Galaxy S25 FE vs Galaxy S26

The month Samsung's promise of security updates for this phone runs until: the date Samsung's own page gives, or worked out from the number of years Samsung announced, counted from when the phone came out.

A phone bought later or used has fewer years left. "No longer updated" means the phone is no longer on Samsung's list of phones that get security updates.

Matters most if: You plan to keep the phone for years, or you're buying one used.

What Samsung charged in the US when the phone launched, for the version with the least storage, before sales tax. Phones from before about 2014 were often priced with a two-year carrier contract.

This is not what it costs today: check the used and refurbished links for current prices. If Samsung has not confirmed a price, the site shows "Price not confirmed by Samsung".

The launch price of the smallest storage option both models were sold with.

Starting prices can be for different amounts of storage. This row compares the same storage on both, so you can see what the newer model costs for what you have now. It is shown as a difference, not a gain or a loss.

How much charge the battery holds, measured in mAh (milliamp-hours). Samsung lists a typical figure; we show the one Samsung gives.

A bigger number stores more energy, but how long a charge lasts also depends on the screen, the chip and which features you use.

Samsung's own figure for how long a full charge lasts in one of its tests, usually hours of video playback (talk time on older phones).

It is a lab test of one activity, so real use with a mix of apps is usually shorter. Compare it only with another Samsung figure for the same test.

Matters most if: You are often away from a charger all day.

The resolution in megapixels (MP) of the telephoto camera: a separate zoom lens that sees far-away things as if you were closer. "None" means the phone has no telephoto camera. Some Ultra models have two.

At the telephoto's own zoom level, the photo comes from a real lens instead of a cropped, enlarged image.

Matters most if: You photograph kids' sports, concerts, pets or wildlife from a distance.

The screen size, measured corner to corner (diagonally) in inches. 1 inch is 25.4 mm.

Samsung measures the screen as a full rectangle, so with rounded corners the visible area is a little smaller.

The range of refresh rates the screen moves between on its own, in Samsung's words, such as '1~120Hz'. A screen that can slow to 1 Hz saves battery on still images.

The screen speeds up for scrolling and games and slows down for reading, to balance smoothness and battery life.

Matters most if: You care about battery life as well as smooth scrolling.

The brightest the screen can get, in nits (a unit of screen brightness; higher is brighter), as Samsung measures it.

A high peak brightness makes the screen easier to see in direct sunlight. Makers measure peak brightness in different ways, so compare it only between phones from the same maker.

Matters most if: You use your phone outdoors a lot, such as for maps or photos in sunlight.

Ways to unlock the phone with your body instead of typing a PIN: a fingerprint sensor (in the screen, the side key, the home key or on the back), face recognition, or on some older models an iris scanner.

An ultrasonic sensor in the screen reads your finger with sound waves; others use light. Where the sensor sits changes how you unlock the phone with one hand.

How much the phone weighs in grams (g); about 28 g is 1 ounce.

You feel the weight most when you hold the phone up for a long time, such as reading or filming.

The phone's size in millimeters (mm): height x width x depth (thickness). 25.4 mm is 1 inch.

Height and width tell you whether it fits your pocket and hand; depth is how thick it is.

What the outside of the phone is made of: the cover glass over the screen and back, and the frame around the edge, as Samsung lists them.

Glass names such as Corning Gorilla Glass Victus or Gorilla Armor are tougher generations of glass; a titanium or aluminum frame changes the weight and feel more than the strength in daily use.

How fast the phone charges with a cable, in Samsung's words, such as Super Fast Charging (25W or 45W). W (watts) is how much power the charger can deliver.

The top speed needs a charger and cable that support it; recent Galaxy phones come with a cable but no charger.

Matters most if: You often need a quick top-up before heading out.

Qi2 is a wireless charging standard with magnets that hold the charger in the right spot.

Samsung says which Galaxy phones work with Qi2 chargers, and whether they need a case with magnets for the charger to snap on.

Matters most if: You want a charger or stand that snaps onto the phone.

The Wi-Fi generation, such as Wi-Fi 5, Wi-Fi 6E or Wi-Fi 7. 6E and 7 can also use the 6 GHz band, which is less crowded. Older phones list only the 802.11 letters (n is Wi-Fi 4, ac is Wi-Fi 5, ax is Wi-Fi 6).

A newer generation helps only with a router that supports it, and the 6 GHz band is not allowed in every country.

Matters most if: You have, or plan to buy, a Wi-Fi 6E or Wi-Fi 7 router.

Ultra-Wideband (UWB) is a radio chip that measures how far away another UWB device is and in which direction. It only works with another device that also has UWB.

With a tracker tag that has UWB, such as a Galaxy SmartTag+, the phone can show distance and direction to find keys or a bag.

Matters most if: You use tracker tags to find keys or bags.

An eSIM is a digital SIM built into the phone: it connects you to your carrier without a SIM card.

Whether you can use eSIM depends on your carrier and country. Some versions of a model have eSIM and others do not.

Matters most if: You travel abroad or want two phone lines on one phone.

A tray for the SIM card from your carrier. Some versions take two SIM cards (dual SIM).

With a tray, you can move the SIM card from your current phone instead of getting a new one.

Matters most if: Your carrier does not offer eSIM, or you often move a SIM card between phones.

FeliCa is the contactless chip behind Osaifu-Keitai, the tap-to-pay service used in Japan for transit cards such as Suica and e-money such as WAON.

Samsung Japan lists it for the Galaxy versions sold in Japan; versions sold elsewhere do not have it.

Matters most if: You live in Japan, or want to use Suica or other Osaifu-Keitai services.

Lets you send messages through a satellite when you have no mobile network and no Wi-Fi, on the Galaxy phones and carriers Samsung lists.

You need a clear view of the sky, and it works only in the countries and with the carriers that offer it.

Matters most if: You hike, camp or drive through places with no mobile coverage.

The main processor: the part that runs apps, camera processing and on-device AI. Samsung uses its own Exynos chips in some countries and Qualcomm Snapdragon chips in others, sometimes for the same model.

Where the chip depends on the country, the page shows a switch for the versions Samsung lists. A newer phone can have an older chip, so compare the chip names rather than the year.

Matters most if: You are buying a model that was sold with two different chips.

More in the glossary →

RAM is the phone's short-term working memory for the apps running right now, measured in GB (gigabytes).

More RAM lets more apps stay open in the background. RAM is separate from storage, which holds your apps, photos and files. On some Galaxy phones it depends on the storage size or the country.

How much space the phone has for apps, photos, videos and files, in GB (gigabytes) or TB (terabytes; 1 TB is 1,000 GB).

Each storage size is sold at its own price, and not every size is sold in every country. You get less usable space than the number shown, because some of it holds the phone's own software.