I know what you ’re thinking , is n’t the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra just like the last radical phone ? Sure , the computer hardware features aren’tthatdifferent to before ( apart from a few important ones , as you ’ll observe out ) , but where Samsung has pushed in advance is in the software program , specificallyGalaxy AI . But are these AI features compelling and regularly utile enough to make it deserving buying , specially if you ownthe last Ultra ? I ’ve discover out , and was taken aback by my conclusion .
About our Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra review
Our Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra review was first published on February 5 , 2025 . We revisited the phone at the offset of May , and you may translate our update opinion of the speech sound below . The recapitulation mark has not been altered , and it stay a advocate purchase .
If the theme of bear a bulky telephone is turn you off from buying a caseful , you need to hold out the SUPCASE Unicorn Beetle Mag XT . It ’s a slim but secure caseful that will fit right in any pocket . The S25 Ultra is a marvel in slender earphone engine room , and the UB Mag XT leans into that . It has a stiff polycarbonate body case and a zinc - admixture camera cover that repeat as a kickstand . delight precise cutouts give you easy access to the S - Pen and all other function while maximize protection and minimizing size of it . It ’s even MagSafe compatible , so enjoy the luxuries of most MagSafe accessories .
Specs
3,120 x 1,440 pixels ( QHD+ )
1 - 120Hz
HDR10 +
2,600 nits peak brightness level
corn Gorilla Armor 2
200MP primary , OIS
Andy Boxall / Digital Trends
50MP wide - slant
50MP periscope telephoto , 5x ocular zoom
10MP telephoto , 3x optic rapid growth
Andy Boxall / Digital Trends
100x Space Zoom
Front camera :
12MP , f/2.2 , autofocus
Andy Boxall / Digital Trends
45W wired charging
15W Wireless charging ( Qi2 Ready )
overthrow wireless charge
Wide-angleAndy Boxall / Digital Trends
Online Exclusives : Titanium Jetblack , Titanium Jadegreen , Titanium Pinkgold
Revisiting the Galaxy S25
The Galaxy S25 Ultra is Samsung ’s top smartphone at the moment , and one of the most expensive smartphones you may buy . You require to be certain you ’re making the good decision , so although it ’s only a few months since it was released and we print our recap , I wanted to revisit it and see if my notion about it had changed .
Over the grade of a few day , I rediscover the Galaxy S25 Ultraand in the remnant , come to very similar termination to my original critique . I ’m proud of about this , because it shows my original instincts were exact , but also let down as the telephone set has problems I do n’t suppose should exist on a top earphone from one of the self-aggrandising manufacturers in the world .
Perhaps the most gross is I still find it uncomfortable to hold due to the compressed sides and sharp edges . It ’s a design trip I find frustrating , as there ’s no economic value in making the speech sound so angular . I can assume the overall size of it and am proud of about the weight step-down , but I ’d instantly put it in a case to try and improve in - mitt look if I was endure to use it all the time .
Andy Boxall / Digital Trends
I did n’t compare the main tv camera to any other gadget , so ca n’t make any comment on whether it has caught up or not , but I did find the want to edit them , and sometimes quite extensively . fortuitously the redaction rooms is excellent , but it does depict Samsung has n’t got the camera tuning quite right . Once I ’d play around with the photos I was happy with most of them . It ’s just not a shoot - and - share television camera .
On a more positive note , the sieve is easy the near on a top smartphone at the bit . Apart from the size and resolution , it ’s the brightness and very effective anti - reflective coating that establish it a winner . I had no trouble see the screen regardless of the lighting condition . What about Galaxy AI ? I did n’t make use ofanyGalaxy AI features at all , which should tell you everything you ask to know about them .
The Galaxy S25 Ultra is an excellent all - rounder , but it ’s not a sorcerous , characterful sound , and it has its honest share of negative aspects that frustrate , peculiarly when phones like the Google Pixel 9 and OnePlus 13 exist and be a lot less . It ’s still going to please most citizenry if only because of its out-and-out power , but it ’s not as suitable as it should be .
Andy Boxall / Digital Trends
Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra: design
The Galaxy S25 Ultra has change quite a lot from the Galaxy S24 Ultra , but as most of the alterations are quite small , listing them singly wo n’t mean much . It ’s best to take an overall look at the bod and design instead . The biggest and most easily realized change is it ’s 15 gm lighter at 218 gm , and it ’s so much more manageable than before . Hold the two phone together , and the S25 Ultra feel sanely sized , even if its specification suggests otherwise . It ’s Ultra in name and not size and system of weights any longer . I ’ve had it in my pouch and it ’s no more bothersome than theApple iPhone 16 Pro Max .
