For a largely unremarkable budget-friendly high-end handset with pretty much the same specs and features as its predecessor (at least according to the newest rumors), the Galaxy S25 Fan Edition is sure making a lot of headlines lately, showing its slimmer and sleeker design compared to the S24 FE in all colorways and looking virtually guaranteed for an official announcement over the next couple of months or so.
If you want to put a firmer date than that on the S25 FE name, a fresh Korean media report (translated here) will deliver exactly what you're looking for, as well as a ballpark estimate of the handset's possible starting price in its manufacturer's homeland.
September 19 could be the big day
At least in South Korea, that's apparently when Samsung plans to release its next Fan Edition powerhouse. That's explicitly mentioned as a release date rather than a launch or announcement date, mind you, so there's clearly a good chance the Galaxy S25 FE will be formally unveiled even earlier.
Last year's Galaxy S24 FE, for instance, was announced on September 26 and made available in markets like the US on October 3 before expanding to South Korea nearly a month later.
The S24 FE was released a little later last year. | Image Credit -- PhoneArena
This fall, of course, Samsung is unlikely to take as much time between the S25 FE's rollouts in the two key markets, but if Korean sales are indeed set to begin on September 19, I definitely wouldn't rule out the possibility of a US commercial debut taking place a week or two before that date.
Otherwise put, we might be only a few weeks away from the phone's global launch at the time of this writing, which would certainly explain the steady recent stream of Galaxy S25 FE leaks from all sorts of reliable and semi-reliable sources.
The 1 million won barrier will not be broken
I realize that a million anything may sound excessive to a lot of Western ears, but the Galaxy S24 FE only costs the equivalent of around $680 in South Korea at 946,000 won, so the Galaxy S25 FE should remain relatively affordable this year at under KRW 1 million.
That means Samsung's domestic Fan Edition smartphone pricing will either be "frozen" or "slightly increased", which is obviously likely to be true for other markets as well.
This blurry image remains one of our best looks at the Galaxy S25 FE design so far. | Image Credit -- Evan Blass on X
If that part of today's report proves accurate, the S25 FE could start at $650 (or, in any case, no more than $700) stateside. 128 gigs is likely to remain the entry-level storage configuration, and Samsung is expected to pair 8GB RAM again with both that amount of local digital hoarding room and 256GB.
Under the hood, the biggest question mark is still the battery capacity (which could stand at a modest 4,500mAh or much more impressive 4,900mAh), while charging speeds are essentially etched in stone at 45W (up from the S24 FE's 25W limit).
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Will you buy the Galaxy S25 FE next month?
I can hardly wait
7.69%
Only if it costs $650 or less
15.38%
Only if it costs $600 or less
15.38%
I'll wait for some deals down the line
23.08%
I have no intention to buy this thing at any price
38.46%
Although it's nice to hear in this day and age of a potentially "frozen" price point for a new high-end smartphone, the use of a pretty unremarkable Exynos 2400 processor (at least by 2025 Android flagship standards) had actually made me hope that the Galaxy S25 FE would end up costing less than its predecessor. Guess that's a dream I may need to give up already... while continuing to look forward to what could still be an interesting product launch from the world's top handset vendor next month.
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Adrian, a mobile technology enthusiast since the Nokia 3310 era, has been a dynamic presence in the tech journalism field, contributing to Android Authority, Digital Trends, and Pocketnow before joining PhoneArena in 2018. His expertise spans across various platforms, with a particular fondness for the diversity of the Android ecosystem. Despite the challenges of balancing full-time parenthood with his work, Adrian's passion for tech trends, running, and movies keeps him energized. His commitment to mid-range smartphones has led to an eclectic collection of devices, saved from personal bankruptcy by his preference for 'adequate' over 'overpriced'.
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