If you asked anyone what the top three phones of 2024 were, the Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra would’ve been on that list — no debate. And you’d expect nothing less from something with “Ultra” in the name. But this year? Things are a little different.
The Galaxy S25 Ultra isn’t the flagship with the best of everything anymore. In fact, many competitors have outclassed it on specs. Samsung, instead, took a page straight out of Apple’s playbook: deliver a refined, safer version of last year’s phone. Some things are better, some are not.
The S25 Ultra is basically a minor spec bump, wrapped in a new titanium shell, and absolutely drenched in AI. And if you’re wondering whether you should upgrade from your S24 Ultra? Honestly, don’t bother — most of the same experience will hit last year’s model via software updates.
After three weeks with the S25 Ultra, I’ve come to two clear conclusions: First, it’s still one of the best Android phones money can buy. Second, it’s also one of the hardest Android phones to recommend in 2025.
And that’s mostly because of the hefty $2,199 starting price. In a world where phones like the Google Pixel 9 Pro XL, the OnePlus 13, and the Oppo Find X8 exist for hundreds less — with just as much punch — Samsung’s value proposition suddenly gets a lot harder to defend.
Design: A familiar Ultra (with a new coat of paint)
Design-wise, the S25 Ultra is unmistakably a Galaxy — a sleek slab with a massive screen, centered camera array, and that familiar retractable S-Pen. What’s new this year is the switch from curved aluminium rails to flat titanium sides, and from sharp to curved corners. The result? It feels way better in the hand. Even better, it’s 15g lighter — and while that might not sound like much, it absolutely makes a difference. Compared to my iPhone 16 Pro Max, which is nearly 10g heavier, the S25 Ultra was far more comfortable to carry and use one-handed.
Samsung also added new color options: Titanium Silverblue, Black, Grey, Whitesilver, Jetblack, Jadegreen, and Pinkgold. They’re more muted than Apple’s palette — my Silverblue review unit often just looked silver. Still, the satin matte back is elegant. Samsung says it’s more resistant to fingerprints, but I found it still smudges quite a bit — though only when the light hits it just right.
One strange omission: despite supporting Qi2 wireless charging, the S25 Ultra lacks built-in magnets, so it won’t snap to MagSafe-style chargers unless you use a case with the rings. That’s an odd move for a 2025 flagship. I went caseless for the review, and despite the slippery titanium rails and a few drops, the phone held up impressively — no cracks, no dings, no scratches. And this wasn’t a fresh unit, which says a lot about the new Gorilla Armour 2 glass.
The titanium rails don’t offer much grip, so I’d still recommend a case. Also, the power and volume buttons on the right are placed too high — frustrating for one-handed use. I often found myself accidentally locking the screen instead of adjusting the volume.
Then there’s the S-Pen — still tucked in the bottom left corner, still great for writing and sketching. But Samsung quietly removed Bluetooth functionality this year, so you lose remote controls like camera shutter or presentation swipes. Most users won’t care (Samsung’s own data backs that up), but it’s still a weird downgrade for a phone branded “Ultra.”
So yes, the S25 Ultra looks sharp, feels lighter, and holds up better — but visually, it’s not a showstopper. While Google, Oppo, and OnePlus are pushing bold, standout designs, Samsung seems content with Apple-style minimal iteration.
Display: Samsung’s most consistent flex
Samsung rarely fumbles the display — and the S25 Ultra keeps that streak alive. The 6.9-inch Quad HD+ Dynamic AMOLED 2X panel is stunning: bright (2,600 nits!), razor-sharp, and beautifully color-accurate. HDR content looks incredible, scrolling is buttery smooth thanks to the adaptive 120Hz refresh rate, and yes — it holds up even in brutal Aussie sunshine.
The new matte coating on the screen is a small but impactful upgrade. It cuts down glare and fingerprints, making the display look cleaner in all lighting. It’s subtle, but once you notice it, you won’t want to go back. The under-display fingerprint scanner is fast and reliable — a refreshing change from Face ID, though Samsung’s facial recognition is still there if you want it (just don’t count on it for security).