Samsung has rounded the corner for “ improved bag , ” and it does n’t comprehend into your palm like the S24 Ultra . However , it has flatten the sides , top , and bottom of the frame , which no longer candle between the screen or ice back , and or else meet at a sharp slant . It ’s uncomfortable to grip , so the advance in the rounded nook are negated by bad in - mitt feel .
It ’s also quite a slippery sound . The level titanium material body does not allow for much grip , peculiarly against clean , oil - innocent hands . The tighter you hold it , the more you notice the sharp sides . Samsung says it has improved the titanium for more durability , and the Corning Gorilla Armor 2 spyglass is more resistant to cracking . The screen also has improved anti - reflection finishing , which along with the stellar brightness means I ’ve had no trouble seeing it in direct sunshine , plus there ’s an IP68 dust and water supply resistance evaluation . This is a durable phone .
10x zoomAndy Boxall / Digital Trends
The Galaxy S25 Ultra ’s design hascaused disceptation due to the rings around the camerason the back . These are stuck on , rather than being part of the field glass back itself . It ’s not an especially elegant or “ premium ” solution , but unless you deliberately prise them off the phone , it ’s unlikely to be an topic . Still recognisable as a Galaxy S - series Ultra mannequin , the S25 Ultra ’s innocuous design and annoyingly sharp edge are saved by the meaningful system of weights simplification and further work on overall durability .
Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra: camera
The Galaxy S25 Ultra ’s 200 - megapixel principal photographic camera and yoke of telephotograph cameras will be familiar to proprietor of the last Ultra , but the 50MP encompassing - angle camera is all - new for this sound . I ’ve bitch aboutterrible 8MP wide - angle camerasfor a while , so it ’s great to see a brand name make an effort , and it really pay off . Detail , colors , and dynamic cooking stove are all fantabulous , invest it well ahead of the across-the-board - slant photographic camera on theApple iPhone 16 Pro Max in a disjoined test .
You probably wo n’t be using the wide - angle as much as the main or telephoto cameras though . The chief photographic camera does n’t over - saturate images or struggle with exposure like it used to , and gets the equipoise right in both sunny and cloud-covered condition , but it does n’t pack as much contingent into shots as you may expect . It lost out to the Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max in our trial , which showed up where Samsung ’s main camera still require work to make the most out of its massive megapixel reckoning .
Telephoto shots at 3x and 5x take care enceinte , but the 10x hybrid ’s photos are pixelated and smoothed out when you crop them , making it a disappointment . whizz along to 30x and this effect is even more pronounced , and while it ’s usable , the shots wo n’t win any asperity or detail prizes . Samsung ’s final rapid growth place setting , 100x , is impressive in that I can tell what it is in the photo , but I ’d never want to partake it or keep it for descendants either . Stay in the 3x and 5x zoom range , and the Galaxy S25 Ultra is superb , and the main tv camera takes solid photos provided you do n’t looktooclosely .
Portrait modeAndy Boxall / Digital Trends
I wish Samsung ’s editing entourage , specially the raw filter system and the way you could quickly change the style . It ’s Samsung ’s take onApple ’s Photographic Styles , and it has succeeded in urinate it easy to use and more relevant to people . Shoot television and the robotic slow - movement mood is fun and requires no actual endeavor to use , but the Audio Eraser feature film — which removes background noise from your telecasting — is very site pendant , and does n’t always make much of a difference . Use Pro style and you could shoot video in LOG data formatting quick for color correction after .
I do finger that for $ 1,300 and the championship of Samsung ’s top flagship phone , the photographic camera should strike more than it does on the Galaxy S25 Ultra . The novel wide - angle is a definite step forwards , but there ’s a vapourousness and blur in the finer detail from the main television camera which was n’t present on the Galaxy S24 Ultra . software package change have affected the 10x cross rapid growth , as increase smoothing has robbed it of some natural grain , but the 30x is a definite improvement over the S24 Ultra . However , I rarely use it , so proficient advances have trivial impact on my sidereal day - to - twenty-four hour period photography .
I in person miss the Bluetooth - enabled S Pen style ’s ability to play as a remote shutter release . No , I did n’t habituate it everyday , but when I did need it , it was priceless . Wide - angle camera aside , there ’s not much here that can be call a big step ahead over the Galaxy S24 Ultra , or anything that makes the S25 Ultra a must - buy for keen mobile photographer either .
