Samsung Galaxy S21 FE hands on: keeping the Galaxy S21 alive

The Galaxy S20 series was one of Samsung’s largest selling phone ranges, and part of that success was down to the Galaxy S20 FE. Dubbed the Fan Edition (or FE for short) – a throwback to the rebuilt Galaxy Note 7 Fan Edition – Samsung sold over 10 million Galaxy S20 FE units in the past year since its launch in Q4 2020. At CES 2022, Samsung launched the next generation of the Fan Edition – the Galaxy S21 FE.

The Galaxy S21 FE brings the best of the Galaxy S21 range at a lower starting price than the Galaxy S21 range, and crucially, unlike its namesake series, this will be a phone that is sold for the next year at least. Available in four colorways with a premium matte textured feel, the Galaxy S21 FE will likely offer everything you could want in a Galaxy smartphone, and especially if the upcoming Galaxy S22 series doesn’t cut it for you.

At an exclusive event earlier at CES 2022 in Las Vegas, we went hands-on with the Galaxy S21 FE.

If you know anything about the Galaxy S21 series, chances are you’ll know most of the specs and features found in the Galaxy S21 FE. That said, one thing that’s immediately clear is how nice this phone feels in the hand. The matte textured rear offers grip, is ergonomically friendly, and looks fantastic, especially in the lavender color which is slightly more saturated than the namesake color found on the Galaxy Z Flip 3.

The design language of the Galaxy S21 FE is almost identical to the Galaxy S21 series, with the same contour-cut design resulting in a slightly raised camera hump – albeit, less so than the main phones in the series. The frame of the phone is an aluminum build but it still retains the premium feel that the Galaxy S21 series offered.

There are four color options for the Galaxy S21 series, and by far my favorite is the lavender. It is virtually the perfect shade of purple and it’s a better colorway than the Galaxy Z Flip 3. The other color options include an Olive green, which is very similar to the same in the Galaxy Buds 2, Black and White. If you’ve seen the Galaxy Buds 2 colors, you’ll know the Galaxy S21 FE colors.

Beyond the design similarities, the Galaxy S21 FE features many of the same specs found on the Galaxy S21 series. On paper, it’s best described as a combination of the Galaxy S21 and Galaxy S21 Plus, and given it’ll replace these two devices in Samsung’s ongoing lineup, it makes sense that Samsung would build a hybrid device featuring the best of these two phones.

It features a 6.4-inch FHD+ Dynamic AMOLED 2X Display which is bigger than the Galaxy S21 (6.2-inches) and smaller than the Galaxy S21 Plus (6.7-inches), albeit with the same resolution and display technology. Like the rest of the Galaxy S21 series, the Galaxy S21 FE display supports a 120Hz refresh rate for smooth scrolling, HDR10+, and an Always On Display. It also features the latest protection from Corning – Gorilla Glass Victus.

In the US, the Galaxy S21 FE is powered by a Snapdrag0n 888 processor whilst in some countries, it’s likely to use an Exynos processor. There are two storage and memory options; the base model comes with 6GB of RAM and 128GB of internal storage, whilst the premium variant features 8GB of RAM and 256GB of storage.

The triple camera setup features the same wide and ultra-wide cameras from the Galaxy S21 and S21 Plus, although the telephoto camera takes a fairly substantial hit. The main camera is a 12MP wide sensor with dual pixel autofocus, Optical Image Stabilization, whilst the ultra-wide is a 12MP sensor with 120° field of view, f/2.2 aperture, and 1.4µm pixel size. The telephoto camera is cut from the 64MP sensor found previously to an 8MP sensor, albeit it still supports 30x digital zoom.

The rest of the specs are fairly standard with a 4,500 mAh battery powering the entire package, which can be topped up using either 25W wired charging or 15W wireless charging. There’s also reverse wireless charging to recharge your accessories, a range of 5G bands and sensors, and IP68 water and dust resistance. The Galaxy S21 FE also launches running One UI 4 on top of Android 12.

