Samsung Galaxy S25 FE vs Samsung Galaxy S26+

Samsung Galaxy S25 FE

The 6.7-inch Dynamic AMOLED 2X panel runs at 120Hz with 1,900 nits peak brightness, HDR10+ support, and 1080p (FHD+) resolution. Reviewers consistently call it the standout feature of the phone — practically indistinguishable from the S25+ in everyday viewing — though several note it falls short of the S25's 2,600 nits peak and is technically not an LTPO panel like the more expensive Galaxy S models. DxOMark singled out improved colour accuracy and viewing-angle uniformity versus the S24 FE.

• It's easy to see the screen in bright sunlight thanks to 1,900 nits of peak brightness, and with HDR10+ support it's great for watching YouTube and Netflix.
• With 1,900 nits, Samsung's Dynamic AMOLED panel and HDR10+, everything comes through with such vibrancy and contrast that you can't look away — like having a mini tablet on your person.
• Slimmer, more uniform bezels give the phone an improved screen-to-body ratio and a more premium look closer to the S25+.
• Peak brightness of 1,900 nits is lower than the flagship S25 models' 2,600 nits in HBM, which can hinder readability in strong sunlight.
• Peak brightness sits at 1,900 nits, which is a downgrade from the S25+'s 2,600 nits, but you can still use it under the sun — it'll just look a little dim.
• While Samsung hasn't officially labeled this as an LTPO panel, the display can drop as low as 1Hz when idle compared to 60Hz minimum on last year's model — a genuine improvement.
• The 120Hz refresh rate combined with the chipset's performance creates fast-paced, engaging gameplay, elevated by impressive stereo speakers with a surprisingly deep soundscape.

Samsung Galaxy S26+

Reviewers universally rate the S26+ display as elite — sharp QHD+, fast adaptive 120Hz LTPO, excellent HDR, more-than-enough outdoor brightness — but note Samsung carried the panel forward from the S25+ with effectively zero changes. The Ultra now has the differentiating Privacy Display; the Plus does not.

• 6.7-inch LTPO AMOLED at 3120×1440 (516 ppi) is the sharpest in the lineup — even sharper than the larger Ultra panel on a per-inch basis
• Peak HDR brightness measured at 2,596 nits in a 10% window (1,498 nits at 75% fill) — bright enough for clear outdoor use and great HDR streaming on Netflix and YouTube
• Phone Arena's CalMAN suite measured 2,377 nits high-APL, 0.9 nit minimum, and gave the Plus an 8/10 display score — slightly behind the Ultra and iPhone 17 Pro on absolute brightness but ahead on viewing-angle consistency
• ProScaler (image sharpening) and mDNIe (gradient smoothing) add subtle but appreciable improvements to lower-resolution content and gradients
• PWM dimming is only 240–480 Hz — users sensitive to screen flicker (eye strain, headaches) may find Samsung less comfortable than rivals like Honor at ~4,000 Hz

Samsung Galaxy S25 FE

The 4,900 mAh battery is the largest Samsung has put in any FE phone and matches the Galaxy S25+. Real-world endurance is consistently described as a solid full day with battery to spare — Trusted Reviews ended a heavy day at 22%, Dave2D measured 24 hours of HD YouTube playback, SuperSaf gets a day with no anxiety. Charging finally jumps to 45W wired (from 25W on the S24 FE) and 15W Qi2-Ready wireless — but real-world full-charge times of 69-74 minutes still trail the Nothing 3a Pro and other rivals in the price bracket.

• The S25 FE has the largest battery Samsung has ever put in an FE handset at 4,900 mAh (up from 4,700 mAh), with 45W charging giving 50% in 30 minutes.
• In our YouTube HD video battery drain test, the S25 FE manages a respectable 24 hours of constant playback at max brightness — only two hours under the S25 Ultra and 5 hours more than the Pixel 10 Pro XL.
• On a heavy day involving social, hotspotting, video, calls and gaming, the phone went from 9:25am to 10:40pm with 22% left in the tank.
• From dead I clawed back 67% in just 30 minutes and a full charge took 69 minutes — definitely not the fastest around, but handy in a rush.
• Plugged into a 130W charger the S25 FE took 1 hour 14 minutes to charge from 10% to full — only slightly faster than its predecessor despite the 45W spec.
• If battery life is important to you, the Nothing 3a Pro and Pixel 9a are better bets — both have bigger batteries and the Nothing gets 50W charging.
• There's 15W Qi2 wireless charging but no MagSafe-style magnets — you need a third-party case to align with magnetic accessories.
• Battery life is definitely better on the S25 FE than the S24 FE — it's a genuine full-day phone, though it won't stretch to two days.

Samsung Galaxy S26+

The flashpoint of every review. The 4,900 mAh cell is unchanged from the S25+ and lab tests put the S26+ comfortably in 'reliable all-day' territory — but Chinese rivals with silicon-carbon batteries (OnePlus 15, Oppo Find X9 Pro) now run 50–70% longer in the same tests. 45W wired and 20W wireless charging are competitive within Samsung's lineup but slow versus the OnePlus 15's 100W.

• GSMArena Active Use Score: 16h 25min — a 2-hour improvement over the S25+ thanks to chipset efficiency, putting the S26+ on par with the S26 Ultra
• PhoneArena measured 18h 23min web browsing, 9h 48min video, and 10h 18min 3D gaming — comfortably all-day for typical users with some buffer
• Notebookcheck's 150-nit Wi-Fi browsing test ran 17h 45min — solid in isolation, but ~2 hours behind the Snapdragon-powered S25+ in the same test
• OnePlus 15 (7,300 mAh silicon-carbon) lasts 30h 7min on the same GSMArena test vs the S26+'s 18 hours — Samsung's refusal to adopt silicon-carbon chemistry is now a real disadvantage
• 45W wired charging takes ~51–63 minutes for a full 0–100% — 67% in 30 minutes, fine but unremarkable compared to OnePlus 15's 100W (45min full)