SAMSUNG has had a hugely busy year with smartphones.
We’ve had the usual S25 range, with three versions, then a super slim S25 Edge edition, followed by the Flip 7 and Fold 7 – not to mention the cheaper A56 phone.
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Here at The Sun we’ve been busy testing the lot of them, as well as big name rivals like Apple who’s only just released the iPhone 17.
The highest storage option (2TB) for the iPhone 17 Pro Max brings the cost up to a staggering £1999 for the first time.
And as a lover of good value, I find these sorts of prices too ridiculous to justify, especially amidst a cost of living crisis.
So it’s great to see Samsung continuing the trend of cheaper handsets.
Not to mention devices that increasingly teeter on the edge of the premium models too.
Samsung’s new Galaxy S25 FE certainly feels that way with little you can tell different from the firm’s more expensive S25 and S25+.
So how did we find the Galaxy S25 FE? Find out in my full review below.
Samsung Galaxy S25 FE: Look and feel
The Galaxy S25 FE obviously follows the same look as the main S25 mobiles but I didn’t expect it to be this similar.
On first inspection, I can’t really tell them apart.
They both have an aluminium frame, as opposed to titanium on the S25 Ultra but for most people you probably won’t notice or care.
The display looks just as good as well, with bright, crisp colours.
And the bezel – the black frame around the screen – doesn’t appear much different either.
However, one negative is weight – the FE is 190g compared to 162g for the main S25. This isn’t something I overly notice when holding it in my hand though so it’s a minor inconvenience.
And I find the Gorilla Glass Victus+ on the back quite prone to smeary hands like mine.
But aside from this, there must be something drastically different to warrant the price drop? Well, the internals tell another story…
Samsung Galaxy S25 FE: Performance and features
On the inside is where things vary a bit from the main S25 phones.
Firstly, the chip and RAM, the important part to keep your device running smoothly.
The S25 FE uses the Exynos 2400 and 8GB RAM, which is less powerful than the base S25’s Snapdragon 8 Elite and 12GB RAM.
In my testing this doesn’t prove a major issue for general usage, such as internet browsing, WhatsApp and watching Netflix.
Gamers might notice a difference – but I haven’t tried the S25 FE against any big graphic titles to comment on this.
Yes, things are cut back on the inside but for the average user this won’t make a blind bit of difference
On the surface of it, the software looks and (largely) runs the same, using Android 16 with Samsung’s new One UI 8 on top.
As I regularly bang on about with Android devices, I tend to prefer those that have the purest take – and Samsung is certainly the best at this with a beautifully clean interface.
Samsung has once again put a lot of the feature focus on AI tools.
We already had some of the best AI image editing Samsung has to offer and now we have personalised tools.
This includes the Now Bar which brings up helpful information at just the right moment directly on the lock screen.
Most are skewed towards the camera, which we go into further down.
Who offers free updates longest?
The longer you receive updates, the longer you can safely continue using your smartphone – with the latest features thrown in too for free.
Samsung
For the Galaxy S25 series, Samsung said it would provide at least seven generations of OS updates and seven years of security updates.
OnePlus
At the launch of the OnePlus 13, OnePlus committed to at least four years of Android updates and six years of security updates.
Xiaomi
Xiaomi offers four years off Android updates and five years security updates.
Google
For the Pixel 10 series, Google said that devices would receive at least seven years of support.
Samsung Galaxy S25 FE: Battery
Technically speaking, the S25 FE’s battery is actually bigger than the base S25 – at 4900 mAh versus 4000 mAh.
But that’s only one side of the battery story – the other bits of tech and how they manage power matter just as much.
The S25 FE’s chip isn’t quite as efficient as the main S25.
However, the good news is I got a full day’s use out of it easily with the odd bit of Netflix, spending messages and emails, as well as browsing online.
One of the other star improvements is to charging speed – you can now charge at 45W speed which should get you to 65 per cent in 30 minutes.
The only downside is you don’t recieve a 45W capable plug in the box, so you’ll have to buy that separately to benefit.
Samsung Galaxy S25 FE: Camera
The cameras on the S25 FE don’t change up much compared to last year’s S24 FE, sticking to a triple system which includes a 50-megapixel main snapper, a 12-megapixel ultra-wide, and an 8-megapixel telephoto lens with 3x optical zoom.
Where there is an update though is on the selfie camera, which now comes in at 12-megapixels producing much richer shots.
See some examples we took with the camera below.
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Samsung Galaxy S25 FE: Price
The Samsung Galaxy S25 FE starts at £649 with the 128GB option.
There are four colours to choose from:
But you can get more for your money for a limited time with some bonus gifts on offer from Samsung at no extra cost.
Firstly, you can claim a Samsung Galaxy Watch7 40mm worth £239 for a limited time.
And there’s six months of Google AI Pro worth £113 too.
That’s £352 worth of extra goodies to sweeten the deal.
You can also trade-in an any smartphone in any condition and get a guaranteed £100 off, so it’s well worth digging out an old one you have spare at the very least.
Samsung Galaxy S25 FE: Verdict
The Samsung Galaxy S25 FE proves once again that you don’t need to break the bank to have a decent phone.
£649 is by no means the cheapest around but the FE gives such a premium vibe that it feels just like the S25+.
Yes, things are cut back on the inside but for the average user this won’t make a blind bit of difference.
Rating: 4/5
Image credit: Getty / The Sun
All prices in this article were correct at the time of writing, but may have since changed.
Always do your own research before making any purchase.
