Samsung Galaxy S25 FE review

The Samsung Galaxy S25 series now has five devices, each with their own unique design characteristics. The S25 FE goes middle-ground with its design and size, closely resembling the S25 Plus and with a screen that’s the same size as well at 6.7 inches. While it’s a similar size to the Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge too, it’s understandably not as slim with a thickness of 7.4mm; the thickness pretty much matches the S25 Plus to the point where you’d have a hard time telling the two apart (although trained eyes will spot the differences).

 

 

 

 

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Sensibly, it’s a big screen to hit the middle ground for buyers who actually want larger screens which are great for watching videos on the go - a favourite Indian pastime. The screen on the Samsung Galaxy S25 FE isn’t as sharp as the one on the S25 Plus though; you get a 1080x2340-pixel Dynamic LTPO AMOLED 2X 120Hz display with HDR10+ support here. Peak brightness is a bit lower at 1900 nits, but otherwise this is a largely acceptable screen that doesn’t feel too compromised for the price.

While the shape and form of the Samsung Galaxy S25 FE are decent enough, I’m once again slightly annoyed by the off-centre positioning of the components on the edges - the USB Type-C port, SIM tray, and speaker grille at the bottom as well as the buttons on the right side are closer to one edge than the other. It doesn’t materially impact usability, but it’s an odd look nonetheless. That aside, it’s a solid smartphone that looks and feels premium as it should.

While all other devices in the S25 series are powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite, the Samsung Galaxy S25 FE gets the Exynos 2400 - this is the chipset that powers the previous-generation Samsung Galaxy S24 and S24 Plus (while the S24 Ultra has a Qualcomm chipset). Previous-gen chipsets in current smartphones isn’t as big a deal as it once used to be since these chipsets are now quite refined, but it’s still a difference that will be noticeable in performance.

ALSO SEE: Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge review

Unlike the rest of the S25 series with 12GB RAM as standard, the Samsung Galaxy S25 FE gets 8GB of RAM across both variants, with the option of 128GB, 256GB, or 512GB of storage. There’s dual-SIM 5G connectivity, Bluetooth 5.4, and Android 16 with OneUI 8.0 on top. It’s pretty impressive that this smartphone launches with the latest version of Android straight away, but the hard limit of 8GB RAM is a bit disappointing.

 

 

 

 

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OneUI 8.0 is among the better manufacturer UIs for Android, in terms of ease of use and clean design. Galaxy AI features are plentiful and largely in line with what’s on offer on the S25 devices, although you can expect to see slightly slower on-device processing times given the difference in hardware. Other features are largely on point for Android 16 and Samsung in general.

Form factor tends to dictate how many cameras fit on a smartphone, particularly when it comes to thickness; the Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge settles for two because of its slim form factor. The Samsung Galaxy S25 FE shares its form factor, size, and dimensions with the S25 Plus, and so doesn’t have any size-based limitations in adding cameras - there are three here.

ALSO SEE: Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra review

That said, they aren’t the same three as on the S25 Plus; well the primary one is practically the same with a 50-megapixel sensor, while there are slight differences in the other two. There’s an 8-megapixel telephoto camera that does 3x optical zoom, and a 12-megapixel ultra-wide camera with slightly different specs to the S25 Plus.

All things considered, the Samsung Galaxy S25 FE delivers a very good camera experience, borrowing from the excellent camera chops of the more expensive S25 devices without too much compromise in terms of component quality. While competing and more affordable options deliver specialised photography chops, the S25 FE goes for all-round chops that deliver in everyday conditions. 

The 50-megapixel primary camera is the star of the show, capturing clear, colour-accurate shots with little effort. Bump up to the 50MP mode for more detail without the zoom, but the 12MP mode uses the algorithm and spare pixels to get the shot on point and within reasonable file sizes. The point-and-shoot mode helps with close-up shots as well, and switching to the dedicated modes will use the right camera for the job.

Straightforward optical zoom up to 3x is expectedly good, and you can also go a bit deeper with decent digital zoom that’s aided by competent generative capabilities. Portrait mode works reasonably well, while the camera can adapt to the right settings in auto mode to get close-up macro shots on point. It’s a overall win for Samsung with the S25 FE, especially if you’re looking at flagship-grade camera performance without having to pay big bucks for it.

The Snapdragon vs Exynos debate rages on, while Samsung decides to toss the Galaxy S25 FE straight into the thick of it. While most of Samsung’s flagship devices are powered by Qualcomm chipsets in 2025 (the notable exception is the Galaxy Z Flip 7), the S25 FE gets last year’s Exynos 2400, which powered most of the S24 series devices. Putting a previous-generation chipset on ‘junior flagship’ device is acceptable practice these days, but the Exynos 2400? Hmm…

Practically, there’s nothing to complain about beyond the value proposition of it. Performance is decent enough for most things save the most intense multi-tasking, and it’s helped along by the excellent software package. On-device AI processing isn’t as capable as the rest of the S25 series, but it’s still good enough for most things and you probably won’t mind the wait. All of that said, the Samsung Galaxy S25 FE still feels a bit expensive for something with the Exynos 2400, 8GB of RAM as standard, and just 128GB of storage on the base variant.

 

 

 

 

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Powering the phone is a 4900mAh battery, compatible with 45W wired charging, 15W wireless charging (with Qi2 compatibility), and reverse wireless charging. Samsung’s hardware package - including the slightly more frugal chipset - manages to get a decent run out of the phone, and you can get well over a full day of moderate to heavy use on a single charge. 

ALSO SEE: Google Pixel 10 review

Recharging isn’t as fast as options from OnePlus and Xiaomi, but it isn’t too slow either; you’ll get the phone topped up in a little over an hour. Unfortunately, there’s no charging adapter in the box, so you’ll have to connect the included cable to an adapter you already have, or buy one separately. Fortunately, many aftermarket adapters will deliver fast charging safely and at the recommended speed.

The Samsung Galaxy S25 FE has a few things going for it, including a rather good camera system which is likely the best you can get without spending flagship money. The form factor, screen size, and software experience are excellent as well, giving this proper flagship feels. However, performance and specifications don’t really match up to the idea of what this phone should cost.

If you’re a Samsung fan though, this is a great upgrade from a mid-range device or a decent entry point into the flagship space, especially for its camera capabilities.