Samsung, in their pursuit of making a device with incremental improvement but with significant specifications, may have self-sabotaged themselves with the S25 FE. But in a good way.

Coming hot off the heels of the impressive package which was the S24 FE last year, this year’s S25 Fan Edition does not veer away much from the tried-and-tested formula in the ‘FE’ line. A solid, reliable but affordable device which stay close to the core of its S-line releases.

Adhering to a familiar playbook: take the core flagship experience, dial back a few non-essential features, and deliver excellent value; the S25 FE offers a direct and meaningful response to the criticisms levelled against the S24 FE, primarily focusing on ergonomics, processing power, and, most crucially, charging speed.

Unlike last year where Samsung focused more on the AI capabilities, they shifted their focus to core usage experience with the S25 FE and it shows.

Samsung has significantly trimmed the fat and it’s the first thing you will notice. Weighing in at 190 grams (down from 213 grams), the S25 FE is also thinner at 7.4 mm (down from 8.0 mm). This might seem small on paper, but in the hand, the S25 FE feels noticeably lighter and better balanced, moving it closer to a true flagship feel. It also features a welcome switch to a matte finish on the back, minimizing fingerprints compared to the glossy S24 FE.

For daily use, it weighs much less in your pocket or purse whereas for gamers on the go, the ergonomics feel much more comfortable for those mid to long session on MLBB or PUBG Mobile. Heck, we even prefer playing FC Mobile on the device compared to the S25 Ultra due to its curved edges not digging into our palms.

Self-Help

Remember that self-sabotage we mentioned earlier? This is where we feel it comes into play. Samsung’s S26 line of devices now have a tall wall to overcome when it comes to materials and feel of the product.

The battery life has also been improved alongside its capacity, bumping up by 200mAh from 4700mAh in the previous model to 4900mAh. Easily a day-and-a-half device and two days for more light users. It now juices up faster too, going to 45W charging from last year’s 25W charging. In layman’s speak; expect to get to about 60% of the battery capacity for the 30 minutes it spends being plugged in. You will, however, have to get your own charging block, which is able to pump out that power as like many flagship-tier devices in 2025 does not come with it.

On its own power, you can easily churn up to four hours or more of intensive gaming without any stuttering or overheating and slightly more when enjoying your favourite shows. Your mileage may vary depending on volume and brightness levels but thanks to its 6.7-inch FHD+ AMOLED, 120Hz, 1900 nits screen, images are crisper than ever. Our only gripe is still, and always will be as long as these phone companies continue to leave them out; the lack of 3.5mm earphone jack.

On the camera front, the S25 FE, in order not to cannibalise its more ‘upmarket’ siblings in the S25 and S25+, pretty much retained what was on offer last year; 50MP Main, 12MP UW, 8MP 3x Telephoto with improved processing. The front camera gets a slight improvement, going to 12MP from 10MP in the S24 FE. In short, the device does its job effectively and admirably but don’t be deterred. It still takes really detailed, sharp and striking pictures thanks to Samsung’s photo processing, which tends to emphasize on colours.

The whole Samsung A.I which they were marketing to a hilt last year returns with obviously improvements all around especially in the imaging side of things. Samsung prides itself with superior AI capabilities over its competitors, and it shows. This alone could easily be the decision maker if you’re in search for a competent and reliable AI-powered smartphone.

The Big Question

Who is this phone really for?

If you already own and or still using the S24 FE or even the S23 FE devices, you can afford to give this a skip. Again, remember about that cannibalising statement I mentioned earlier? In the S25 FE, like in their past FE models too, promised a substantial period of software and security updates. The S23 FE was promised four years of major Android OS updates and five years of security updates; seven years or seven generations for the S24 FE and the trend continues with the S25 FE; also at seven years.

The marginal improvements while significant, isn’t enough to make you swap out. If an upgrade is what you are after, then go for the ‘full’ S25 devices like the S25 or S25+.

However, should you are in the lookout for your first ever S-tier Samsung device – or even coming from a totally different ecosystem – but hesitant to break the bank; the S25 FE is the perfect getaway into the Samsung Galaxy top-shelf and in essence, the Android side of things. We like what’s on offer, and we highly recommend it.

Starting at a relatively non-bank-breaking pricetag of RM2,799 (256GB; 8GB RAM) and RM3,099 for the 512GB model, the S25 FE is available in four inoffensive, non-controversial colors for that understated look; White, navy, jetblack and icy blue. Rock either the navy or icy blue ones and it’s almost undistinguishable from the S25+ which costs a cook RM2,000 more.

The S25 FE is available at all Samsung stores or major tech shops or if you’re keen to know more on its online offers, head on over to Samsung’s official website.

Pros:

• Flagship-ish -tier specs for a fraction of the price.
• Improved battery capacity, charging speed and overall performance from S24 FE
• Matte finish is a big plus
• Lighter overall with slightly smaller footprint
• A great introduction into the Samsung S-tier devices category

Cons:

• Uses Exynos instead of the SnapDragon chip
• Hard to justify upgrade if coming from S24 FE / S23 FE devices

Final Score: 80/100