My last phone was a Samsung A10e, and anyone coming from a cheap A series phone can for sure tell you that this is a MAJOR upgrade. I got the 128gb S21 FE model and I only paid $590 USD for the black version, despite really really wanting the white version, yet that one was priced at $699 USD. Would I pay $699 for it? Probably not, but everyone has a different budget for everything!
When I received the phone, it came in its regular factory box which is very thin, like I was concerned for a second that they just sent me a case, but nope! They've cut down on everything that they send you. It came with the phone, a manual in a tiny box, a sim card tool behind that box, and I believe short type c cable, I already have a charging cable so I didn't pay any attention to it. Not that big of a deal really, it just worried me for a second haha.
Now I'm someone who worries about storage, and this phone does NOT come with a micro SD card slot (unlike the S20 FE), however I've not had any problems with my storage yet, I still have roughly 61GB out of the 128GB to go. The system itself is 22.5GB which is expected as this is a very beefy and fast machine, and then I play a lot of games so my apps take around 39GB. I don't take many photos either so I only have around 1GB used, but if you are someone who loves to take photos, I recommend getting a separate portable hard drive or even using your personal computer to send your photos over, as spending $70-$130+ for just 128GB of more storage is a lot when you could use that to get around 500GB on a standalone drive. It is also worth mentioning that getting the bigger storage version for this phone, also adds 2GB of ram to it, giving it a speed boost, but I'm about to go over some things about the phone's speed.
As for game wise, I play Genshin Impact, Colorful Stage/Project Sekai, Stardew Valley, Pokemon GO, and Fallout Shelter, and this thing runs them all like a BEAST. I wouldn't recommend getting the extra 2GB of ram in the bigger storage model since this phone can run pretty much anything you throw at it. Anyone who's ever played Genshin Impact knows how heavy the game is, and it can run it at max settings just fine, the only problem, is that it gets INCREDIBLY hot. So hot that it lowkey hurts to touch after playing for more than just 5-15 minutes. This could be completely fixed if you get a cooling mount for around $20-30. I do prioritize game functionality and speed over looks so I do play extremely comfortably in low-medium settings as it still looks great! However if you're looking for a gaming machine with smooth fps and no lag at all with maximum settings on heavy games (since bigger temperatures means lowering the processing of your game, causing lag), I'll have to recommend looking for a different phone such as an Iphone or a Oneplus since they do that well.
The camera is good for me! I take photos of my dog and that's it. It also has a 30x zoom which is crazy. The front camera is really good and I sometimes put it up to my head and angle it to make myself look like a goldfish and it's super funny haha. The fingerprint reader works extremely well even with a screen protector. Fun fact I found: you can lay your finger over your fingerprint reader while the screen is off and it'll unlock! So you don't even have to double tap your screen to wake it up or press a power button. I was never a fan of 120hz screens and I still am not, but it looks super smooth when I have it turned on. The AMOLED screen was a huge game changer for me, it's beautiful and has incredible contrasting colors.
I know people say they have tons of issues with the battery to this device, but I honestly haven't had any problems whatsoever. Now I do keep medium power saving mode on as I just don't see too much to the use of allowing your phone to do any big background services when you're not using it. It lasts about a day and a half. I work 9-5 and I come home with 70% battery after being on it or checking it very often and frequently. Now I will say there has been some connectivity issues during heavy storms and heavy storms only, but I experienced that issue with my last phone so there's a massive chance that's just my mobile data provider (which is US Cellular). By the way, this phone is unlocked, so it should be able to accept just about any other provider you use. I also think it supports 2 sim cards? I'm not too sure as I'm not someone who would ever have to use it, but if you are, then that's a plus.
Overall this phone is absolutely amazing and I 11/10 recommend it :)
Conserves energy compared to similar products.
As certified by
ECOLOGO
ECOLOGO
ECOLOGO certified products are made with materials that reduce environmental impact at one or more stages of their lifecycle, from raw materials to end of life. An ECOLOGO certification indicates that a product has met environmental performance standards, which include criteria in some or all of the following categories: materials, energy, manufacturing and operations, health and environment, product performance and use, and product stewardship and innovation. Products are evaluated on the applicable criteria through testing and auditing.
