Samsung Galaxy S26 FE vs. Galaxy S25 FE

07 October 2026
The old versus the new. Or is it just the good old Fan Edition?


DarlingYext, 13 Oct 2026Again, that's cool but here it's the equivalent o... moreA'ight then, fair.
Guess SG isn't the only country after all 😅

    justasmile, 13 Oct 2026Of course there is a limit to how much you can price for th... moreAgain, that's cool but here it's the equivalent of 864 SGD for the 8GB/128GB variant, and in no way does it worth that price.

      DarlingYext, 12 Oct 2026Not really, if I really cared about software support, but n... moreOf course there is a limit to how much you can price for this, but still 662 SGD for S25 FE isn't unreasonable.

      No phone that has better specs overall would have the level of One UI polish Samsung has.

        justasmile, 12 Oct 2026I'm sorry, that's just your opinion, which many &... moreNot really, if I really cared about software support, but not so much about cameras or storage, then an A57, or even an A37 is significantly cheaper and is thus a much better deal, those are midrange phones so 6/8GB RAM for their price is fine, but for the price of the S25 FE it's ridiculous to get only 8GB of RAM and 128GB of non-expandable storage. The S26 FE is even worse, where the 8GB/128GB variant costs almost as much as the Poco F9 Ultra with 16GB/512GB, and the latter has USB3.2, whereas the FE lost wired DeX.

          DarlingYext, 12 Oct 2026Yeah, hardware features are absolutely more important, I ca... moreI'm sorry, that's just your opinion, which many 'tech enthusiasts' in GSMarena also happen to share.

            justasmile, 12 Oct 2026Well, I can only say you're just someone who puts most... moreYeah, hardware features are absolutely more important, I can't just download an app to get those, while software features can just be replaced by a free app. There is no point in getting a phone with 6 years of software updates, if my storage is full after 1 year, and the battery can barely last a day, even Android 12 is still good for everything, so Android 16 should be good for another 4 years at least, tho the should get Android 17.

              DarlingYext, 12 Oct 2026You mentioned that phone specifically, and yes the S25 FE i... moreWell, I can only say you're just someone who puts mostly specs over software.

                justasmile, 12 Oct 2026Wow, so we're arguing about Reno14 Pro, when my point ... moreYou mentioned that phone specifically, and yes the S25 FE is still worse in every way except software support no matter the price, but its value does depend on where you are located. Where I'm from the S25 FE still costs the equivalent of 864 sgd for the 8GB/128GB variant, whereas I bought the Z70 Ultra brand new for the equivalent of 935 sgd for the 16GB/512GB, yes that means it was slightly more expensive but that with 4 times the storage and twice the RAM.

                  DarlingYext, 11 Oct 2026"'better cameras (crystal clear advantage on pape... moreWow, so we're arguing about Reno14 Pro, when my point is that S25 FE is not an inferior phone overall particularly after the discounts.

                    justasmile, 11 Oct 2026'better cameras (crystal clear advantage on paper)... more"'better cameras (crystal clear advantage on paper)'

                    When I mentioned this, I meant compared to S25 FE."

                    Got it.

                    "And so you are against post-processing for an objectively better result? Firstly, you're impatient. Secondly, it's not that long. Thirdly, it can be disabled. Having this option doesn't hurt and is an advantage when you need it."

                    Every smartphone does post processing, it's just faster on the nubia given the way faster SoC, and no I'm not impatient, faster processing is always an advantage. The results on the Reno14 Pro aren't going to be better, especially given the missing hardware features, most of my pictures that I take are with me using the variable aperture or telemacro, the Oppo can't do either of those, no amount of software can make up for the lack of hardware. Actually, I have an Edge 70 Pro with Dimensity 8500, which is basically the same as the 8450, that phone has nearly identical camera specs on paper when compared to the Reno14 Pro, and it's very slow to process pictures and doesn't result in better images than what the nubia can produce, especially at night but even during the day photos are often blurry, but that phone can at least take telemacro pictures, just not as good ones as the Z70 Ultra.

                      DarlingYext, 11 Oct 2026"For me, the only viable alternative is a Reno14 Pro. ... more'better cameras (crystal clear advantage on paper)'

                      When I mentioned this, I meant compared to S25 FE.

                      And so you are against post-processing for an objectively better result? Firstly, you're impatient. Secondly, it's not that long. Thirdly, it can be disabled. Having this option doesn't hurt and is an advantage when you need it.

                        justasmile, 11 Oct 2026You're obviously confused with my wording on the 2nd p... more"For me, the only viable alternative is a Reno14 Pro. It somehow still has stock on Oppo's flagship store in Shopee (think of it as Amazon but for SEA?) but with

                        - double the storage
                        - bigger battery
                        - better cameras (crystal clear advantage on paper)"

                        I'm not confused at all, you said it in your other comment that it's clearly better on paper, when it's not and isn't even better in real life since it's missing hardware features, meaning there are pictures that the nubia can take, while the Oppo simply can't, not to mention processing power, after the images were taken the Reno will take a long time process them, Z70 Ultra not so much.

                        On the other hand, yeah I agree that I should try a new Oppo, and I might at some point, but currently none of them have my interest, maybe the Pro Max, but that name alone is a turn off, plus it's expensive and I'm not looking for a replacement phone right now.

                          DarlingYext, 10 Oct 2026"Objective argument that ZTE's OS isn't as p... moreYou're obviously confused with my wording on the 2nd part. A use of ChatGPT would have really helped here 😉

                          Also, i meant trying ColorOS again, like ColorOS 16. Even 15 would do. Not 14, 13.

