A Powerful, but Boring Phone

Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra Review: Design and Features

Now, with squarer edges

The first thing I thought about when I first saw the Galaxy S25 Ultra was how square it was on the edges. While the Pixel 9 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro look virtually the same from the front, it’s very clear when holding the Ultra that it’s a Samsung phone because of these edges. They match the same corners on the flattened-out Galaxy Z Fold 6. There’s a nice, almost futuristic design paradigm across the Samsung ecosystem now, whereas the Ultra before was an outlier to its sibling phones.

This year’s model is much lighter than year’s past. Samsung shaved off about 15 grams of weight by simply consolidating and whittling down where it could inside and outside the chassis. The bezel is thinner than last year’s Galaxy S24 Ultra. Even the S Pen has been slimmed down in this latest rendition of the Samsung phone-tablet-phone to help cut back on as many grams as possible. There is no Bluetooth in the stylus, which means no more wand-waving, but y’all weren’t really into it anyway.

Since it’s lighter, the Galaxy S25 Ultra is more comfortable to hold than the last few editions. I’m relieved Samsung focused on eliminating the weight of its largest handheld. I felt the strain from the density of the core with the Galaxy S23/S24 Ultra, especially when holding one steady to take a picture or to type out a thought. You will still have to worry about it slipping away, as that titanium backside remains slippery without a case on. Also, while Samsung’s quadruple camera array remains solidified as its signature derriere, the phone is uneven when lying down without a case.

The Galaxy S25 Ultra’s 6.9-inch Quad HD+ Dynamic AMOLED 2x display is the best part about owning Samsung’s ultimate smartphone. It’s covered in scratch-resistant Gorilla Glass Armor 2. There are no scratches after a week in my bag so far—I carried the phone loosely in my hiking backpack the other day to take it up the hill for sunset photos, and it remains unscathed. If it doesn’t turn out like the scratched-up Galaxy Ring, I’d consider it a winner. You should still get a case for Galaxy S25 Ultra if you buy one, though, because these things start at $1,300. I suggest getting something with a kickstand in it if you’re going to add the bulk anyway.

The Google Pixel doesn’t have this yet, nor does OnePlus or Motorola. But it would have been nice to see Samsung innovate by adding magnetic magic on the back. Long ago, we were hoping Samsung would be first with wireless Qi2 charging and the magnets that let you access Apple’s MagSafe accessory ecosystem. But only the former is happening here. The only way to use it on the Galaxy S25 Ultra is with a knockoff case.

Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra Review: Camera

Much ado about nothing on the camera

It seems we’ve reached the peak of smartphone cameras. Everything from Apple, Google, and Samsung gets incremental edits with each new generation instead of a significant overhaul. At the very least, this is good news for people who are buying older phones since it reduces the disparity in camera performance between updates and lets you save some money without feeling like you’re being left behind.

The camera hardware in the Galaxy S25 Ultra is still the same 200-MP primary camera lens as last time, with OIS, an f/1.7 aperture, and an 85-degree field-of-view (FoV). It has the same 50-MP Telephoto lens with 5x optical zoom and a 10-MP Telephoto camera with 3x optical zoom. There is nothing to upgrade to here unless you are willing to use a 50-MP sensor for the ultrawide angle lens over last year’s 12-MP offering. The result is higher-resolution ultra-wide-angle photos that are sharper and more detailed, which you might want if you’re a perpetual sunset photo taker like I am.

Photo on the left was taken on the Galaxy S25 Ultra, the right with an iPhone 16 Pro

The Galaxy S25 Ultra series supposedly has better zoom algorithms, but there was no discernible difference between 10x photos taken with it and the Galaxy S24 Ultra. We’re still at a maximum of 100x Space Zoom—digital zoom—and up to 5x optical zoom, with a promise of 10x “optical quality.” If you’re going to zoom in somewhere that far, make sure the Galaxy S25 Ultra is perfectly still.

Samsung’s camera algorithms are still the most saturated and deeply contrasted compared to the competition. The upside is that photos you snap with the Galaxy S25 Ultra will be bold, with pronounced reds, yellows, and blues. The downside is that sometimes it’s overt, and parts of the photo are too dark to discern the entire scene. You can see it in the sample example comparing the Galaxy S25 Ultra to the iPhone 16 Pro. Compare that to the Pixel 9 Pro’s algorithms, which tend to temper the colors throughout so that you’re more compelled to make adjustments in Google Photos. If you like your photos naturally tinged with broader blues, that’s not Samsung.

Photos on the left were taken on the Galaxy S25 Ultra, the right with an iPhone 16 Pro

If high frame-rate video is crucial, you’ll want to check out the Galaxy S25 Ultra over the other two Galaxy S25 models. The S25 Ultra records 4K video up to 120 frames-per-second (fps), whereas the regulars top out at 60 fps. It also does 8K recording, as does the regular Galaxy S25/25+, and all models top out at 30 fps. All models of the Galaxy S25 also offer the highly lauded Log video capability. The only thing you won’t get with the other phones over the Galaxy S25 Ultra is high-res Macro shots, and that’s because the Ultra is the one with all the sensors to do so.

Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra Review: Performance

About all the AI stuff

The Galaxy S25 Ultra isn’t about the camera algorithms, not how the Galaxy S22 Ultra/S23 Ultra was positioned. It’s about the performance of AI and the high-resource apps you want to access simultaneously. Powering the Galaxy S25 Ultra is Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8 Elite for Galaxy, meaning it’s been tuned specifically for Samsung users and their hardware. That’s probably why Samsung has so many bragging rights about things like cross-app AI performance and well-aerated thermal chambers; it has that kind of control only an OEM managing its manufacturing line would.

As you can imagine, apps run smoothly on Samsung’s brand-new flagship. The real test is how quickly the system moves even as more files are accumulated in the cache and elsewhere, but that verdict isn’t for now. Regardless, with 12GB of RAM standard on each Galaxy S25 device, that is plenty for watching YouTube and invoking Circle to Search without a hiccup. The Android sphere’s collective action toward bumping up memory allotment on these premium devices has improved the overall user experience and longevity. The Galaxy S25 Ultra is the phone that will enable you to do most of what you would on your computer, but on a sub-7-inch screen, with up to seven years of software support from Samsung.

The Galaxy S25 Ultra’s battery has not significantly changed this time around. It is 5,000 mAh. I’ll have a more definitive number for you on the battery capacity early next week. Our battery test is tedious, but once they all run, we know where each model stands relative to the others. We can assume the Galaxy S25 Ultra will last at least 24 hours, like last year’s Galaxy S24 Ultra.

In addition to gaming and performance, the Galaxy S25 Ultra has been tuned for artificial intelligence, including the Samsung and Google varieties. The Google flavor is all that Gemini can do, like Circle to Search, which debuted on last year’s Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra. The Samsung flavoring is the Personal Data Engine, aggregating information as it learns how you use your device. The Personal Data Engine powers up the Now Brief, which I wrote about to highlight that I’m still figuring out why Samsung decided to hinge all bets on this AI ability. I don’t find it that useful.

Samsung is particularly proud of its cross-app AI capabilities. This means you can long-press the power button to bring up Gemini—a new shortcut on all Samsung phones—and ask it to help you add information or complete a task in a Samsung app rather than a Google one. That’s about it. Specifically, it’s for grabbing visual data from a webpage or text message you’re looking at and registering it as an event in your calendar app of choice. You already saw me try to add Joost Klein tour dates on camera, but that didn’t work. I’ve had more success simply putting it one calendar entry at a time. I tried a few other commands, like launching the camera app hands-free and getting directions to places. But I noticed that the more complicated and off-script my commands are, the less they work.

Smart Select, the popular feature that’s been around since the days of the Galaxy Note, has been rebranded as AI Select on the Galaxy S25 Ultra and the rest of the device family. It’s like Google’s Circle to Search; it will freeze the screen and let you select the part you want to interact with. In most cases, you’ll use this to grab stills of videos or transcribe information from text on an image. Samsung also lets you jump to generative AI features like Drawing Assist, which enables you to add something to the photo, and Generative Edit, which can cut out people you don’t like (from an image, not from your life, sadly). I don’t see this feature as necessary alongside Google’s offerings. The only reason I’d tell you to use AI Select over Circle to Search is that it’s easier to crop a photo of what you’re looking at than the built-in Google version, and you can use it to make a GIF from a YouTube video. Otherwise, AI Select is not a value-add like Samsung wants you to think, at least not compared to phones in the past.

The Samsung Gallery app also wants you to think it’s hot stuff because you can search for images more contextually. Google Photos has done that, too, since last year’s major update. Again, there is no inherent value-add to these features other than Samsung figuring out a way to offer it natively on its software.

There’s at least one area where Samsung has a little bragging right, but even then, it’s another copycat feature from the Pixel devices. I’m talking about Audio Eraser, which works well on the Galaxy S25 Ultra if you’re trying to bump up the voice of a loved one at a picnic on a windy day, for instance. But it is not for eavesdropping. I tried it already.

Samsung’s Android

The Galaxy S25 Ultra runs software called One UI 7 on top of Android 15. Samsung’s interface gets smoother and easier to navigate with every new interaction. I feel less overwhelmed with the aesthetic changes it’s made to the interface over the past year, especially concerning the notification shade. Compared to the dropdown menu on the Pixel launcher, Samsung’s notification shade was busy and cramped with information and shortcuts.

In this latest version of One UI, the notification shade is streamlined into its own panel. This initially annoyed me, as I’ve encountered this interface quirk on other Android devices. But this is easier on the eyes and the heart. I’m not bombarded by notifications when swiping down the shade to access my smart home settings or flipping into Airplane mode. I also feel less distracted checking in on the phone.

Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra Review: Verdict

Should you buy the Galaxy S25 Ultra?

There is no valid reason to upgrade to the Galaxy S25 Ultra if you are already on an Ultra within the last two generations. I won’t be the one to stop you if you have a trade-in, and it’s a fantastic deal. By all means, upgrade yourself to a lighter chassis. But don’t expect incredible gains beyond the incremental.

Samsung’s Galaxy S25 Ultra is a fantastic device—it has to be to help justify its price point. Something extra, like magnetic wireless charging, would have made this generation’s ultimate Samsung smartphone feel more competitive than predictive AI software already available on other phones. At least the phone will last you a long time. Will the AI tricks, too?