Samsung Galaxy S26 FE vs. Galaxy S25 FE

The Fan Edition of the most recent Galaxy S series is out, however before you shoot on the Samsung Galaxy S26 FE, why rule out the Samsung Galaxy S25 FE rather. It gets you a great deal of the method there at a more affordable beginning rate, which is precisely the FE series spirit. The memory chip rates required Samsung to introduce the S26 FE at a greater cost point and without altering practically anything in terms of hardware too. The more recent Galaxy S26 FE is quite near in 2015’s Galaxy S25 FE, other than for the chipset, naturally. And one would question, what are you getting for the additional EUR50/$ 100? Let’s discover! Tabulation: 19659003 Style 19659004 Show Battery Life Charging 19659007 Speaker Test Efficiency Video cameras Decision For beginners, you can compare the total specifications sheets or straight continue with our editor’s evaluation in the following text. 19459397 Size contrast The more recent Galaxy S26 FE is practically similar to the Galaxy S25 FE when it pertains to measurements, weight and style. The more recent Galaxy is negligibly larger and taller, and includes 3 grams to the total weight. Not the type of distinction you will feel in the real life. 19659013 There’s likewise no modification in the construct products – both gadgets have Gorilla Glass Victus+ glass sheets on the front and back, while the side frame is 19459003 which is Samsung’s own aluminum alloy utilized for its flagship phones. What’s brand-new here is the colors. The brand-new S26 FE is available in 3 colors – Blueberry, Graphite and Pistachio. The older Galaxy had 4 color alternatives – Icyblue, Jetblack, Navy and White. We question that colors will be the choosing aspect, however it’s maybe still crucial to keep in mind. 19459397 Show contrast 19659015 The 2 Galaxy Fan Editions share the very same 6.7-inch OLED screen with the exact same function set. Our brightness tests validate our suspicion that Samsung has actually ported the older screen straight to the brand-new S26 FE. 19659016 Not that there’s anything incorrect with that, as the panel checks all packages for a flagship-level screen. 19459397 Battery life Here’s where it gets fascinating. In spite of the absence of upgrades in the battery department, the more recent Galaxy S26 FE ends up being more effective than its predecessor. Given that the screen and battery stay the same, the dive in endurance should be because of the more recent Exynos 2500 SoC. 19659018 The Galaxy S26 FE’s greater Active Use Score is exclusively thanks to the strong uptick in web surfing and video streaming. Charging speed 19659019 The 2 handsets support approximately 45W quick wired charging over Power Delivery with the right PPS profile battery charger, however Samsung guarantees a limited upgrade in the charging curve, permitting somewhat quicker charging than previously. Our tests substantiate those claims, to some degree. 19659020 The Galaxy S26 FE is 4 portion points much faster to the 15 minute checkpoint and 6 portion points quicker at the 30-minute mark, however just 2 minutes much faster to the goal at 100% charge. Simply put – no significant modification in the charging speed. Speaker test Unsurprisingly, Samsung didn’t switch out the speakers for more recent ones. The Galaxy S26 FE apparently utilizes the very same stereo speaker setup as its predecessor with near-identical tuning, too. The only minimal distinction is volume, as the older design is a little louder. Efficiency The Galaxy S26 FE works on Samsung’s in 2015’s flagship Exynos 2500 chipset, while the Galaxy S25 FE gets the Exynos 2400 from the year 2024. The more recent SoC is promoted as more effective and more energy effective, which our endurance and efficiency tests validate. 19659023 No modification in the provided memory setups, however, as both featured 8 GB RAM and 128 GB internal storage as requirement. You can likewise get them with 256 GB and 512 GB internal storage. Standard efficiency In the basic criteria tests, the Exynos 2500 inside the S26 FE surpasses the Exynos 2400-powered S25 FE by about 16% in the CPU runs and by practically 25% in the GPU-focused 3DMark Wild Life test. The S26 FE likewise revealed much better continual efficiency in our routine CPU and GPU tension tests. Although the efficiency distinction is quantifiable, it might go undetected if you are not actually into video gaming. 19659027 Both phones ship with 7 years of significant OS upgrades, however considering that the Galaxy S25 FE introduced in 2015, its assistance will end a year previously. Samsung got rid of the wired DeX assistance on the more recent design and no longer has DisplayPort output. This is rather the disappointment for individuals utilized to wired DeX. Wireless DeX is here to remain, a minimum of. Cam contrast The Galaxy S26 FE includes the exact same video camera system as in 2015’s design – not simply in regards to sensing units and resolutions, however the specific very same hardware (which was hardly an upgrade over the S24 FE before it). The primary cam utilizes the internal GN3 sensing unit that has a 50MP resolution and a 1/1.56 sensing unit with simply 8MP resolution, though it will get you 12MP images. The ultrawide utilizes a fixed-focus lens, as does the selfie video camera, and both function 12MP sensing units. 