                            justasmile, 10 Oct 2026Objective argument that ZTE's OS isn't as polishe... more"Objective argument that ZTE's OS isn't as polished as ColorOS. That's how they get more specs for the same price. You should try ColorOS, you'll be at least pretty impressed."

                            I already mentioned that I have tried ColorOS and wasn't impressed at all by it, and it isn't objectively better than MyOS, and MyOS is also not better than ColorOS, it's just a question of preference. To me a polished os is one that just works with no bugs, MyOS is like that.

                            'Anyways, do you honestly think the Reno14 Pro has better cameras'
                            Yes, because on-paper specs isn't everything. See, you're focusing on specs too much."

                            Yeah, no. You just said it's clearly better on paper, when it's not, and neither is it in real life, it's literally missing 2 physical features of the Z70 Ultra, on top of having a much smaller telephoto. I'm sorry, but definitely not gonna click a GPT link.

                              Both overpriced mirangeers for price of flagship. Even A56 better at 360 eur price

                                DarlingYext, 10 Oct 2026"If you gotta have two phones to get the basics of bot... moreObjective argument that ZTE's OS isn't as polished as ColorOS. That's how they get more specs for the same price. You should try ColorOS, you'll be at least pretty impressed.

                                'Anyways, do you honestly think the Reno14 Pro has better cameras'
                                Yes, because on-paper specs isn't everything. See, you're focusing on specs too much.
                                https://chatgpt.com/share/6aca1512-6ebc-83ec-aeec-33681ce970e8?ogimg=plain
                                I know this is ChatGPT, but I did it to speed up research.

                                What I'm arguing against is how S25 FE, despite all the discounts, still isn't worth buying according to you. Still arguable at its MSRP, but ain't no way at 662 SGD!

                                  • s
                                  • sisigloverr9000
                                  • 7Xa
                                  • 10 Oct 2026

                                  S26 FE 🙅🏼‍♂️🚫👎🏼👎🏼
                                  S25 FE 🤔🤔😯🙂‍↕️
                                  OnePlus 15 😻😛🤑🤑🤑

                                    justasmile, 10 Oct 2026If you gotta have two phones to get the basics of both worl... more"If you gotta have two phones to get the basics of both worlds, that's a problem."

                                    I don't have to have both, I just wanted a secondary iPhone that's all, and could've easily chose the cheaper iPhone 17, but didn't because none of the extra features of that phone would ever matter for me, being thin is better for a secondary device.

                                    "I tried the Red Magic 11 Pro in a demo store, its software. And while you may be okay with it, and I probably would too, it is in no way as polished as HyperOS let alone ColorOS."

                                    I have tried ColorOS before, altough that was a couple of year ago, but I simply found it boring, while HyperOS to me is just ugly, but you see this only comes down to what you prefer, and to me something that's very close to stock Android, like HelloUI and MyOS is best or if I want a heavier OS then vivo's OriginOS, but I wouldn't say there is any clear winner between any of these, it's just preference.

                                    Anyways, do you honestly think the Reno14 Pro has better cameras, and clearly on paper at that? How, and in what way? The ultrawide on the Oppo is the same as the Z70 Ultra's, while the nubia has a significantly bigger and higher resolution telephoto with telemacro capabilities, which is something the Reno14 Pro can't do with that 1/2.76" sensor, while the main cameras are almost the same size but the ZTE has a very rare and useful additional hardware, which is variable aperture.

                                      Garmin, 10 Oct 2026Yeah uh-nuh buddy. S25 FE's telephoto CAN infact d... more"S25 FE's telephoto CAN infact do 4K. So there's a factual error."

                                      You are right, it can, that is totally my mistake, sorry about that. Still, it's only an 8MP sensor, which is very weak.

                                      "And why are you bragging about AF on the selfie camera? You yourself told it's useless and to pretend it's not there anyways."

                                      I'm not bragging about anything like that, the ultrawide camera is on the rear, and that's the one that has AF, which is a basic feature on even 4 year old midrange phones and is very useful, yet not even the S26+ has it.

                                      So you own the phone and claim Android 16 isn't the last update. Which probably means you are on a newer OS."

                                      No, it doesn't have to mean that I'm on a newer OS, because I'm not.

                                      "This phone is only for 1% people who need 8 Elite and some other hardware at cheap. This phone is not mainstream."

                                      It's not mainstream, but that doesn't mean it's not great, and no it absolutely isn't for only 1% of people. There are useful hardware features here that you won't find on almost on any other phone, like a customizable mute switch, two stage camera shutter button, and a 9 stop variable aperture.

                                        DarlingYext, 09 Oct 2026Unknown? Yeah that's on you brother, it's a you p... moreIf you gotta have two phones to get the basics of both worlds, that's a problem.

                                        I tried the Red Magic 11 Pro in a demo store, its software. And while you may be okay with it, and I probably would too, it is in no way as polished as HyperOS let alone ColorOS.

                                        And then there's the issue of update support. A very sketchy area at that from ZTE.

                                        For me, the only viable alternative is a Reno14 Pro. It somehow still has stock on Oppo's flagship store in Shopee (think of it as Amazon but for SEA?) but with

                                        - double the storage
                                        - bigger battery
                                        - better cameras (crystal clear advantage on paper),

                                        but a bit slower performance, no DeX, no Qi2 support (can slap on a magnetic case but can't charge at full 15W with Qi2-only chargers) and 2 years less update support (4 years is not bad, though).

                                        Would have been the perfect phone for me, if only if it was more compact.

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