Launched on September 4, 2025, the Galaxy S25 FE is the fifth entry in Samsung’s Galaxy S25 lineup. Just like other FE models, it delivers many of the high-end features of the main Galaxy S25 phones at a more affordable price. And this year, there are four upgrades in particular that make the S25 FE especially exciting.

This is easily the best Galaxy S25 FE feature: buyers get the phone running One UI 8 (Android 16) out of the box. The rest of the Galaxy S25 lineup launches with One UI 7 (Android 14), so the FE has a clear advantage here.

Since Samsung now offers seven generations of Android and One UI upgrades for its flagship phones, the S25 FE ends up with an additional major OS update compared to the S25, S25+, S25 Ultra, and S25 Edge.

It’s also worth noting that this is only the second time in the Galaxy S lineup’s history that an FE model has launched with newer software than the main models. The first time was back in 2022, when the Galaxy S21 FE arrived almost a year after the regular S21 series and shipped with a newer One UI version.

Samsung has been quite generous with battery upgrades in recent years. It increased the battery capacity of the Galaxy Z Flip lineup two years in a row, and it has done the same with the Galaxy S FE series.

The first three FE models—the Galaxy S20 FE, S21 FE, and S23 FE—all come with a 4,500 mAh battery. Last year’s Galaxy S24 FE raises that to 4,700 mAh, and this year Samsung has bumped it up again to 4,900 mAh for the Galaxy S25 FE.

Is this because Samsung genuinely wants to give users an upgrade, or simply because the S25+ also uses a 4,900 mAh battery and it’s easier to reuse parts? It doesn’t matter. What matters is that the S25 FE should deliver better battery life than any FE model before it.

The last two FE models come with 10MP front cameras, but the Galaxy S25 FE finally upgrades that to a 12MP shooter.

The main Galaxy S24 and Galaxy S25 phones also use 12MP selfie cameras. It’s not confirmed if Samsung is reusing the exact same sensor for the FE model, but given the matching megapixel count, it’s certainly possible.

Either way, you can expect noticeably better selfies from the S25 FE, likely on par with the rest of the S25 lineup. And since it launches with the latest software, features like log video recording are also available.

This is another Galaxy S25+ feature that Samsung brings down to the S25 FE. It becomes the third model (joining the S25+ and S25 Ultra) in the S25 lineup to support 45W charging.

On Samsung phones with similar battery sizes but limited to 25W charging, the company advertises a 50% charge in about 30 minutes. With 45W support on the S25 FE, a 30-minute charge can charge the battery up to 65%.

In short, the S25 FE gives you the best of both worlds: long-lasting battery life and noticeably faster charging. Just keep in mind that you’ll need to buy a charger—45W or otherwise—separately, since one isn’t included in the box.