Samsung Galaxy S25 FE review

Samsung’s Fan Edition phones are meant to deliver a flagship-like experience at a lower price. The Galaxy S25 FE is no different. It brings a familiar mix of high-end features, some compromises, and a couple of upgrades over previous models.

After using it for a couple of weeks, here's what I think works, what doesn't, and whether this phone is worth your hard-earned money.

The Galaxy S25 FE represents a major step up in build quality and overall feel compared to earlier Fan Edition models. Previous FE phones often came across as cheaper alternatives, with thicker bezels, glossy plastic backs, or bulkier frames. Samsung has steadily refined the formula over the years, and the S25 FE is the most polished version yet.

Like other Samsung flagships and mid-range devices released this year, the S25 FE is slimmer and lighter than its predecessor. The S24 FE measured 8mm thick and weighed 213g, whereas the S25 FE trims that down to 7.4mm and 190g while packing a larger battery. That makes a noticeable difference in everyday use and handling.

The back panel has also received meaningful upgrades. Samsung has switched from Gorilla Glass 5 to Gorilla Glass Victus+ for improved resistance against scratches and drops. The glossy finish from the S24 FE has been replaced with frosted glass, which not only looks more premium but also does a better job at hiding fingerprints, though it can still pick up some smudges from oily fingers.

On the front, the bezels are slimmer, although the bottom edge is still slightly thicker than the rest. Still, the S25 FE feels every bit like a flagship. Only the Galaxy S25 Ultra, with its titanium frame, gives a more premium in-hand impression. Compared to the base S25 and S25+, the FE stands toe-to-toe in terms of looks and feel.

As expected, the Galaxy S25 FE carries an IP68 rating for water and dust resistance. At the bottom, you’ll find the dual SIM tray (with eSIM support) alongside the primary speaker. The speaker works with the earpiece to deliver stereo sound.

The Galaxy S25 FE is equipped with a 6.7-inch Dynamic AMOLED 2X display that supports an adaptive 120Hz refresh rate and reaches up to 1,900 nits of peak brightness.

On paper, this isn’t the same panel used on the higher-end Galaxy S25 models. Its peak brightness is about 700 nits lower, and it lacks the option to show the wallpaper on the Always On Display, likely due to lower power efficiency.

In everyday use, however, the differences are far less noticeable. Outdoor visibility is excellent, and the screen delivers a high-quality experience with the usual AMOLED strengths, including deep blacks, vibrant colors, and strong contrast.

The panel also supports Super HDR. That enhances photos and videos in supported formats with more lifelike color and contrast within the Gallery app. HDR10+ certification is present as well, both for playback of compatible content and for viewing HDR10/HDR10+ videos recorded by the camera.

The display is accompanied by a surprisingly good stereo speaker setup. The speakers aren't as loud as they are on the S25 Ultra, but the audio output is excellent. There's noticeable bass, and distortion is minimal at maximum volume. I'd go so far as saying they sound better here than the $1999 Fold 7. The Fold has two dedicated speakers, but because of the ultra-thin design, they don't offer the same oomph.

For durability, Samsung has covered the display with Gorilla Glass Victus+, the same protection used on the S24 FE. The optical fingerprint sensor, located towards the bottom of the screen, is fast and reliable, though it doesn’t quite match the speed and accuracy of the ultrasonic sensors found on the pricier S25s.

The Galaxy S25 FE's rear camera setup includes a 50MP primary camera with optical image stabilization, an 8MP 3x zoom camera (also with OIS), and a 12MP ultrawide camera, the same ones that you will find on the S24 FE. The only upgrade is at the front. Samsung has swapped the 10MP sensor for the 12MP unit it’s been using on non-FE Galaxy S models over the past couple of years.

Selfie quality has improved as a result. While shots can sometimes look a little less sharp indoors, the results are comparable to what you get from the Galaxy S25 Ultra. Outdoors, selfies offer good detail, wide dynamic range, and accurate colors, though skin tones aren’t always perfect. Indoors, some photos may come across a bit washed out, but overall they’re still very good.

With the rear cameras, the 50MP main sensor delivers the best results, as expected. It doesn’t quite match the Galaxy S25 or S25+, but in good lighting, especially outdoors during the day, photos come out detailed, with wide dynamic range and natural colors. Portrait photos have the same advantages.

Indoors, however, shots can sometimes look flat, a problem that also affects the selfie camera. In low light, Night mode kicks in automatically and produces sharp images with decent detail, but noise handling could be better, and zooming in reveals the limits pretty quickly.

Here are some photos from the main camera:

And some portraits:

The ultrawide camera is average. It’s fine for daytime shots outdoors, but indoors or at night, even with Night mode, results are unimpressive. This weakness is fairly common for ultrawides on most phones, and the S25 FE is no exception.

The 3x telephoto is decent. Its results aren't as sharp as those from the S25/S25+, but daylight zoom performance at up to 10x magnification is more than sufficient. In fact, it's not far off from what you get on the Fold 7, and considering that phone costs three times as much, you could say the FE holds its own here.

