Samsung Galaxy S25 FE review: premium feel, lasting software

The premise of Samsung’s Galaxy FE series has always been simple: deliver a premium S series experience without the flagship price tag. Over the years, the lineup has matured, and with the new Galaxy S25 FE, it’s closer than ever to blurring the lines completely.

There are quite a few upgrades this year. The phone now shares the same Exynos 2400 processor as its flagship S24 series siblings, the battery has been boosted to 4,900mAh with faster 45W charging, the frame is now sturdier than ever before and made out of aluminium, and the selfie camera gets a bump to 12MP. It’s also one of the first S-series phones to launch with the full version of One UI 8 out of the box.

So, with the S25 FE borrowing so much from the main S series, does it stand out in a competitive market? Let’s find out in this review. 

Refined yet familiar design

The most immediate change you’ll notice with the new Galaxy S25 FE is how sleek and light it feels. The handset now measures just 7.4mm thick and weighs 190 grams, a substantial reduction from the S24 FE’s 8mm and 212 grams. The bezels are also a bit thinner, though there’s still a slight chin at the bottom, no doubt to help differentiate it from the premium S series phones.

Otherwise, the design language is pretty static, looking very similar to the Galaxy S24 FE (review). The back panel is a matte finish glass, and my review unit is the Navy Blue colourway, which does a great job of resisting fingerprints and smudges. The new aluminium frame not only makes it feel more sturdy and premium but also contributes to the lighter feel. This reduction in weight makes the phone extremely handy with a nice grip, though the back panel can be extremely slippery without a case and tends to slide off surfaces quite often.

The button and port layout is standard: a SIM tray and speaker grille are at the bottom, while the right edge holds the volume and power buttons. The second speaker is housed in the earpiece, and the top edge holds two noise-cancellation mics. When placed screen-up on a table, there’s a little wobble from the camera bump, but it’s nothing too aggravating.

Great shots across lighting conditions

The camera setup on the S25 FE is almost the same as last year, featuring a 50MP main camera, a 12MP ultrawide, and an 8MP 3x telephoto. In good light, the main camera delivers solid shots with natural colours, but I found it tends to crush shadows, which can make some photos look a bit flat. The ultrawide is decent enough for what it is, though it softens details. The 3x telephoto, however, I found pretty likeable, as it consistently produces flattering results.

The new 12MP selfie camera is the main upgrade this time, and it is a definite improvement, giving detailed and natural-looking selfies. But the real highlight for me is the low-light performance. With Night Mode enabled, you get clean, detailed shots with realistic colours. The S25 FE consistently aims for a more balanced and true-to-life look, especially at night. These are dependable set of cameras that offer decent results in almost all lighting conditions.

I’ve also compared the phone’s cameras against Vivo X200 FE (review), another compelling option in this price bracket with good cameras:

Daylight

In daylight, both phones produce very different images, neither of which is entirely true to life. The Vivo X200 FE captures a sharper, brighter image with better dynamic range, but it oversaturates colours for a vibrant, social media-ready look. The Samsung Galaxy S25 FE aims for a more subdued, high-contrast style but crushes blacks in the shadows, causing some details to be lost and colours to appear slightly washed out.

Ultrawide

In the ultrawide comparison, the Samsung Galaxy S25 FE maintains its colour profile from the main camera and offers superior distortion control and detail. The Vivo X200 FE, while producing a surprisingly natural shot, is inconsistent with its own vibrant primary lens, and it falls slightly behind on sharpness and dynamic range. 

Portrait

When it comes to portraits, the Vivo X200 FE is the decisive winner, as it performs well in every aspect, delivering more pleasing skin tones, significantly better detail and clarity, and cleaner edge detection with a more natural bokeh effect. Samsung’s portraits, while also appealing, look flatter and less defined in comparison, making Vivo the clear choice for anyone who prioritises portrait shots.

Selfie

When it comes to selfies, the two phones have very different results. The Vivo X200 FE goes for a warmer, punchier look that makes skin tones pop and brings out more detail in things like facial hair. The Samsung Galaxy S25 FE, on the other hand, delivers a cooler, more natural-looking photo. While it might be more true-to-life, it looks a bit flat and washed out next to Vivo. 

Low light

In the low-light comparison, the Samsung S25 FE is ahead of its competitor. The handset does a much better job of controlling bright lights and flares, producing a cleaner, more natural-looking image overall. The Vivo X200 FE, on the other hand, captures a sharper, more detailed shot, but its colours are extremely stylised and look unnatural in comparison. 

Top-notch multimedia experience 

The Galaxy S25 FE features the same 6.7-inch Dynamic AMOLED 2X display as its predecessor, with a peak brightness of 1900 nits. The panel refreshes at 120Hz and boasts an FHD+ resolution, so content looks smooth and sharp. In my experience, though, the brightness does feel a bit lacking in direct sunlight, especially when I put it next to phones like the Vivo X200 FE (review) or the OnePlus 13s (review).

But putting the brightness aside, the visual quality itself is top-notch. The panel is extremely vibrant, delivering rich colours and deep, high-contrast blacks that make watching videos a treat. With HDR10+ support included, content on all streaming platforms looks great. It’s also protected by Corning Gorilla Glass, and I have to say, I’m very impressed; after a week of my somewhat rough usage, there isn’t a single scratch or scuff on it.

