My adventure with the Galaxy S25 Ultra only confirmed how I feel about it

As I prepared for a farsighted weekend intermission , I want to take a subject Android phone with a dear camera with me , quick to capture my adventure . I put my SIM identity card into a freshSamsung Galaxy S25 Ultraand set the headphone up purely for entertainment , as I need to ignore oeuvre e-mail and messages as much as potential . I spent four days with the sound , and here ’s what I key out revisit the Galaxy S25 Ultra .

The shape is still a problem

The Galaxy S25 Ultra is unconditional . Veryflat . The sides are compressed , the blind is flat , and the corners are far less curved than old framework . It ’s a big , slab - like block , and far from attractive . Not everyone will care if it ’s a good - look phone , but everyone should manage if it ’s comfortable to confine , and after revisit the Galaxy S25 Ultra I am pitiful to say it ’s not .

I returned to the S25 Ultra after a string of other phones , range from theOnePlus 13 , theGoogle Pixel 9a , and theXiaomi 15 Ultra , and all are more comfortable to hold . The problem is the phone digs into your palm , the sharp edges are obtrusive when you grip it , and as it ’s also a bit of a slippy matter , you really do have to keep appreciation out of it .

I was using the phone for fun , passing some liberal time browsing Reddit and Threads or playingMagic : The Gathering Arena , but the S25 Ultra did n’t boost me to pick it up because of the comfort problem . MyApple iPhone 16 Pro Maxis far more ergonomic , and much more pleasing to concord for longer time period of fourth dimension . I encounter I ’d force myself to employ the S25 Ultra , and it should n’t be that way .

The back of the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra.

Andy Boxall / Digital Trends

The screen is the best you’ll see

It ’s a shame I did n’t feel happy about holding the S25 Ultra for a foresighted time , as the screen is the best I ’ve used on a smartphone . surprisingly for the U.K. , it was very bright and cheery on my interruption , and the S25 Ultra ’s anti - reflective screen really came into its own . It ’s arduous to shoot to demonstrate just how good it is , but it removes the coarse reflections which stop you seeing what ’s going on , and crucially , it works really well at different angles .

This matter most when you want to take exposure . Rarely do the best photograph come when you hold the camera directly in front of your face , which is why inviolable viewing angles are important on a smartphone . I could always see the tv camera ’s view finder , regardless of the angle I held the speech sound at or the ignition conditions . It ’s a superb screen , and overshadow every other smartphone you could buy at the moment .

The intense light also helped in these condition , but this was n’t what made it work so well . Instead , it ’s the automatic cleverness adjustment . I only once reached for the manual light dominance , as the phone did such a good job of balancing the covert ’s brightness to the conditions . The only time I think using the manual command was after using the phone outside , and it was a beat to slow to adjust when I went back inside . But I ’d rather it be too bright than too dim .

A person holding the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra.

Andy Boxall / Digital Trends

What about the camera?

Before I chose the Galaxy S25 Ultra I was close to pick up the Xiaomi 15 Ultra , but my own words were in my mind before I made the last decision . I fell for the Xiaomi 15 Ultra ’s camera when Iused it somewhere I did n’t know very well , after being a tiny bit disappointed with it when I reexamine the phone ingest photos locally . I have n’t been that mad by the Galaxy S25 Ultra ’s camera , and have been surprised at how the main camera in particularhasn’t met expectations . Going on a trip-up with it may change my mind about it .

The landscape meant I used the principal and the wide - slant photographic camera the most , and the consistency between the two is impressive , share balanced colouring and line , even in intriguing light . pic straight from the camera are a little too natural - appear for my personal taste , and it ’s here where One UI 7 ’s excellent photo editing suite was put to good use .

I applied one of Samsung ’s new filter to most exposure — the Chill , Amber , and Sunbeam usually gave the good core — and later tweaked the photos further , before it appear the way I wanted it . Cleverly , you may save the edits made to one photo as a new filter of your own , and then apply it to other photos . It works so well on photos taken on the same daytime and in the same circumstance . Samsung ’s AI - power eraser putz persist excellent too , neatly removing undesirable constituent like top executive lines and telegraph perch .

The Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra with the Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max, showing the screen reflection.

Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra (left) and Apple iPhone 16 Pro MaxAndy Boxall / Digital Trends

await back at the photos I ’m proud of with the result , but I am conscious almost all of them want editing . This suggests Samsung ’s own tuning isn’tquiteright , and means partisan hope to use the camera and never disturb the persona before sharing them may be disappointed . However , Samsung ’s brawny and various redaction suite makes it simple and gratifying to convert the agency your photos look , so it ’s less of a downside than it first sound .

Was I happy I chose the Galaxy S25 Ultra?

The Galaxy S25 Ultra screen , performance , and assault and battery life — which was more than enough for two days use — made it a reliable partner for my clock time away , but I was thwart by the shape of the earpiece . If it was my only speech sound , I ’d quicklychoose a case for it , in a effort to make it more pleasant to nurse . The inauspicious affair is , it ’s robust and strong enough not to really necessitate a case .

I like the exposure I get hold of with it , and feel it captured my break really well , so I ’ll be happy to expect back on them in the future tense . The Galaxy S25 Ultra is an excellent smartphone and despite being one of the most expensive models you’re able to buy , it ’s a dependable purchase for the futurity . However , I did n’t flow in love life with it , and do think I ’d have been just as well-chosen ( or perhaps , even happier ) with the OnePlus 13 .

The Galaxy S25 Ultra is a cold , yet exceedingly adequate to in high spirits carrying out smartphone . I doubt I ’ll ever finger much for it , no matter how long I apply it , but its all - rotund power and superb screen make it hard to beat . It ’s still a phone you ’ll buy with your drumhead , not your centre , just as I thought when I first review it .

A photo taken with the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra.