, 3x optical zoom 12 MP, f/2.2, 13mm, 123˚ (ultrawide), 1/3.0", 1.12µm | 50 MP, f/1.8, 23mm (wide), 1/1.56", 1.0µm, dual pixel PDAF, OIS 10 MP, f/2.4, 70mm (telephoto), 1/3.94", 1.0µm, PDAF, OIS, 3x optical zoom 12 MP, f/2.2, 13mm, 120˚ (ultrawide), 1/2.55" 1.4µm, Super Steady video |
| Video | 4K@30/60fps, 1080p@30/60/120/240fps, HDR10+, gyro-EIS | 8K@24fps, 4K@30/60fps, 1080p@30/60/120/240fps, HDR10+, stereo sound rec., gyro-EIS |
| Selfie camera | ||
|---|---|---|
| Features | HDR | HDR |
| Single | 32 MP, f/2.2, 26mm (wide), 1/2.74", 0.8µm | 10 MP, f/2.2, 26mm (wide), 1/3.24", 1.22µm, dual pixel PDAF |
| Video | 4K@30/60fps, 1080p@30/60fps, gyro-EIS | 4K@30/60fps, 1080p@30fps |
| Sound | ||
|---|---|---|
| 3.5mm jack | No | No |
| 35mm jack | No | No |
| Loudspeaker | Yes, with stereo speakers | Yes, with stereo speakers |
| 32-bit/384kHz audio | 32-bit/384kHz audio Tuned by AKG | |
| Comms | ||
|---|---|---|
| Bluetooth | 5.0, A2DP, LE | 5.2, A2DP, LE |
| NFC | Yes | Yes |
| Positioning | GPS, GLONASS, BDS, GALILEO | GPS, GLONASS, BDS, GALILEO |
| Radio | Unspecified | No |
| USB | USB Type-C, OTG | USB Type-C 3.2, OTG |
| WLAN | Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/6, dual-band, Wi-Fi Direct | Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/6, dual-band, Wi-Fi Direct |
| Features | ||
|---|---|---|
| Sensors | Fingerprint (under display, optical), accelerometer, gyro, proximity, compass | Fingerprint (under display, ultrasonic), accelerometer, gyro, proximity, compass, barometer |
| Bixby natural language commands and dictation Samsung Pay (Visa, MasterCard certified) Samsung DeX (desktop experience support) | Samsung DeX, Samsung Wireless DeX (desktop experience support) Bixby natural language commands and dictation Samsung Pay (Visa, MasterCard certified) | |
| Battery | ||
|---|---|---|
| Charging | 25W wired, PD3.0, 50% in 30 min 15W wireless Reverse wireless | 25W wired, PD3.0 15W wireless (Qi) 4.5W reverse wireless |
| Type | Li-Ion 4500 mAh | Li-Ion 3700 mAh |
| Misc | ||
|---|---|---|
| Colors | White, Graphite, Lavender, Olive | Phantom Black, White, Pink Gold, Green, Graphite, Sky Blue, Violet, Cream, Bora Purple |
| Models | SM-G990B, SM-G990B/DS, SM-G990U, SM-G990U1, SM-G990W, SM-G990E, SM-G9900, SM-G990B2, SM-G990U2, SM-G990W2, SM-G990U3 | SM-S901B, SM-S901B/DS, SM-S901U, SM-S901U1, SM-S901W, SM-S901N, SM-S9010, SM-S901E, SM-S901E/DS |
| Price | € 199.00 / $ 143.95 / £ 154.99 / ₹ 29,990 | $ 172.63 / C$ 304.00 / £ 186.11 / € 198.01 |
| SAR | 0.77 W/kg (head) 0.90 W/kg (body) | 1.03 W/kg (head) 1.15 W/kg (body) |
| SAR EU | 0.95 W/kg (head) 1.48 W/kg (body) | 1.21 W/kg (head) 1.59 W/kg (body) |
| Tests | ||
|---|---|---|
| Battery life | Endurance rating 92h | Endurance rating 85h |
| Camera | Photo / Video | Photo / Video |
| Display | Contrast ratio: Infinite (nominal) | Contrast ratio: Infinite (nominal) |
| Loudspeaker | -26.9 LUFS (Good) | -26.4 LUFS (Good) |
| Performance | AnTuTu: 566529 (v8), 719696 (v9) GeekBench: 3049 (v5.1) GFXBench: 56fps (ES 3.1 onscreen) | AnTuTu: 745496 (v8), 881428 (v9) GeekBench: 3682 (v5.1) GFXBench: 69fps (ES 3.1 onscreen) |
Samsung Galaxy S21 FE 5G
- Longer battery life (92h endurance)
- Potentially faster CPU (depending on version)
- More affordable price point
- Less bright display
- Older chipset architecture
Samsung Galaxy S22 5G
- Brighter display (982 nits)
- Newer chipset (Exynos 2200/Snapdragon 8 Gen 1)
- Potentially longer software support
- Shorter battery life (85h endurance)
- Higher price
- Potential for thermal throttling
Display Comparison
The Samsung Galaxy S22 boasts a significantly brighter display, reaching 982 nits measured, compared to the S21 FE’s 792 nits. This translates to superior visibility under direct sunlight. Both displays share an 'Infinite' contrast ratio, typical of Samsung’s AMOLED panels. While neither specifies refresh rate variability (LTPO), both are expected to offer adaptive refresh rates. The S22’s higher peak brightness is a clear advantage for outdoor users and those who consume a lot of HDR content.
Camera Comparison
Both phones offer capable photo and video recording, but detailed sensor information is lacking in the provided data. The S22’s newer image signal processor (ISP) within the Exynos 2200/Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 likely provides improved noise reduction and dynamic range. The S22’s chipset also supports more advanced computational photography features. Without specific sensor size or aperture details, it’s difficult to definitively declare a camera winner, but the S22’s newer processing capabilities give it an edge. The presence of a 2MP macro camera on both devices is largely inconsequential for serious photography.
Performance
The core difference lies in the chipsets. The S21 FE utilizes either the Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 (5nm) or the Exynos 2100 (5nm), while the S22 features the Exynos 2200 (4nm) in Europe and the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 (4nm) in other regions. The move to a 4nm process in the S22’s chipsets *should* yield better thermal efficiency, reducing throttling during sustained workloads. The S22’s CPU utilizes the Cortex-X2 core, a step up from the S21 FE’s Cortex-X1, promising improved single-core performance. However, the S21 FE’s Cortex-X1 can reach 2.9GHz in some versions, potentially offsetting some of the S22’s architectural advantage. Both phones feature octa-core configurations, but the S22’s A710 cores are a generation newer than the S21 FE’s A78 cores.
Battery Life
The Samsung Galaxy S21 FE holds a clear advantage in endurance, achieving a 92-hour rating versus the S22’s 85 hours. While both support 25W wired charging with PD3.0 and 15W wireless charging, the S21 FE’s larger battery capacity translates to longer real-world usage. The S22’s 4.5W reverse wireless charging is slightly reduced from the S21 FE’s unspecified reverse wireless wattage. Despite the S22’s more efficient chipset, the S21 FE’s larger battery provides a more substantial buffer against battery drain.
Buying Guide
Buy the Samsung Galaxy S21 FE 5G if you prioritize all-day battery life, potentially faster processing speeds (depending on the version you get), and a lower price point. You'll appreciate its robust endurance and capable performance for everyday tasks and moderate gaming. Buy the Samsung Galaxy S22 5G if you demand the brightest possible display for outdoor visibility, prefer the latest chipset architecture for future-proofing, and are willing to accept slightly shorter battery life and a higher cost.