Samsung Galaxy S26 FE vs. Galaxy S25 FE

The Fan Edition of the most fresh Galaxy S series is out, nonetheless sooner than you pull the residing off on the Samsung Galaxy S26 FE, why no longer receive in solutions the Samsung Galaxy S25 FE as a change. It gets you a huge number of the fashion there at a more sensible initiating imprint, which is exactly the FE series spirit. Despite all the pieces, the reminiscence chip costs forced Samsung to launch the S26 FE at a increased imprint point and with out changing nearly the relaxation in phrases of hardware too.

The more moderen Galaxy S26 FE in all fairness shut to closing year’s Galaxy S25 FE, with the exception of the chipset, of route. And one would marvel, what are you getting for the extra €50/$100? Let’s receive out!

Desk of Contents:

• Save
• Level to
• Battery Lifestyles
• Charging
• Speaker Take a look at
• Performance
• Cameras
• Verdict

For starters, you’re going to be ready to look at the complete specs sheets or straight continue with our editor’s evaluate within the next text.

Dimension comparability

The more moderen Galaxy S26 FE is kind of similar to the Galaxy S25 FE via dimensions, weight and form. The more moderen Galaxy is negligibly wider and taller, and adds 3 grams to the final weight. Not the roughly disagreement you’re going to feel within the accurate world.

There’s also no exchange within the fabricate materials – both devices receive Gorilla Glass Victus+ glass sheets on the entrance and lend a hand, while the facet frame is “Enhanced Armor Aluminum,” which is Samsung’s personal aluminum alloy gentle for its flagship phones.

What’s fresh here is the colors. The fresh S26 FE comes in three colours – Blueberry, Graphite and Pistachio. The older Galaxy had four coloration concepts – Icyblue, Jetblack, Navy and White. We doubt that colours would possibly possibly well be the deciding component, nonetheless it be possibly silent indispensable to gift.

Level to comparability

The 2 Galaxy Fan Editions part the identical 6.7-skedaddle OLED expose with the identical characteristic residing. Our brightness assessments stutter our suspicion that Samsung has ported the older cover straight to the fresh S26 FE.

Not that there is the relaxation contaminated with that, as the panel assessments the complete boxes for a flagship-level expose.

Battery life

Here’s the keep it gets attention-grabbing, though. Despite the dearth of upgrades within the battery department, the more moderen Galaxy S26 FE appears to be more atmosphere friendly than its predecessor. As a result of expose and battery remain unchanged, the jump in endurance have to be as a outcome of the more moderen Exynos 2500 SoC.

The Galaxy S26 FE’s increased Active Employ Rating is entirely thanks to the strong uptick in web browsing and video streaming.

Charging bustle

The 2 handsets make stronger as much as 45W hasty wired charging over Energy Offer with the valid PPS profile charger, nonetheless Samsung guarantees a marginal update within the charging curve, allowing a miniature sooner charging than sooner than. Our assessments corroborate these claims, to about a extent.

The Galaxy S26 FE is 4 share functions sooner to the 15 minute checkpoint and 6 share functions sooner at the 30-minute brand, nonetheless entirely 2 minutes sooner to the elevate out line at 100% payment. In varied phrases – no valuable exchange within the charging bustle.

Speaker test

Unsurprisingly, Samsung didn’t swap out the speakers for more moderen ones. The Galaxy S26 FE seemingly uses the identical stereo loudspeaker setup as its predecessor with blueprint-identical tuning, too. The entirely marginal disagreement is loudness, as the older mannequin is a tad louder.

Performance

The Galaxy S26 FE runs on Samsung’s closing year’s flagship Exynos 2500 chipset, while the Galaxy S25 FE gets the Exynos 2400 from the year 2024. The more moderen SoC is touted as more unparalleled and more energy atmosphere friendly, which our endurance and performance assessments stutter.

No exchange within the equipped reminiscence configurations, though, as both blueprint with 8 GB RAM and 128 GB internal storage as customary. But you’re going to be ready to also receive them with 256 GB and 512 GB internal storage.

Benchmark performance

Within the customary benchmark assessments, the Exynos 2500 internal the S26 FE outperforms the Exynos 2400-powered S25 FE by about 16% within the CPU runs and by nearly 25% within the GPU-centered 3DMark Wild Lifestyles test. The S26 FE also confirmed better sustained performance in our traditional CPU and GPU stress assessments.

