The Galaxy S25 FE comes with Samsung's unmatched software support promise. Here's our review.
The price of Samsung Galaxy S25 FE in India starts at Rs. 59,999 for the 8GB + 128GB variant
Samsung's FE or 'Fan Edition' models are usually the popular choice among consumers for various reasons. While they do not command the premium price of a flagship, they bear a striking resemblance to the top-of-the-line Galaxy S series models and are not too far off in terms of features and specifications. Like previous iterations, the new Samsung Galaxy S25 FE sits between the most expensive A-series handset and the entry-level flagship S-series model, the Galaxy A56 5G and Galaxy S25, respectively.
The price of the Samsung Galaxy S25 FE in India starts at Rs. 59,999 for the 8GB + 128GB RAM and storage configuration, while the 8GB + 256GB and 8GB + 512GB variants are priced at Rs. 65,999 and Rs. 77,999, respectively. At this price point, it competes with offerings from popular brands such as iQOO, OnePlus, and Vivo. However, does the 'Fan Edition' offer enough to stand out among them? We'll explain in our Samsung Galaxy S25 FE review.
The Samsung Galaxy S25 FE will feel familiar if you have held any Galaxy S-series handset in the last few years. It carries forward the tech conglomerate's same tried-and-tested formula of adopting the design of its flagship models, and it works very well here. The handset closely resembles the Galaxy S25 and the S25+, featuring a flat frame design and rounded corners.
The handset has a matte texture on the rear panel which resists fingerprints
The rear panel of the Galaxy S25 FE sports a matte finish that is smooth to the touch, resists fingerprints, and feels premium. Like its display, the handset's back is protected by Gorilla Glass Victus+, while the frame is made using Samsung's Aluminium Armour. It also has an IP68 dust and water resistance rating, which should keep it secure even when accidentally submerged in water for a short while.
Samsung claims its new Fan Edition model is 0.6mm thinner and 23g lighter than its predecessor. Despite its large size, it feels well-balanced and comfortable to hold. The Samsung Galaxy S5 FE is available in Icyblue, Jet Black, Navy, and White colourways. I reviewed the Navy colour option, and while appearances are subjective, it is the best of the bunch and feels the most premium.
Samsung has equipped its Fan Edition with a 6.7-inch full-HD+ Dynamic AMOLED 2X display with a 120Hz refresh rate and up to 1,900 nits peak brightness. While the panel is not as impressive as the one on the Galaxy S25 or the Plus model, it still produces sharp visuals with deep blacks and great contrast. The panel offers Vivid and Natural colour modes, and you can further customise the RGB profile.
The colours appear balanced, depending on the tuning you've chosen, and the viewing angles are excellent, too. The display of the Galaxy S25 FE is also Widevine L1 compliant, which means you will enjoy HDR content on the go. So, if you're someone who loves binge-watching films or shows during commutes, then you will love the Galaxy S25 FE.
The display offers punchy colours and gets bright enough for outdoor use
Samsung claims 1,900 nits of peak brightness on the Galaxy S25 FE, ensuring decent legibility outdoors with crisp text and sharp visuals. Even though Samsung does not advertise it as an LTPO panel, it functions like one and refreshes at rates outside of the claimed 60Hz–120Hz range. This makes scrolling through social media a smooth experience.
There is also an in-display fingerprint sensor for biometric authentication, and like other premium-tier Samsung handsets, it is snappy. Talking about sound, the hybrid stereo speakers on the Galaxy S25 FE are good, with impressive separation, clear sound, and a decent amount of bass. Call quality is also great on the handset.
Software experience is what you'd think would set the Galaxy S25 FE apart from other Samsung handsets due to the Android 16 upgrade, but it is mostly a similar experience, albeit with a few quality-of-life additions. While there's not much to unwrap, some improvements to notable features prove useful, although you'll find them on other Samsung phones too, following the wider rollout of One UI 8.
For starters, you get new customisation options for the lock screen, such as a clock that hides behind people or pets in the wallpaper. You'll also find the OS visually appealing, with improved animations, new icons, more fluid widget integration, and expansive layout options.
Samsung Galaxy S25 FE is the company's non-foldable to come with One UI 8
Two of the features I found the most useful are Audio Eraser, which can automatically remove unwanted background noise from videos, voice recordings, and more, in real time. The second is Generative Edit, which now highlights suggested objects that can be removed from the image, using Galaxy AI. These AI features work far better than when I tried the same with Apple Intelligence on the iPhone 15 Pro.
The overall One UI 8 experience is pretty smooth with refinements across the board. I did not encounter any major bugs or glitches, and the phone maintained its lag-free performance. However, what dampens the mood is the presence of unnecessary first-party and third-party apps. You'll find apps like Global Goals, SmartThings, Samsung Shop, Wearable, and even LinkedIn pre-loaded onto the phone, which is disappointing for a handset that touches the Rs. 60,000 mark. That said, Samsung's promise of seven years of OS upgrades and security updates remains a benchmark in the smartphone industry and is also offered with the Galaxy S25 FE.
