Samsung Galaxy S25 FE Review: Samsung’s Affordable Flagship Refined

Samsung has officially launched the Galaxy S25 FE, and I’ve got the base 8/128GB model in Navy for review. The FE (Fan Edition) series has always been about delivering that premium Samsung experience at a more approachable price. This year’s S25 FE builds on the S24 FE’s strengths, packing in the latest One UI 8 with Galaxy AI goodies.

At first glance, the S25 FE looks like a stunner, especially from the back, but dig deeper and you’ll notice some familiar FE quirks like uneven bezels, an optical fingerprint scanner, and a reliance on last-gen hardware in places. The S25 FE I’m testing is running the stable One UI 8 based on Android 16, fresh out of the box with the September 2025 security patch.

So, is the S25 FE a smart buy at under ₹60K? Should you upgrade from an older FE or mid-ranger? And who’s it really for in a market flooded with killers like the OnePlus 13? Let’s break it all down.

Samsung Galaxy S25 FE Review: Design and Build

The Galaxy S25 FE is one of the most beautiful Samsung phones this year, especially from the back. The Navy finish mirrors the deep oceanic hue of the S24 Ultra, with a matte glass rear that resists fingerprints and shimmers under light. It stands as one of Samsung’s most beautiful 2025 devices, next to the Z Flip7.

The front, however, tells a different story. Uneven bezels and a noticeable chin drag down the premium look. It’s better than last year but still unpleasant. The metal frame feels solid and cool, but its sharp edges dig into the hand during long use. A case is necessary.

At 7.9 mm thick and 190 grams, it is slightly thicker than the standard S25 but still manageable. The 6.7-inch size rules out compact usability, yet one-handed use remains possible thanks to One UI.

Build quality is solid, with second-gen Armor Aluminum and Gorilla Glass Victus+ on both sides, plus IP68 certification (1.5 m submersion for 30 minutes). Drops from waist height are handled without issue.

I think the S25 FE comes in some of the most beautiful colors: Navy, Jet Black, IcyBlue, and White. In daylight, the Navy finish looks truly gorgeous.

Samsung has refined the details. Buttons are tactile and well-placed on the right side, the bottom houses a USB-C port, speaker grille, and SIM tray, the top has mics, and the left is clean.

From the front, the S25 FE is functional but forgettable, especially compared to slimmer competition like the vivo X200 FE, OnePlus 13, 13s, and even the iPhone 16. The rear design looks premium and it’s quite durable too.

Samsung Galaxy S25 FE Review: Display

The Galaxy S25 FE’s 6.7-inch Dynamic AMOLED 2X panel delivers punchy colors and solid vibrancy, though it comes with some clear FE-level compromises. Resolution sits at 2340 x 1080 (385 PPI) with a 60-120 Hz adaptive refresh rate and HDR10+ support. Peak brightness hits 1900 Nits, which improves on the S24 FE’s 1200 Nits. And it holds up in sunlight, but like its sibling, it throttles under heat.

There’s no LTPO tech, and Samsung hasn’t confirmed that either. We could only see it switch between 60 Hz  and 120 Hz. Naturally, there’s no full-screen Always On Display support. To prevent burn-in, elements like the Now Bar, clock, and battery icon shift positions, but the result looks glitchy and distracting.

For media, colors are nice and saturated. Netflix streams in Full HD via Widevine L1, and YouTube HDR looks good. However, PWM flicker at 240 to 480 Hz will bother sensitive eyes.

The panel is 8-bit, with occasional banding in gradients, and graininess shows at low brightness.

Overall, the display is decent for its price, but uneven bezels, missing LTPO, and 480 Hz PWM hold it back. It does the job well enough, but it’s far from a showstopper like the standard S25 or the display on the OnePlus 13/13s.

Samsung Galaxy S25 FE Review: Speakers and Haptics

The Galaxy S25 FE’s stereo speakers are good, delivering well-tuned audio with a strong bass punch. Volume climbs to great levels without distortion, making media consumption better.

Haptics are set at a low default, but boosting to max provides crisper and more defined feedback on taps and notifications. They’re not OnePlus-level refined, but they are fine. The integration of haptics in the UI also is pretty average.

Samsung Galaxy S25 FE Review: Software

The Galaxy S25 FE ships with One UI 8 based on Android 16 and promises 7 years of OS and security updates, supporting the device up to Android 23. This version brings minor improvements over One UI 7, which already was the biggest visual overhaul since One UI’s launch, with revamped widgets, redesigned icons, a new recents menu, and an overhauled notification shade and quick panel.

