Galaxy S25 FE vs S25 Camera: Which Takes Better Photos?

The Galaxy S25 FE and Galaxy S25 are similar on paper: 50MP main camera, 12MP ultrawide and a 3x telephoto. Both started getting One UI 9 at the end of September 2026. But look closer at the FE: its telephoto lens has a lower resolution, the sensor on the ultrawide isn't as big, it's powered by an older Exynos chip and it doesn't support Log video recording.

This page compares the Galaxy S25 FE's cameras to those on the Galaxy S25, so we can see just how similar they are, or aren't. This is also our camera guide for the Galaxy S25 FE, so we've included the best camera settings you can use on the phone and its pricier sibling. We've named the reviewer whose review each result came from.

Galaxy S25 FE vs S25 camera specs

Where the S25 FE falls short of the S25

The FE’s main camera has little to differentiate it from the S25’s main camera, according to DXOMARK. Both phones share a 50MP main camera with f/1.8 aperture and OIS. However, the two phones differ in other aspects, which we’ll cover next:

• Its 3x telephoto camera has an 8MP sensor that’s also physically smaller (1/4.4-inch, to be precise), when compared to the 10MP 1/3.94-inch camera on the S25. According to DXOMARK, it results in images with less detail, especially indoors and at night, and SamMobile adds that they’re not as sharp either.
• Its 12MP ultrawide camera’s sensor is also smaller, at 1/3.0-inch vs. 1/2.55-inch on the S25. DXOMARK notes it as being overall inferior as well. Note that neither ultrawide supports autofocus, so make sure to position objects at least a metre away.
• The FE’s selfie camera, while a definite improvement over last year’s model according to Engadget, doesn’t support phase-detection autofocus like the one on the S25.
• It’s limited to 4K60 video recording on its main and selfie cameras, so you won’t be able to switch cameras in 60fps mode as shown by SamMobile. It also lacks Samsung’s Log video profile for post-processing called Galaxy Log, which the S25 supports.
• Samsung’s Expert RAW camera app won’t install, according to SamMobile’s testing. Digital Camera World also cites RAW photo capture as a feature missing from the FE. Samsung’s page for Expert RAW touts the app’s availability on the Galaxy S25 line, but doesn’t clarify if that includes the FE or not.
• According to TechRadar, photos took noticeably longer to process on the Exynos 2400-powered Galaxy S25 FE with 8GB of RAM, compared to the Snapdragon-powered Galaxy S25 Plus.

Galaxy S25 FE camera review: what testers found

Outdoor photos get good marks from reviewers, as SamMobile highlights good detail, colour and dynamic range, and Tom's Guide praises the latter in a high-contrast street scene. There’s some noise even in bright conditions (according to DXOMARK), but otherwise exposure and colour are on point.

The main camera fares okay at night as well, since images look good and retain decent detail per Engadget, and Night mode even kicks in automatically and snaps crisp shots (albeit with suboptimal noise control, according to SamMobile). Tom’s Guide also notes Night mode’s scene-brightening effect, although it renders images too warm. The ultrawide, on the other hand, is only average at best (per SamMobile), and performs poorly at night and indoors.

Zoom isn’t the FE’s strong suit. DXOMARK’s lowest-rated (photo) sub-score belongs to the telephoto (112), Engadget reports past-5x zoom shots come out blurry and Tom’s Guide found the FE’s 3x optical outperformed the Pixel 10’s 3x digital zoom, but fared worse at 5x and 20x. That said, SamMobile considers zoom shots taken during the day (up to 10x) passable.

Portrait mode produces images that lack sharpness and detail (especially in low light), according to DXOMARK, but TechRadar likes Samsung’s Portrait features (like Color Point, which desaturates everything but the main subject). The new selfie snapper captured facial details on par with the iPhone 17’s in Tom’s Guide’s shootout, but overshot skin tone brightness; SamMobile also says indoor selfies can look washed out.

Video quality isn’t up to snuff either, because DXOMARK awarded the FE’s video abilities an overall score of 98, with images a bit dark and pinkish in hue (ultrawide video scored a dismal 14). SamMobile, for its part, observed stuttery video stabilisation during panning motions (particularly when shooting in HDR10+).

All things considered, DXOMARK gives the Galaxy S25 FE a score of 118, which is good enough for 142nd place in its camera ranking (when we checked on November 7, 2026).

How the Galaxy S25 camera compares

The S25’s colours were deemed slightly dull by Android Central when compared to other flagships, whereas TechRadar found them to be warm and saturated, which it particularly liked in sunrises and food pics. GSMArena also reviewed the cameras and was happy with the fairly neutral colours. The S25’s 3x telephoto also performed adequately in the day but struggled with noise at night. Android Central also wasn’t a fan of the S25’s low-light performance, singling out pics with moving cars.

The FE managed slightly cleaner low-light snaps than the S25+ (which has the S25’s cameras), according to GSMArena, but it did find the latter’s main camera to edge ahead in detail. Both phones performed similarly at 2x zoom. In GSMArena’s review of the S25, it also noted the S25’s main camera produced well-detailed pics with good dynamic range, albeit indoor shots were on the softer side. Elsewhere, TechRadar (in a separate review to its S25 one) scored the FE’s set of cameras 3 out of 5, versus 4 out of 5 for the S25. Tom’s Guide deemed the cameras in both phones to be neck-and-neck, although it’s worth noting this wasn’t based on any direct image comparisons.

The S25 also pulls clearly ahead in video and editing capabilities with 4K60 from all cameras, Expert RAW and Galaxy Log for post-processing. Since One UI 9, it also supports Super Steady video mode with Horizontal Lock. The Galaxy S25 camera guide is more in-depth on that phone, and the S24 vs S25 camera comparison demonstrates the minimal evolution of the camera compared to the S24.

Best settings for the Galaxy S25 FE

Best settings for the Galaxy S25

Prices, updates and which one to buy

The S25 FE and S25 have the same 15W wireless charging speed. In the US, Samsung listed the S25 at $799.99 on November 7, 2026, while the S25 FE was $649.99 (128GB) or $749.99 (256GB). That’s a $150 difference, but discounts and sales have narrowed the gap even further, and Engadget notes that in October 2025 it spotted the Galaxy S25 selling for just $10 more than the FE.

Outside of the US, pricing can vary; for example, in the UK the Galaxy S25 FE launched at £649 and the Galaxy S25 at £799. As of writing, Samsung UK still shows the Galaxy S25 priced at £799.

Samsung started delivering One UI 9 to the Galaxy S25 FE at the end of September. According to SamMobile, the stable One UI 9 update for the Galaxy S25 FE was released on September 28, 2026, with availability beginning in South Korea just a few hours after the Galaxy S25. Since the Galaxy S25 FE launched with the newer Android 16, TechRadar anticipates that it’ll receive one additional major OS update compared to the Galaxy S25.

• Go for the S25 FE if you’d like to save some money, don’t mind using mostly the main camera, and don’t care about Log video or RAW capture. You’ll also get a 3x camera and a larger 6.7-inch display.
• Go for the S25 if you regularly zoom, shoot a lot of video that you plan on editing, are interested in Expert RAW, or simply prefer compact phones. Its camera is (slightly) better overall.
• If you can afford to, consider newer phones. The Galaxy S26 FE camera guide covers the $699.99 follow-up to the FE, and the Galaxy S26 camera guide covers the $999.99 follow-up to the S25.
• For longer zoom, see our best Samsung phone for photography ranking which pits the Ultras against all other Galaxy phones currently available.

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