When you buy through our links, Insider may earn an affiliate commission. Learn more.
- Google’s Pixel 6 has better battery life, cameras, and even screen tech.
- Samsung’s Galaxy S21 FE has a zoom lens, but its 120Hz screen destroys battery life.
- We recommend the Pixel 6 for most people, but the Galaxy S21 FE shouldn’t be ignored.
For phone buyers unwilling to spend big on the most premium flagships, Samsung’s $700 Galaxy S21 FE and Google’s $600 Pixel 6 are the Android phones to think about.
Both phones come with high-end processors for speedy performance, as well as high-end cameras and features, making them both direct competitors.
Samsung’s Galaxy S21 FE is a slightly pared-down version of its 2021 flagship phone, the Galaxy S21, which means it’s not quite the best that Samsung has to offer. Meanwhile, Google’s Pixel 6 is the best Google has to offer, apart from the larger $900 Pixel 6 Pro that comes with an extra zoom lens, a larger screen, and a slightly sleeker design.
The result is that the two phones excel in different areas that different people value. In great detail, here’s why the Google Pixel 6 wins in this competition of performance, battery life, cameras, displays, design, Android updates, and value.
Google Pixel 6 vs Samsung Galaxy S21 FE specifications
Performance
Antonio Villas-Boas/Insider
Unusual for the premium Android world, both phones run on different processors. The Pixel 6 runs on Google’s Tensor processor, while the Galaxy S21 FE runs on a more traditional Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 that powered premium Android phones in 2021.
Toe-to-toe, both processors perform similarly in benchmark results, specifically in the Geekbench processor performance test, with a negligible edge going towards the Galaxy S21 FE:
In day-to-day usage, both phones feel snappy — they open and run apps equally quickly and well, except the Pixel 6 feels a little stuttery when scrolling down certain apps, namely Twitter and Reddit.
Winner: Samsung Galaxy S21 FE
Antonio Villas-Boas/Insider
Battery life
Both phones have 6.4-inch screens, which means we should expect similar battery life. However, that’s not the case at all here. Google’s Pixel 6 has significantly longer battery life than the Galaxy S21 FE in our video
streaming
test, where we continuously stream the same YouTube video with maximum screen brightness at the phone’s default 1080p screen resolution.
In normal usage, we could also tell that the Pixel 6 lasts longer than the Galaxy S21 FE.
Winner: Google Pixel 6
Cameras
Antonio Villas-Boas/Insider
The Pixel 6 has a dual-lens camera, featuring a main camera and an ultra-wide camera. Meanwhile, the Galaxy S21 FE features a triple-lens camera system that includes a 3x zoom lens, which makes for sharper and clearer zoomed photos.
Both phones take great photos in good lighting conditions. In fact, these photos taken with both phones look almost identical:
Samsung Galaxy S21 FE
Antonio Villas-Boas/Insider
Google Pixel 6
Antonio Villas-Boas/Insider
The Galaxy S21 FE has a dedicated zoom lens with 3x optical zoom, which produces sharper and better photos than the Pixel 6’s digital zooming:
Samsung Galaxy S21 FE
Antonio Villas-Boas/Insider
Google Pixel 6
Antonio Villas-Boas/Insider
Darkness is the S21 FE camera’s weakness, where photos become visibly less sharp and grainy. However, it’s not so much of a problem for the Pixel 6:
Samsung Galaxy S21 FE
Antonio Villas-Boas/Insider
Google Pixel 6
Antonio Villas-Boas/Insider
Winner: Pixel 6 for overall quality. Galaxy S21 FE for versatility of zoom lens.
Display
The Pixel 6 and Galaxy S21 FE screens side by side running Google Maps, showing that the Pixel 6 has a brighter screen.
Antonio Villas-Boas/Insider Reviews
Both phone screens have 1080p resolution, which is plenty sharp, and we don’t dock either for not having higher resolutions that you might find on more expensive phones.
Both phones also use bright and vibrant OLED panels, which produce exceptional contrast and make everything on the screen look better than standard LED displays. With that said, the Pixel 6 can get brighter than the Galaxy S21 FE, as shown in the photo above.
They start differing with refresh rate, which decides how smooth animations look. Higher refresh rates make a big difference compared to the standard 60Hz — they make the phone feel faster and more powerful because the display refreshes the image on screen more frequently.
The Google Pixel 6’s screen has a 90Hz refresh rate, while the Galaxy S21 FE’s screen can reach 120Hz. Technically, it means the Galaxy S21 FE has a smoother screen, but there’s a big asterisk here. Running the Galaxy S21 FE’s screen at the full 120Hz refresh rate has a detrimental effect on its battery life, and you can get much better battery life by setting the screen to 60Hz. We’d recommend Galaxy S21 FE owners to set their screens to 60Hz if they value battery life, which is already worse off than the Pixel 6.
Even at 90Hz, the Pixel 6’s screen still feels smooth. Also, you can really tell a difference between 60Hz and 90Hz, but not as much between 90Hz and 120Hz.
Winner: Google Pixel 6
Design
Antonio Villas-Boas/Insider
Simply put, the Pixel 6 is bold and unique, while the Galaxy S21 FE is plain and simple.
The Pixel 6 also has a glass back, which is more premium than the Galaxy S21’s FE’s plastic, but that’s not necessarily a winning point for the Pixel — I don’t dock a phone for having lightweight and durable plastic backs.
There’s no winner here, since design preferences are subjective.
Android updates
As per Google’s statements, the Pixel 6 will get Android operating system updates until October 2024 — which means the latest version of Android it can get will be Android 15, if the annual Android release cycle maintains its course. Google will also support the Pixel 6 with security updates until October 2026.
Samsung also promises to deliver three generations of Android OS upgrades, which means the Galaxy S21 FE will also get Android 15. Security updates will be delivered until at least 2026.
Winner: Tie
Price and value
It feels like you’re getting fewer features that are higher quality with the Pixel 6, whereas you get more features with the Galaxy S21 FE that are fine, but not as high quality.
The main thing going for the Galaxy S21 is its extra zoom camera. Whether that’s worth the extra $100 will be up to you and your needs.
Winner: Google Pixel 6
The verdict
Google’s Pixel 6 is the phone to get here, but the Galaxy S21 FE is still a good phone, if a little overpriced.
We’re recommending the Google Pixel 6 over the Samsung Galaxy S21 FE for its superior battery life, screen, and cameras.
With that said, the Galaxy S21 FE will serve those who specifically want a zoom lens for sharper photos of subjects that are further away. For those folks, that alone may justify the $100 premium over the Pixel 6’s starting price.
Source: https://www.businessinsider.com/guides/tech/samsung-galaxy-s21-fe-vs-google-pixel-6