Andy Boxall / Digital Trends
Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra: software and Galaxy AI
One UI 7overAndroid 15is installed on the Galaxy S25 Ultra at launching , and Samsung will support it with seven years of both major software and security updates . This is brilliant , and gives the speech sound the great unwashed of length of service . The software is fast , tranquil , and reliable . It ’s also have pack , but reasonably ordered to make finding thing simple , while the planetary search is sound at pinpointing what you call for .
Some will like the novel separate notice and quick options pull down menu , but I line up it annoying as I frequently pull down the wrong one when I ’m in a hurry and using it with one hand . The switch toa vertical app draweris far more welcome ( spark it by sorting apps alphabetically ) , and it ’s quicker to locate apps than with Samsung ’s old page - based system . Multi - tasking is slick too , powerful down to how still the system is when you resize windows .
One UI 7 is the best version of Samsung ’s software yet , but the company is using Galaxy AI to advance you to bribe the S25 Ultra . A passel of what was useable on the Galaxy S24 Ultra — from AI summary and translation , to Circle to Search and write assistance in text subject matter — make a getting even , but now it has the Now Brief and the Now Bar , which are supposed to make the phone more personal , and facilitate youtake back time for yourself .
Night modeAndy Boxall / Digital Trends
The Now Brief give a sum-up of your day in the morning , at midday , in the evening , and before bed . It includes the weather , meetings on your calendar , change of location reminders , sailing , and if you ’re wear thin a Galaxy smartwatch or theGalaxy Ring , data from Samsung Health too . To get much from the Now Brief , you needa heap going on , be in a berth where you ’ll probably forget things , and regularly wear a Samsung wearable . If this does n’t distinguish your life , it ’s not very informative .
It lives in a widget on the habitation sieve but also informs the Now Bar , which pose at the bottom of the lock screen . It ’s a act like Apple ’s Dynamic Island , but less utile . It operate with Samsung apps like the clock and Notes , plus it ’ll show sports entropy from Google , and medicine playback from certain apps . But it does n’t show my car parking timer like the Dynamic Island , or handy information from travelling apps outside of live navigation for example . It ’s sure to improve , but at the moment there will be times when you do n’t even realize it ’s a feature at all .
How much you get from Galaxy AI reckon on your personal needs . Translation is helpful if you locomote a lot to places where you do n’t speak the language , the Now Brief may be helpful if your diary is out of control , and summaries may be helpful if you take a destiny of extensive notes during meeting or presentations . But I suspect most of these will only be helpfuloccasionally . Samsung really push the personal assistant slant with the Galaxy S25 Ultra and the Now Brief , but it has n’t land for me .
Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra wide-angleAndy Boxall / Digital Trends
Google Geminihas replaced Bixby , and provided you do n’t ask it anything too complicated — it sets timers like a devil — it does the task . The colloquial aspect sounds and feels natural , but Gemini loves to talk so be prepared for it to lout and onuntil you stop it . It ’s good at summarizing , such as repay a tilt of songs from a specific writing style , but it also gets plenty wrong when you want specific . For example , asking it for Song from 1000 - pop young woman grouping , it still put in songs from boy band . It does n’t inspire confidence . Gemini is n’t an S25 Ultra - only feature either .
I ’ll end with a couple of positive . I love the way you could look for stage setting using your voice , which has work seamlessly and saves a lot of prison term , plus Samsung ’s Keyboard does n’t call for to be the nonremittal option as it ’s progress into Search . The updatedCircle to Searchnow looks for audio in videos , plus it recognize speech sound number and addresses in images , so you’re able to dial or search up location flat from a photo . These are genuinely helpful time - recoverer , quickly access on the phone , without any pauperism for Samsung to turn to the marketing squad in parliamentary procedure to “ trade ” them to us .
Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra: screen and performance
Two feature which have always made the extremist ultra still remain — a monumental sieve and the fastest CPU you may get . The 6.9 - inch Dynamic AMOLED has a 120Hz refresh rate and a whopping 3120 x 1440 pixel maximum declaration , plus it ’s improbably bright and the fantastic anti - ruminative covering makes it easy to see in almost every billet and environment . It ’s a unfeigned beauty , and a high point of the phone .
Samsung has join forces with Qualcomm on a special Snapdragon 8 Elite for Galaxy processor , where special attention has been pay to the NPU to keep up with all those AI demands . It ’s faultless , and I ’ve not see anything but lightning fast reply times and performance from it . However , it does n’t seem more powerful in daily enjoyment than the Snapdragon 8 Elite in theOnePlus 13orAsus ROG Phone 9 professional .
