Reviewed: The mid-range Galaxy S25 FE is flawed in all the right ways

Price When Reviewed

Starting at $649

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Frequently, the Samsung Galaxy S series comes to mind when discussing smartphones. 

And rightly so: the latest Galaxy S25 lineup showcases some of the finest handsets available, including the feature-rich S25 Ultra and sleek S25 Edge. On the other side of the spectrum lies the compact Galaxy S25, delivering a premium experience on a more manageable 6.2-inch display. 

Yet, a fourth offering exists that’s often overlooked. The S25+ is undeniably a solid phone, but it tends to fade into the background, making it susceptible to competition from a ‘flagship killer’ alternative.

To prevent a lower-cost model from overshadowing its premium counterpart, Samsung appears to have achieved that with the £649/$649 Galaxy S25 FE, something I speculated after trying it myself earlier this year.

Have my impressions shifted after two weeks of using it as my primary phone? Here’s my thorough review of the S25 FE. 

Design & Construction

• Nearly identical exterior to S25+
• Robust, IP68-rated design
• Lightweight and easy to hold

The design of the Galaxy S25 FE pleasantly surprised me. 

Upon picking it up for the first time, I was taken aback—why did it feel so much like the S25+? 

It turns out that there are a few subtle differences. The S25 FE is marginally taller, wider, and thicker (7.4mm) than the S25+, while the Gorilla Glass on both sides utilizes the somewhat lesser Victus+ instead of Victus 2. The aluminum frame is also said to be slightly less durable.

However, the real question is: do you care? As a professional phone reviewer, I find these distinctions trivial. Unless you plan to misuse your phone frequently or have oddly fitted pockets, I believe you’ll feel similarly. 

All essential features remain intact. The S25 FE is an eye-catching phone, particularly in the Navy variant I reviewed, but all colors, including Jetblack, Icyblue (light blue), and White, look impressive up close. 

The build quality is exceptional, combining sleek aluminum with durable glass, and a matte finish on the back minimizes fingerprint smudges.

The design of the Galaxy S25 FE pleasantly surprised me in the best way

With rounded corners, it’s also very comfortable to hold for extended periods. As someone who occasionally loses track of time scrolling aimlessly, this matters.

Samsung did not provide a case with my review unit, which allowed me to test the S25 FE’s durability directly. 

A few unfortunate drops on my part revealed that it can withstand impacts without damage, surviving the mishaps with only minor scratches. Still, I recommend using a case for better grip—Samsung’s official options add minimal bulk.

A standout highlight is the premium IP68 dust and water resistance, shielding against dust and immersion in up to 1.5m of freshwater for 30 minutes. It’s a feature now common in this price range but still a welcome addition. 

Despite its size, the S25 FE weighs a mere 190g—matching the weight of the S25+. Transitioning from the 232g Pixel 10 Pro XL has been a refreshing experience.

Display & Audio

• 6.7-inch AMOLED display
• Dynamic 120Hz refresh rate
• Stereo sound output

The Galaxy S25 FE features a 6.7-inch Full HD+ AMOLED display that’s a pleasure to use. 

The screen is sharp, vivid, and vibrant, delivering rich colors and deep blacks typical of Samsung’s OLED technology. Although the resolution lags behind the 1440p of the S25+, it operates at 1080p by default, making the difference negligible unless examined closely.

The display offers a dynamic refresh rate, reaching up to 120Hz for fluid visuals. LTPO tech enables it to dip as low as 1Hz to save battery life when high refresh rates aren’t required. 

I particularly enjoy having this feature since it alleviates the trade-off between smoothness and battery longevity. Having both options on a mid-range device is rare! Fortunately, a standard 60Hz mode is still available if preferred.

The display is sharp, vivid, and vibrant, delivering rich colors and deep blacks typical of Samsung’s OLED technology

However, brightness isn’t the S25 FE’s standout feature. Samsung claims a peak brightness of 1900 nits, which pales in comparison to rivals, and the 422 nits I measured at home with a professional colorimeter falls short of recent flagship comparisons. 

