Samsung Galaxy S8 vs S21 FE 5G

51 out of 100

71 out of 100

Here we compared two flagship smartphones: the 5.8-inch Samsung Galaxy S8 (with Exynos 9 Octa 8895) that was released on March 29, 2017, against the Samsung Galaxy S21 FE 5G, which is powered by Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 and came out 58 months after. On this page, you will find tests, full specs, strengths, and weaknesses of each of the devices.

Differences
Review
Specs
Benchmarks
Battery life
Camera
Comments

Key differences

An overview of the main advantages of each smartphone

Reasons to consider the Samsung Galaxy S8

42% higher pixel density (570 vs 401 PPI)
Expandable storage via MicroSD card up to 256GB
Better grip in hands – the body is 6.4 mm narrower
Weighs 22 grams less
Includes a 3.5 mm headphone audio jack port

Reasons to consider the Samsung Galaxy S21 FE 5G

The rear camera has a 3x optical zoom
Higher display refresh rate – 120 Hz
Comes with 1500 mAh larger battery capacity: 4500 vs 3000 mAh
Has a 0.6 inch larger screen size
74% better performance in AnTuTu Benchmark (625K versus 360K)
Better camera quality (According to DxOMark rating)
Delivers 29% higher peak brightness (797 against 620 nits)
More recent OS version: Android 13 versus 9
Slow-motion recording at 960FPS
More energy-efficient CPU – Snapdragon 888
Uses a faster type of memory: LPDDR5 2750 MHz
The phone is 4-years and 10-months newer
Compatible with Wi-Fi 6 wireless networks

Review

Evaluation of Samsung Galaxy S8 and S21 FE 5G crucial features

Display

Screen quality, color accuracy, brightness

Type	Super AMOLED	Dynamic AMOLED
Size	5.8 inches	6.4 inches
Resolution	1440 x 2960 pixels	1080 x 2340 pixels
Aspect ratio	18.5:9	20:9
PPI	570 ppi	401 ppi
Refresh rate	60 Hz	120 Hz
Adaptive refresh rate	No	No
Max rated brightness	540 nits	420 nits
Max rated brightness in HDR	-	1200 nits
HDR support	Yes, HDR10	Yes, HDR10+
Screen protection	Corning Gorilla Glass 5	Gorilla Glass Victus
Screen-to-body ratio	83.6%	89.6%
Display features	- Always-On Display	- DCI-P3 - Always-On Display

RGB color space	99.8%	97%
PWM	250 Hz	247 Hz
Response time	4.4 ms	6 ms
Contrast	∞ Infinity	∞ Infinity

Height	148.9 mm (5.86 inches)	155.7 mm (6.13 inches)
Width	68.1 mm (2.68 inches)	74.5 mm (2.93 inches)
Thickness	8 mm (0.31 inches)	7.9 mm (0.31 inches)
Weight	155 g (5.47 oz)	177 g (6.24 oz)
Waterproof	IP68	IP68
Rear material	Glass	Plastic
Frame material	Metal	Metal
Colors	Black, Silver, Gold, Gray, Blue, Red, Pink	White, Gray, Green, Purple
Fingerprint scanner	Yes, rear	Yes, in-display

Chipset	Samsung Exynos 9 Octa 8895	Qualcomm Snapdragon 888
Max clock	2300 MHz	2840 MHz
CPU cores	8 (4 + 4)	8 (1 + 3 + 4)
Architecture	- 4 cores at 1.69 GHz: Cortex-A53 - 4 cores at 2.314 GHz: Exynos M2	- 4 cores at 1.8 GHz: Kryo 680 Silver (Cortex-A55) - 3 cores at 2.42 GHz: Kryo 680 Gold (Cortex-A78) - 1 core at 2.84 GHz: Kryo 680 Prime (Cortex-X1)
L3 cache	-	4 MB
Lithography process	10 nanometers	5 nanometers
Graphics	Mali-G71 MP20	Adreno 660
GPU shading units	320	1024
GPU clock	546 MHz	792 MHz
FLOPS	~576 GFLOPS	~1622 GFLOPS

CPU	112374	140597
GPU	78117	209723
Memory	74686	134992
UX	91461	139479
Total score	360057	625671

Max surface temperature	40.4 °C	39.1 °C
Stability	-	69%
Graphics test	-	34 FPS
Graphics score	-	5703

Web score	-	10889
Video editing	-	7079
Photo editing	-	28541
Data manipulation	-	10075
Writing score	-	14461

RAM size	4 GB	6, 8 GB
Memory type	LPDDR4X	LPDDR5
Memory clock	1794 MHz	2750 MHz
Channels	2	2

Storage size	64 GB	128, 256 GB
Storage type	UFS 2.1	UFS 3.1
Memory card	MicroSD	No
Memory card max size	Up to 256 GB	-

Operating system	Android 7.0 (Can be upgraded to Android 9.0)	Android 12 (Can be upgraded to Android 13)
ROM	One UI	One UI 5.0
OS size	11.7 GB	17.5 GB

Capacity	3000 mAh	4500 mAh
Max charge power	15 W	25 W
Battery type	Li-Ion	Li-Ion
Replaceable	No	No
Wireless charging	Yes, Qi/PMA	Yes (15 W)
Reverse charging	No	Yes, (wireless)
Fast charging	Yes, Samsung Adaptive Fast Charge (40% in 30 min)	Yes (51% in 30 min)
Full charging time	1:45 hr	1:15 hr

Battery life tests
Web browsing	08:42 hr	07:42 hr
Watching video	11:12 hr	13:05 hr
Gaming	04:30 hr	05:29 hr
Standby	85 hr	91 hr

Main camera
Matrix	12 megapixels	12 megapixels
Image resolution	4000 x 3000	4032 x 3024
Zoom	Digital	Optical, 3x
Flash	Dual LED	LED
Stabilization	Optical	Optical
8K video recording	No	No
4K video recording	Up to 30FPS	Up to 60FPS
1080p video recording	Up to 60FPS	Up to 60FPS
Slow motion	240 FPS (720p)	960 FPS (720p)
Angle of widest lens	-	123°
Lenses	1 (12 MP)	3 (12 MP + 8 MP + 12 MP)
Wide (main) lens	- 12 MP - Aperture: f/1.7 - Focal length: 26 mm - Pixel size: 1.4 micron - Sensor: 1/2.55", Sony IMX333 (Exmor-RS CMOS) - Phase autofocus - Optical stabilization	- 12 MP - Aperture: f/1.8 - Focal length: 26 mm - Pixel size: 1.8 micron - Sensor: 1/1.76", Sony IMX555 (Exmor-RS CMOS) - Phase autofocus (Dual Pixel) - Optical stabilization
Telephoto lens	-	- 8 MP - Aperture: f/2.4 - Focal length: 76 mm - Pixel size: 1 micron - Sensor: 1/4.5", Hynix Hi847 (CMOS) - Phase autofocus - Optical stabilization
Ultra-wide lens	-	- 12 MP - Aperture: f/2.2 - Focal length: 13 mm - Pixel size: 1.12 micron - Sensor: 1/3.0", Sony IMX258 (Exmor-RS CMOS)
Camera features	- Pro mode	- Bokeh mode - Pro mode - RAW support
Samples	Photo samples of Samsung Galaxy S8 from DxOMark	Photo samples of Samsung Galaxy S21 FE 5G from DxOMark

Selfie camera
Megapixels	8 megapixels	32 megapixels
Image resolution	3264 x 2448	6464 x 4864
Aperture	f/1.7	f/2.2
Focal length	25 mm	26 mm
Pixel size	1.22 microns	0.8 microns
Sensor type	CMOS	Exmor-RS CMOS
Sensor size	1/3.6"	1/2.74"
Video resolution	1440p at 30 FPS	2160p (4K) at 60 FPS

Wi-Fi standard	Wi-Fi 5 (802.11 a/b/g/n/ac)	Wi-Fi 6 (802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/ax)
Wi-Fi features	- Dual Band - Wi-Fi Direct - Wi-Fi Hotspot	- Dual Band - Wi-Fi MiMO - Wi-Fi Direct - Wi-Fi Hotspot - Wi-Fi Display
Bluetooth version	5	5
Bluetooth features	PBAP/PAB, PAN, OPP, MAP, LE, HSP, HID, HFP, DIP, AVRCP, A2DP	LE
USB type	USB Type-C	USB Type-C
USB version	3.1	3.2
USB features	- Charging - USB-Storage mode - OTG	- Charging - USB-Storage mode - OTG
GPS	GPS, GLONASS, Beidou, Galileo	GPS, GLONASS, Beidou, Galileo
NFC *	Yes	Yes
Infrared port	No	No

Number of SIM *	2	2
Type of SIM card	Nano	Nano
Multi SIM mode	Standby	Standby
eSIM support *	No	No
Hybrid slot	Yes	No
LTE Cat *	16	19
5G support	No	Yes

Speakers	Mono	Stereo
Headphone audio jack	Yes	No
FM radio	No	No
Dolby Atmos	Yes	Yes

Category	Flagship	Flagship
Announced	March 2017	January 2022
Release date	April 2017	January 2022
SAR (head)	0.315 W/kg	0.95 W/kg
SAR (body)	1.27 W/kg	1.48 W/kg
Sensors	- Barometer - Proximity sensor - Gyroscope - Accelerometer - Ambient light sensor - Compass - Fingerprint	- Hall-effect sensor - Barometer - Proximity sensor - Gyroscope - Accelerometer - Ambient light sensor - Compass - Fingerprint
Bundled charger	-	Not included

Samsung Galaxy S8 vs S21 FE 5G

Samsung Galaxy S8 vs S21 FE 5G

Key differences

Review

Value for money

Tests and specifications

Display

Design and build

Performance

Benchmarks

Memory

Software

Battery

Camera

DxOMark camera tests

Connectivity

Sound

Other

Conclusion