Samsung Galaxy S25 FE: What Real Users Actually Think

Pros: lightweight and high-quality case, bright AMOLED display at up to 120 Hz, long update support, all Galaxy AI features, good triple camera, high SoC performance, charging at up to 40 watts. Cons: weak battery life, no WiFi 7, no UWB, no LPTO panel, PWM dimming only at 240 Hz, few Bluetooth codecs, gets hot under load.

There is more stuff included in the cost cutting: Worse speakers & haptics, Slightly higher than Mid Range OneUI (< Flagship OneUI, > Mid range OneUI), Weaker modem reception, Weaker videography (noise in low light conditions, noise & lack of sharpness+colours in normal ultrawide video, noise & blurry video in telephoto), Weaker performing telephoto & ultrawide cameras, Weaker back cover glue.

The only true FE was the gen 1 S20 FE 5G which was basically a Galaxy S20 at a lower price-point. Every other successive model has been a compromise.

Pros: Excellent build, slick design, IP68-rated. Solid OLED panel, now LTPO. Dependable cameras; excellent selfies. Seven years of software support and all One UI flagship features, including Galaxy AI. Cons: Launch price puts it too close to the Galaxy S25+ (outside the US market). Slow to charge, fast to discharge. Sustained performance is underwhelming.

The 'FE' line has been terrible value since the S21 FE. The S23 FE was the worst offender in the line-up, with abysmal battery life, which the S24 FE ever so slightly made up for by having a half-decent battery life endurance, although nothing that Samsung does with their 'FE' devices is relevant anymore.

Samsung's FE models are very refined and the s25 fe is their best one yet. I hope they continue their streak with the s26 fe.

I think people are making the wrong tier comparison. The FE were never flagships. They're the last step after the A5x series. If you're satisfied with how today's A56 handles then just buy that for around $400. If you're not satisfied with the cam and chip then add $100 for S25FE.

I don't get the point of this phone. By now, the S25 has been out long enough to have some major sales on it. There's no way you couldn't find a regular S25 for about as much as a FE.

Even though we performed multiple tests with a genuine 45W Samsung adapter and 5A cable, which have served us quite well so far, the S25 FE never charged with a power higher than 28W. Claimed 45W wired charging. Actual max wired charging is under 30W. Yikes.

Eh, the S24 FE is almost an S24+ at a lower price. The lack of a microSD card is unfortunate, but in all other aspects it's a nice step up from my old S20 FE.

It's sad to see the decline of the FE series. I bought the S20 FE when it came out and I feel like the compromises were well worth the price savings. Now it seems like Samsung has caught on that they gave away too much for too little. Now the FE is a pointless variant.

The Exynos 2400 is actually one of the first decent flagship SoCs they've ever made. I think working with Google on the Tensors has been helpful maybe. The S25FE is tippy top for performance if you don't include those insane 8 Elite SoCs.. those are a big jump kinda overkill for most. I wanna get one. I love my S23 FE but I wanna try that Exynos out.. and 7 years software support is no joke. They are a solid investment.

Actually the same phone as S24 FE but with LTPO and lighter. e2400 vs e2400e don't look much different.

They need to make an FE that's smaller. Or even a damn A series phone that's the same size as the base S series phone.

Never really understood why anyone would go for the FE models when you could buy the previous gen non-FE at a similar price.

FE are usually terrible value at MSRP but can be pretty good value with discounts depending on where you are.

The only True Fan Edition phone was the S20FE (both 4G, 5G variants). It did not have the Headphone Jack but the screen was not too big, it had a good battery, an SD Card slot and a fair asking price.

FE is supposed to be fan edition which means fan requested features like headphone jack, SD card slot, smaller form factor, bigger battery and lower price. This phone is none of that. Samsung has completely lost the plot.

I loved my S20 FE. I kept waiting on the new FE versions to upgrade, but somehow, they just kept getting worse.

I just bought one. It's literally just as good as my 5 year old S20 FE was for its time. People are just trashing it for being $650 which adjusted for inflation is about what I paid for mine in 2020. I never even put a screen protector on that phone and it lasted me just over 5 years. I dropped it hundreds of times with a $10 Spigen case on it and it never broke. My battery was still totally fine too. I just wanted more storage and new updates so I bought the s25 FE. Take everything Reddit holds as gospel with a grain of salt.

It is perfectly decent when you get a deal. I got it for 200 with a deal in the EU.

I got the S24FE 256GB at 34k INR or 386 USD. It's a solid deal at this price. Not much of a difference between s25fe vs s24fe.

I've been working closely with Samsung products for a while now and the S25 FE definitely isn't the 'waste of a purchase' some corners of Reddit make it out to be. Reddit tends to exaggerate anything that isn't the absolute top-tier model. People compare every phone to the Ultra or whatever has the highest benchmark score. By that metric, everything below a flagship gets dragged.

