Galaxy S25 FE vs Galaxy S25 Ultra: Go affordable or go premium?
It's time to compare the most expensive phone in the Galaxy S series with the most affordable one. Who will win this battle?
Intro
The Galaxy S25 FE is right around the corner, and if you want to dip your toes into some Fan Edition affordable flagship magic, you need to wait just a couple of weeks. On the other hand, there are other options available, and one such option is the top-of-the-line Galaxy S25 Ultra.
The differences between these two are conceptual. Your choice will ultimately be determined by the route you're going to follow—affordable or premium. That said, there is some overlap between these, even though they stand on the opposite side of the lineup, price-wise.
Galaxy S25 FE vs Galaxy S25 Ultra expected differences:
| Galaxy S25 FE* | Galaxy S25 Ultra |
|---|---|
| A tad more compact phone, also a tad thinner | Slightly larger dimensions at 162.8 x 77.6 mm, also 0.8 mm thicker |
| Weighs 190 grams | Heavier at 218 grams |
| Main camera is 50MP | 200MP main camera |
| The same 12MP camera as the one used on the S25 and S25 Plus | 50MP ultrawide here |
| 8MP telephoto with 3x optical zoom | Two telephoto cameras, 50MP periscope 5x and 10MP 3x |
| Exynos 2400 chipset | Faster Snapdragon 8 Elite chipset |
| 4,900 mAh battery, potentially better battery life due to chipset | 5,000 mAh battery, great battery life |
| Rumored to sport the same 45W wired charging as the S25+ | 45W wired charging Wireless charging support |
| 6.7-inch AMOLED, 120Hz | Bigger 6.9-inch screen, better resolution and PPI, 1-120Hz |
| Anti-reflective coating on the screen | Just regular Corning Gorilla Glass, no anti-reflective coating |
| No S Pen here | S Pen inside the body |
| Seven years of software updates, Android 16 out of the box | Seven years of software updates |
| Much cheaper (expected around $649) | Starts at $1,299 |
| Gray, Graphite, Mint | More color options |
Table of Contents:
Also read:
Design and Size
Big, bigger, biggest
Smartphones are getting bigger and bigger, and the Galaxy S25 Ultra is the living proof. The phone is huge with its almost 7-inch display, but this year Samsung has opted for a flatter design for the Ultra.
When it comes to the S25 FE, the overall shape is the same, but the Fan Edition phone is more compact, courtesy of the smaller 6.7-inch screen. The smaller battery and the lack of an S Pen slot also mean that the S25 FE is thinner and lighter.
When it comes to the S25 FE, the overall shape is the same, but the Fan Edition phone is more compact, courtesy of the smaller 6.7-inch screen. The smaller battery and the lack of an S Pen slot also mean that the S25 FE is thinner and lighter.
| Galaxy S25 FE* | Galaxy S25 Ultra |
|---|---|
| Thickness 7.4 mm | Thickness 8.2 mm |
| Dimensions 161.4 x 76.6 mm | Dimensions 162.8 x 77.6 mm |
| Weight 190 grams | Weight 218 grams |
How much thinner and lighter? You can check out the table above, but the difference is not as big as you might've thought. As far as materials go, the big difference is that the Galaxy S25 Ultra has the anti-reflective coating on its display, and it really makes a difference, especially in point-light-source scenarios.
| Galaxy S25 FE colors* | Galaxy S25 Ultra |
|---|---|
| Blue | Titanium Silver Blue |
| Graphite | Titanium Black |
| Gray | Titanium White Silver |
| Yellow | Titanium Gray |
| Mint | Titanium Jade Green |
| - | Titanium Jet Black |
| - | Titanium Pink Gold |
The Galaxy S25 Ultra is available in Titanium Silver Blue, Titanium Black, Titanium White Silver, Titanium Gray, Titanium Jade Green, Titanium Jet Black, and Titanium Pink Gold. The Galaxy S25 FE, on the other hand, will most likely come in the same colors as its predecessor but at the moment, we have some leaked renders show only the Graphite and Blue versions.
Display Differences
Same tech, different sizes
The display of the Galaxy S25 FE is expected to be a 6.7-inch Super AMOLED panel with a 1080 x 2340 pixel resolution, resulting in around 385 PPI pixel density. According to the latest rumors the display will have a 120 Hz refresh rate and a peak brightness of 2600 nits.