Still, I utilized the phone outdoors on sunny days, and visibility was generally not an issue unless the sun hit the screen directly.

Included in the display is an optical fingerprint sensor, which generally performs well but feels slightly slower and more affected by moisture compared to the better ultrasonic scanners found on Galaxy S25 high-end models.

The stereo speakers of the S25 FE are surprisingly impressive. Samsung employs a downward-firing speaker paired with an earpiece, and the resulting sound is both rich and full.

This meant I rarely needed to use headphones while catching up on YouTube at home. However, for more serious listening periods, I recommend a quality set of headphones or earbuds, as a lack of bass becomes apparent and distortion can occur at higher volumes. 

Specifications & Performance

• Equipped with the Exynos 2400 and 8GB of RAM
• Impressive everyday performance; limited for intensive gaming
• Available storage options: 128GB, 256GB, or 512GB (non-expandable)

Powering the Galaxy S25 FE is Samsung’s Exynos 2400 chipset. On paper, this sounds disappointing—not only is it lacking Qualcomm’s advanced Snapdragon series, but it also isn’t the latest Exynos 2500 model.

Nevertheless, I was ready for a lackluster performance, which fortunately was not the case. For typical use cases—including web browsing, video playback, messaging, navigation, emailing, and the occasional photograph—the S25 FE is more than capable.

Multitasking capabilities are also commendable, allowing multiple apps to run smoothly or open two side-by-side effortlessly. I did encounter some minor bugs, such as app crashes and temporary freezes, but these appeared related to software rather than hardware performance issues. 

The S25 FE handles casual gaming adequately; however, heavy gaming sessions may reveal its limitations, resulting in stutters and an increase in device temperature.

I was ready to feel underwhelmed by the S25 FE’s performance, but that never happened

If your gaming routine includes titles like Genshin Impact, Call of Duty: Mobile, or Real Racing 3, consider exploring alternatives. But for most users, the S25 FE provides ample performance—it’s certainly sufficient for my usage. 

It’s important to mention that the entry-level S25 FE includes just 128GB of storage. Without support for Micro-SD expansion, upgrading to the 256GB model may be worthwhile, as it comes at a reasonable increase in price. Options for 512GB and 1TB are also available. 

While it does lack Wi-Fi 7, it’s unlikely to impact most users in the near future. The phone supports Bluetooth 5.4, NFC, and, of course, 5G connectivity.

Samsung Galaxy S25 FE Benchmark Scores

As demonstrated, the S25 FE trails behind many Snapdragon-equipped devices, yet this is not a significant concern.

Camera Capabilities

• 50MP main camera—identical to S25+
• 8MP telephoto (3x), 12MP ultrawide lenses
• 12MP front-facing camera

The camera setup in the Galaxy S25 FE may lag compared to flagship S25 models, but the difference is not as drastic as anticipated. 

The 50MP, f/1.8 primary lens is marginally smaller, yet I notice no difference in image quality, which speaks well for this budget-conscious device.

The information discussed in my Galaxy S25+ review is fully applicable here. When shooting in favorable lighting, photos appear exceptional, showcasing crisp details, a wide dynamic range, and well-rendered shadows. 

Samsung has toned down its previous highly-contrasted image processing, resulting in more realistic photos. While colors are still slightly more vibrant than reality, the shift is subtle.

Even on dreary autumn days, I could rely on the S25 FE to capture excellent photos. However, it did face challenges with exposure in scenes comprising both bright skies and dark shadows.

In low-light situations, the long-exposure Night shooting mode engages automatically (though users can disable it). This mode effectively brightens images without compromising realism or introducing excessive noise, although Google’s Pixel Night Sight remains superior, in my view.

The main lens is the default for portrait-style shots. As an example, my mother’s dog willingly posed for some lovely photographs that turned out beautifully for an amateur photographer like me. 

When edge detection was accurate, the portrait shots yielded impressive results, yet achieving that often necessitated several attempts.