And to round it all off, the speakers are genuinely excellent for this price bracket. They get extremely loud but stay clear, with surprisingly deep bass and great vocals, making the S25 FE a fantastic device for media consumption. 

Capable performer, but not thermally sound

The Galaxy S25 FE packs a proper flagship chip, the same Exynos 2400 that was in the Galaxy S24 and S24+. Even though it’s last year’s model, it’s still plenty powerful and keeps things running smoothly in day-to-day use. I haven’t run into any stutters or lag. In a straight comparison, it’s a good counter to last year’s Snapdragon 8 Gen 3, so you won’t miss much unless you’re a heavy gamer.

There are, however, a couple of things to keep in mind. First, the phone comes with only 8GB of RAM across all configurations. While this is perfectly fine for most general users right now, the lack of a 12GB option is something to consider for future-proofing, especially when many competitors offer more RAM in the same price bracket. 

I also noticed the phone can get warm during intensive tasks. While gaming, for example, or even during long camera sessions, the edges and the area around the camera become hot to the touch. This isn’t entirely uncommon for phones with powerful chips, and it’s something that may improve with future software optimisations. 

All in all, this isn’t a device that’s designed for long gaming sessions or heavy multitasking. If your daily use doesn’t involve those demanding scenarios, then the performance is more than capable, and the heat won’t be much of an issue.

Software, on the other hand, is great. The S25 FE is one of the first phones to ship with Android 16 and OneUI 8 right out of the box. You get the full suite of Galaxy AI features that are on the main S series phones, like Live Translate, Circle to Search, Chat Assist, and all the other photo and transcript tools.

The biggest deal, though, is Samsung’s promise of 7 years of OS and security updates, which keeps the phone supported all the way to 2032. It’s a fantastic promise, though it does make you wonder if the 8GB of RAM will be enough to keep things feeling fast that far down the line. 

The battery life could be better 

Despite Samsung bumping the phone’s battery to 4,900mAh, my experience with its day-to-day endurance hasn’t been great. On a typical day with heavy use, the phone didn’t make it to the evening a few times and required me to charge it before I was done with my day. I’m averaging around 4.5 hours of screen-on-time on 5G+Wi-Fi, which only stretches to about 5 hours when I’m on Wi-Fi at the office.

For lighter users, this might be sufficient, but for power users, the battery life is something to keep in mind. The PCMark battery benchmark crashed twice, so I can’t give you a synthetic score, but my real-world experience has been a little lacking.

And that brings me to the charging. It takes about a full hour to charge completely with a compatible charger, which feels a bit slow for a battery this size, especially when the other S25 series devices can do it in around 60 minutes with a 25W charging speed. I don’t think its pulling a full 45W charge, despite using Samsung’s original 45W charger. While it’s not exactly a deal-breaker, the charging speed definitely feels slow when you look at what other phones in this price bracket can do.

How does it compare to the competition?

The Galaxy S25 FE is up against some tough rivals. The Vivo X200 FE (review), for example, edges ahead in pure camera output for portraits and vibrant daylight shots, and it also offers better battery life and charging speeds. Then you have the OnePlus 13s (review), which is a performance powerhouse that also leads in battery endurance and charging. Against these, the S25 FE’s main advantages are its excellent software experience, long-term update promise, and its more natural, true-to-life approach to photography, especially in low light. 

Verdict: So, what’s the final call on the S25 FE?

The Galaxy S25 FE is a phone that I’ve had a mixed experience with. There are some big trade-offs. The battery life was the biggest hurdle, and as a heavy user and I had to charge it twice a day. It also gets warm, not just when gaming, but even during some general everyday use. And while the performance is good, I’m a bit concerned that the 8GB of RAM might not feel so fast in a few years, especially with the long update promise.

But there’s also a lot to like here. The design feels great as it’s sleek, light, and has that premium Samsung feel. The display and speakers make it a fantastic device for watching movies, and the day-to-day performance is smooth, just as you’d expect from a flagship chip. And you can’t argue with 7 years of software updates, which is a huge advantage. The cameras are dependable too, especially in low light, where I found the photos looked more realistic and appealing.

So here’s my bottom line: The S25 FE is a very polished phone for users who value a consistent software experience and a great multimedia setup. With a starting price of Rs 59,999 and a great launch offer that gives you a free storage upgrade from 256GB to 512GB, it’s a decent deal. If you’re a moderate user who wants a top-notch media experience in a phone that will be supported for years, this is an easy recommendation.

Editor’s Rating: 8 /10

Reasons to buy:

• It has a sleek, light design that feels premium in the hand.
• The vibrant display and excellent speakers offer a fantastic multimedia experience.
• You get an unmatched software promise with 7 years of OS and security updates.
• The cameras are dependable and capture realistic, appealing photos, especially in low light.

Reasons not to buy:

• It’s limited to 8GB of RAM, which could become a performance bottleneck in the future.
• The battery life is rather average and may not last a full day for heavy users.
• It can get warm, even during general everyday use.