Asus Zenfone 8 vs Samsung Galaxy S21 FE
A spec-by-spec comparison of the Asus Zenfone 8 and the Samsung Galaxy S21 FE, taken from their full specification sheets. Green marks the better value in each measured row.
Head to head
| Asus Zenfone 8 | Samsung Galaxy S21 FE |
|---|
| Price | $399 | $167 |
| Our rating | 8/10 | 7/10 |
| Battery | 4,000 mAh | 4,500 mAh |
| Wired charging | 30W | 25W |
| Storage (max) | 256 GB | 256 GB |
| Screen size | 5.9 in | 6.4 in |
| Refresh rate | 120 Hz | 120 Hz |
| Main camera | 64 MP | 12 MP |
| Weight (lower is lighter) | 169 g | 177 g |
| Released | May 2021 | Jan 2022 |
Summary: Asus Zenfone 8 is ahead on our rating, wired charging, main camera, weight (lower is lighter). Samsung Galaxy S21 FE is ahead on battery, screen size.
★ Which should you buy? Asus Zenfone 8 is the stronger overall pick on the measured specs. If budget matters more than the extra capability, Samsung Galaxy S21 FE is the cheaper option.
Researched with AI assistance by infozme.com from manufacturer and retailer sources — see how we research & rate phones.
Display
| Asus Zenfone 8 | Samsung Galaxy S21 FE |
|---|
| Type | Super AMOLED, 120Hz, HDR10+, 1100 nits (peak) | Dynamic AMOLED 2X, 120Hz, HDR10+ |
| Size | 5.9 inches, 84.6 cm2 (~82.9% screen-to-body ratio) | 6.4 inches |
| Resolution | 1080 x 2400 pixels, 20:9 ratio (~446 ppi density) | 1080 x 2400 pixels, 20:9 ratio (~401 ppi density) |
| Protection | Corning Gorilla Glass Victus | Corning Gorilla Glass Victus |
| Features | 1ms response time, 240Hz touch sampling rate | — |
Platform
| Asus Zenfone 8 | Samsung Galaxy S21 FE |
|---|
| Chipset | Qualcomm SM8350 Snapdragon 888 5G (5 nm) | Qualcomm SM8350 Snapdragon 888 5G (5 nm) - Version 1 or Exynos 2100 (5 nm) - Version 2 |
| CPU | Octa-core (1x2.84 GHz Cortex-X1 & 3x2.42 GHz Cortex-A78 & 4x1.80 GHz Cortex-A55) | Octa-core (1x2.84 GHz Cortex-X1 & 3x2.42 GHz Cortex-A78 & 4x1.80 GHz Cortex-A55) - Version 1 or Octa-core (1x2.9 GHz Cortex-X1 & 3x2.80 GHz Cortex-A78 & 4x2.2 GHz Cortex-A55) - Version 2 |
| GPU | Adreno 660 | Adreno 660 - Version 1 or Mali-G78 MP14 - Version 2 |
| OS | — | Android 12, upgradable to Android 16 (One UI 8) |
Memory
| Asus Zenfone 8 | Samsung Galaxy S21 FE |
|---|
| RAM Options | 6GB, 8GB, 16GB LPDDR5 | — |
| Storage Options | 128GB, 256GB UFS 3.1 | — |
| Card Slot | No | — |
| RAM | — | 6GB, 8GB |
| Storage | — | 128GB, 256GB |
| Card slot | — | No |
Main Camera
| Asus Zenfone 8 | Samsung Galaxy S21 FE |
|---|
| Dual | 64 MP, f/1.8, 26mm (wide), 1/1.73", 0.8µm, PDAF, OIS (Sony IMX686); 12 MP, f/2.2, 14mm, 112˚ (ultrawide), 1/2.55", 1.4µm, dual pixel PDAF (Sony IMX363) | — |
| Features | LED flash, HDR, panorama | LED flash, auto-HDR, panorama |
| Video | 8K@24fps, 4K@30/60fps, 1080p@30/60/240fps, EIS | 4K@30/60fps, 1080p@30/60fps, gyro-EIS |