Video is where Samsung still holds the FE series back. The S25 FE supports 4K at 60 fps only on the main and selfie cameras. The ultrawide and telephoto are limited to 4K 30 fps, which means if you want smoother 60 fps video, you lose the ability to switch between cameras while recording. You can drop the frame rate to 30 fps to regain that feature, but it’s not exactly practical.

The good news is video quality itself is strong across all three rear cameras. Stabilization, however, isn’t perfect. I noticed occasional stutters while panning, particularly when recording in HDR10+ (which you can enable in the camera settings). As for 8K video, yes, it’s available, but there’s little benefit beyond filling up your storage faster.

The FE supports most of the camera modes found on the other models, including Dual Rec for recording via two cameras at the same time, Single Take for capturing multiple photos and videos with just one tap of the shutter button, and Pro video for manual control over shooting parameters. However, you can't install Samsung's Expert RAW app on this phone, and it also lacks log video recording.

The Galaxy S25 FE runs on the Exynos 2400, the same chip used in the Galaxy S24 and S24+, rather than the slightly underclocked Exynos 2400e that powered the S24 FE. This doesn’t bring a raw performance boost, but it does ensure the S25 FE keeps up with last year’s flagship models.

The Exynos 2400 was widely regarded as Samsung’s best processor in years, and while newer Exynos and Snapdragon chips have since overtaken it, it still delivers a flagship-worthy experience. Everyday performance is smooth and responsive, whether you’re navigating the interface, multitasking, editing videos, or trying out Samsung’s AI features.

Gaming performance is strong as well. And thanks to a larger vapor chamber, the S25 FE manages heat effectively despite its slimmer design. Of course, the Snapdragon-powered Galaxy S25, S25+, S25 Ultra, and S25 Edge are faster in heavy workloads like video editing and offer higher frame rates in games. But given the price gap, the S25 FE offers more than enough power for the audience it’s aimed at.

I do wish Samsung had given 256GB of storage on the base variant. I am so used to that on Samsung’s flagship phones that I was surprised to find my S25 FE telling me it was running out of space in just a week, because I had transferred all of my data from the Galaxy S25 Ultra without taking into consideration that the FE only has 128GB of storage. 12GB of RAM as standard would also be nice.

Software is the most special thing about the Galaxy S25 FE. It's the first Galaxy S25 model to launch running One UI 8 (Android 16). It's eligible for seven generations of Android and One UI upgrades like its siblings, so it will receive an additional major OS update by the end of its support period.

Like previous FE phones, the S25 FE offers all of the software features that you get on the more expensive models in the lineup. That includes DeX, which enables a desktop-like experience when connected to a TV or monitor wirelessly or using a USB-C to HDMI cable. Some of DeX's One UI 8-specific improvements, such as widget support for the desktop, aren't available, but this may change with software updates.

The Galaxy S25 FE also gives you the full Galaxy AI experience. Features like Audio Eraser, Now Brief, and Samsung's powerful object eraser are a part of the package. Google Gemini is on-board as well. It replaces Google Assistant as the default digital assistant and can be fired up by long pressing the power button (you can switch to Bixby or third-party AI apps like ChatGPT if you wish).

For a thorough breakdown of the software experience, be sure to watch the video below.

The Galaxy S25 FE brings upgrades to both battery capacity and charging speed. It has a 4,900 mAh battery, the largest yet on any FE model, and is the first in the series to support 45W super fast charging. On paper, that's great, but how does it translate to the real world?

Battery life isn't all that better than the S24 FE, but it's still great and will keep both regular and power users happy. With normal use, it easily lasts a full day and can make it to the next morning before needing a charge. Light users might not quite get two full days, but a day and a half is realistic.

Charging is fast with a compatible 45W adapter, though the top speed is only achieved if the phone is off and starts charging from 0%. Samsung's claim of 65% in 30 minutes is accurate, and a full charge takes around 65 minutes. However, if you start charging at 1–2% with the phone on, half an hour will get you just over 50% and a full charge will take around 80 minutes.

Wireless charging is supported, but with Samsung sticking to 15W, it continues to be just a convenience, not an ideal or recommended way to charge the phone. There's also support for wirelessly charging other devices — just don't expect that to be possible with Samsung's latest smartwatches.

The Galaxy S25 FE is similar to the Galaxy S24 FE in many ways. But Samsung has managed to build in some meaningful upgrades without increasing the price. The design is thinner and more premium, complete with the slimmest bezels yet on an FE phone. Battery life is strong, charging is much faster, and the new front camera delivers selfies that are in line with the rest of the Galaxy S25 series.

The real standout, though, is the software. Even though it arrives a year after the S24 FE, the S25 FE runs a version of Android and One UI that’s two generations newer. In fact, it even ships with newer software than the other S25-series models. Add Samsung’s promise of seven years of updates to the mix, and the S25 FE becomes as future-proof as the Fold 7 while costing far less.

Unless you absolutely need the latest and greatest chip inside your phone, the Galaxy S25 FE is a fantastic choice for anyone who wants a high-end experience without the flagship-level price tag.