TL;DR Samsung has launched the Galaxy S25 FE smartphone.
The phone has larger battery and faster charging than the S24 FE, but retains most other features.
The Galaxy S25 FE starts at $649 and goes on sale today.
We were expecting a new member of the Galaxy S25 series to be revealed today. Now, Samsung has made it official and finally pulled the curtain back on the Galaxy S25 FE.
Those hoping for a giant leap forward in most areas might be disappointed, but the new phone still brings a few key hardware upgrades that make it stand out from the Galaxy S24 FE. Furthermore, the device also brings some software features previously seen on the Galaxy S25 series and Z7 foldables.
Galaxy S25 FE hardware
Zac Kew-Denniss / Android Authority
Unbox the new FE phone, and you’ll see a design that’s still similar to the Galaxy S24 FE. However, Samsung claims it’s using an “enhanced” Armor Aluminum frame in line with the Galaxy S25 series. It also says the phone is 7.4mm thin and weighs 190 grams, making it thinner and lighter than the previous device (8mm, 213 grams).
As for durability, the Galaxy S25 FE retains an IP68 rating and still uses Gorilla Glass Victus Plus on the front and back. In other words, you shouldn’t expect improved drop resistance compared to the previous phone.
The Galaxy S25 FE is a little slimmer and lighter than last year's phone, but that's about it from a design perspective.
Pop the hood and you’ll find an Exynos 2400 chipset. This is virtually identical to the Exynos 2400e used in the S24 FE. However, Samsung is apparently using a 13% larger vapor chamber cooling system. This should theoretically enable smoother performance during extended gaming sessions. Unfortunately, we’ve still got 8GB of RAM here. We’ve seen smartphone brands, including Samsung, offer more RAM in recent years due to on-device AI workloads. So I have to wonder whether the phone might miss out on some advanced AI features down the line.
Even the screen seems identical to last year’s phone, namely a 6.7-inch FHD+ OLED panel with 1,900 nits of peak brightness. The panel offers a 120Hz refresh rate, but can only drop down to 60Hz. By contrast, the base S25 drops down to as low as 1Hz to save juice. We’ve still got an under-display fingerprint sensor here, but it’s unclear whether this is still an optical scanner or a more modern ultrasonic design. We’ve asked Samsung to clarify this.
Thankfully, the Galaxy S25 FE isn’t a complete recycle job. Easily the biggest hardware upgrades are the 4,900mAh battery and 45W wired charging. These both represent notable upgrades over the S24 FE’s 4,500mAh battery and 25W charging. It also means the phone has faster charging than the standard Galaxy S25. Samsung claims a 65% charge in 30 minutes, versus the S25’s 50% charge in 30 minutes.
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The Galaxy S25 FE retains 15W wireless charging speeds, but Samsung says the phone is “Qi2 Ready” and can use magnetically attached accessories with the aid of a case. You’ll just have to pick up the Pixel 10 series (or HMD Skyline) if you want an Android phone with integrated magnets.
Samsung still offers the same rear cameras as last year’s phone, namely a 50MP main camera (1/1.56-inch, OIS), a 12MP ultrawide lens, and an 8MP 3x telephoto camera. However, the company has switched from a 10MP selfie camera to the S25’s 12MP shooter.
Galaxy S25 FE software: No waiting for One UI 8
Zac Kew-Denniss / Android Authority
The Galaxy S25 FE ships with Android 16 and One UI 8 out of the box, much like the Z Fold 7 and Z Flip 7 series. There are plenty of software enhancements here, with arguably the most notable additions being Now Bar and Now Brief support.
Now Brief debuted on the S25 series and offers personalized briefings several times a day, covering the weather, news, calendar entries, and more. Meanwhile, Now Bar is a lock screen widget that displays contextual info, including music controls, sports scores, clocks, and timers. Samsung has since improved both features on One UI 8.
Galaxy S25 FE: Hot or not? 75 votes Hot 25 % Not 75 %
The S25 FE also lets you use Circle to Search in games, much like the Galaxy Z Fold 7. Other notable software additions include Audio Eraser support, Generative Edit, Portrait Studio, Photo Assist, and Instant Slow-Mo functionality.
Finally, Samsung is offering seven years of OS and security updates. That means you should get Android 23 and security updates until 2032. Only Google and HONOR match Samsung with their own update policies.
Samsung Galaxy S25 FE pricing and availability
Zac Kew-Denniss / Android Authority
Keen on this new FE handset? Then the Galaxy S25 FE starts at $649.99 / £649 for the 8GB/128GB model. Yep, Samsung is sticking with 128GB of base storage once again. Otherwise, Samsung is also offering an 8GB/256GB model for $709.99 / £699. The company is also offering an 8GB/512GB variant in the UK for £799, but it’s not listed for the US.
You don’t have to wait to get your hands on the device, either, as it goes on sale today (September 4). Expect to find the Galaxy S25 FE in Icyblue, Jetblack, Navy, and White color schemes. The phone also comes with six months of Google AI Pro, including 2TB of storage.
In any event, we’re glad to see Samsung offering a significant battery capacity boost and much faster wired charging. The release also comes over a month after the Galaxy A56 5G arrived in the US. So Samsung fans looking for a wallet-friendly phone have two more options to choose from.
Samsung Galaxy S25 FE Samsung Galaxy S25 FE Large 120Hz display • Big battery • 50MP camera MSRP: $649.99 Exynos-powered, 6.7-inch Samsung experience The Samsung Galaxy S25 FE is the mid-range experience for fans of the S25 series. Powered by an Exynos 2400 processor, this 6.7-inch phone offers better specs than ever in a FE phone, and nearly all of the greatness found in mainline S25 phones. See price at Amazon 128GB
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