Samsung Galaxy S25 FE vs. S25+: A Comparative Analysis for Professionals and Tech Enthusiasts
This report provides a comparative analysis of the Samsung Galaxy S25 FE and the Galaxy S25+, offering a detailed examination of their specifications, performance, and real-world user experience. The objective is to provide professionals and tech enthusiasts with the data necessary to make an informed purchasing decision.
Overview:
The Galaxy S25 FE, released this year, closely mirrors the S25 series in terms of design and dimensions. Notably, it shares the physical form factor of the S25+ while employing the Exynos 2400 system-on-chip (SoC) utilized in last year’s Galaxy S24+. The S25 FE presents a significant value proposition, being approximately 30% and almost 50% less expensive in Europe and the US, respectively, when considering storage configurations and third-party retailer pricing.
Design and Build:
The S25 FE and S25+ exhibit similar dimensions and screen diagonals. The S25+ is marginally narrower and shorter. Material differences include Gorilla Glass Victus 2 on the front and back of the S25+ with an Armor aluminum 2 frame, marketed for enhanced rigidity compared to the S25 FE’s Enhanced Armor aluminum and older generation Victus+ glass panels. Despite these distinctions, both devices offer an IP68 ingress protection rating and are similar in hand feel.
Display Analysis:
Both devices feature comparable displays. While the S25+ is equipped with a more advanced LTPO display, the S25 FE supports a variable refresh rate, achieving refresh rates as low as 1Hz. The S25+ benefits from a higher-resolution screen and slimmer bezels. Furthermore, the S25+ exhibits superior brightness, registering 1,449 nits in standardized testing compared to the S25 FE’s 1,247 nits. Both panels deliver excellent sunlight legibility.
Battery Performance:
The S25+ demonstrates superior battery efficiency. The Qualcomm chipset in the S25+ yields a higher Active Use Score, outperforming the S25 FE in all battery tests, particularly in call and gaming runtimes.
Charging Capabilities:
Both models support 45W charging and have a 4,900 mAh battery capacity. The S25+ exhibits faster charging times at the 15- and 30-minute marks, with the full charge taking approximately 10 minutes less.
Audio Assessment:
The S25 FE offers superior audio quality, producing more pronounced bass and warmer tones compared to the S25+. Both models maintain comparable loudness levels.
Performance Evaluation:
The S25 FE incorporates the Exynos 2400 SoC, while the S25+ utilizes the Snapdragon 8 Elite for Galaxy, a slightly overclocked variant of the standard SD 8 Elite. The S25+ also benefits from superior memory configurations, featuring a 12GB/256GB base configuration compared to the S25 FE’s 8GB/128GB starting configuration (utilizing UFS 3.1 storage until the 256GB variant). The S25 FE is exclusively available with 8GB of RAM, while the Plus model offers 12GB RAM configurations. Benchmarking reveals the S25+ outperforming the S25 FE significantly, with the S25+ achieving nearly 40% higher scores in the multi-core CPU tests, approximately 14% better in the combined AnTuTu 10 tests, and a substantial 54% performance increase in the 3DMark Wild Life Extreme GPU test.
Camera Comparison:
The Galaxy S25+ features a slightly advanced camera system on paper, including a larger sensor telephoto camera with higher resolution, and a slightly larger ultrawide shooter. However, the main and front-facing cameras are largely identical.
Image Quality Assessment:
In ultrawide photography, both phones produce comparable results. The main cameras exhibit similar stills quality with negligible differences. Video quality analysis revealed that the S25 FE captures sharper videos with better contrast in daylight conditions. The S25+ delivers less processed footage in telephoto zoom clips.
Conclusion:
The Galaxy S25+ is the more advanced device, offering superior build quality, battery life, charging speeds, processing power, and storage/RAM configurations. The S25 FE presents a compelling alternative, delivering a comparable user experience at a significantly lower price point, along with better sounding speakers and very similar camera quality.
Summary of Key Takeaways:
Samsung Galaxy S25 FE:
- Offers substantial cost savings.
- Provides comparable camera performance.
- Features superior speakers.
Samsung Galaxy S25+:
- Boasts longer battery life.
- Offers faster charging capabilities.
- Includes a more powerful chipset.
- Features higher base storage and RAM.
- Supports Ultra-wideband (UWB) technology.
