By Abhishek Bajpai

Copyright timesnownews

The Samsung Galaxy S25 FE was launched in India last week as the newest entry in the Fan Edition lineup, building on last year’s S24 FE with a refreshed design and a few noticeable refinements. It continues with the familiar Galaxy S-series look, complete with the signature triple camera rings, but now in a slimmer and lighter frame that feels more comfortable in the hand. Samsung has also introduced new colour options, including a striking Navy finish, while keeping durability intact with Gorilla Glass Victus Plus and an Armor Aluminum frame. During daily use we did notice a few quirks with the back panel, which we’ll get into shortly. So, does the S25 FE strike the right balance between flagship features and everyday practicality? Let’s take a deeper look in this review. Design Samsung has kept the design language consistent with the rest of the S25 series while slimming down the Fan Edition. At 7.4mm and 190 gramd, the S25 FE is noticeably more compact compared to the S24 FE, which measured 8.0mm and weighed 213 grams. The reduction in thickness and weight might sound minor on paper, but in hand it feels significantly more comfortable, especially for long usage sessions. The Navy colour variant I tested comes with a matte finish on the back, giving it a smooth texture and a refined appearance. The rear panel is protected by Gorilla Glass Victus Plus, and the frame is reinforced with Armor Aluminum, which adds strength without compromising on looks. The phone also retains its IP68 rating for dust and water resistance. The build feels sturdy, with no creaks or weak points noticeable during use. That said, the back panel does have one issue. Despite using Gorilla Glass Victus Plus, the matte finish picked up micro scratches after only a few days of use. Carrying it in a pocket with keys was enough to leave small but visible marks. This is surprising, as other devices I use daily, incluing the Vivo X200 FE and iPhone 16 Pro, have held up better under similar conditions. For anyone planning to use the S25 FE without a case, this is something to keep in mind. Display The front of the Galaxy S25 FE houses a 6.7-inch Dynamic AMOLED 2X display with Full HD+ resolution and a 120Hz refresh rate. It delivers what you’d expect from Samsung: sharp visuals, punchy colours, deep blacks, and strong brightness for outdoor use. Whites look neutral, and colour accuracy is excellent out of the box. The bezels are thinner than before, though the chin is still slightly thicker than the rest, something Samsung could have refined further. The display integrates an optical fingerprint scanner, which worked reliably and quickly in my testing. Touch response is smooth, especially with the 120Hz refresh rate enabled, making the overall experience fluid whether scrolling through apps or playing games. However, the lack of a pre-applied screen protector means the display is vulnerable to scratches. Within a week of normal use, I noticed small marks appearing on the panel. Combined with the scratches that appeared on the back, this reinforces the need for a case and screen protector right from day one. Performance and Software The S25 FE is powered by Samsung’s Exynos 2400 chipset built on Samsung’s in-house 4-nanometre process. My review unit had 8GB of RAM and 128GB of UFS 3.1 storage; the higher variant however has UFS 4.0 storage. It handled daily use without any slowdowns. Apps opened instantly and multitasking was fluid. Benchmark results were also good enough for the price. The phone scored 2,033,369 points in AnTuTu and 2067 in single-core along with 6816 in multi-core on Geekbench 6. These numbers put it close to Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 powered devices and comfortably ahead of mid-range competitors. The upgraded cooling system should have kept the phone relatively cool during stress testing, but that wasn’t the case with my unit. The device heated up even while scrolling reels on Instagram or using Maps. The warmth was mostly concentrated around the top portion of the frame, an area nobody normally touches. However, after playing games for hours, taking a call with the phone pressed to the ear felt uncomfortable, so I switched to speaker mode. I tested BGMI on the Galaxy S25 FE and the experience was underwhelming. At the moment, the phone only supports 90fps gameplay, which feels limiting compared to other devices in this segment. During gaming, the phone also heated up noticeably, especially when used in a non air conditioned environment. For casual gaming the performance is acceptable, but if you are considering this phone primarily for extended, high-intensity gaming sessions, you may want to look at alternatives better suited for