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Samsung Galaxy S25 FE 5G review: A smart strike at price and performance
Samsung Galaxy S25 FE 5G review: The new generation Fan Edition model offers minimal upgrades but a reliable performance at Rs. 59,999.
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Samsung Galaxy S25 FE 5G review: Samsung’s Fan Edition or FE phones are popularly known to integrate several flagship features inspired by the Galaxy S series models. Over the years, we have seen the smartphone series grow substantially, but the new Samsung Galaxy S25 FE 5G feels even more premium in terms of design, camera, software, and performance.
The Samsung Galaxy S25 FE 5G was announced with a few upgrades, including a slimmer and lighter design, an Exynos 2400 chip, a bigger 4,900mAh battery, refined cameras, a new 12MP selfie camera, and more. These upgrades strike a perfect balance between price and performance. But is it worth paying a whopping Rs. 59,999 considering the competition?
I have been using the Galaxy S25 FE for over two weeks to understand its perspective, performance, and what audience it is suited to. Let’s dive deep into the details Samsung Galaxy S25 FE 5G review, and know if it's worth the hype.
Samsung Galaxy S25 FE 5G review: Design and display
Samsung has been following a similar design profile for its Galaxy S series models, and it reflects the same with FE models as well. The Samsung Galaxy S25 FE resembles its predecessor, but it also looks quite like the Galaxy S25 model. Well, there is nothing wrong with the design; to be honest, it's simple, subtle, and looks premium in hand. This year, Samsung has made the phone slimmer with 7.4mm in thickness, and lighter at just 190 grams, down from Galaxy S24 FE’s 212 grams build.
The Samsung Galaxy S25 FE retains a matte-glass rear panel with an armour aluminium frame that feels premium and sturdy in the hands. Surprisingly, the phone is not slippery and does not attract fingerprints, which is a plus. It also has Corning Gorilla Glass Victus Plus protection and an IP68 rating for water and dust resistance. Overall, the Samsung Galaxy S25 FE 5G smartly manages to look premium and offers a great design.
Up front, the Samsung Galaxy S25 FE 5G features a 6.7-inch Dynamic AMOLED 2x display that offers a 120Hz refresh rate and up to 1900nits peak brightness. Well, from mid-range phones to flagship, Samsung has never disappointed in terms of providing punchy visuals with accurate and vibrant colours. It also comes with HDR10+ support, offering rich visuals across OTT platforms, making it a perfect choice for multimedia users and gamers.
Coming to the display usage, the Galaxy S25 FE is quite smooth and responsive in touch, making the day-to-day navigation seamless. However, the outdoor brightness could have been a little better, as you will struggle in direct sunlight conditions.
Samsung Galaxy S25 FE 5G review: Camera
The Samsung Galaxy S25 FE 5G features a triple camera setup that includes a 50MP main camera, a 12MP ultrawide, and an 8MP telephoto lens with 3x optical zoom. The hardware has remained the same for years, but it still mostly delivers breathtaking captures in daylight or well-lit conditions. All three sensors offer promising images with accurate colours, making it one reason why it's popular among buyers.
However, considering the Rs. 59999 price tag, the Galaxy S25 FE falls short of my expectations and the competition. The smartphone directly competes with the OnePlus 13s and Vivo X200 FE, which, in my opinion, are better options from a photography front. The Galaxy S25 FE images look flat in comparison to these phones, and we can also spot noise, especially in low-light conditions. Therefore, we would really appreciate some upgrades in the camera front, since it's an impressive phone and it can offer much more given the price range.
However, the 12MP selfie camera is a worthy upgrade that should not go without mention. The front camera delivers natural skin tones and sharp images, making it look pleasing for social media stories and posts. In addition, it also offers crisp video call quality.
Samsung Galaxy S25 FE 5G review: Performance
Samsung Galaxy S25 FE 5G is powered by an older Exynos 2400 chip, which also powered the Galaxy S24 and Galaxy S24 Plus. Therefore, it's not a very major upgrade from the Galaxy S24 FE’s Exynos 2400e chip. During my time of usage, the smartphone remained consistent in providing smooth performance with day-to-day tasks.
It efficiently manages multitasking, browsing, hours of messaging, and light video editing as well. Additionally, the Galaxy S25 FE also felt impressive while playing games like BGMI at higher graphics settings. Even in a longer duration, the frame rate did not fluctuate often, providing an enjoyable experience. However, its thermal management is not quite adequate. With heavy usage or longer gaming hours, the device gets uncomfortably hot. However, it did not impact the usage, which is acceptable. Apart from this, the Samsung Galaxy S25 FE 5G felt quite reliable in terms of performance.
In addition, this is the first Samsung Galaxy S25 model that comes with OneUI 8 out of the box. It offers plenty of newly added Galaxy AI features such as Now Bar, Now Brief, Live Translate, Circle to Search game, and more. The Galaxy S25 FE also offers 7 years of OS upgrades, which is quite commendable.
Samsung Galaxy S25 FE 5G review: Battery
Samsung Galaxy S25 FE 5G is backed by an upgraded 4900mAh battery, offering a promising battery life. The smartphone could easily last you an entire day with basic day-to-day tasks and casual gaming. With about 3.5 hours of screen time, I managed to use the device slightly above 24 hours in a single charge, which felt promising. However, my only complaint about all Samsung devices is the slow charging speed. While Samsung has upgraded the charging speed to 45W, it still feels slow. It takes more than an hour to fully charge the device from 1 to 100%.
Samsung Galaxy S25 FE 5G review: Verdict
Samsung Galaxy S25 FE 5G is proven to be an affordable flagship with a display that offers vibrant visuals, reliable performance, and a great battery backup. This year, the “Fan Edition” name lives up to the hype despite offering minimal upgrades over its predecessor. However, I have some concerns about 8GB of RAM and heating issues if you are thinking about the long term. The camera is suited for social media purposes, and it delivers crisp images, if not the best in the price range. In my opinion, the Samsung Galaxy S25 FE 5G is perfect for a casual user with minimal to medium smartphone usage.