The Galaxy S21 FE launches next week for $699.99 for the base variant, whilst the premium variant with 8GB of RAM and 256GB of storage will cost you $769.99. It’ll be available from a range of carriers and from Samsung directly, and presumably, there’ll be plenty of trade-in deals to further reduce the cost of the phone.

Overall, the Galaxy S21 FE is designed to replace the existing Galaxy S21 range in Samsung’s lineup, especially as the latter is mostly out of stock already. With Samsung planning to launch its next range of phones in the coming months at a higher price, the Galaxy S21 FE is designed to be the phone that keeps the legacy of the Galaxy S21 series alive, and in this, it seems to deliver. Stay tuned as we’ll have a full review of the Galaxy S21 FE going live in the coming weeks.

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LG reveals its 2022 smart TV lineup and webOS 22 update

LG is one of the most popular manufacturers of TVs, and the company’s lineup of WebOS-powered smart TVs is usually on par (or slightly ahead of) competing options from TCL, Samsung, and other big names. It wouldn’t be a CES week without some new smart TVs, and sure enough, LG has announced its 2022 smart TV lineup and some updates for its webOS software.

First up is the LG 2022 G2 series (not to be confused with the LG G2 smartphone), which is the company’s top-tier option with OLED panels. Just like last year, there are 55-inch, 65-inch, 77-inch models sizes available, but LG is now throwing a 97-inch model into the mix. All of them have LG’s OLED Evo technology, which aims to deliver more realistic image quality.

2022 C2 77-inch TV

There’s also the slightly-cheaper C2 series, which will be available in 48-inch, 55-inch, 65-inch, 77-inch, and 83-inch sizes. Some of these will have OLED Evo screens too, and all of them have thinner bezels. Most C2 and G2 models are equipped with the company’s latest “Alpha 9 Gen 5” processor, but LG didn’t specify any improvements beyond the ability to create virtual 7.1.2 surround sound. Finally, LG also has a few new QNED TVs for 2022.

This year’s TVs will ship with a new version of webOS, which LG is calling ‘webOS 22’ — the current version is 6.0, but it seems LG wants to synchronize the version numbers with the current year. The new update introduces personal profiles, so each person using the TV can set up their own favorites and content recommendations. You’ll be able to switch profiles through the TV interface, or through something LG calls ‘NFC Magic Tap.’ The new update also allows the TV to function as a controller for devices using the Matter standard, starting sometime in the second half of 2022.

LG did not share pricing or availability details on any of its new TV models.

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The new Galaxy S21 FE looks to be a better deal than the flagship Galaxy S21

After what seems like an eternity, Samsung has finally lifted the covers off the highly-anticipated Galaxy S21 FE. As we saw in numerous leaks over the last few months, Samsung’s latest Fan Edition device is a trimmed-down version of its flagship Galaxy S21. It offers quite a few of the same features as the flagship model, including a flagship SoC, a respectable camera setup, a high refresh rate display, and a big battery, at a slightly more affordable price. But is it worth getting over a deeply discounted Galaxy S21? Let’s quickly take a look at what Samsung’s new affordable flagship has to offer.

Since the Galaxy S21 FE is essentially a more affordable Galaxy S21, we’ll start with taking a look at their hardware. Check out the table below for a quick comparison of the new Galaxy S21 FE and the flagship Galaxy S21.

