Samsung’s Galaxy S25 FE ‘Fan Edition’ Is a Cut-Down S25+ For $350 Less

You already know what to expect when you see the letter FE following a Samsung product name. Short for “Fan Edition,” FE devices are a Frankenstein of components packaged together and sold for less. In the case of the Galaxy S25 FE announced at IFA 2025, the $650 Android phone has the same size 6.7-inch display as the $1,000 Galaxy S25+, while costing less than the $800 Galaxy S25. Yeah, it doesn’t quite fit perfectly on a side-by-side chart comparing Samsung’s Galaxy S25 series phones, does it?

That screen is decent on paper. I haven’t seen it in person, so I don’t know if Samsung cut any corners. The FHD+ resolution, 120Hz refresh rate, and Vision Booster sound acceptable. Features you’ll find have been cut include the chipset, RAM and storage, and the cameras. The battery is the same 4,900mAh cell. Instead of Qualcomm’s latest Snapdragon 8 Elite, the Galaxy S25 FE has a less powerful Exynos 2400 chip. Instead of 12GB of RAM in the Galaxy S25 and S25+, the Galaxy S25 FE has 8GB of RAM with either 128GB or 256GB of storage. And instead of a 10-megapixel telephoto with 3x optical zoom, the Galaxy S25 FE has an 8-megapixel telephoto with 3x zoom. The Galaxy S25 FE does keep the same 50-megapixel main and 12-megapixel ultrawide cameras and 12-megapixel selfie camera from the Galaxy S25/S25+.

It still has wireless charging, though it doesn’t support the new Qi2 standard, and wired charging maxes out at 45W, which is plenty fast for topping off when you’re running late.

Samsung’s Galaxy S25 FE is not for me. I’m more of a flagship phone guy, but I get the appeal, especially for FE phones. They’ve got some features from Samsung’s premium phones and lesser ones where it may not matter as much to a price-conscious buyer with a specific budget to spend. If it’s for you—great! There seem to be enough FE buyers that Samsung keeps making them. And if it’s not—move along. Maybe you’ll be more interested in the skinny S25 Edge or the upcoming iPhone 17 family.

The Galaxy S25 FE is available for order today, Sept. 4, and comes in four colors, including Icyblue, Jetblack, Navy, White. (Yep, those are single-word colors!)