Samsung Galaxy S25 FE

At Rs. 219,999, the Samsung Galaxy S25 FE is an expensive phone, and its value depends on what you prioritise. It is one of the few officially PTA-approved, box-packed flagships with Samsung warranty and local support in Pakistan.

Main advantages:

• Bright, colourful 6.7-inch AMOLED screen with stereo speakers
• IP68 rating, aluminium frame and Gorilla Glass Victus+ front and back
• Complete triple camera with ultrawide and 3x telephoto
• 7 years of Android upgrades and full Galaxy AI

Main compromises:

• Only 8GB of RAM on every variant
• No charger in the box
• Exynos 2400 is slower than Snapdragon 8 Elite rivals
• Average battery size at 4900 mAh

The Google Pixel 9 at Rs. 199,999 offers a similar update promise and more RAM but a smaller screen and no telephoto. Chinese brands offer bigger batteries and faster chips for similar money, but with shorter update support. Verdict: a sensible buy for people who keep phones for many years and value software support, camera consistency and resale. Buyers who want the most power for the money should look elsewhere or wait for a price cut.

The S25 FE has a 6.7-inch Dynamic AMOLED 2X screen at 1080 x 2340 with a 120Hz refresh rate, HDR10+ and a quoted peak brightness of 1900 nits.

Real-world use:

• Colours are vibrant and contrast is deep, typical of Samsung's AMOLED panels.
• Scrolling is smooth and well tuned at 120Hz.
• Widevine L1 and HDR10+ support make it well suited to Netflix and other streaming apps.
• Always-on display is available.

Limitations: It is not as bright as the S25 Plus, and there is some reflection in harsh sunlight, though it stays usable outdoors. Bezels are thicker than on Samsung's main S25 models. Our spec sheet lists an LTPO panel, but reports differ on whether its refresh rate adjusts as freely as on the S25 Plus.

Fingerprint: The in-display sensor is optical, not ultrasonic. It works reliably, but opinions differ on speed: some find it quick, others find it needs a slightly longer press than Samsung's top models.

The Exynos 2400 is a 10-core 4 nm chip paired with 8GB of LPDDR5X RAM and UFS 4.0 storage. It is a slightly better version of the Exynos 2400e used in the S24 FE.

Everyday use: Apps open quickly and the phone feels snappy and responsive in daily use. AnTuTu scores sit around 1.9 to 2.1 million depending on storage variant, which puts it near the top of its price class.

Gaming: Most games run on very high settings. However, frame rates are capped: PUBG Mobile is limited to 60fps and Mobile Legends to 90fps, even though the chip could push more. Genshin Impact at the highest settings averages around 53fps with noticeable frame drops. A software update may lift the caps, but this is not confirmed.

Heat: Thermals are a strength. A larger vapour chamber keeps the phone cool, and noticeable warmth appears only during outdoor mobile-data use in strong sun.

Limitations: Snapdragon 8 Elite phones at similar or lower prices are faster, so this is not the phone for serious mobile gamers.

The rear setup has a 50 MP main camera with OIS, an 8 MP 3x telephoto and a 12 MP ultrawide with a 123-degree view. The selfie camera is 12 MP.

Daylight: Photos have punchy but balanced colours, good dynamic range and well-controlled exposure. Skin tones are natural, a clear improvement over older Exynos Samsung phones. The main camera holds plenty of detail for cropping. It occasionally shows a warm tint, and colours shift slightly green between 1x and 3x zoom.

Zoom and ultrawide: The 3x telephoto and ultrawide look fine at a glance in daylight but lose detail when you zoom in. The ultrawide crushes shadow detail. Digital zoom goes up to 30x.

Low light: Night mode controls highlights and exposure decently on the main camera, but the ultrawide and telephoto fall behind, and processing takes a moment longer than expected.

Portraits and selfies: Portraits look pleasing with good skin tones, though slightly softer than expected. The front camera is noticeably improved, with good detail indoors.

Video: The main and front cameras record up to 4K 60fps, with stable footage and good audio. The main camera also records 8K 30fps and 4K 120fps slow motion. The ultrawide and telephoto max out at 4K 30fps.

Battery capacity is 4900 mAh, a small 200 mAh step up from the S24 FE.

Battery life: Moderate use returns roughly six to seven hours of screen-on time, which comfortably lasts a full day for most people. Heavy users will get less than from Samsung's Ultra models or Chinese phones with larger silicon-carbon batteries.

Charging: It supports 45W wired charging, which gives roughly 60% in 30 minutes. A full charge takes around 55 minutes to a little over an hour.

No charger in the box: Only a USB-C to USB-C cable is included. You will need a 45W Samsung-compatible charger to reach full speed; a 25W charger works but is slower.

Wireless: 15W wireless charging and reverse wireless charging for earbuds and watches are both supported.

The S25 FE runs One UI 8 on Android 16 out of the box, and Samsung promises 7 major Android upgrades, one of the longest commitments available in Pakistan.

Customisation: One UI is polished and highly customisable, with widgets, live wallpapers, lock screen styles and the Good Lock app for deeper tweaks. Now Brief shows a daily summary of weather, reminders, schedule and health, while Now Bar shows live notifications and music controls on the lock screen.

Galaxy AI: The phone gets almost the full Galaxy AI set from Samsung's top models:

• Call Assist and Note Assist, plus summaries of voice recordings
• Generative Edit to remove or replace objects in photos
• Sketch to Image and Portrait Studio
• AI audio editing to clean up sound in videos
• Circle to Search and Google Gemini

Reports differ on whether the Best Face feature for changing expressions in group photos is available.

Extras: Samsung DeX lets you connect the phone to a PC or screen for a desktop-style layout. Promotional offers such as free Google AI Pro trials change over time, so check the current offer before buying.