With three members of the high-end Galaxy S25 family out for a few months now and a fourth one widely expected to see daylight (in a couple of markets) in just a few weeks, the time has come to discuss the fifth and most likely final version in this already massively popular smartphone series.
That's right, Samsung is presumably hard at work on the Galaxy S25 FE in addition to the fast-approaching S25 Edge, but you might not like what the mobile industry veteran is prepping for this year's sequel to the fall 2024-released Galaxy S24 FE.
No power upgrade?!
If you remember the Snapdragon 865-based Galaxy S20 FE 5G from 2020 and the early 2022-released Galaxy S21 FE with a Snapdragon 888 processor under the hood, I'm about to disappoint you in two different ways today.
That's because the Galaxy S25 FE is unlikely to go back to using a Qualcomm Snapdragon chipset, and even worse, its in-house Exynos SoC could be the exact same one found inside the S24 FE. As weird and unusual as it sounds, we have a very reliable source pointing to the Exynos 2400e inexplicably powering the S25 FE, which would make it extremely difficult for Samsung to win the best budget 5G phone title at the end of 2025.
Thanks to the Exynos 2400e SoC, the Galaxy S24 FE is no slouch, but it's not the world's most powerful handset either. | Image Credit -- PhoneArena
The Galaxy S23 FE, remember, employed a Samsung-made Exynos 2200 processor in the fall of 2023, so it's hard to understand why the S25 FE can't make the jump to an Exynos 2500 or 2500e. Of course, those two chips don't exist just yet, and seeing as how the Galaxy S25, S25 Plus, and S25 Ultra were at one point rumored to pack Exynos 2500 power, this new report might be further proof that Samsung is having trouble manufacturing its own processors nowadays.
Then again, if that's the problem, the Galaxy S25 FE could just use a Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 SoC and thus go up against the likes of the OnePlus 13R in terms of raw power. That would be a far more logical move than rehashing the S24 FE's old processor, which was not that great to begin with.
Does this mean the Galaxy S25 FE is doomed?
Absolutely not. Not yet, at least. First of all, because the disappointing Exynos 2500e processor is obviously not etched in stone at the moment. Secondly (and perhaps more importantly), because that potential disappointment could still be offset by other major upgrades in key departments.
One report from several months back, for instance, suggested that the S25 FE could be significantly thinner than its 8mm predecessor, which would be a very welcome improvement, not to mention a fitting change after the impending launch of the super-slim Galaxy S25 Edge.
The Galaxy S25 FE could be as thin as the 7.2mm Galaxy S25. | Image Credit -- PhoneArena
The 50 + 8 + 12MP triple camera system on the back of the Galaxy S24 FE could also be substantially improved rather easily, but it's way too early to predict, for instance, a jump to a 200MP primary snapper. In fact, I'm afraid it's too early and there's far too little information going around the rumor mill to say anything else about the S25 FE's spec sheet.
If history is any indication, Samsung's next big (non-foldable) Fan Edition phone could be unveiled in September, which almost certainly means it will come after the first-of-a-kind Galaxy Z Flip FE (or Z Flip 7 FE) with a, you guessed it, Exynos 2400e processor inside.
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Adrian, a mobile technology enthusiast since the Nokia 3310 era, has been a dynamic presence in the tech journalism field, contributing to Android Authority, Digital Trends, and Pocketnow before joining PhoneArena in 2018. His expertise spans across various platforms, with a particular fondness for the diversity of the Android ecosystem. Despite the challenges of balancing full-time parenthood with his work, Adrian's passion for tech trends, running, and movies keeps him energized. His commitment to mid-range smartphones has led to an eclectic collection of devices, saved from personal bankruptcy by his preference for 'adequate' over 'overpriced'.
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