Samsung Galaxy S21 FE vs. Galaxy S21

Specification	Samsung Galaxy S21 FE	Samsung Galaxy S21
Build	Plastic back Metal frame	Plastic back Aluminum mid-frame
Dimensions & Weight	155.7 x 74.5 x x 7.9mm 177g	151.7 x 71.2 x 7.9mm 171g
Display	6.4-inch FHD+ Dynamic AMOLED 2X flat display 2340 x 1080p 120Hz refresh rate 240Hz touch sampling rate in Gaming Mode	6.2-inch FHD+ Dynamic AMOLED 2X 2400 x 1080p 120Hz refresh rate 240Hz touch sampling rate
SoC	Qualcomm Snapdragon 888	International: Exynos 2100 USA: Qualcomm Snapdragon 888
RAM & Storage	6GB + 128GB 8GB + 256GB	8GB LPDDR 5 + 128GB 8GB + 256GB
Battery & Charging	4,500mAh 25W wired fast charging support 15W wireless charging support Reverse wireless charging support	4,000mAh 25W fast charging support 15W wireless charging support Reverse wireless charging support
Security	Optical in-display fingerprint sensor	Ultrasonic in-display fingerprint scanner
Rear Camera(s)	Primary: 12MP f/1.8, Dual Pixel AF, OIS Ultra-wide: 12MP f/2.2, 123° FoV Telephoto: 8MP f/2.4, 3x optical zoom, 30x space zoom, OIS	Primary: 12MP f/1.8, Dual Pixel AF, OIS Ultra-wide: 12MP f/2.2, 120° FoV Telephoto: 64MP f/2.0, PDAF, OIS
Front Camera(s)	32MP f/2.2	10MP f/2.2, Dual Pixel AF
Port(s)	USB Type-C	USB 3.2 Type-C
Audio	Stereo speakers Dolby Atmos	Stereo speakers tuned by AKG Dolby Atmos
Connectivity	Sub6/mmWave 5G 4G LTE Dual-band (2.4GHz + 5GHz) Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/ax Bluetooth	Sub6 5G 4G LTE Dual-band (2.4GHz + 5GHz) Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/ax Bluetooth 5.1
Software	One UI 4 based on Android 12	One UI 4 based on Android 12
Other Features	Samsung Pay with NFC	Samsung Pay with NFC

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As you can probably tell from looking at the spec table above, the Galaxy S21 FE isn’t all that different when compared to the flagship Galaxy S21. It offers pretty much all the features found on the flagship device, including a Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 chip, up to 8GB RAM, up to 256GB onboard storage, and the same connectivity features. However, the two phones aren’t exactly the same. In fact, the Galaxy S21 FE does a few things better.

For instance, the device has a larger 6.4-inch FHD+ 120Hz Dynamic AMOLED 2X display, which some people might prefer over the vanilla Galaxy S21’s 6.2-inch FHD+ 120Hz Dynamic AMOLED 2X display. It even has a larger 4,500mAh battery that offers the same fast charging capabilities as the flagship model. On top of that, the new phone has an arguably better 32MP selfie shooter. But while the Galaxy S21 FE looks to be better than the regular Galaxy S21 in these three areas, Samsung has cut some corners to keep its price low.

Speaking of cutting corners, the new Galaxy S21 FE doesn’t get the same telephoto camera as the flagship model. While you do get a 12MP primary camera and a 12MP ultra-wide camera on the device, you don’t get a 64MP telephoto camera. Instead, the device features a more modest 8MP telephoto camera with 3x optical zoom and 30x space zoom.

The Galaxy S21 FE also doesn’t get the same ultrasonic in-display fingerprint scanner as the flagship model, and it opts for a more mainstream optical in-display fingerprint scanner. But that might actually be a good thing because my experience with the ultrasonic fingerprint sensors on other Samsung devices hasn’t been all that great. They’re a bit too sluggish compared to the optical fingerprint scanners that the company offers on cheaper devices.

Since Samsung hasn’t shared the complete RAM, storage, and USB specifications for the Galaxy S21 FE yet, we’re not sure if it offers the same hardware as the flagship model. It is possible for Samsung to have opted for slower components on the Fan Edition model to keep its price low, but you’ll have to wait for our full review to know if that’s the case or not.

All in all, the Galaxy S21 FE packs some impressive hardware at its price point and it has the potential to replicate the Galaxy S20 FE’s success. However, since it’s hitting the market after a long delay, Samsung might not get the same results as last year.

