Samsung Galaxy S25 FE Review: Iterative to a Fault

Samsung’s new Galaxy S25 FE arrives five years after the first Fan Edition device, yet it feels more like a placeholder than a true upgrade. In a market transformed by innovative mid-range competitors like the Nothing Phone 3a Pro and Google’s Pixel 10, the Samsung Galaxy S25 FE struggles to justify its existence.

This review explores design, performance, cameras, battery life and software to determine whether Samsung’s latest FE phone is worth its $650 asking price.

A Familiar Design With Minimal Improvements

At first glance, the Galaxy S25 FE looks indistinguishable from last year’s S24 FE. The brushed aluminum frame, button placement, and rear camera layout are nearly identical. Only a careful side-by-side comparison reveals subtle changes:

Slightly shorter, wider, and thinner
New “enhanced Armor” aluminum frame
Noticeably lighter (6.7 oz vs. 7.51 oz) despite a bigger battery
New matte finish that reduces smudges

While these refinements help balance the phone better in hand, Samsung’s refusal to introduce bolder visual updates or interesting colors makes the S25 FE feel uninspired.

Another ergonomic misstep: the fingerprint sensor sits unusually low, which makes unlocking the phone awkward, even for people with large hands.

Display: Still Excellent, But Unchanged

Samsung wisely reused its excellent 6.7-inch AMOLED panel with:

120Hz refresh rate
1080p resolution
1,900 nits peak brightness
HDR10 support

The display remains bright, vibrant and enjoyable for video streaming and gaming. But again, nothing is new, it’s the same hardware from last year.

Cameras: Small Upgrades, Bigger Misses

The S25 FE’s camera system is mostly a repeat:

50MP main camera with OIS
8MP telephoto (3x optical zoom)
12MP ultrawide
New 12MP selfie camera (upgraded from 10MP)

While the selfie camera is sharper, Samsung made no improvements to the outdated telephoto lens. Against rivals like the Pixel 10 (5x optical zoom) or Nothing 3a Pro (50MP periscope zoom), the FE’s 8MP telephoto feels obsolete.

Image quality from the main camera remains solid, but the ultrawide continues to lag in detail and dynamic range.

Samsung’s AI-powered generative photo editing is a highlight, offering impressive object removals, though object additions still look unnatural.

Related:

Performance: Faster on Paper, Similar in Practice

The new Exynos 2400 chip should provide a noticeable boost over last year’s Exynos 2400e. Benchmark results, however, show only minor gains:

Single-core: 2,144
Multi-core: 7,059

In real-world use, the S25 FE performs well with smooth scrolling, responsive app switching, and solid gaming performance. Still, it doesn’t leap ahead of last year’s FE, nor does it offer a compelling advantage over mid-range rivals.

Samsung also enlarged the vapor chamber by 10%, but thermal improvements are marginal. The device warms up after extended gaming, just like its predecessor.

Battery Life and Charging: Adequate, Not Impressive

With a 4,900mAh battery, the S25 FE delivers nearly identical endurance to the S24 FE, enough for a full day of regular use with 3-4 hours of screen time.

Charging, however, remains disappointing:

Samsung advertises 45W charging, yet real-world performance is barely faster than last year’s 25W limit.
Full charge took 1 hour 14 minutes (with a 130W charger).

Competitors like the Nothing 3a Pro (50W charging) and Pixel 9a simply do better.

Software and Updates: The One Area Where Samsung Wins

The S25 FE ships with:

Android 16
One UI 8
Access to new Samsung and Google AI features
7 years of OS updates, up to Android 23

This level of software longevity is rare in the mid-range category and a significant value-add.

Samsung also bundles six months of Google AI Pro (worth $20/month), giving users access to top-tier Gemini models and 2TB cloud storage.

Verdict: A Phone That Lacks Purpose

The Samsung Galaxy S25 FE is not a bad phone, but it is an unnecessary one. For a device marketed as the “Fan Edition,” it offers nothing special for fans:

Minimal design changes
Outdated telephoto camera
Marginal performance upgrades
Slow charging vs. competitors
A price too close to discounted Galaxy S25 and S25+ models

Samsung risks making the FE line irrelevant unless it begins to innovate again. This year’s FE is iterative to a fault, and difficult to recommend at full price.

Receive News Updates and Tutorials Through our Social Media Channels, join: