Hot on the heels of a full Samsung Galaxy S21 FE user manual leaking, now someone seems to have actually got hold of a retail model of the phone and put it through an unboxing video.
The video – on HDblog's YouTube channel – doesn't show much we haven't already seen, because, well, just about everything about the Samsung Galaxy S21 FE has already leaked, but this is our first clear look at it on video.
There are a few new details here too, including the claim that this phone has three 12MP lenses on the back (a main, ultra-wide and telephoto with 3x zoom), in contrast to previous leaks, which suggested the telephoto camera was 8MP.
Additionally, the phone apparently runs Android 12 (where earlier leaks had suggested Android 11), and it's said to have a plastic back – that's unsurprising, but it's a detail that hadn't come up yet. The video additionally notes that the camera block is also plastic, unlike the rest of the Samsung Galaxy S21 range where it's metal.
The Samsung Galaxy S21 FE also apparently weighs 177g, making it marginally lighter than the 190g Samsung Galaxy S20 FE.
Beyond that it's basically all stuff that we've heard before, including a 6.4-inch FHD+ AMOLED screen with a 120Hz refresh rate, a Snapdragon 888 chipset, 6GB of RAM, 128GB of storage, 5G, a 32MP front-facing camera, an in-screen fingerprint scanner, and a 4,500mAh battery with 25W charging. There's also said to be stereo speakers, but no 3.5mm headphone port.
While we'd certainly take all of this with a pinch of salt – especially the details that conflict with previous rumors – there aren't any red flags in the video itself, so this may well be a retail model of the Samsung Galaxy S21 FE.
Analysis: the S21 FE is the worst kept smartphone secret
Details about unreleased smartphones regularly leak, especially when they're fairly high-profile like the Samsung Galaxy S21 FE, but it's rare for them to leak quite to this extent.
On its own, this unboxing video would be a major leak, but it follows the leaking of a 167-page manual for the phone, along with numerous renders (including some that appear to be official), and even pricing details that Samsung Ireland accidentally posted early.
Interestingly, this video actually creates more questions than it answers, given that the camera specs and Android version differ slightly from what we’ve heard before. But broadly we're pretty confident about almost every aspect of the Samsung Galaxy S21 FE at this point.
You'll be able to learn all the official details in January if leaks are right – but if they are right then you'll have heard it all before.
Via Phone Arena