One good thing about the delay, though, is that the Galaxy S21 FE ships with One UI 4 based on Android 12 out of the box. This means that it will get an additional Android OS upgrade and an extra year of security updates, which slightly increases its chances of attracting buyers. Another thing that we’re sure will pique your interest in the Galaxy S21 FE is its price. Check out the section below for more details.

Pricing & Availability

The Samsung Galaxy S21 FE will be available in four colorways — Black, White, Olive Green, and Lavender — and it will go on sale starting January 11. Although it offers pretty much all the features that you get with the $800 Galaxy S21, it starts at $699 for the base 6GB + 128GB model. If you’re wondering if the Galaxy S21 FE is worth the given price or not, make sure you stay tuned for our full review.

What do you think of the new Galaxy S21 FE? Would you get it over other similarly priced phones? Let us know in the comments section below.

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This is the OnePlus 10 Pro, and it launches soon in China

Love it or hate it, there’s no denying that OnePlus still produces smartphones that impress a lot of people. The brand has traded some of its old-school enthusiast leanings in favor of mainstream audience appeal, and that has worked in its favor. With 2022 underway, it’s time for another set of smartphone releases, and the company is ready with its flagship for the year. This is the OnePlus 10 Pro, and it is launching in China next week.

OnePlus has finally officially revealed that the OnePlus 10 Pro is launching in China on Tuesday, January 11, 2022. Along with the launch announcement, the company has also shared official marketing renders of the device in its Green and its Black colorway.

As you can see, the OnePlus 10 Pro is very similar to what we had seen in the leaked renders in the run-up to this announcement. Note that none of the renders from OnePlus show off the front of the device, but we aren’t really expecting any massive surprises there anyway. What is also missing is any mention of the regular OnePlus 10 — the announcement specifically mentions the OnePlus 10 Pro and not OnePlus 10 series as the company has done in the past, indicating that we may be seeing only one phone at the Chinese launch event.

What remains distinct about the OnePlus 10 Pro is the camera island, which is reminiscent of the Galaxy S21’s camera island. The Hasselblad logo finds a prominent spot on this generation too. We are pleased to see OnePlus giving up on the idea of a fourth-but-practically-useless tertiary rear camera, as the fourth spot houses the LED flash. One can also spot the alert slider on the side. On the Black color variant, we can see what looks like a Sandstone finish.

We expect to learn more about the OnePlus 10 Pro in the coming days, especially as the Chinese launch comes closer. If leaks are to be believed, one can expect the global launch to happen after a couple of months.

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A developer got Android 12 booting on the legendary Samsung Galaxy S III

In recent days, we’ve informed you about a variety of official Android 12 updates. They all had one thing in common: Every update was delivered to devices that are currently supported by the respective OEM. But what happens with much older and unsupported smartphones? Do they gather dust? Not a chance at XDA.

When it comes to aftermarket development, some devices never cease to amaze us. And while it may not exactly be the venerable HTC HD2, the Samsung Galaxy S III is certainly carrying on its legacy. Samsung may have long declared the end of upgrade support for this model, but the modding community hasn’t forgotten it at all. The 2012’s flagship has been dual-booted, made to natively run the Linux-based Sailfish OS, and even received mainline Linux kernel support. The latest in the series of developments for the device is an unofficial LineageOS 19.0 custom ROM based on Android 12!

The Exynos 4412-powered Samsung Galaxy S III 3G (model number GT-I9300) can now boot Android 12, courtesy of XDA Recognized Developer html6405. Among the things that do work out of the box, you can find that the cellular radio, camera, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and software/hardware-accelerated video playback are working just fine. However, many LineageOS-specific features are lacking in the ROM, but that is alright as we are still in the early days and these aspects will be fixed on the source side over time.