The Samsung Galaxy S25 FE is powered by an Exynos 2400 chipset, which also powers last year's Galaxy S24 and the Galaxy S24+ models. It is a flagship-level chipset and delivers on most occasions. It keeps things running smoothly during regular day-to-day usage, involving calls, text messages, binge-watching content and scrolling through social media.
However, my one perennial gripe with Exynos chipsets has always been with regard to thermal efficiency, and it affects the Galaxy S25 FE, too.
The speaker setup on the Samsung Galaxy S25 FE is impressive
Despite its great performance, the handset is pretty average at managing thermals. I played games like Call of Duty Mobile and Genshin Impact, and the phone started to heat up after about 20 minutes, despite being in an AC room. Then I tried my hand at a couple of older games, such as CSR Racing 2 and GTA: San Andreas, and although it did not throttle as much, the handset got warm to the touch here as well. Using the Galaxy S25 FE in the Sun for extended periods might be problematic, especially given the soaring temperatures across the country during summer.
You get 8GB of RAM and up to 512GB of storage on the Samsung Galaxy S25 FE. Interestingly, the 128GB variant of the Galaxy S25 FE ships with UFS 3.1, while the 256GB and 512GB variants get UFS 4.0. While it isn't expected to affect day-to-day usage, we'd recommend going for the higher storage variants if you want high-speed data read speeds.
On paper, the Samsung Galaxy S25 FE retains the camera system of its predecessor, except for an upgrade to the selfie shooter. In terms of the camera performance, the 50-megapixel primary sensor on the back of the Galaxy S25 FE is definitely the best out of the trio.
Daylight and low-light main camera samples (tap to expand)
It captures shots with natural colours, decent dynamic range, and good exposure in daylight conditions. Photos of people as well as objects turn out with plenty of detail.
The 8-megapixel telephoto camera is also a decent inclusion that captures details of the subject in focus really well during the day, keeping the good contrast and punchy colours. On most occasions, shots appear to be well-exposed, although the camera can struggle when separating elements like hair from the background bokeh.
Daylight and low-light 3X telephoto camera samples (tap to expand)
The photos get softer as you move indoors, due to the relatively small size of the sensor. The 12-megapixel ultra-wide-angle lens of the Galaxy S25 FE is adequate, but not as impressive as the handset's other two sensors. It is adequate for shooting but only in well-lit conditions. It has a fairly limited dynamic range. While the field-of-view is impressively wide, the level of detail captured by the UW lens is okay.
Portrait camera samples (tap to expand)
Low-light performance is impressive as well, but only of the primary sensor. It controls most of the flares or bright lights in shots, delivering a clean-looking image. While noise does creep in, it only happens when shooting in extremely dim conditions. However, the camera underexposed the blacks in the shadows, resulting in washed-out shots and loss of detail.
What's new on the Galaxy S25 FE is the 12-megapixel selfie camera, borrowed from the flagship Galaxy S25 models, but it lacks autofocus capabilities. It produces shots with a wide dynamic range and natural colours.
Daylight and low-light selfie camera samples (tap to expand)
Even in challenging conditions, the skin tones appear accurate, and faces are often well-exposed.
Moving on, the Samsung Galaxy S25 FE can record videos at up to 8K 30fps on the main sensors. There is electronic image stabilisation (EIS) across the board as well. Footage captured in all conditions is usually clean with good detail and balanced colours. It is well stabilised too.
To sum up, the Galaxy S25 FE has a dependable camera system that can capture impressive shots in most conditions, but it isn't the very best out in its price bracket. That mantle goes to the Vivo X200 FE (review).
The Samsung Galaxy S25 FE comes with a 4,900mAh battery. It is just about enough to last a day. On a normal day, the handset makes it to the evening with only a single-digit percentage remaining. I averaged between four and a half to five hours of screen-on time on 5G and Wi-Fi, which is adequate. However, heavy users will struggle to go through an entire day on a single charge.
Charging speeds on the Galaxy S25 FE have been improved
What's good here is that it charges faster now. Samsung has bumped up the charging speed from 25W on the Galaxy S24 FE to 45W on the S25 FE. About 30 minutes of charging can give you almost 60 percent battery, while it takes just over an hour to charge it up to 100 percent.
The Samsung Galaxy S25 FE aims to deliver a taste of the flagship experience at half the cost, and it almost manages to do so. It impresses with its design, vibrant display, and dependable main and telephoto cameras. You also get a flagship chipset, coupled with Samsung's unmatched software support.
However, it is not without its issues. Heating issues are persistent, and battery life is only par for the course. While improved, charging speeds still lag behind many competitors in this price segment. The Samsung Galaxy S25 FE is a good buy if flagship design, robust software support, and AI experience are what you're looking for. If a good camera experience or all-around performance is a priority, then the Vivo X200 FE (review), OnePlus 13s (review), and iQOO 13 (review) are better options to purchase.
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