Despite the fact that the performance disagreement is measurable, it might most likely possibly match uncared for within the event you are no longer primarily into gaming.

Each phones ship with 7 years of important OS upgrades, nonetheless since the Galaxy S25 FE launched closing year, its make stronger will pause a year earlier. Moreover, Samsung eradicated the wired DeX make stronger on the more moderen mannequin and now no longer has DisplayPort output. This in all fairness the bummer for folks gentle to wired DeX. Wireless DeX is here to cease, as a minimal.

Camera comparability

The Galaxy S26 FE comes with the identical digicam system as closing year’s mannequin – no longer appropriate in phrases of sensors and resolutions, nonetheless the valid identical hardware (which turn into barely an make stronger over the S24 FE sooner than it).

The principle digicam uses the in-residence GN3 sensor that has a 50MP resolution and a 1/1.56″ optical format. The telephoto is based on a relatively tiny 1/4.4″ sensor with appropriate 8MP resolution, though this can receive you 12MP images. The ultrawide uses a mounted-point of curiosity lens, as does the selfie digicam, and both characteristic 12MP sensors.

The digicam samples (both characterize and video) receive been taken on separate instances with the 2 phones.

Image quality

Daylight

Each phones capture moderately tall images with their important cameras at 1x – no longer moderately top-tier outcomes, nonetheless no longer half unsuitable either. The fresh mannequin appropriate would possibly possibly successfully be a miniature bit more restrained with the sharpening and can possibly render the component a miniature finer, nonetheless it be no longer a good disagreement. Each receive racy coloration output and no considerations with dynamic differ.

Daylight comparability, important digicam (1x): Galaxy S26 FE • Galaxy S25 FE

The 2x zoom outcomes from both phones are strong. The S26 FE does appear like critically more noticeably forward here, though the veteran mannequin is silent no longer unsuitable for the class.

Daylight comparability, important digicam (2x): Galaxy S26 FE • Galaxy S25 FE

The telephotos are about on par as successfully – it be possibly the one comparability to this point that makes it the hardest to position a disagreement. Perchance the S26 FE does a miniature better with noise cut price, though the S25 FE is entirely a miniature bit grainier. After all, the photos are better than you’re going to quiz from an 8MP to 12MP upscale job.

Daylight samples, telephoto digicam (3x): Galaxy S26 FE • Galaxy S25 FE

We’d also strive to convince ourselves the S26 FE’s ultrawide is a miniature bit of an improvement over the S25 FE’s, nonetheless whatever advantages we are able to search out are neither sizable enough, nor primarily all that consistent. Or no longer it’s primarily a toss-up.

Daylight comparability, ultrawide digicam (0.6x): Galaxy S26 FE • Galaxy S25 FE

Low gentle

A lot would possibly possibly well receive changed within the lighting fixtures of some of our low-gentle scenes, nonetheless miniature has changed within the fashion the Galaxy FE behaves at center of the night – the S26 FE and the S25 FE capture identical levels of component, are inclined to tear away moderately a miniature bit of grain the photos, and are no longer in particular eager on the utilization of Night time mode if left to their personal devices. The S25 FE does are inclined to be a miniature bit more contrasty in its output, subsequent to a pretty washed out S26 FE, so in a technique the veteran mannequin will also be considered as a miniature better.

Low-gentle comparability, important digicam (1x): Galaxy S26 FE • Galaxy S25 FE

Night time mode cleans up the noise and dials up the sharpening on both phones, and the variation is more pronounced on the S26 FE. We wouldn’t pronounce it makes the fresh mannequin steal the lead though. Or no longer it’s doubtlessly a semi-outlandish commentary that we weren’t ready to receive the cellular phone to prepare night mode processing on the fourth scene – that is consistency for you appropriate there.

Low-gentle comparability, important digicam (1x), Night time mode: Galaxy S26 FE • Galaxy S25 FE

Each phones turn very noisy and would possibly possibly well silent even be moderately soft in areas with low-distinction component. The S26 FE would possibly possibly successfully be a miniature sharper in traditional, nonetheless it be exhausting to call it a winner with outcomes worship these.