The Galaxy S25 Ultra's display, on the other hand, is bigger at 6.9 inches, and the resolution is also better at 1440 x 3120 pixels (498 PPI), and the phone also comes with 1-120 Hz LTPO tech and the same 2600 nits advertised peak brightness.
The Galaxy S25 Ultra's display, on the other hand, is bigger at 6.9 inches, and the resolution is also better at 1440 x 3120 pixels (498 PPI), and the phone also comes with 1-120 Hz LTPO tech and the same 2600 nits advertised peak brightness.
| Galaxy S25 FE* | Galaxy S25 Ultra |
|---|---|
| Size 6.7" | Size 6.9" |
| Brightness 2600 nits (peak) | Brightness 2600 nits (peak) |
In our display test, the Galaxy S25 Ultra shone with almost 2400 nits at 20% APL (2373 to be precise), and that's an impressive result. We can't wait to test the S25 FE to see if Samsung packed the same panel in the affordable cousin of the S25 Ultra, as both phones have the same listed peak brightness. Stay tuned for test results soon.
Performance and Software
Exynos vs Snapdragon
The Galaxy S25 FE is rumored to use the Exynos 2400, a new chip with an intriguing design that has 10 cores. There's a 3.2 GHz ARM Cortex-X4 core, two 2.9 GHz ARM Cortex-A720 cores, three 2.6 GHz ARM Cortex-A720 cores, and four 2.0 GHz ARM Cortex-A520 cores.
Early performance benchmarks put this CPU right between the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 and 8 Gen 3. Geekbench 6 scores slot between 2000 points in single-core tests and 6500 points in multi-core.
In contrast, the Galaxy S25 Ultra managed 3137 and 9769 in the same test, which is a significant advantage at first glance, but we have to test the S25 FE in our lab for some hard numbers and an objective result.
In contrast, the Galaxy S25 Ultra managed 3137 and 9769 in the same test, which is a significant advantage at first glance, but we have to test the S25 FE in our lab for some hard numbers and an objective result.
| Galaxy S25 FE* | Galaxy S25 Ultra |
|---|---|
| Chip Samsung Exynos 2400 | Chip Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite |
| Process 4nm | Process 3nm |
| RAM 12GB | RAM 12GB/16GB |
In terms of RAM, the Galaxy S25 FE is expected to comes with 12GB on board in all storage configurations. The Galaxy S25 Ultra, on the other hand, comes in a plethora of versions, starting from 12GB on the entry 256GB version, and going all the way up to 16GB on the 1TB model.
Now, in terms of software, there's no difference between these two. The same software version, seven years of support, and probably the same AI magic are expected to be found on the Galaxy S25 FE, mimicking what the S25 Ultra has in its sleeve.
Camera
The main difference
The Galaxy S25 FE's camera specifications are not very exciting, so to speak. According to the recent reports, the phone will have the same camera setup as its predecessor, the Galaxy S24 FE. We expect the same 50MP main camera sensor, which can be found in the non-Ultra Galaxy S25 models. The ultrawide and telephoto are both more modest, pixel-count-wise, and there's no periscope zoom.
Now, the Galaxy S25 Ultra is a camera phone with its quadruple camera system on its back. It's better in every single aspect. The main camera has a huge 200MP sensor, the periscope zoom can do 5X, and even the 3X zoom has more pixels than the one expected on the S25 FE. The Ultrawide is also better, so here lies the biggest difference between these two phones.
Now, the Galaxy S25 Ultra is a camera phone with its quadruple camera system on its back. It's better in every single aspect. The main camera has a huge 200MP sensor, the periscope zoom can do 5X, and even the 3X zoom has more pixels than the one expected on the S25 FE. The Ultrawide is also better, so here lies the biggest difference between these two phones.
| Galaxy S25 FE* | Galaxy S25 Ultra |
|---|---|
| Main 50 MP f/1.8 24mm (wide) 1/1.57" | Main 200 MP f/1.7 24 mm (wide) 1/1.3" |
| Ultrawide 12 MP f/2.2 13mm 123 FOV | Ultrawide 50 MP f/1.9 13 mm (ultrawide) 120 FOV |
| Telephoto 8MP f/2.4 75mm 3x optical zoom | Telephoto 10 MP f/2.4 67mm 3x optical zoom |
| - | Telephoto (periscope) 50MP f/3.4 111mm 5x optical zoom |
We will snap some samples with the Galaxy S25 FE, once we get the phone, but things are looking very interesting. The previous model, the Galaxy S24 FE, which shares the same hardware, scored 150 overall in our composite camera test.
