4 ways the Galaxy S25 FE makes the iPhone 16e look like a bad deal

I’m increasingly of the opinion that even people with the money for them should (usually) skip the most expensive smartphones. Yes, it’s mighty impressive to have a folding screen, or camera zoom that’s actually worthwhile, but the quality of mid-range phones has advanced substantially. Meanwhile, the cost of getting the best of the best keeps rising. Some foldables already cost as much as a decent gaming laptop. If you can live with missing out on a few photo opportunities — or not having a tablet everywhere you go — you can save yourself hundreds of dollars.

Two high-profile options along these lines are Samsung’s new Galaxy S25 FE, and Apple’s slightly older iPhone 16e. Sizing them up, I think the S25 FE may be the better choice for people who aren’t already deeply committed to the Apple ecosystem. And if you are, it might still make you question some of Apple’s design decisions, given where the rest of the industry is at.

1

Better camera options

Flexibility matters

Apple is known for high-quality smartphone cameras, and the 48-megapixel shooter on the iPhone 16e is no exception. It’s good enough to cover the majority of scenarios, especially if you’re mostly recording friends and family. But note the singular — there are no ultra-wide or telephoto cameras, so you’re out of luck if you want to zoom in on distant scenery, or capture the whole gang on a group ride. Without an ultra-wide, you also can’t take macro shots, which may be a problem if you’re the sort who likes to snap receipts or post your restaurant dishes to the gram.

The cameras on the S25 FE aren’t going to demolish my iPhone 16 Pro, much less an S25 Ultra, but at least it has more than one option. You get a 12-megapixel ultra-wide, and an 8-megapixel telephoto with 3x zoom. The latter probably isn’t good for much more than portraits — but at this point, Apple is the only major smartphone maker (in North America, anyway) that locks up a telephoto lens behind its most expensive SKU. Never mind that in most cases people want to get closer to their subjects, not further away.

2

A 6.7-inch AMOLED screen

More room to work and play

Another idea I’ve been converted to in recent times is that phone makers should still be putting out small phones you can use one-handed. That battle seems to be lost — but some phones are still smaller than others, and in that regard, you might actually prefer the iPhone 16e’s 6.1-inch OLED screen. It’s about as ergonomic and portable as you’ll get on a modern device without spending on a flip-foldable device like a Moto Razr or Galaxy Z Flip7.

That said, I personally prefer gigantic displays, and the 6.7-inch screen on the S25 FE delivers. It’s bigger than the 6.3-inch screen on my iPhone 16 Pro, which means it can fit plenty of text and imagery onscreen and provide a reasonable substitute for a tablet when watching video. As if that weren’t enough, the S25 FE has a dynamic 120Hz panel, whereas the 16e is stuck at 60Hz. That enables smoother motion as well as always-on display (AOD) functions. If you’ve never used AOD tech before, the ability to check notifications at a glance can be a game-changer — during the workday, I can monitor news and other alerts without having to tap or pick up anything.

Hopefully, Apple will finally catch up on entry-level refresh rates with the iPhone 17.

3

Faster charging

Because everyone runs late for work sometimes

For whatever reason, Apple has never really prioritized charging. Its tech does evolve, but at a pace well behind the curve of the Android world, given that some Chinese phones charge at speeds upwards of 80W. The 100W Honor Magic 7 Pro can hypothetically charge from zero to 100% in 35 minutes or less. In the same amount of time, my 30-40W iPhone 16 Pro would be a little over the halfway mark.

The iPhone 16e is even further behind the times. Its USB-C port tops out at 27W, and there’s no MagSafe or Qi2 compatibility here — wireless charging is stuck at a sluggish 7.5W. By comparison, the 45W wired and 15W wireless charging specs on the S25 FE are blazing.

I get that Apple’s modus operandi often involves reusing old parts to keep costs down, but this is one area where the company should never have skimped. Fast charging can be a necessity for frequent travelers, or people who find themselves rushing out the door in the morning. I’m pretty judicious about charging myself, and even I have occasionally found myself wishing my phone would move faster while waiting at an airport gate.

Note that the S25 FE also has a larger 4900mAh battery pack versus the 4005mAh one in the 16e. That could in theory be another edge, but since I’ve yet to see anyone test the S25 FE’s longevity, I’m going to withhold judgment for now. The gap is probably also offset by Samsung’s larger display, and Apple’s tight hardware and software integration.

4

Better USB, Wi-Fi, and SIM connectivity

For all those niche predicaments

Admittedly, this is a minor point. Many people don’t plug into USB for anything but charging, or change carriers often enough to worry about SIM support. Likewise, many of us probably care more about cellular than Wi-Fi. The 16e has the upper hand in that regard, supporting a wider range of 4G and 5G bands.

In some situations, however, the S25 FE’s connectivity could come to the rescue. It offers 5Gbps USB for wired data sync, whereas the 16e is limited to USB 2.0 speeds (480Mbps). If you’ve got 5GB of music or video, the FE should be able to copy it in eight seconds — but the iPhone will take nearly a minute and a half. Frankly, it’s inexcusable to use USB 2.0 for data on any modern device, let alone one that costs upwards of $600.

As for SIM support, the S25 FE has both a nano-SIM slot and an eSIM. In the US, 16e owners get an eSIM — that’s it. This is fine under normal circumstances, but can potentially make it more of a pain to switch carriers on the fly, say if you have a second phone or regularly travel to other countries. If you’ve got a physical SIM card already, the most you need to worry about is popping open the SIM tray.

The S25 FE’s Wi-Fi 6E offers the possibility of a faster 6GHz connection if you’ve got a compatible router. The Wi-Fi 6 on the iPhone 16e is hardly going to be slow, but it’s almost a little insulting when Wi-Fi 7 has been out since January 2024.