Samsung Galaxy S III XDA Forums

A few words about bugs, because unfortunately, they are present: The SIM PIN unlock is broken as of now. As a precautionary measure, you must disable your SIM PIN using a different device first, otherwise, you’ll end up with a locked SIM. Formatting a microSD card as the adoptable storage results in a bootloop in the current release. Furthermore, the NFC module of the Galaxy S III isn’t functional yet under this ROM. We are keeping our fingers crossed for the developer to fix these issues soon.

If you still use a Samsung Galaxy S III or have it somewhere hidden away in your desk, make your way to the custom ROM thread and give this amazing piece of work a try.

Download unofficial LineageOS 19.0 based on Android 12 for the Samsung Galaxy S III

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Alienware’s Concept Nyx promises to solve the pain points of game streaming

Last month, Dell announced an array of concepts that aimed to improve productivity. Now, it’s time to talk about gaming, as the company’s Alienware brand is announcing Concept Nyx. Concept Nyx aims to take us into the future of gaming by solving a lot of the issues that are present today.

Here’s an example. As we’ve seen, game streaming is taking off, letting you play AAA titles from any screen, big and small. But that takes a fair bit of bandwidth, and if you have a whole family of people playing, that’s going to be a pain point. Concept Nyx takes a lot of this computing and brings it to the local network. In other words, it’s edge computing but for gaming.

One of the things that this will offer is much lower latency. The computing is happening locally, so it’s not sending commands to and from a distant server. When you’re playing multiplayer, that local processing is even more important.

Concept Nyx also lets you switch seamlessly between devices. The example that Alienware provides is playing Cyberpunk 2077 in your bedroom, and then when you go to cook dinner, you can pass it off to your friend on the 65-inch TV in the living room. All of this is done with single-digit millisecond latency.

Of course, this is designed to be as easy as possible to use. Alienware compared Concept Nyx with the ease of playing your favorite music, TV shows, or movies. You just install an app on your devices and you get the experience throughout your home.

Obviously, this is a concept that’s not going to be something you can invest in with your home gaming setup. However, this is something that Alienware is going to continue to develop. While it might not land as a standalone product, you’ll almost certainly see elements of this in the future.

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Samsung smart TVs now have eco-friendly remotes and not eco-friendly NFTs

This week is CES 2022, and even though most companies will start their product announcements tomorrow, Samsung apparently can’t wait that long. Samsung is revealing a bunch of new accessories and software features for its smart TVs, including at least one that we’re not too thrilled about.

First up is the New Eco Remote, which Samsung hopes will have the lowest environmental impact possible for a TV remote. It supposedly uses a recycled material design (Samsung does not say how much of it is from recycled materials), and power is supplied through a solar panel and RF harvesting, so you shouldn’t need batteries. It will be available in black or white, but it’s not clear if they will be included with any Samsung TVs, or if they will be a separate purchase.

Samsung did not provide XDA Developers with an image of the New Eco Remote, but this is what last year’s model looked like.

Samsung also announced new features coming to its smart TVs. The home screen is being rearranged with three main sections: Media Screen, Gaming Hub, and Ambient Mode. Media Screen gives you quick access to movies and shows from any content provider, as well as content recommendations. Gaming Hub will display console and streaming games in one centralized location, and Ambient Mode is more or less identical to the current Ambient Mode. Some of Samsung’s 2022 TVs will support 144Hz 4K to complement the new Gaming Hub.

Samsung also has a new ‘NFT Aggregation Platform’ for its TVs, which is apparently “the world’s first TV screen-based NFT explorer and marketplace aggregator, a groundbreaking platform that lets you browse, purchase, and display your favorite art all in one place.”

I shouldn’t have to point out how absurd it is for a company to announce an eco-friendly remote at the same time as promoting a technology that is contributing to climate change, but apparently the irony has been lost. It seems the circus is back in town, because Samsung is acting like a clown.

Besides promoting one of the worst trends in technology in years, Samsung also announced ‘The Freestyle,’ which is essentially a small portable projector with Samsung’s smart TV software. It will support picture sizes from 30 inches to 100 inches across, but there’s no mention of brightness or pricing.

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