Overall, the camera system on the Galaxy S25 FE is reliable but not cutting-edge

Samsung provides the option to experiment from a distance for portrait shots with the 8MP, f/2.4 telephoto lens. This is a slight downgrade from the S25 and S25+, and a notable diminish from the main lens’s quality.

The 3x optical zoom is a valuable tool, yet image quality can waver. Digital zoom can reach 30x, but, as usual, quality diminishes rapidly after 5x. Samsung does not incorporate AI advancements like the Pixel 10 Pro’s 100x Super Res Zoom, but I doubt you’ll miss it much.

Additionally, the 12MP, f/2.2 ultrawide lens offers a slightly broader 123-degree view compared to the S25 and S25+. This comparison frequent comparison to these devices ensures the image quality is nearly identical. Some color accuracy is sacrificed, and minor detail may drop, yet results are generally acceptable.

The selfie camera stands out as arguably the best of the bunch. Despite being a 12MP lens, it consistently delivers clear images and true-to-life skin tones, regardless of lighting. Retaining detail in the subject while blurring the background (thanks to an effective portrait mode) impressed me.

Find more examples in the gallery below:

The S25 FE supports 8K video recording, but I recommend sticking to 1080p as the default to preserve storage space. While it’s decent, it delivers sufficient clarity and color for casual videos or concert footage. The OIS (optical image stabilization) on the main and telephoto lenses performs adequately in keeping things steady.

In conclusion, while the camera system of the Galaxy S25 FE is competent, it isn’t groundbreaking. It includes two strong lenses with two slightly less impressive ones, but unless you’re after premium photography capabilities, it shouldn’t dissuade you.

Software & AI

In my early experiences with Samsung smartphones, the software was their most notable weakness. TouchWiz (an experience to remember) was cluttered, rife with bloatware, and often lagged behind others. 

What a transformation it’s undergone. One UI 8, which the S25 FE operates on at launch, presents a modern interface that’s smooth and packed with customization features.

It operates atop Android 16, though the experience feels markedly distinct from what you’ll find on Google Pixel devices. Do I have a preference? This is something I ponder often, though I favor One UI 8 at this moment.

The most notable distinction compared to the Pixel interface is design. Given time for customization, One UI 8 can look beautiful without sacrificing usability.

Unlike Google, Samsung grants total control over the home screen experience, with a variety of eye-catching widgets and the option to hide app labels. This aspect means a lot to me as someone who appreciates a clean layout.

As a comprehensive package, I genuinely believe that the software experience surpasses what’s available in other devices right now

I was initially skeptical regarding the split between notifications and quick settings reminiscent of iOS, but Samsung executed it commendably. 

The main Settings menu comes with an effective search function that allows users to navigate using everyday language, which is groundbreaking. I wouldn’t know that ‘Motion smoothness’ refers to screen refresh rate, but thanks to this, it doesn’t matter. 

Bloatware remains One UI’s main drawback, with Samsung providing its variants for almost every Google stock app and pre-installing various Microsoft applications. All can be easily uninstalled or disabled, allowing for a cleaner and more functional app drawer.

Regarding AI capabilities, the S25 FE houses the same range of Galaxy AI features found in the S25 flagships. This includes a variety of writing, transcription, summarizing, and editing tools, as well as real-time translation for calls and conversations.

You can also produce entirely new images or animate your handwritten designs. Having previously tested these features, I can confirm they’re fun and sometimes useful, though I don’t frequently utilize them.

The AI tools I now depend on regularly are the ones developed by Google. Gemini is the finest virtual assistant available on any device, routinely easing daily challenges. Circle to Search permits straightforward retrieval of anything intriguing that appears on the screen.

<pOverall, I find One UI 8 to be the best software package available on the market today, along with the promise of seven years of OS and security updates—though timely delivery of these updates isn’t guaranteed. The rollout of One UI 7 showed that older devices often face delay in receiving the newest major version.

