The Samsung ‘Fan Edition’ series has always aimed to bring down the core flagship experience into a more accessible and affordable package. However, the previous versions have never been ideal – they always lagged behind on performance. This is why the FE versions always sell more once the prices drop considerably in the festive season, e-commerce sales. With the launch of the Galaxy S25 FE, Samsung has tried to do something different – make an FE that justifies its positioning.
Priced at Rs 59,999 in India, the S25 FE arrives as a compelling option for those who want a taste of premium features without paying the full flagship price. At a time when the iPhone 16 is going for lower prices at a sale event, the S25 FE aims to impress those buyers more with features and elements that most premium midrange buyers seek.
The question, thus, remains: are the subtle but significant improvements enough to make it a worthy successor and a standout in a competitive market? Let’s find out.
Design
Samsung has focused on making the Galaxy S25 FE a more comfortable device to hold and use. The most notable change is the reduction in weight and thickness. At just 190 grams and 7.4mm thin, it’s considerably lighter and slimmer than its predecessor. This might seem like a minor tweak on paper, but in daily use, it makes a noticeable difference, especially during long social media browsing sessions. The aesthetics align closely with the premium Galaxy S25 series, featuring an Armor Aluminum frame and Gorilla Glass Victus Plus on both the front and back. The overall build quality feels robust and premium, and the IP68 rating for dust and water resistance adds an extra layer of durability. The matte colours make it seem more premium than it actually is!
Hence, if a premium look and feel is what you are after, the Galaxy S25 FE has got you covered.
Display
The Galaxy S25 FE features a large 6.7-inch Full HD+ Dynamic AMOLED 2X panel. While the size and resolution are the same as the S24 FE, the S25 FE brings some enhancements. The brightness has been boosted, with a local brightness of 1200 nits and a peak brightness of 1900 nits for HDR content. This makes the screen exceptionally visible even in direct sunlight. Colours are vibrant and blacks are deep, as expected from a Samsung AMOLED display, providing an immersive viewing experience for movies and videos. The slim bezels also contribute to a more modern and immersive feel.
Performance
This is arguably the most significant upgrade on the S25 FE. Samsung has equipped the phone with its flagship Exynos 2400 chipset, which isn’t a major leap from the Exynos 2400e found in the S24 FE. However, it is Samsung’s clever optimisation and an unrestricted performance profile that let this phone perform at its best. Whether you’re dealing with office-time workloads or late-night Netflix binge sessions, the Galaxy S25 FE never lets you down. Even casual gaming is taken care of nicely, offering smooth and consistent frame rates at high graphics. Samsung’s optimisations under the hood allow for clever dissipation of heat, thus ensuring a premium user experience.
And then there’s Samsung’s One UI 8 – the most polished smartphone software we have seen this year. It may not have the visual flair of Apple’s ‘Liquid Glass’, but One UI 8 is designed to look smart and perform like a champ. The aesthetics are refined and the minor tweaks to the UI make it an easy and pleasant phone to live with. Samsung’s additional utility features, which are now woven into Galaxy AI tricks, only enhance its appeal. I did find myself being hooked to the image editing features as well as the tighter integration with Google Gemini.
Cameras
This is the only area where Samsung left a lot of room for improvement. The rear camera features a triple-camera configuration: a 50MP main sensor with OIS, a 12MP ultrawide lens, and an 8MP telephoto lens with 3x optical zoom. We have seen this setup for years and Samsung didn’t tweak it enough to update it to modern-day standards.
Daylight photos are sharp with vibrant yet authentic colour tones. The 3x telephoto lens is a good addition for detailed zoom photos without significant loss in quality. The ultrawide camera performs well, though it can show some noise in low-light conditions. Sadly, all three cameras struggle with noise and loss of sharpness during night time conditions. The same is applicable to videos – great during daytime but not so in low-light conditions.
The most notable camera upgrade is on the front, where the selfie camera has been boosted from 12MP. This results in sharp and more detailed selfies, with the signature Samsung colour science. Video call quality also improves as a result.
Battery
Samsung has also made improvements in the battery department. The Galaxy S25 FE is powered by a 4,900 mAh battery, which, when paired with the 4nm Exynos 2400 and more efficient One UI 8 based on Android 16, delivers excellent battery life.
On average, the Galaxy S25 FE can comfortably last a full day, with some juice to spare. Heavy usage will still get through a full day without needing to reach for a charger. Charging speeds have also been significantly improved, with support for Samsung’s 45W wired fast charging, which can take the phone from 0 to 65% in just 30 minutes. Note that you will need to have a compatible charging adapter that can deliver 45W charging to achieve those charging speeds. It also supports 15W wireless charging and reverse wireless charging, if you don’t have a thing for wired charging.
Verdict
The Samsung Galaxy S25 FE isn’t a huge upgrade on paper, and while that may deter many from considering it (again), Samsung’s formula of focusing on refinement has worked wonders. It finally justifies its ‘Fan Edition’ moniker.
The Galaxy S25 FE has the appeal of its more expensive brethren, thanks to the top-notch build quality and features. The One UI 8 experience offers the most polished Android 16 experience, and the addition of Samsung’s nifty utility tools and Galaxy AI makes it an interesting choice in the segment. The promise of seven OS updates along with a good battery life makes the Galaxy S25 FE a lot more tempting than any of its predecessors. The only weak link seems to be the camera system in an otherwise ideal premium midrange package.
To sum it up, the Galaxy S25 FE is a splendid smartphone in the premium midrange segment, surpassing everything that China has to offer. At Rs 59,999, it remains a worthy purchase.
