Samsung Galaxy S25 FE wishlist: All the features I want to see

The Galaxy S24 FE made a strong impression when it launched last year, offering an excellent display, solid cameras, a durable design, and flagship-level performance. It’s only about six months old and still feels fresh, but that doesn’t stop me from wondering what the Galaxy S25 FE might bring to the table later this year.

With that in mind, let’s take at my wishlist for the S25 FE. I don’t have many complaints, simply because the current model already nails the essentials without hiking the price or straying too far from its core vision.

Some design improvements would go a long way

Samsung’s FE models tend to follow the visual language of the mainline Galaxy S series, which helps with brand cohesion, but also makes them feel a bit stale. Google proved that a budget flagship doesn’t have to mimic its premium sibling to succeed with the recently announced Pixel 9a. In fact, standing out can be a strength.

With early rumors pointing to the same chipset as last year, a visual redesign could help the S25 FE stand apart, even if performance remains similar. And it’s not just about style, comfort matters too. One of the biggest drawbacks of the S24 FE is its sharp edges, which can dig into your hand during extended use. Sure, a case helps, but it’d be great if Samsung softened the design directly.

The S24 FE’s camera performs well in most scenarios, but it struggles with motion. As our own reviewer noted, snapping pics of moving subjects often results in noticeable photo blur. This isn’t shocking for a budget phone, but it’s also not hard to fix. I’m not expecting a major camera overhaul — just better shutter response, which would help it better capture motion.

You don’t even have to do much else to the camera package here. The existing 50MP wide, 8MP telephoto, and 12MP ultrawide trio already do a pretty solid job.

The selfie camera could use some work, too

The selfie camera could also use a refresh. The 10MP shooter performs okay indoors but has real issues with bright lighting, often leading to overexposure. Improving dynamic range and exposure tuning would go a long way here.

While the Galaxy S24 and S25 both have excellent selfie cameras, it’s not just the lenses that make them great. You’ll also find autofocus in play. That’s not the case for the Galaxy S24 FE, and so I’d like to see this addressed alongside the general issues with the selfie camera experience.

I’d like to see better speaker quality

Okay, this is admittedly a pretty minor complaint and something that not everyone is going to care about, but I would like to see a better speaker placed into the Galaxy S25 FE than the down-firing, thin-sounding speaker setup that is currently on offer.

You’ll find the speakerphone itself is a bit too quiet to work well in louder environments, and you’ll equally find the speakers are just barely passable for music. To be fair, most of us use headphones over the speaker, but there are certainly situations where you’ll want to share what you’re watching or listening to with someone else.

Bottom line, the Galaxy S25 FE should make mild improvements to this setup that make it closer to the flagship Galaxy S phones in this department.

The Galaxy S24 FE’s 4,700mAh battery gets most users through the day, but that’s about it. If you’re a gamer or stream a lot, chances are you’re hunting for a charger by mid-afternoon. For a phone that might keep the same chipset, improving battery life should be a top priority.

A bump to 5,000mAh would make a real difference, letting it go the distance for nearly everyone. It’s not an unusual move either — Google’s Pixel 9a has decent battery life, and the company has promised to further prioritize battery life with its Pixel series, and even Apple’s new iPhone 16e has made strides in this area. Budget phones don’t need to cut corners here anymore.

Although the FE branding has existed for a long time now, it really didn’t take its modern shape until the launch of the Galaxy S23 FE in October of 2023. While it’s only been two years since the line debuted, Samsung has made it pretty clear it sees the Galaxy S FE as an important part of its budget strategy. This is especially true in the US, where the Galaxy S FE has essentially replaced the Galaxy A50 series in order to prevent overlap in pricing and features.

In the current landscape, the Galaxy S FE is to Samsung what the Pixel A series is to Google, or the iPhone 16e (formerly iPhone SE series) is to Apple. So, yes, there will absolutely be a Galaxy S25 FE.

If that wasn’t enough to convince you, Android Authority has also spotted code that not only suggests the Galaxy S25 FE is on its way but also reveals the phone may be more of a sidegrade. As we mentioned briefly above, the phone reportedly rocks the same Exynos 2400e as the Galaxy S24 FE. Of course, not everyone in our team feels this is a bad thing.

That’s really all we know about the device this early in the game. As for when it might arrive? So far, the Galaxy S FE series has predictably arrived in stores in the first week of October after a late September reveal, as you can see below:

• Samsung Galaxy S24 FE — October 3, 2024
• Samsung Galaxy S23 FE — October 5, 2023

History suggests a fall launch is likely, and I’d say that’s most certainly the case. That said, you never know. The fact that the Galaxy S25 FE looks to be a bit of a sidegrade could mean the company is planning something different this year. Possibly as a reaction to the existence of the iPhone 16e? Of course, this is only speculation on my part.

Considering the Galaxy S25 FE won’t likely arrive until this fall, we wouldn’t wait. Not only is the Galaxy S24 FE still fairly new, but current rumors suggest the phone might not be a massive upgrade anyhow. There’s really no reason not to pick up the Galaxy S25 FE if you’re looking for a quality Samsung experience, but don’t want to shell out for the more premium Galaxy S25 series.

Not completely sold on the Galaxy family? The Pixel 9a ($499 at Amazon) was just recently announced and packs a pretty hefty punch. There’s also the flagship Pixel 9 ($799 at Amazon), which can often be found on sale at a similar price to the Galaxy S24 FE.