After nearly a year of early leaks, renders, and even rumors of cancellation, Samsung is using CES as the perfect opportunity to finally unveil the Galaxy S21 FE. Although it might seem a little outdated — we're just weeks away from the Galaxy S22, after all — the company's latest device combines flagship performance with an affordable price point. For some buyers, that might be enough to make it more enticing than Samsung's next-gen smartphone series.

Compared to the rest of the S21 series, the Galaxy S21 FE is closest to the company's smallest 2021 flagship. Although it measures slightly larger — 6.4" vs. 6.2" — it's still rocking a 120Hz FHD+ AMOLED display with flat edges and a hole punch cutout for the front-facing camera. The phone's back is using the same premium plastic last seen on the S21, and although the company plans to move away from this material with its next release, we still think it's pretty great.

Design-wise, Samsung has stuck with a look that matches the rest of last year's phones, including that signature camera bump that flows right into the frame. There are four new colorways to choose from: Graphite, White, Lavender, and Olive. If you've tried out the Galaxy Buds2, all four options should look pretty familiar.

Inside the phone, Samsung is sticking with the same 5nm 64-bit octa-core processor as in the S21 series, though which CPU you get will depend on your region. In the US, it's Qualcomm's Snapdragon 888, a chip that — despite no longer being the newest or hottest on the market — is more than enough for everyday use. Other markets around the world will get the company's Exynos 2100 chipset in its place.

Regardless of CPU, the S21 FE pairs it with either 6GB of RAM and 128GB of storage, or 8GB of RAM with 256GB of storage. It's all powered by a 4,500mAh battery that supports 25W wired charging and 15W wireless, complete with PowerShare for topping up your wireless earbuds or matching Galaxy Watch4.

On the back, you'll find the same 12MP f/1.8 wide and 12MP f/2.2 ultra-wide lenses found on the standard S21. It also comes complete with a telephoto lens, albeit with a downgrade from 64MP to just 8MP. Thankfully, it keeps the 30x Space Zoom around, along with improved Night Mode compared to the S20 FE. Although the cameras on the S21 series didn't blow us away like the Pixel 6 managed to do a couple of months ago, they can certainly hold their own against competing smartphones.

Samsung surprised us by launching Android 12 for its pre-existing devices much earlier than most anticipated, and the S21 FE is following along as expected. It's running Android 12 with One UI 4, offering users the same great experience we already liked. Many of the best changes to Samsung's software are found under the hood, with improved privacy and security features and enhanced themes similar to Material You.

The Galaxy S21 FE will be available starting on January 11th through the usual selection of retailers and carriers. The 128GB model with 6GB of RAM is priced at $699.99, while the 256GB version paired with 8GB of RAM runs for $769.99. Although it's more expensive than competing phones like the Pixel 6, Samsung's usual discounts and trade-in offers may make it a far more enticing proposition.