that purpose. On to the software front the device ships with Android 16 and One UI 8.0. Samsung has committed to long-term software support for the S25 FE, promising seven years of operating system and security updates. It brings all the Galaxy AI features from the flagship S25 series including Audio Eraser, Generative Edit, Circle to Search and Gemini Live. These features worked smoothly and added useful tools to the everyday experience. One UI itself remains polished and intuitive, and combined with the promise of seven years of updates, this software experience is one of the most future-proof in its category. Cameras The Galaxy S25 FE is equipped with a triple rear camera setup consisting of a 50-megapixel main sensor with optical image stabilisation, a 12-megapixel ultrawide, and an 8-megapixel telephoto with 3x optical zoom. On the front, Samsung has upgraded the selfie camera to 12 megapixels. The rear cameras support video recording up to 8K at 30fps. In real-world use, the main camera delivered sharp images with natural colours and excellent detail. Dynamic range stood out, keeping highlights and shadows balanced. In one of my test shots with a brightly lit signboard, the phone exposed both the sign and the darker surroundings correctly, showing reliable HDR performance. The ultrawide captured expansive frames, though with more noise compared to the main sensor, while the 3x telephoto lens produced solid results when zooming in without a big loss in detail. Autofocus was quick and dependable across all three lenses. Selfies came out sharp and true to life, with accurate skin tones and good background exposure. The inclusion of Galaxy AI tools in the camera app, such as generative edits and background removal, added versatility for quick edits. Battery and Charging Samsung has fitted the S25 FE with a 4900mAh battery, an upgrade over the previous model. In daily use, which included social media, messaging, email, light photography, and an hour of gaming, the phone comfortably lasted a full day and often stretched into the next. In a video playback test, it managed over 14 hours on a single charge. Charging speeds have also improved. The phone now supports 45W wired fast charging and 15W Qi2 wireless charging. With a compatible 45W charger, the battery charged to around 65 percent in 30 minutes and reached full capacity in about an hour. Wireless charging was also noticeably faster than before. The only drawback is that Samsung does not include a charger in the box, so buyers will need to purchase one separately to make use of these faster speeds. Verdict The Samsung Galaxy S25 FE is positioned as the most affordable entry into the S25 lineup, and it manages to deliver a lot of what makes the series appealing. It offers a premium build, a bright AMOLED display, reliable cameras, decent performance with the Exynos 2400, and a large 4900mAh battery with faster 45W charging. The promise of seven years of Android updates also gives it a significant edge over most competitors in this segment. However, there are some compromises to keep in mind. The phone still heats up under sustained gaming, BGMI is capped at 90fps, and both the display and the back panel are prone to scratches without protection. When compared to the Galaxy S25+, the S25 FE naturally loses out on a few fronts. The Plus model offers a higher resolution display, faster UFS 4.0 storage across all variants, and more refined design elements. That said, the S25 FE costs significantly less while still sharing the same core chipset and much of the software experience, making it an attractive choice for users who don’t want to spend flagship money but still want a device with flagship DNA. Galaxy S25 FE is available starting September 29 through Samsung.com, Samsung Exclusive Stores, select Samsung authorised retail outlets, and other online portals. The base 8GB+128GB model starts from Rs 59,999. Who should buy? If you are upgrading from a much older Galaxy phone, say something like the Galaxy S23 or earlier, the S25 FE makes sense as it brings the latest chipset, AI features, a better display, and longer battery life, all at a relatively accessible price. For users already on the Galaxy S24 FE, the improvements in design, battery capacity, and selfie camera are welcome but may not justify an immediate switch. And if you are someone who prioritises hardcore gaming, there are better devices optimised for that purpose. For most buyers, though, the Galaxy S25 FE is easy to recommend. It strikes the right balance between cost and capability, delivering a near-flagship experience with long-term support. If you want to enter the Galaxy ecosystem or simply need a dependable all-rounder that will last for years, the S25 FE is a smart buy.