19659030 The video camera samples (both picture and video) have actually been handled different celebrations with the 2 phones. 19659031 Image quality 19659032 Daytime Both phones record quite terrific images with their primary electronic cameras at 1x – not rather top-tier outcomes, however not half bad either. The brand-new design simply may be a bit more limited with the honing and can potentially render the information a little finer, however it’s not a substantial distinction. Both have vibrant color output and no issues with vibrant variety. 19659034 height=alt=> 19459415 19459012 alt=> 19659035 Daytime contrast, primary cam (1x ): Galaxy S26 FE – Galaxy S25 FE The 2x zoom arises from both phones are strong. The S26 FE does appear to be rather more visibly ahead here, though the old design is still okay for the class. height=19459012 alt=19459040> height= 19459012 alt=> 19659038 Daytime contrast, primary electronic camera( 2x): Galaxy S26 FE – Galaxy S25 FE 19659039 The telephotos have to do with on par too- it’s possibly the one contrast up until now that makes it the hardest to identify a distinction. Perhaps the S26 FE does a little much better with sound decrease, though the S25 FE is just a bit grainier. In any case, the pictures are much better than you ‘d anticipate from an 8MP to 12MP upscale task. 19659040 > 19459415 alt=19459082> Daytime samples, telephoto video camera( 3x ): Galaxy S26 FE – Galaxy S25 FE We might likewise attempt and encourage ourselves the S26 FE’s ultrawide is a little bit of an enhancement over the S25 FE’s, however whatever benefits we can discover are neither significant enough, nor truly all that constant. It’s basically a toss-up. 19659043 19459415 > Daytime contrast, ultrawide electronic camera( 0.6 x ): Galaxy S26 FE – Galaxy S25 FE Low light A lot might have altered in the lighting of a few of our low-light scenes, however little bit has actually altered in the method the Galaxy FE acts in the dark- the S26 FE and the S25 FE capture comparable levels of information, tend to leave a fair bit of grain the images, and are not especially crazy about utilizing Night mode if delegated their own gadgets. The S25 FE does tend to be a bit more contrasty in its output, beside a quite rinsed S26 FE, so in a manner the old design can be viewed as a little much better. . 19459116 height=19459012 alt=19459118> 19659048 Low-light contrast, primary video camera (1x): Galaxy S26 FE – Galaxy S25 FE Night mode tidies up the sound and dials up the honing on both phones, and the distinction is more noticable on the S26 FE. We would not state it makes the brand-new design take the lead. It’s most likely a semi-curious observation that we weren’t able to get the phone to use night mode processing on the 4th scene – that’s consistency for you right there. 19659050 19459415 19659051 Low-light contrast, primary electronic camera (1x), Night mode: Galaxy S26 FE – Galaxy S25 FE 19659052 Both phones turn extremely loud and can be rather soft in locations with low-contrast information. The S26 FE might be a little sharper in basic, however it’s tough to call it a winner with outcomes like these. 19659053 Low-light contrast, primary video camera (2x): Galaxy S26 FE – Galaxy S25 FE 19659055 The S25 FE’s Night mode results at 2x are in fact more to our preference than the S26 FE’s – the honing is more subtle on the older design. 19459415 19659057 Low-light contrast, primary cam (2x), Night mode: Galaxy S26 FE – Galaxy S25 FE The telephoto shots completely car are quite hard to take a look at from either phone, though the mix of softness and sound is a little less bad on the S25 FE. Once again, not truly full marks this. 19459415 19659060 Low-light samples, telephoto video camera (3x): Galaxy S26 FE – Galaxy S25 FE 19659061 Night mode practically does marvels on both telephotos and it’s plainly the method to pursue dark. That stated, the S25 FE is once again a little much better here, we reckon – the S26 FE summons these strange mesh patterns that can be irksome. Low-light samples, telephoto electronic camera (3x), Night mode: Galaxy S26 FE – Galaxy S25 FE 19659064 There’s a twinkle of wish for the S26 FE in the ultrawide shots which do tend to be sharper than the S25 FE completely automobile mode – regularly so. Not that they’re especially excellent in seclusion. 19659066 Low-light contrast, ultrawide cam (0.6 x): Galaxy S26 FE – Galaxy S25 FE Things do get closer to a tie if you pick to shoot in Night mode, which you most likely need to on both phones, and because case the S26 FE’s benefit fades. 19459415 Low-light contrast, ultrawide video camera (0.6 x), Night mode: Galaxy S26 FE – Galaxy S25 FE Selfies 19659071 When it pertains to selfies, both phones are basically on the exact same level, and you ‘d be getting quite excellent images no matter which one you selected. 19659073 Selfies contrast: Galaxy S26 FE – Galaxy S25 FE

