Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra Phone Review
The Galaxy S25 Ultra arrives as Samsung’s best smartphone, packed with AI features, but it may lack the innovation that many had hoped for. While it does offer improvements, it may not be a compelling upgrade for those already using a recent model.
Design
The first thing you notice about the S25 Ultra is its design. The edges are now more squared off, creating a more unified design language within the Samsung ecosystem. The size and weight of the phone have been reduced compared to previous models.
Samsung has shaved around 15 grams by consolidating internal components and reducing the size of the bezels. The S Pen is also slimmer, and it no longer comes with Bluetooth, which means there’s no gesture control. While some may miss the gesture functionality.
The lighter build makes the phone more comfortable to hold. However, the titanium back is still slippery without a case, and the camera array makes the phone uneven when laid flat. The display is a 6.9-inch Quad HD+ Dynamic AMOLED 2x panel covered in scratch-resistant Gorilla Glass Armor 2. The display is excellent and showed no scratches after a week of use. Despite the screen’s resistance, a case is still recommended, especially considering the phone’s high starting price of $1,300. One notable absence is magnetic charging, but there is Qi2 wireless charging.
Camera
The Galaxy S25 Ultra’s camera system sees only minor upgrades. The main camera remains a 200MP lens with OIS, an f/1.7 aperture, and an 85-degree field of view.
The phone still features a 50MP telephoto lens with 5x optical zoom and a 10MP telephoto camera with 3x optical zoom. The only notable change in hardware is the ultrawide lens, which has been upgraded to a 50MP sensor, delivering higher-resolution images compared to the previous 12MP lens.
While the phone’s zoom algorithms have been improved, there’s not a huge difference in 10x zoom photos when compared to the Galaxy S24 Ultra. The phone still has a maximum of 100x Space Zoom, which is a digital zoom, and up to 5x optical zoom with a “promise” of 10x optical quality. The camera algorithms continue to produce saturated, contrasty images with reds, yellows, and blues prominent. This results in bold images, but it may be too strong for some with some details lost in the shadows. The writer notes that the Pixel 9 Pro’s algorithms tend to soften colors, providing more flexibility for post-processing adjustments.
For video, the Galaxy S25 Ultra records 4K video at up to 120fps, while the regular S25 models go up to 60fps. All models record 8K video at 30fps and offer Video Log. The Ultra also features high-resolution macro shots.
Performance and AI
The Galaxy S25 Ultra is powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite for Galaxy processor. The processor has been specifically tuned for Samsung users and devices. The phone comes with 12GB of RAM as standard across all Galaxy S25 devices. The device should provide a smooth user experience. The phone aims to do most of what you do on a PC but on a smaller screen. Samsung is also promising up to seven years of software support for this device.
The main focus of the S25 Ultra is on AI. The phone includes both Google and Samsung AI, including Google’s Gemini and Samsung’s Personal Data Engine. The Personal Data Engine powers the Now Brief feature, which some find unsatisfactory. Samsung’s cross-app AI capabilities allow users to use Gemini to add information to Samsung apps. However, users report that complex commands are less effective.
Operating System
The Galaxy S25 Ultra runs One UI 7, based on Android 15. Samsung’s interface is said to be getting smoother and easier to navigate with each update. The notification panel has been simplified into its own panel, making it less cluttered and easier to use.
Battery
The battery capacity remains at 5,000mAh. The S25 Ultra’s 5,000mAh battery lasts for 17 hours and 14 minutes. That’s about 30 minutes better than the Galaxy S24 Ultra but about 20 minutes less than the iPhone 16 Pro Max.
Conclusion
The Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra is a powerful device, but it may not be worth upgrading to if you own a recent version. While the phone has a lighter body and offers AI features, these are incremental improvements. Features like magnetic charging could have made the phone more competitive, especially given its high price. It’s a great device that should last a long time.
Advantages
Large Anti-Reflective Screen: Excellent 6.9-inch Quad HD+ Dynamic AMOLED 2x screen.
Lighter body: The phone is lighter and more comfortable to hold.
High-resolution ultrawide lens: The 50MP sensor is a good step up from the previous 12MP lens.
Disadvantages
Minor Camera Upgrade: The camera system sees mostly minor changes.
Everything else is AI-related: The focus is on AI features rather than hardware upgrades.
Where are the magnets?: The lack of magnetic charging is disappointing.
Price of the Phone
The price of the phone varies from country to country, so we always provide approximate prices for devices, but the price of the device ranges from $1,000 and up