Samsung system apps like Gallery, Files, Health, Calculator, Calendar, Reminders, Dialer, Samsung Wallet, and Notes feel polished and are better than Google’s equivalents in my opinion. 

Samsung Messages is no longer pre-installed but can be downloaded from the Galaxy Store, supporting RCS. The Google suite and Microsoft apps come pre-installed, though bloatware persists, with ads in the Galaxy Store and Gaming Hub.

Customization is deeper via Goodlock modules. Default animations are smooth but lack blur effects, though it’s customizable using Home Up. Fonts remain inconsistent, sometimes Roboto and sometimes One UI Sans, and the lock screen notifications still don’t have blur.

The Now Bar sits on the lock screen, offering quick access to timers, music, charging status, and live navigation from Google Maps, with more apps to support Live Activities in future updates. However, the position is of the Now Bar looks odd due to the optical fingerprint scanner. 

Galaxy AI

Galaxy AI brings practical tools like AI Summary, AI Keyboard, AI-generated emojis, cross-app actions, and natural language search in Settings and Gallery. Circle to Search now allows music recognition too, while Now Brief delivers smart daily summaries and suggestions. 

Other AI features include an AI emoji/sticker generator, instant Audio Eraser for background noise removal, Generative Edit, Sketch to Image, Call Assist, Writing Assist, Live Translate (20+ languages), and Note, Browsing, Photo, Drawing, and Health Assist. 

Gemini AI supports cross-app actions, real-time conversation via Gemini Live, and includes six weeks of Gemini Advanced with 2TB Google Cloud storage. Most on-device features remain free, with cloud-based tools likely paid after 2025.

Despite minor issues, One UI 8 is one of Samsung’s best iterations. The AI features vary in usefulness, but design, customization, and first-party apps deliver a fantastic experience. Quick Share, multi-control with tablets, and Good Lock are amazing, and Samsung avoids forcing Google apps. One UI 8, combined with Galaxy AI, delivers a premium software experience on the S25 FE.

Samsung Galaxy S25 FE Review: Biometrics

Fingerprint and face unlocking on the Galaxy S25 FE isn’t very fast. The under-display optical fingerprint scanner (not ultrasonic like the S25) works fine but is generally slow. It’s also placed too low for my liking.

The 2D-based face unlock is noticeably slow, taking a long time to register and authenticate, especially in slightly dim lighting. It could’ve been faster.

Samsung Galaxy S25 FE Review: Performance

The Galaxy S25 FE is powered by the Exynos 2400, featuring a 13% larger vapor chamber than its predecessor. The chipset pairs 1x 3.2 GHz Cortex-X4, 2x 2.9 GHz Cortex-A720, 3x 2.6 GHz Cortex-A720, and 4x 2.0 GHz Cortex-A520 cores with the Xclipse 940 GPU. While capable on paper, the base storage of 128GB feels limited; higher 256GB and 512GB variants use UFS 4.0, while the 128GB unit has UFS 3.1. Samsung should’ve 256GB storage as the base.

Synthetic Benchmarks

• AnTuTu V11: 1,802,927
• Geekbench 6 CPU: Single-Core: 1,977 / Multi-Core: 6,659 
• Geekbench 6 GPU: OpenCL: 13,809 / Vulkan: 18,377
• 3DMark Wild Life Extreme Stress Test: Best: 4,095 / Lowest: 2,072 / Stability: 50.6% / Temp spike: 31°C to 46°C / Battery drop: 10%
• Storage V11 (128GB): 64,837 / Sequential Read: 1,874 MB/s / Sequential Write: 586 MB/s

Sustained performance is more restrained compared to peak output. Under stress, temperatures are expected to reach around 45 to 46°C, which can reduce speeds during extended workloads. In everyday use, the device warms up but stays comfortable; in hotter climates above 40°C, heat may become more noticeable.

Gaming performance is decent but not ideal for hardcore players. Here are some numbers:

• Genshin Impact: 45 to 48 FPS (Max settings, 44 to 46°C)
• Zenless Zone Zero: 36 to 39 FPS (Max settings, 46 to 48°C)
• BGMI: 57.1 FPS avg (Smooth + Extreme, 41–43°C, no 120 FPS support yet)
• Wuthering Waves: 45+ FPS initially, drops to 30–35 FPS over time (44–47°C)

The S25 FE handles short bursts of demanding gameplay smoothly, but long sessions trigger throttling. For everyday tasks, it is fast and responsive, although I did find it to be slow in some instances. For extended gaming, devices with better cooling and sustained performance, like the iQOO 13 or OnePlus 13, are a better choice.