Samsung also borrowed its ProScaler tech from its TVs, using AI to upscale lower-res content to Quad HD+. I didn’t see a huge difference, but pixel peepers might. Either way, it doesn’t hurt. Touch response is excellent — every swipe, tap, and pinch registers instantly. Gaming on this panel is a joy. Sure, it’s “only” 120Hz versus the 165Hz you’ll find on something like the ROG Phone 9 Pro, but unless you’re counting frames for a living, you probably won’t notice.
S-Pen performance is also solid. The screen gives a satisfying, paper-like feel that’s great for handwriting and sketching. Not that I used it much — unless letting my 9-year-old doodle counts.
That said, as gorgeous as this display is, it doesn’t feel new. If you’ve used a flagship Samsung in the past year or two, this will feel familiar. It’s more refinement than revolution. Aside from the matte coating, I honestly couldn’t tell you this is better than the Pixel 9 display I reviewed last year.
Cameras: Smart compromises, solid results
The S25 Ultra packs five cameras — exactly what you’d expect from a flagship in 2025. Up front is a 12MP selfie cam that’s fine in good light. On the back: a 200MP main, a new 50MP ultra-wide, a 50MP telephoto with 5x optical zoom, a 10MP 3x zoom, and a lot of AI trying to make sense of all of it.
The biggest upgrade? That ultra-wide. Photos are noticeably sharper and more detailed than last year’s — even in low light — and macro shots look genuinely great when framed well. This upgrade completes the S25 Ultra’s camera system making it far more appealing to a wider audience(pun intended)
Zoom is still one of the most fun features to play with. The 5x sensor delivers crisp detail, even in dim conditions. At 10x, it’s still usable, but softer than the older true 10x optical. Push it to 30x or 100x, and you’re firmly in “party trick” territory — fun for spying on street signs, not so much for quality shots.
The 200MP sensor sounds impressive but rarely matters. By default, you’re shooting at 12MP, and unless you dig through the settings, you might forget the 200MP mode exists. File sizes are massive, and honestly, if you need that kind of resolution, you’re probably better off switching to 50MP RAW.
Over my review period, I snapped shots across beaches, cityscapes, Thai dinners, flowers, and portraits. The S25 Ultra handled all of it well — clean, vibrant, and detailed. But not once did I get that “wow” moment. No gasps, no frame-worthy captures. Even without side-by-side comparisons, I can not definitely say it beats the iPhone 16 Pro Max or even the more affordable Pixel 9.
At over $2000, that’s a hard pill to swallow. Especially when cheaper phones from Vivo, Oppo, and Xiaomi are offering bigger sensors and bolder imaging pipelines that are pushing smartphone photography further than Samsung’s safe, solid setup.
On the video side, though, it’s a different story. 4K60 looks excellent, 8K is here if you feel like flexing, and stabilization is top-tier. Audio from the mics is impressively clean. And pros will appreciate the addition of LOG video and the full-featured Pro mode for more serious shoots.
That said, I’d still pick the iPhone 16 Pro Max for serious video work. There’s just something about Apple’s processing — maybe preference, maybe polish. Still, the S25 Ultra delivers a complete, capable camera system. It’s just not the most exciting one for your money.
Performance & Gaming: Almost a gaming phone
The S25 Ultra runs on the Snapdragon 8 Elite — the same chip inside the absurdly powerful ROG Phone 9. Paired with 12GB of RAM, it’s every bit the flagship wokhorse. Apps launch instantly, multitasking is seamless, and animations glide like butter.
Benchmarks are impressive (because of course they are): around 2,851 single-core and 9,247 multi-core score in Geekbench 6, with 3DMark’s Wildlife Extreme scoring 4,794 which is well over the iPhone 16 Pro Max’s 3069. Translation? This thing absolutely eats frames for lunch. Genshin Impact, COD Mobile, Diablo Immortal — all run maxed-out at a steady 60fps without breaking a sweat.