It has no issues play games likeAsphalt fable : Uniteat its highest preferences , and the earpiece does n’t get blistering when you pick out the equipment ’s public presentation style . Running the 3DMark benchmarking app ’s Solar Bay Stress Test does make the telephone set very warm , but never to the point where it overheats , or that it gets too live to view as . This is the same as I found with the other Snapdragon 8 Elite telephone I ’ve used since theRealme GT 7 professional .
Samsung Galaxy S25 UltraAndy Boxall / Digital Trends
Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra: battery and charging
With around three hour of screen metre each 24-hour interval , without playing biz , the Galaxy S25 Ultra ’s 5,000mAh battery has go two full sidereal day before it ask recharging . Add game , 4 K video recording , and some AI utilisation and it wo n’t make it through the 2nd day . It has proven to be as efficient and long - last as the OnePlus 13 .
Plug in a compatible 45W charger ( which does n’t come in the corner ) and it takes an hour and five minutes to fully charge the electric battery . The speed is more telling when you just want to top - up the assault and battery , or give it a boost at the last arcminute before going out . The same 45W charger energizes the stamp battery to 50 % in 20 minute , and reaches 75 % in 30 minutes . The phone has 15W wireless charging , and is “ Qi2 Ready , ” which means it supports the standard , but needsa compatible casewith the attractive feature build into it to go .
Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra: price and availability
The Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra will be usable from February 7 . It starts at $ 1,300 for the 256 GB version , and rise to $ 1,420 for the 512 GB model , then pinch out at $ 1,660 for the 1 TB Galaxy S25 Ultra . These prices match the Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra .
There are n’t many other non - foldable Android phones that be this much , and the trouble for Samsung is , several that areseriouschallengers be a mess less . TheOnePlus 13is superb and starts at $ 900 , while theGoogle Pixel 9 Prostarts at $ 1,000 and impress with its software and camera . Samsung ’s top phone is also more expensive than Apple ’s top iPhone , the16 Pro Max .
Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra: verdict
The Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra is a powerhouse and its carrying out , filmdom , and battery life will impress and satisfy most people who bribe one . It ’s also a phone that will last years due to its durability , software commitment , and wealthiness of lineament . However , as an expensive equipment all this is n’t noteworthy , it’sexpected .
This is where the S25 Ultra falls down . It does what ’s required , but it does n’t quite nail the duplicate that make it deserving so much money , or a strong passport over some knotty competition . The Now Brief and Galaxy AI have their utilisation , but not everyone is going to find them on a regular basis utilitarian . Many of its practiced AI feature are n’t unique to the phone either . Then there are the omissions and cutbacks . There ’s no built in Qi2 wireless charging , wired dissolute charging fall behind the OnePlus 13 ’s speed , the S Pen is now less useful , and the camera — while amend — has some odd payoff I would n’t require . Samsung want Galaxy AI to be the feature film that rive you in , but it is n’t uniform , compelling , or regularly enticing enough to do so .
Does all this mean you should n’t buy it ? No , it ’s still first-class and you wo n’t regret buying it , but there are several other sound that correspond far good value that do just as much , and sometimes do even good . This is what took me aback , because it’sthe first time in several yearsI’ve notwholeheartedly been behindthe an S - serial Ultra model . It says a lot about the counsel Samsung has shoot , and about the timbre of the contention .
Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra 3x zoomAndy Boxall / Digital Trends
Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra 10x zoomAndy Boxall / Digital Trends
Andy Boxall / Digital Trends
Samsung Galaxy S25 UltraAndy Boxall / Digital Trends
Samsung Galaxy S25 UltraAndy Boxall / Digital Trends
Samsung Galaxy S25 UltraAndy Boxall / Digital Trends
Samsung Galaxy S25 UltraAndy Boxall / Digital Trends
Andy Boxall / Digital Trends
Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra wide-angleAndy Boxall / Digital Trends
Samsung Galaxy S25 UltraAndy Boxall / Digital Trends
Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra wide-angleAndy Boxall / Digital Trends
Samsung Galaxy S25 UltraAndy Boxall / Digital Trends
Samsung Galaxy S25 UltraAndy Boxall / Digital Trends
Samsung Galaxy S25 UltraAndy Boxall / Digital Trends
Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra 5x zoomAndy Boxall / Digital Trends
Andy Boxall / Digital Trends
Andy Boxall / Digital Trends
Now BriefAndy Boxall / Digital Trends
Andy Boxall / Digital Trends
Andy Boxall / Digital Trends
Andy Boxall / Digital Trends
