Samsung Galaxy S25 FE Review: specs and features, camera quality test, gaming benchmark, user opinions and photos

The Samsung Galaxy S25 FE is one step away from becoming a flagship.

Korean company Samsung is having a tough time in today's fiercely competitive smartphone market. Its Chinese competitors are releasing dozens of well-balanced models across all price segments, and their portfolios also include many mid-to-high-end offerings. Today's review target is aimed at this segment, but will it be able to compete with the bestsellers already released?

The appearance of the new model is similar to that of the more expensive phones in the series, which is a welcome change. The back panel is made of tempered glass, which is pleasant to the touch, with a metal frame and IP68 water resistance. The bezels of the 6.7-inch AMOLED display are quite narrow all around, and it also features a built-in fingerprint scanner. The display itself is decent, although far from perfect. The 2340x1080 resolution is sufficient for crisp images, but it's definitely not flagship-level. It has a refresh rate increased to 120 Hz, a good peak brightness of 1900 nits, and no obvious flaws in color reproduction. However, the PWM effect is pronounced, and those sensitive to it are unlikely to find the device comfortable to use.

The device's specifications include the Exynos 2400 CPU, 8 GB of RAM, and an Xclipse 940 GPU. This combination isn't the worst in terms of performance, although it's inferior to solutions from MediaTek and Qualcomm. It scores over 1.5 million points in AnTuTu, doesn't throttle excessively, and runs even the most resource-intensive games smoothly at medium-high graphics presets. However, energy efficiency isn't great; a 4900mAh battery will realistically last about a day of active use. There's wired charging at 45W, and a wireless equivalent at 25W. Storage options include 128, 256, or 512GB; it can't be expanded with a MicroSD card.

The photography capabilities aren't disappointing. The main 50MP ISOCELL GN3 sensor and 8MP telephoto lens with 3x optical zoom boast hybrid image stabilization, making it easy to capture high-quality evening photos and videos. The 12MP wide-angle sensor, however, is significantly simpler and won't be used as often. Stereo sound is also impressive; it's loud, rich, and voluminous. NFC contactless payments and 5G support are all present. Overall, the device is quite impressive; it more than justifies its price.