Galaxy S25 FE vs Galaxy S24 FE: Small upgrades or big reasons to wait?

Phone Arena

16 hours ago

Samsung's Fan Edition lineup has steadily evolved into a reliable choice for those seeking near-flagship specs at more reasonable prices. Last year's Galaxy S24 FE impressed us with its performance, display, and camera system, offering plenty of value at $649. Now, all eyes are on the Galaxy S25 FE, expected to debut in the fall of 2025.
So what will be new with the S25 FE? Based on what we know so far, the Galaxy S25 FE is shaping up to deliver a larger battery, faster charging, and a newer Exynos chip, while keeping the same display size and general camera setup.
In this comparison, we look at all the expected differences between the Galaxy S25 FE and its predecessor, so you can decide if it's worth waiting for the next Fan Edition phone.
$462 off (71%) The Galaxy S24 FE is up for grabs at the official Samsung Store. Currently, you can save up to $462 with eligible trade-ins. There are no alternative discounts right now. Buy at Samsung The Galaxy S24 FE is also available at Amazon. The base storage configuration featuring 128GB of built-in space is 19% off at Amazon, but only in its Graphite variant. Buy at Amazon
Galaxy S25 FE vs Galaxy S24 FE expected differences: *rumored/expected
Table of Contents:
Design
Display
Performance
Camera
Battery
Specs
Summary
Read more:
Galaxy S25 FE vs Galaxy S25 Plus
From what we've seen so far, the Galaxy S25 FE will retain the same flat-sided design language as the Galaxy S24 FE , but with slightly refined dimensions. The new model is said to be a thinner at 7.4mm vs 8mm and a bit more compact overall. It will also be significantly lighter at 190 grams. These tweaks will likely impact the feel in hand greatly, as the Fan Edition galaxy phones have been on the hefty side so far.
Materials are expected to remain similar: Gorilla Glass Victus+ on the front, with an aluminum frame. Both models should offer the same IP68 water and dust resistance. *rumored/expected Samsung is also mixing things up on the color front. The Galaxy S24 FE came in five vibrant colors, including Yellow and Mint. For the S25 FE, we're expecting a similar palette, though no final list has been confirmed yet.
In the box, we expect no charger. There will likely be just a USB-C cable, a SIM tool, and documentation, as has become the norm for Galaxy phones in recent years. Display Differences
The Galaxy S25 FE is expected to keep the same 6.7-inch AMOLED display as its predecessor, with a smooth 120Hz refresh rate. The key difference lies in brightness: the S25 FE is rumored to hit 2600 nits peak brightness, compared to the S24 FE's 1900 nits rating. That could make a noticeable difference in outdoor visibility.
*rumored/expected Both displays are FHD+ resolution (1080 x 2340), and likely have similar contrast and color reproduction. The S24 FE's display offered decent sharpness and vibrant colors, though we noted inconsistent color accuracy in our review — something we hope Samsung will address on the S25 FE.Biometrics are expected to remain unchanged with both phones using an under-display fingerprint sensor, which was fast and reliable on the S24 FE. Face unlock is still expected to be present for convenience, but not secure enough for payments.
The Galaxy S24 FE ran on the Exynos 2400e — a downclocked version of the Exynos 2400 found in Samsung's flagships. It performed well in benchmarks, offering a big leap over the S23 FE, and even handled gaming with ray tracing fairly smoothly thanks to improved thermals and a larger vapor chamber. *rumored/expected The S25 FE, however, is expected to use the full Exynos 2400 chip, which could further improve sustained performance, especially under heavy workloads. The jump from 8 GB to 12 GB of RAM across all configurations will also help with multitasking and memory management.Storage options are expected to remain the same: 128 G, 256 GB, and 512 GB, likely with UFS 4.0 speeds.
We expect Samsung's long-term software support promise of 7 years of OS and security updates to apply as much to the S25 FE as it does to the S24 FE. The S24 FE launched with Android 14 and One UI 6.1, while the S25 FE will likely debut with Android 16 and One UI 7.
As for AI, some tools on the S24 FE — like Photo Assist and Sketch to Image — felt half-baked in our tests, so we hope for a more polished experience on the S25 FE. Also, features like Note Assist and Generative Edit may still require cloud access.
The Galaxy S25 FE is expected to reuse the exact camera system from the S24 FE, which includes a 50 MP main sensor, 12 MP ultra-wide, and 8 MP 3x telephoto camera, along with a 12 MP front-facing shooter. *rumored/expected While this may seem like a missed opportunity, it's worth remembering that the S24 FE already had one of the best camera setups in its class. The main sensor delivered sharp, well-exposed photos with high dynamic range and realistic colors, while the telephoto lens performed well up to 3x zoom. The ultra-wide camera was the weakest link, with softer detail even in daylight.Video performance was solid, especially from the main camera. Samsung's smooth transition between lenses during recording and strong stabilization helped keep footage looking steady and consistent.
If Samsung refines image processing or brings over more advanced computational photography from the flagship S25 series, the S25 FE might still surprise us despite using the same hardware.
The Galaxy S24 FE offered solid battery life in our tests, with a 4700 mAh cell powering up to 15 hours of web browsing and over 10 hours of gaming. The S25 FE will raise the bar with a 4900 mAh battery, closing in on flagship-sized capacity. *rumored/expected That extra 200 mAh might not sound like much, but combined with more efficient tuning or power management improvements in One UI 7 , it could lead to longer screen-on time — especially given the same FHD+ resolution.Charging is also getting an upgrade. The S24 FE topped out at 25W wired charging, taking 1h 21m to fill the tank. The S25 FE is rumored to support 45W wired charging, which could reduce full charging times significantly. Both phones support 15W wireless charging.
*rumored/expected
The Galaxy S25 FE doesn't shake things up too much, but it will seemingly bring a few notable changes. With a brighter screen, bigger battery, faster charging, and a likely performance bump thanks to the full Exynos 2400 chip and 12 GB of RAM, the series will be ripe for that "Fan Edition" moniker.
Still, those who already own the S24 FE probably won't need to upgrade. Where it might make a real difference is for new buyers. If Samsung can stick to its competitive pricing of $650, the S25 FE might be the most affordable way to get near-flagship performance, great cameras, and seven years of support.