Picked up the 256gb version of the s25fe for $480 by trading in an A53. Absolutely no regrets, it does everything I need and has no lag. I understand the disappointment in certain specs, but as far as performance I'm very happy for the price paid.

The most common reason I'd recommend an FE to someone is if they currently use an old flagship (or FE), it's showing its age, and they want to replace it, pay as little as possible, and not downgrade in any noticeable way. It's last year's greatest hits; it will work for years; it usually has top tier trade-in value in the future.

Been working really well for my needs. Samsung gave me $200 trade-in on my S20 FE, which is a lot for an old phone. So for the price point of $449, I am quite happy.

Pretty happy with the s25Fe. Got a 512gb for less than half of the Ultra 256gb and just about half of the s25+. Won't compare to the base s25 because of the difference in screen size. Good deal for those who want a bigger screen and aren't much into gaming or other high performance stuff. Camera is probably okay, at least I am not complaining. Only thing I would have wanted better is the haptic.

I just made the upgrade from my S23 FE to an S25 FE, and honestly I love my S23 too, but I'd still say that you can go for the S25. I was able to get the 512 GB variant at a massive discount, even cheaper than the 128 GB variant, so the phone paired with this amount of storage, I'm planning to use it easily for at least the next 5-6 years. The 7 year software support is awesome, I'm super excited for everything overall!

All the camera issues also exist in normal S25 models plus the magenta cast and high noise in low light conditions if night mode doesn't kick in. One year later and there hasn't been any software update to improve anything. I'm on One UI 8.5.

My parents got the S23 FE and it's alright but the SoC isn't very efficient and the ugly bezels on the screen are an eyesore personally but not a deal breaker. I'm glad they're doing more of these. I'll likely get an Ultra for my next phone but I really appreciate what the FE brings to the table.

The Samsung Galaxy S24 FE with a smaller battery got 14 hours more talk time than the S25 FE in testing.

The FE phones don't look super awesome on paper but Samsung makes them feel like a premium/flagship for most users.

This phone is amazing and as a techie I don't feel limited in anything. I paid for my 128gb one €380: basically a steal. I simply love this phone and I hate when people say 'it's bad' before even trying it just because they read 'Exynos'. I hope this post will make people change their idea about the Exynos branding.

I got one in UK at £388 with magsafe case + charger + FE buds. To me that's a great price and in the month or so I have had it, it is better than my old S21 so well pleased with it.

I've had it for a few days now. I love the battery life. My one complaint so far is that the optical fingerprint reader gets SO bright at nighttime.

I bought this today! It's a bit of a downgrade from my iPhone 14 Pro Max but I've been wanting to switch to Android and something more affordable. I can't fathom spending $1000+ on a cellphone anymore and I got the s25 fe for $400 new. Super excited!

I upgraded from the A54 to the S25 FE and have been using it for a while now. Better Camera, especially in low-light. Better Performance. A bit bigger in screen size. Better Battery (although the A54 has 5000mAh). For me it's worth it. I already use Samsung buds and Samsung watch, so the wireless charging feature is a bonus.

I think you made a really good choice. The s25 FE has the best price of all the S25 models and is a huge upgrade when it comes to specs from the A20, and has the same size screen as the S25 Plus. It also has 120Hz refresh rate, same 4900mAh battery, and supports 45W charging (which the base model S25 doesn't, it only goes up to 25W).

I don't understand these people. They say the camera is too bad for this phone and its processor is outdated. I think those who say that are using the S25 Ultra or the iPhone 17 Pro Max or something, and they don't know what flagship killer means. I think this phone is very affordable for the price, and I'm very pleased.

I got mine last week, was basically free unless I upgraded to 256gb which I did, cost is basically $80 CAD for me on a 2yr plan. TBH it's great so far, it's basically the same or better than the S21 I replaced with it, I don't see any difference or slowdowns in performance.

I got the S25 FE alongside my S24 ULTRA, and believe me when I tell you, besides the S-Pen and more zoom reach on the ULTRA, I don't even see a reason for keeping my ULTRA, that's how good the FE is. I got the S25 FE 512gb version for $680 on sale, so I think that was a good purchase.

Not everyone vibes with the Samsung Galaxy S25 FE, but it's definitely not a bad phone or a waste. A lot of the 'FE is trash' talk online comes from people expecting flagship-level cameras, super bright displays, or ultra-fast charging. The FE is really a value play, decent performance, good battery, solid screen, and most of the core S-series experience without the top-tier extras.

Using the Samsung Galaxy S25 FE has been frustrating. It lags often, drains battery too quickly, and the camera barely holds up in low light. For the price I paid, it just does not feel like a worthwhile investment.

It's really great. Battery is decent, will get me about 30% after heavy use all day. Got mine for $475 so couldn't resist. Coming from an A54.

I am trying to decide whether to upgrade from my S22+ for about $230. Seems there are no true DOWNSIDES except for the optical fingerprint and spending some money for an upgrade that I honestly don't probably need since the S22+ is still fine.

Got 3 for free at Verizon so I'll take it.