| Triple | — | 12 MP, f/1.8, 26mm (wide), Dual Pixel PDAF, OIS; 8 MP, f/2.4, 76mm (telephoto), PDAF, OIS, 3x optical zoom; 12 MP, f/2.2, 13mm, 123˚ (ultrawide) |
Selfie Camera
| Asus Zenfone 8 | Samsung Galaxy S21 FE |
|---|
| Single | 12 MP, f/2.5, 28mm (standard), 1/2.93", 1.22µm, dual pixel PDAF (Sony IMX663) | 32 MP, f/2.2, 26mm (wide) |
| Features | HDR | HDR |
| Video | 4K@30fps, 1080p@30/60fps, EIS | 4K@30/60fps, 1080p@30/60fps |
Battery
| Asus Zenfone 8 | Samsung Galaxy S21 FE |
|---|
| Type | Li-Po 4000 mAh, non-removable | Li-Ion 4500 mAh, non-removable |
| Charging | 30W wired, PD3.0, QC4 (60% in 25 min, 100% in 80 min advertised), 10W reverse wired | 25W wired, 15W wireless, 4.5W reverse wireless |
Body
| Asus Zenfone 8 | Samsung Galaxy S21 FE |
|---|
| Dimensions | 148 x 68.5 x 8.9 mm (5.83 x 2.70 x 0.35 in) | 155.7 x 74.5 x 7.9 mm |
| Weight | 169 g (5.96 oz) | 177 g |
| Build | Glass front (Gorilla Glass Victus), glass back (Gorilla Glass 3), aluminum frame | Glass front (Gorilla Glass Victus), plastic back, aluminum frame |
| SIM | Dual SIM (Nano-SIM, dual stand-by) | Single SIM (Nano-SIM) or Dual SIM (Nano-SIM, dual stand-by) |
| Water & Dust Resistance | IP68 dust/water resistant | — |
| Colors | — | White, Graphite, Lavender, Olive |
| Durability | — | IP68 dust/water resistant (up to 1.5m for 30 min) |
Comms
| Asus Zenfone 8 | Samsung Galaxy S21 FE |
|---|
| WLAN | Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/6/6e, dual-band, Wi-Fi Direct | Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/6, dual-band, Wi-Fi Direct |
| Bluetooth | 5.2, A2DP, LE, aptX HD, aptX Adaptive | 5.0, A2DP, LE |
| Positioning | GPS (L1+L5), GLONASS (L1), BDS (B1/B1c/B2a), GALILEO (E1+E5a), QZSS (L1+L5), NavIC (L5) | GPS, GLONASS, BDS, GALILEO |
| NFC | Yes | Yes |
| Radio | No | No |
| USB | USB Type-C 2.0, OTG | USB Type-C 3.2, OTG |
Launch
| Asus Zenfone 8 | Samsung Galaxy S21 FE |
|---|
| Announced | May 12, 2021 | 2022, January 04 |
| Status | Released May 13, 2021 | Available. Released 2022, January 07 |
| OS | Android 11, upgradable to Android 13, ZenUI 8 | — |
Frequently asked questions
Which has the better battery, Asus Zenfone 8 or Samsung Galaxy S21 FE?
Samsung Galaxy S21 FE — 4,000 mAh for the Asus Zenfone 8 versus 4,500 mAh for the Samsung Galaxy S21 FE.
Which is lighter, Asus Zenfone 8 or Samsung Galaxy S21 FE?
Asus Zenfone 8 — 169 g for the Asus Zenfone 8 versus 177 g for the Samsung Galaxy S21 FE.
Which is newer, Asus Zenfone 8 or Samsung Galaxy S21 FE?
Samsung Galaxy S21 FE — May 2021 for the Asus Zenfone 8 versus Jan 2022 for the Samsung Galaxy S21 FE.
Is the Asus Zenfone 8 or the Samsung Galaxy S21 FE rated higher?
We rate the Asus Zenfone 8 8/10 and the Samsung Galaxy S21 FE 7/10.
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