Yes, it gets warm but not uncomfortably. Samsung’s new vapour chamber cooling clearly pulls its weight. I don’t marathon mobile games, so I can’t vouch for hour-long sessions, but let’s be real — if gaming is your main priority, you’re probably eyeing the ROG Phone anyway.
For everyone else, this is peak smartphone performance — and probably more power than you’ll ever need. Unless you’re editing 4K videos or streaming gameplay, it’s like driving a Ferrari in a school zone.
But where all that horsepower really shines is in One UI 7. Samsung’s skin finally feels refined: snappy, smooth, and actually enjoyable to use. App switching is instant, split-screen multitasking is a breeze, and the entire UI feels cohesive and polished — a far cry from the bloated mess of years past.
System apps are cleaner, settings are more intuitive, and Galaxy AI adds thoughtful features without overwhelming you. It doesn’t just keep up with Pixel and iOS anymore — it plays in the same league. If you’re in the Samsung ecosystem or need a phone that juggles work and play effortlessly, the S25 Ultra delivers. Hard.
Galaxy AI: Impressive demos, kinda forgettable day-to-day
Samsung’s big pitch with the S25 Ultra isn’t the hardware — it’s Galaxy AI. Just like Google’s Pixel 9, the S25 Ultra leans hard into artificial intelligence as its main differentiator. And it’s everywhere — the camera app, the keyboard, your calls, even the settings menu. Bixby has basically been benched in favour of Google Gemini, and Samsung throws in a 6-month Gemini Live trial to sweeten the deal.
Some features you’ve probably already seen. Circle to Search works well — just circle anything on-screen to search it instantly — but honestly, I never used it over just tapping the image search icon on my homescreen.
Generative Edit is the real party trick: you can erase objects in photos or move them around, and the background fills itself in like Photoshop’s Content-Aware Fill. It’s fun, sometimes magical, often hilarious — especially when you try to reconstruct half a persons face. But outside of viral TikToks and fixing a photobombed selfie, it’s not something most people will use regularly.
Audio Eraser (another Pixel hand-me-down) actually works better here than ever. It cleans up noisy environments surprisingly well — handy for chaotic birthday parties or trying to record at a loud event.
Live call translation and note summarisation sound great but are limited in usefulness. Unless you’re constantly jumping between languages or transcribing meetings, they’re more “cool demo” than “must-have tool.” And weirdly, Samsung still hasn’t matched Pixel’s Call Screening — a genuinely useful AI feature that lets Google Assistant handle spam calls for you.
Then there’s Now Brief, a Galaxy AI exclusive. It’s basically a smart dashboard that surfaces “important stuff” — calendar events, reminders, health data, photo memories — throughout the day. In practice? It mostly just showed me the weather and the occasional photo I took during the day. It takes a ton of setup and training to get useful, and most people won’t bother. With better third-party app support, this could be a killer feature — but right now it feels half-baked.
The real flex — the one Samsung shouted about in ads — is Galaxy AI’s ability to string together multi-app tasks. Like, “Find a pet-friendly restaurant with outdoor seating, book it, then text the address to my friend.” Sounds amazing… except I never got it to work.
There’s so much setup required: permissions, account linking, default app changes — and even then, it’s hit-and-miss. As a reviewer, I had a cheat sheet from Samsung and still found it clunky. For regular users? Forget it. Until it’s streamlined and works out of the box, it’s just marketing fantasy.
And then there’s the trust issue. Do you really want your phone making decisions and acting across apps without you overseeing it? I’m not there yet. It’s like autonomous driving — cool in theory, but are we ready to hand over that much control? Probably not.
In the end, Galaxy AI feels more like an exciting concept than a daily essential. It’s promising, but outside of a few genuinely helpful tools, it still feels like a collection of tech demos waiting for a killer use case.