The Galaxy S25 Ultra, on the other hand, despite the additional periscope camera and the superior pixel count, managed 158 (our current top result). We have to compare side-by-side samples to see if 8 points make a big difference. Stay tuned.
Battery Life and Charging
Advantage S25 Ultra
The Galaxy S25 FE is expected to sport a 4,900 mAh battery, an upgrade compared to last year's FE. This, coupled with the new Exynos chipset, could result in better battery life, but we have to test it to see if that's the case. Last year's S24 FE managed 6h 20m in our battery test and ranked 95th among phones tested in the past 2 years. Not a great result, considering the battery size.
The Galaxy S25 Ultra comes with a 5,000 mAh cell, and it scored 8 hours in the same test, which put it at 22nd place, a much better result. Now that the expected difference in battery size is just 100 mAh, and the chipset inside the S25 FE is expected to be more efficient, we expect these two to be closer.
The Galaxy S25 Ultra comes with a 5,000 mAh cell, and it scored 8 hours in the same test, which put it at 22nd place, a much better result. Now that the expected difference in battery size is just 100 mAh, and the chipset inside the S25 FE is expected to be more efficient, we expect these two to be closer.
| Galaxy S25 FE* | Galaxy S25 Ultra |
|---|---|
| Battery capacity 4,900 mAh | Battery capacity 5,000 mAh |
Charging speeds 45W wired 15W wireless charging USB-C | Charging speeds 45W wired 15W wireless charging USB-C |
Another rumored change for the S25 FE concerns the fast charging. According to the latest leaks, the phone will bump up the speed to 45W, again matching the charging speed of the Galaxy S25 Ultra.
Specs Comparison
Here's a quick specs comparison for all the number nerds out there. You can also check out of full Galaxy S25 FE vs Galaxy S25 Ultra specs comparison on PhoneArena.
| Galaxy S25 FE* | Galaxy S25 Ultra |
|---|---|
| Size, weight 161.4 x 76.6 x 7.4 mm 190 grams | Size, weight 162.8 x 77.6 x 8.2 mm 218 grams |
| Screen 6.7" AMOLED 1-120Hz 1080 x 2340 pixels, 19.5:9 ratio (~385 ppi density) | Screen 6.9" AMOLED 1-120Hz 1440 x 3120 pixels, 19.5:9 ratio (~498 ppi density) |
| Processor Samsung Exynos 2400 4nm | Processor Snapdragon 8 Elite 3nm |
| Versions: 12GB/256GB 12GB/512GB LPDDR5 | Versions: 12GB/256GB 12GB/512GB 12GB/1TB 16GB/1TB LPDDR5 |
| Cameras: 50MP main 12MP ultrawide 8MP 3X zoom 12MP front | Cameras: 200MP main 50MP ultra 10MP 3X zoom 50MP 5X zoom 12MP front |
| Battery: 4,900 mAh | Battery: 5,000 mAh |
| Charging: USB-C 45W wired 15W wireless | Charging: USB-C 45W wired 15W wireless |
*rumored
Summary
This preliminary battle will most likely be determined by the price situation. There's no doubt that the Galaxy S25 Ultra is the better phone, but is it $500 better? Samsung has managed to shrink the distance between its most expensive phone and the most affordable model in the S series, or so it seems.
One thing is certain—the Galaxy S25 FE is shaping up to be a great bang for your buck. The package is just great and hits where it counts. We'll populate this comparison with all the hard numbers, tests, and camera samples once we finish the review of the S25 FE.
One thing is certain—the Galaxy S25 FE is shaping up to be a great bang for your buck. The package is just great and hits where it counts. We'll populate this comparison with all the hard numbers, tests, and camera samples once we finish the review of the S25 FE.
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