Battery Performance & Charging

• 4900mAh battery capacity
• 45W wired charging
• 15W wireless charging, with Qi2 support requiring a case

It’s reassuring to see that Samsung has maintained the battery capacity and charging capabilities in the Galaxy S25 FE. Its 4900mAh cell along with 45W wired charging speeds mirror those of the S25+, benefiting users of this more reasonably priced alternative. 

The resulting battery life is outstanding. As someone who works from home, it’s not uncommon for my phone to last two days between charges, even with about three hours of daily use.

On outings, I never once needed to fret about whether my phone would sustain my usage throughout the day. 

On a recent trip to London, I fully charged my phone in the morning and utilized it for over two and a half hours, with high brightness settings, Google Maps navigation, and continuous mobile data. By the time I arrived home over 13 hours later, I had more than 50% charge remaining. Quite impressive!

Unfortunately, PCMark battery testing failed to run on the S25 FE, limiting any side-by-side comparisons. However, my personal experience indicates its battery life is above average, a standout aspect of the S25 FE.

While charging speeds aren’t subpar, they may not be as quick as some competitors. Samsung does not include the required 45W wired charger within the package, but I happened to own one capable of achieving those speeds.

The battery life is above average and a significant strength of the S25 FE

I saw a charge of 31% after 15 minutes and 63% after 30 minutes—better than I expected from mid-range Samsung models; it’s likely enough to last through the day. Full charges take approximately 75 minutes, remaining acceptable.

With a 15W wireless charging option, Qi2 support necessitates a compatible case since no magnets are built into the device, as seen with the Pixel 10 models. Samsung may catch up with this trend in the upcoming Galaxy S26 lineup if you think it’s worth the wait (keeping in mind that the FE model arrives considerably later).

Cost & Availability

The Galaxy S25 FE kicks off at £649/$649.99 when first released. 

This base price comes with 128GB of storage, with a slight increase to £699/$709.99 for the 256GB variant. A 512GB version costs £799 but is currently not available in the US. 

You can purchase one through various retailers, including Samsung UK, Samsung US, Amazon UK and Amazon US, along with various network providers in both regions.

This initial price categorizes it within the realm of mid-range phones, although it stands as one of the more premium choices in that bracket. 

Notable competitors include the Xiaomi 15T Pro (from £649, unavailable in the U.S.) and OnePlus 13R (starting at £649/$599.99), with the standard Pixel 10 and iPhone 17 (both priced from £799/$799) being significantly more costly. 

Should You Purchase the Samsung Galaxy S25 FE?

If you’re in the market for a comprehensive smartphone that provides substantial savings compared to flagship devices, I would strongly recommend the Galaxy S25 FE. It stands out as the premier mid-range device available, boasting remarkable similarities to the S25+ that justify its value proposition.

The primary trade-offs involve its gaming performance, which can be disappointing, and the presence of inconsistent supporting cameras—an issue that also affects the S25+. 

Overall, the S25 FE is a beautifully rounded device that I would comfortably consider as my long-term phone—something I seldom claim. For those willing to accept its few compromises, I can easily endorse this device.

Specifications

• One UI 8 powered by Android 16 
• 6.7-inch 1440 x 3120 AMOLED, 120Hz 
• Optical fingerprint sensor 
• Samsung Exynos 2400 processor 
• 8GB RAM 
• Storage options: 128GB / 256GB / 512GB 
• 50MP f/1.8 primary lens 
• 12MP f/2.2 ultrawide 
• 8MP f/2.4 3x telephoto 
• 12MP f/2.2 front-facing lens 
• Supports up to 8K video at 30fps 
• Stereo speakers 
• Dual-SIM + eSIM compatibility 
• Wi-Fi 6E 
• Bluetooth 5.4 
• 4900mAh battery 
• 45W wired charging 
• 15W wireless charging 
• Dimensions: 161.3 x 76.6 x 7.4 mm 
• IP68 rating 
• Weight: 190g 
• Available in Icyblue, Jetblack, Navy, White