S Pen: Reliable, but underutilized
Samsung’s still the only major player with a built-in stylus, and the S Pen remains a standout feature — fluid, responsive, and great for quick sketches, notes, and editing photos. Signing PDFs or marking up screenshots? Still fun. Beyond that? Not much.
Despite being a signature part of the Ultra experience for years now, Samsung hasn’t given the S Pen any new tricks. In fact, this year it quietly took a step backward — latency has slightly increased, and a few niche Air Command features got the axe.
If you’re already an S Pen user, you’ll feel right at home… but maybe a little let down. And if you weren’t using it before? Nothing here will change your mind. Which raises the question: does it even need to be here anymore?
Honestly, Samsung should consider offering a Galaxy S25 Pro — same beastly phone, just without the S Pen — and knock a couple hundred bucks off the price. It would make the Ultra lineup more accessible and give buyers a real choice, instead of bundling a niche tool that, by Samsung’s own admission, only about 1% of people fully use.
Battery life: Dependable, but not thrilling
The 5,000mAh battery delivers what you’d expect: a full day of heavy use, 6–7 hours of screen-on time. Solid. You’ll comfortably make it to bedtime, maybe stretch into the next morning if you’re not pushing it.
Charging speeds? Same story: 45W wired, 15W wireless, no charger in the box. That felt stingy in 2024, and it feels even stingier in 2025, especially when competitors are flexing 80W and up.
One weird miss: The S25 Ultra is Qi2-ready but lacks built-in magnets — meaning it won’t snap cleanly to the growing army of MagSafe-style chargers and accessories. Unless you buy a magnetic case, you’re out of luck. In a world where even budget Android phones are building full magnetic ecosystems, Samsung’s resistance here feels stubborn — and frustrating for anyone who loves modular accessories.
Samsung’s AI battery optimization sounds smart on paper, but in practice? It’s invisible. I actually experienced more battery anxiety on the S25 Ultra than I did on my iPhone 16 Pro Max, which consistently sails through two days. The S25 Ultra? It sometimes surprised me by hitting the low battery warning even on chill days. It’s not bad, but for a phone this size — and this price — I expected better stamina.
Verdict
The Galaxy S25 Ultra is a great phone. One of the best Android devices you can buy today. But in a lot of ways, it’s Samsung’s equivalent to the iPhone 16 Pro Max — a cautious, safe, refined update that feels more like “S24 Ultra: Director’s Cut” than anything genuinely new. For the first time in years, the Ultra doesn’t feel… exciting.
And at $2,199, it’s also one of the most expensive — and increasingly hard to recommend — flagship phones out there. When you’ve got the Pixel 9, OnePlus 13, Oppo Find X7, and Xiaomi 15 Ultra all bringing incredible cameras, battery life, AI features and polish for way less money, it’s a harder sell.
That said, Samsung at least delivered the AI features it promised — unlike some other companies (cough, Apple). The problem? Most of those Galaxy AI features look fantastic in demos, but they don’t really change your day-to-day life. I’m not ready to trust Google Gemini to find, book, and coordinate a dinner date with friends. Honestly, are you?
So should you buy the S25 Ultra? Maybe. It’s an excellent phone. But if you already have an S24 Ultra, skip it. If you’re not using the S Pen or the pro-grade camera features, you can skip it too. And maybe, Samsung should take another leaf out of Apple’s playbook and split the Ultra line into a smaller 6.3″ Ultra that’s cheaper and doesn’t have an S-Pen?
Truthfully? I think most people buying phones like the S25 Ultra aren’t using half of what’s packed inside. They buy it because it’s a flex. Hell, I’m a tech nerd and even I couldn’t justify using half the features Samsung packed in here.
The competition has simply gotten too good — and too affordable — to keep blindly recommending these ultra-flagships at ultra-premium prices.
Samsung Australia kindly loaned the S25 Ultra to PowerUp for the purpose of writing this review