Samsung Galaxy S25 FE Review: Cameras

The Galaxy S25 FE sticks to Samsung’s tried-and-tested triple-camera setup, led by a capable 50 MP main sensor. Here’s a deep dive into its performance across all modes. Daylight shots are decent.

Camera Specifications

• Main: 50 MP Samsung S5KGN3, 1/1.56-inch, f/1.8, 23mm, AF, OIS, 8K30 / 4K30/60
• 3X Telephoto: 8 MP OmniVision OV08A1, 1/4.4-inch, f/2.4, 69mm (cropped to 76mm), AF, OIS, 4K30 only, no 4K60
• Ultra-wide: 12 MP Samsung S5K3L6, 1/3-inch, f/2.2, no AF, 13mm, 4K30
• Front: 12 MP Sony IMX825, 1/3.19-inch, f/2.2, 25mm/29mm, no AF, 4K30/60

Main Camera Performance

The 50 MP sensor delivers clean, detailed images with wide dynamic range. Colors are flat and natural, leaning towards softer processing rather most of the time. Motion blur remains an issue. 

In low light, auto night mode is reliable but conservative, with subdued contrast. Manually enabling night mode brightens shadows and boosts contrast but the image doesn’t look very appealing.

Ultra-wide Camera

The 12 MP ultra-wide is fine. Daylight shots capture a wide field but suffer from flat colors and poor edge detail. At night, it falls apart with noise, washed-out colors, and focus issues due to lack of autofocus.

Portrait Mode

Portrait mode is nice, but there is no granular focal length control like on the standard S25. You are limited to three fixed focal lengths: 1X, 2X, and 3X. Subject separation is okay-ish with fine textures and skin tones. It doesn’t handle backlight well.

At 3X, details soften, reducing sharpness in facial features, though the background blur looks good. Low light portraits are decent thought a lot of improvement is still needed.

3X Telephoto

The 8 MP 3X telephoto is decent in daylight, matching colors with the main sensor but lacking fine detail. Max zoom is 30X, though quality drops off significantly. In low light, the telephoto suffers from noise and detail loss. The camera also often switches to a main sensor crop from 3X. Disabling auto lens switching via the Camera Assistant app fixes this.

Front Camera

The 12 MP front shooter is one of the better lenses here, delivering balanced selfies. HDR manages highlights and shadows well without excessive smoothing, and portrait mode works decently for selfies. It lacks autofocus and can be noisy indoors though.

Video Performance

The main sensor supports 8K30 and 4K30/60, with all other rear cameras limited to 4K30. The front camera supports 4K60 though. Videos on the main are good but there’s no LOG option. The front is fine in daylight with decent stabilization. 

Colors can be off sometimes, creating a dark cast on the face. The telephoto is usable only in bright daylight, while the ultra-wide clearly needs work in video, especially in detail retention. Quality falls apart in the evening and low light on the 3X.

Samsung Galaxy S25 FE Review: Battery Life and Charging

The Galaxy S25 FE gets an upgrade in battery life, going from 4,700 mAh on the S24 FE to 4,900 mAh. And the battery holds up fine in daily use. In Standard profile, it delivers 5 to 6 hours of screen-on time, while switching to Light profile stretches that to around 7 hours on Wi-Fi. Gaming drains it faster, but that’s expected. Your mileage may vary.

Although the charging speed is 45W, the Galaxy S25 FE takes about 1 hour 12 minutes for a full charge. Wireless charging is 15W. The phone also supports reverse wireless charging up to 4.5W.

Review Verdict: Should You Buy the Samsung Galaxy S25 FE?

The Galaxy S25 FE is a well-rounded phone that nails design, ecosystem, and software longevity, but it cuts corners in some other areas. If you want the Samsung experience with One UI 8 and Galaxy AI for under ₹60,000, this is a decent option.

Upgrade from the S22 FE or older? Yes. But if you need better gaming or camera consistency, alternatives like the OnePlus 13, OPPO Find X8, iQOO 13, iPhone 16, or even a discounted Galaxy S24 at ₹40K are worth a look.

Smartprix ⭐ Rating: 7.7/10

• Design & Build: 8.5/10
• Display: 7.5/10
• Speakers & Haptics: 8/10
• Software: 8.5/10
• Biometrics: 6.9/10
• Performance: 7.5/10
• Cameras: 7/10
• Battery Life & Charging: 8/10

First reviewed in September 2025.

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