Video quality

Listed below we have a couple of framegrabs from the videos taken by the 2 phones at each focal length so it’s much easier to compare to one another.

The video recording abilities of the 2 phones are basically similar also, with the primary electronic cameras maxing out at 4K60 (or 8K30, if you’re into that), the ultrawide and the telephoto topped at 4K30, and the selfie video camera likewise reaching 4K60.

Video quality is approximately comparable in between the 2 phones in brilliant daytime, though the S26 FE does have a bit of a benefit in sharpness at quite much all zoom levels – it’s most visible at 2x (where the S26 FE is remarkably excellent) and 3x, however it’s likewise got much better meaning at 1x and on the ultrawide. Is it substantial adequate to in fact be a selling point? We’re not completely sure.

Daytime video screengrabs, Galaxy S26 FE: 0.6 x – 1x – 2x – 3x

Daytime video screengrabs, Galaxy S25 FE: 0.6 x – 1x – 2x – 3x

In the evening, the S25 FE’s more contrasty take is more to our preference, and it likewise handles to look sharper at 1x. Neither ultrawide and neither telephoto are especially excellent during the night, however they all produce broadly functional outcomes, though we simply may still choose the old design’s more contrasty take on truth.

Low-light video screengrabs, Galaxy S26 FE: 0.6 x – 1x – 2x – 3x

Low-light video screengrabs, Galaxy S25 FE: 0.6 x – 1x – 2x – 3x

Decision

As you can see, the updates on the Galaxy S26 FE are far and couple of in between, however the chipset does make a distinction. Not just is it much faster, it likewise provides an upgrade is the battery endurance, as the S26 FE has an especially strong displaying in our web searching and video playback tests.

The rest stays mostly the same. And the exemption of wired DeX and DisplayPort video out assistance do not assist develop a more powerful case for the S26 FE.

Is the more recent design worth it? Well, the response in Europe is most likely “yes” due to the fact that the cost space isn’t huge to start with. For about EUR50 more, you get the more recent design, unless the missing out on wired DeX assistance is a deal-breaker to you. On the other hand, the $100 space in the United States perhaps makes the S25 FE the much better offer.