Samsung today announced the Galaxy S25 FE, described as “the gateway to Galaxy AI,” which is marketing for “welcome to a portal where the door has a toll booth.” I walked through the gateway and a hologram offered me a loyalty card, a motivational quote, and a firmware update that winked.

“FE” historically stands for Fan Edition, but here it appears to mean Feature Eventually. Or perhaps Frugally Expensive, For Everyone, except the headphone jack. Either way, it’s the tech equivalent of a prix fixe menu where dessert is an optional software bundle.

Galaxy AI promises to rewrite your texts, upscale your photos, and gently correct your life choices with a pastel gradient. Circle to Search now also circles your budget and sends it a sympathy card. Generative Edit turned my coffee into a latte and my patience into a watermark.

I tested the claims against code, hit the benchmarks, and read the privacy policy all the way to the footnotes where the lawyers stash their poetry. It mostly says: your phone is smart, your cloud is smarter, and the word “free” is a coupon for your attention.

As gateways go, this one hums with cloud compute and gentle reminders that intelligence is a service. Bring your own 45W USB-C PD GaN charger because the future apparently runs on caffeine and electrons, both sold separately. The onboarding flow offered me AI Lite, AI Plus, and AI Procrastinate, which postpones decisions until after your return window closes.

Samsung says you get flagship essentials: a bright display, a chip that sprints like it owes someone money, and cameras that see in the dark like a raccoon with tenure. Nightography lifted shadows so well it discovered my 2011 passwords and an abandoned New Year’s resolution.

On-device writing aid suggests emails that sound competent while confessing nothing. It turned my meeting notes into “Let’s circle back when timelines exist” and my apology into a TED Talk. The translation feature was so smooth it made my sarcasm sound bilingual and my calendar feel judged.

Pricing skates near budget-friendly, like a sale on a cruise where the ocean is extra. The bundle includes months of things that renew quietly, the gym membership of software. “Try now” is printed in bold; “remember to cancel” is hiding behind a collapsible chevron.

Hands-on, I disabled seventeen helpful assistants before the alarm app stopped negotiating with me. Settings are arranged like a labyrinth curated by a productivity influencer with a side hustle in mazes. I slapped on a Galaxy S25 FE matte case, squeezed for grip, and my wrist filed a ticket marked “non-reproducible, but spiritually exhausting.”

Bixby is here, refreshed like a sitcom character returning with a haircut and a subplot. Voice duplication now reads my to-do list in a tone I can only describe as refrigerator MBA. The AI photo editor offered to remove strangers from my pictures, then asked if I wanted to feel anything at all.

Verdict: the hardware is that dependable friend who actually brings jumper cables, the software is their cousin who sells timeshares in the metaverse. If you want 90% of a flagship with 140% of the marketing, this is your habitat. I favor function over flourish, but even I appreciate a flourish that doesn’t try to auto-renew.

So yes, it’s a gateway to Galaxy AI. Just remember, every gateway has a gift shop and a monthly fee, and the exit is through the upsell. I’ll see you at the timeshare presentation, where the free lunch is a firmware update and the punchline costs extra.