Samsung Galaxy S21 FE and OnePlus 9RT are two highly anticipated smartphones that debuted in India this week. While the Samsung Galaxy S21 FE launched as the successor to last year’s Galaxy S20 FE 5G, the OnePlus 9RT has come as an upgrade from the OnePlus 9R that the Chinese company has introduced in the country to provide an affordable yet flagship-like experience. TDespite being positioned differently by their makers, the new phones have some key similarities that make them comparable. So, are they the best flagship phone you can buy today? to offer.
We discuss this and more in this week’s Gadgets 360 podcast Orbital episode. Host Akhil Arora meets with Deputy Review Editor Roydon Cerejo and Senior Reviewer Sheldon Pinto to discuss the Samsung Galaxy S21 FE and OnePlus 9RT. Roydon has reviewed units of both models for testing, while Sheldon reviewed the Galaxy S21 FE’s predecessor, the Galaxy S20 FE 5G, last year.
Samsung Galaxy S21 FE price in India starts at Rs. 54,999 for the 128GB storage variant. The phone also offers a 256GB model that costs Rs. 58,999. Samsung is currently running a cashback offer where customers using HDFC bank cards can get Rs. 5,000 off the Galaxy S21 FE price – regardless of the variant they choose. It effectively brings the phone as low as Rs. 49,999.
The OnePlus 9RT, on the other hand, debuted for Rs. 42,999 for the 8GB+128GB base model and Rs. 46,999 for the 12GB + 256GB option.
Regarding specifications, the Samsung Galaxy S21 FE is not significantly upgraded compared to the Galaxy S20 FE 5G. The phone comes with a 6.4-inch full-HD+ Dynamic AMOLED 2X display with a 120Hz refresh rate and is powered by an octa-core Exynos 2100 SoC and 8GB of RAM as standard. It has a triple rear camera with a 12-megapixel primary sensor, an f/1.8 wide-angle lens, a 12-megapixel ultra-wide-angle lens, and an 8-megapixel telephoto shooter.
Samsung Galaxy S21 FE 5G First Impressions: Riding the Wave
The Samsung Galaxy S21 FE has a 4,500 mAh battery that supports 25 W fast wired and 15 W wireless fast charging. There is also support for reverse wireless charging. Furthermore, the phone has IP68-certified dust and water-resistant construction.
This all sounds the same when you look at the Samsung Galaxy S20 FE 5G. Last year’s phone had the Qualcomm Snapdragon 865 SoC, which has practically a performance comparable to the latest Exynos chip. That model also came with a slightly larger 6.5-inch AMOLED display.
In the case of the OnePlus 9RT, the smartphone has some notable upgrades over the OnePlus 9R. It comes with the Snapdragon 888 SoC, an improvement over the Snapdragon 870 chip that was available on last year’s model. The new chip is also the one that powers the OnePlus 9 and OnePlus 9 Pro.
The OnePlus 9RT has an improved primary sensor in its triple camera setup compared to the OnePlus 9R. It is essentially the 50-megapixel sensor available as a secondary camera on the OnePlus 9 Pro.
OnePlus 9RT First Impressions: A beautifully crafted powerhouse
It is worth noting that the OnePlus 9RT arrived in India just days after the company launched the OnePlus 10 Pro as its next flagship in China. The new model is also expected to debut in India shortly.
Likewise, Samsung is preparing to launch the Galaxy S22 series as its next flagship product. It would come to India shortly after its worldwide debut.
We discuss whether the Samsung Galaxy S21 FE and OnePlus 9RT are worth the price for which they are available. We also note that since the Galaxy S20 FE 5G and OnePlus 9R are still available in the market, are they better than the new models? You can catch all of this by hitting the Spotify player’s play button.
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