Low-gentle comparability, important digicam (2x): Galaxy S26 FE • Galaxy S25 FE

The S25 FE’s Night time mode outcomes at 2x are surely more to our liking than the S26 FE’s – the sharpening is more subtle on the older mannequin.

Low-gentle comparability, important digicam (2x), Night time mode: Galaxy S26 FE • Galaxy S25 FE

The telephoto photos in plump auto are moderately exhausting to take a look at from either cellular phone, though the mix of softness and noise is a miniature less unsuitable on the S25 FE. One more time, no longer primarily excessive praise this.

Low-gentle samples, telephoto digicam (3x): Galaxy S26 FE • Galaxy S25 FE

Night time mode nearly does wonders on both telephotos and it be clearly tear after darkish. That said, the S25 FE is all once more a miniature better here, we reckon – the S26 FE conjures up these queer mesh patterns that would possibly possibly additionally be irksome.

Low-gentle samples, telephoto digicam (3x), Night time mode: Galaxy S26 FE • Galaxy S25 FE

There is a glimmer of hope for the S26 FE within the ultrawide photos which pause are inclined to be sharper than the S25 FE in plump auto mode – consistently so. Not that they’re in particular tall in isolation, though.

Low-gentle comparability, ultrawide digicam (0.6x): Galaxy S26 FE • Galaxy S25 FE

Issues pause receive nearer to a tie within the event you in deciding to shoot in Night time mode, which you doubtlessly would possibly possibly well silent on both phones, and if that is the case the S26 FE’s advantage fades.

Low-gentle comparability, ultrawide digicam (0.6x), Night time mode: Galaxy S26 FE • Galaxy S25 FE

Selfies

When it involves selfies, both phones are more or less on the identical level, and also you’re going to be getting moderately tall images no subject which one you selected.

Selfies comparability: Galaxy S26 FE • Galaxy S25 FE

Video quality

Below we now receive got about a framegrabs from the flicks taken by the 2 phones at every focal length so it be more straightforward to look at to 1 any other.

The video recording capabilities of the 2 phones are more or less identical as successfully, with the important cameras maxing out at 4K60 (or 8K30, within the event you are into that), the ultrawide and the telephoto capped at 4K30, and the selfie digicam also reaching 4K60.

Video quality is roughly identical between the 2 phones in shining daylight, though the S26 FE does receive a miniature bit of an advantage in sharpness at moderately noteworthy all zoom levels – it be most noticeable at 2x (the keep the S26 FE is surprisingly appropriate) and 3x, nonetheless it be also got better definition at 1x and on the ultrawide as successfully. Is it valuable enough to primarily be a selling point? We’re no longer entirely plug.

Daylight video screengrabs, Galaxy S26 FE: 0.6x • 1x • 2x • 3x

Daylight video screengrabs, Galaxy S25 FE: 0.6x • 1x • 2x • 3x

At night, the S25 FE’s more contrasty steal is more to our liking, and it also manages to look sharper at 1x. Neither ultrawide and neither telephoto are in particular tall at night, nonetheless all of them form broadly usable outcomes, though we appropriate would possibly possibly well silent prefer the veteran mannequin’s more contrasty steal on actuality.

Low-gentle video screengrabs, Galaxy S26 FE: 0.6x • 1x • 2x • 3x

Low-gentle video screengrabs, Galaxy S25 FE: 0.6x • 1x • 2x • 3x

Verdict

As you’re going to be ready to look, the updates on the Galaxy S26 FE are a long way and few between, nonetheless the chipset does form a disagreement. Not entirely is it sooner, it also delivers an make stronger is the battery endurance, as the S26 FE has a in particular strong exhibiting in our web browsing and video playback assessments.

But the remaining stays largely unchanged. And the exclusion of wired DeX and DisplayPort video out make stronger don’t reduction fabricate a stronger case for the S26 FE.

So is the more moderen mannequin worth it? Smartly, the resolution in Europe is most doubtlessly “yes” since the worth gap is no longer sizable to open with. For approximately €50 more, you receive the more moderen mannequin, except the lacking wired DeX make stronger is a deal-breaker to you. On the plenty of hand, the $100 gap within the US arguably makes the S25 FE the better deal.

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