We subjected the Samsung Galaxy S21 FE 5G (Snapdragon) to our rigorous SBMARK battery test suite to measure its performance in terms of range, charging and efficiency. In these test results, we will analyze how it fared in a variety of tests and several common use cases.
Overview
Key specs:
- Battery capacity: 4500mAh
- 25W charger (not included)
- Wireless charging – 15W
- 6.4 inch 1080 x 2400 120Hz OLED display
- Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 5G (5nm)
- ROM / RAM combination tested: 128GB + 6GB
Pros
- Strong autonomy when calling on the go
- Very low residual energy consumption
Cons
- 5% energy consumed overnight in a typical usage scenario
- Poor autonomy recovered after a quick push
- Very high discharge current while playing
- Very slow wireless charging
Impressive specs on the Samsung Galaxy S21 FE 5G (Snapdragon), such as the Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 5G chipset, a 4500mAh battery, and wireless charging, couldn’t help the device overcome the poor overall performance. The autonomy is low and the charging time is quite long, both wired and wireless. It is located close to the last in our general database, as well as in its price segment.
Test summary
About SBMARK Battery Tests: For the score and analysis in our smartphone battery reviews, SBMARK engineers perform a series of objective tests over a period of one week both indoors and outdoors. (See our introductory article and how we test articles for more details on our Smartphone Battery Protocol.)
The following section collects the key elements of our exhaustive tests and analyzes performed in SBMARK laboratories. Detailed performance evaluation reports are available upon request. Please contact us about how to get them.
The table below shows battery capacity, charger tested, display type and resolution, and processor specifications for the comparison devices.
Drums | Battery charger | wireless | Screen | Processor | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Samsung Galaxy S21 FE 5G (Snapdragon) | 4500 mAh | 25W (not included) |
15W | OLED 1080 x 2400 |
Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 5G |
Apple iPhone 13 | 3227 mAh | 20 W (not included) |
15W | OLED 1170 x 2532 |
Apple A15 Bionic |
OnePlus 9 | 4500 mAh | 65 W (not included) |
15W | OLED 1080 x 2400 |
Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 |
Autonomy
40
Samsung Galaxy S21 FE 5G (Snapdragon)
98
Wiko Power U30
Wiko Power U30
How the autonomy score is composed
The range score is made up of three performance sub-scores: stationary, moving, and calibrated use cases. Each sub-score includes the results of a full range of tests to measure autonomy in all kinds of real-life scenarios.
54 hours
Light use
Active: 2h30 / day
38 hours
Moderate use
Active: 4 hours a day
24 hours
Intense use
Active: 7 hours a day
Stationary
37
Samsung Galaxy S21 FE 5G (Snapdragon)
104
Viva Y72 5G
Viva Y72 5G
A robot housed in a Faraday cage performs a series of touch-based user actions during what we call our “typical use scenario” (TUS) – making calls, streaming video, etc. – 4 hours of active use over a 16-hour period, plus 8 hours of “sleep”. The robot repeats this series of actions every day until the device is discharged.
In movement
54
Samsung Galaxy S21 FE 5G (Snapdragon)
96
Samsung Galaxy M51
Samsung Galaxy M51
Using a smartphone on the go puts a strain on autonomy due to additional “hidden” needs, such as the continuous signaling associated with the selection of the cellular network. SBMARK Battery experts take the phone outdoors and perform a well-defined set of activities following the same three-hour travel itinerary (walking, taking the bus, the subway …) for each device
Calibrated
52
Samsung Galaxy S21 FE 5G (Snapdragon)
100
Samsung Galaxy M51
Samsung Galaxy M51
For this series of tests, the smartphone returns to the Faraday cage and ours robots repeatedly perform actions related to a specific use case (such as games, video streaming, etc.) at a time. Starting at an 80% charge, all devices are tested until they have consumed at least 5% of the battery charge.
Reload
70
Samsung Galaxy S21 FE 5G (Snapdragon)
117
Nubia RedMagic 6 Pro
Nubia RedMagic 6 Pro
How the Charge score is composed
Charging is completely part of the overall battery experience. In some situations where battery life is minimal, knowing how fast you can charge becomes a problem. The SBMARK battery charge score consists of two secondary scores, (1) Full charge and (2) Quick boost.
Full charge
76
Samsung Galaxy S21 FE 5G (Snapdragon)
117
Nubia RedMagic 6 Pro
Nubia RedMagic 6 Pro
Full charge tests evaluate the reliability of the battery charge indicator; measure how long and how much energy the battery takes to charge from zero to 80% capacity, 80 to 100% as shown by the user interface, and up to an actual full charge.
Two graphs below illustrate the full charge performance of the smartphone: (1) The charging curves, in wired and wireless mode (if available) which show the evolution of the battery level indicator as well as the power consumption in watts during charging phases towards full capacity.
(2) The full charge time graph breaks down the time it takes to reach 80%, 100% and full charge.
Fast thrust
63
Samsung Galaxy S21 FE 5G (Snapdragon)
109
Xiaomi 11T Pro
Xiaomi 11T Pro
With the phone at different charge levels (20%, 40%, 60%, 80%), Quick boost tests measure the amount of charge the battery receives after being plugged in for 5 minutes. The graph here compares the average runtime gain from a 5 minute quick charge.
Efficiency
53
Samsung Galaxy S21 FE 5G (Snapdragon)
102
Apple iPhone 13 Pro
Apple iPhone 13 Pro
How the efficiency score is composed
The SBMARK energy efficiency score consists of two secondary scores, Charge up and Discharge rate, which combine both data obtained during a typical use scenario based on robots, calibrated tests and charge evaluation, taking into account the battery capacity of the device . SBMARK calculates the annual energy consumption of the product, shown in the graph below, which is representative of the overall efficiency during charging and in use.
Charge Up
66
Samsung Galaxy S21 FE 5G (Snapdragon)
86
Oppo Find X5 Pro
Oppo Find X5 Pro
The secondary charge score is a combination of four factors: the overall efficiency of a full charge, relative to the amount of energy needed to fill the battery versus the energy the battery can provide; the efficiency of the travel adapter when it comes to transferring power from an outlet to the phone; the residual consumption when the phone is fully charged and still connected to the charger; and the residual consumption of the charger itself, when the smartphone is disconnected from it. The graph below shows the overall efficiency of a full charge in%.
Discharge
54
Samsung Galaxy S21 FE 5G (Snapdragon)
121
Apple iPhone 13 Pro
Apple iPhone 13 Pro
The discharge secondary score evaluates the discharge rate of a battery during a test, which is independent of the battery capacity. It is the ratio of the capacity of a battery divided by its autonomy. A small capacity battery may have the same runtime as a large capacity battery, indicating that the device is well optimized, with a low discharge rate.
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