Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra, S25+ and S25 hands-on review

Introduction and specs

It's that time of the year again, time for the new Galaxy S series. The new Galaxy S25 lineup is now more powerful and smarter than ever. Still, it's hard not to admit that the hardware upgrades are few and far between. For the last two generations, Samsung has focused its efforts on improving the software experience and developing the AI capabilities.

In a way, Samsung is trying to mitigate the lack of hardware innovation and upgrades with software smarts. That includes the camera processing. Samsung's Galaxy S25 series is now leveraging the Snapdragon 8 Elite's improved ISP and promises noticeable improvements in camera quality, especially in video recording. Except for the Ultra, that is.

The new Galaxy S25 Ultra now features an upgraded 50MP ultrawide camera capable of 8K recording and improved image quality. That's the only camera change across all three phones this year.

Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra specs at a glance:

• Body: 162.8x77.6x8.2mm, 218g; Glass front (Gorilla Glass Armor 2), glass back (Gorilla Glass Armor 2), titanium frame; IP68 dust/water resistant (up to 1.5m for 30 min), Stylus (Bluetooth integration, accelerometer, gyro).
• Display: 6.90" Dynamic AMOLED 2X, 120Hz, HDR10+, 2600 nits (peak), 1440x3088px resolution; Always-on display.
• Chipset: Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite for Galaxy (3 nm): Octa-core (2x4.47 GHz Oryon V2 Phoenix L + 6x3.53 GHz Oryon V2 Phoenix M); Adreno 750 (1 GHz); Adreno 830.
• Memory: 256GB 12GB RAM, 512GB 12GB RAM, 1TB 12GB RAM.
• OS/Software: Android 15, One UI 7.0.
• Rear camera: Wide (main): 200 MP, f/1.7, 23mm, 1/1.3", 0.6µm, multi-directional PDAF, Laser AF, OIS; Telephoto: 50 MP, f/3.4, 115mm, 1/2.6", PDAF, OIS, 5x optical zoom; Telephoto: 10 MP, f/2.4, 69mm, 1/3.52", 1.12µm, Dual Pixel PDAF, OIS, 3x optical zoom; Ultra wide angle: 50 MP, f/1.9, 13mm, Dual Pixel PDAF, Super Steady video.
• Front camera: 12 MP, f/2.2, 26mm (wide), Dual Pixel PDAF.
• Video capture: Rear camera: 8K@30fps, 4K@30/60/120fps, 1080p@30/60/240fps, 1080p@960fps, HDR10+, stereo sound rec., gyro-EIS; Front camera: 4K@30/60fps, 1080p@30fps.
• Battery: 5000mAh; 45W wired charging, PD3.0, 65% in 30 min (advertised), 15W wireless, 4.5W reverse wireless charging.
• Connectivity: 5G; eSIM; Dual SIM; Wi-Fi 7; BT 5.3; NFC.
• Misc: Fingerprint reader (under-display, ultrasonic); stereo speakers; Samsung DeX, Samsung Wireless DeX (desktop experience support), Ultra Wideband (UWB) support.

There are some welcome design changes as well. All three phones are now thinner and lighter. The S25 Ultra also gets thinner bezels and is now built around a slightly bigger 6.9-inch display without enlarging the footprint.

Samsung Galaxy S25+ specs at a glance:

• Body: 158.4x75.8.8x7.3mm, 190g; Glass front (Gorilla Glass Victus 2), glass back (Gorilla Glass Victus 2), aluminum frame; IP68 dust/water resistant (up to 1.5m for 30 min), Armor aluminum 2 frame with tougher drop and scratch resistance (advertised).
• Display: 6.70" Dynamic AMOLED 2X, 120Hz, HDR10+, 2600 nits (peak), 1440x3088px resolution, 19.3:9 aspect ratio, 509ppi; Always-on display.
• Chipset: Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite for Galaxy (3 nm): Octa-core (2x4.47 GHz Oryon V2 Phoenix L + 6x3.53 GHz Oryon V2 Phoenix M); Adreno 750 (1 GHz); Adreno 830.
• Memory: 256GB 12GB RAM, 512GB 12GB RAM.
• OS/Software: Android 15, One UI 7.0.
• Rear camera: Wide (main): 50 MP, f/1.8, 24mm, 1/1.56", 1.0µm, Dual Pixel PDAF, OIS; Telephoto: 10 MP, f/2.4, 70mm, 1/3.94", 1.0µm, PDAF, OIS, 3x optical zoom; Ultra wide angle: 12 MP, f/2.2, 13mm, 120˚, 1/2.55" 1.4µm, Super Steady video.
• Front camera: 12 MP, f/2.2, 26mm (wide), Dual Pixel PDAF.
• Video capture: Rear camera: 8K@24/30fps, 4K@30/60/120fps, 1080p@30/60/240fps, 1080p@960fps, HDR10+, stereo sound rec., gyro-EIS; Front camera: 4K@30/60fps, 1080p@30fps.
• Battery: 4900mAh; 45W wired charging, PD3.0, 65% in 30 min (advertised), 15W wireless, 4.5W reverse wireless charging.
• Connectivity: 5G; eSIM; Dual SIM; Wi-Fi 7; BT 5.4; NFC.
• Misc: Fingerprint reader (under display, ultrasonic); stereo speakers; Samsung DeX, Samsung Wireless DeX (desktop experience support).

Perhaps the biggest hardware upgrade with the Galaxy S25/S25+ is the new chipset. We are no longer getting Exynos models. And the Snapdragon 8 Elite for Galaxy substantially improves performance and efficiency compared to its predecessor, the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 for Galaxy. The overclocked chip offers the biggest generational improvement in a long time.

In any case, Samsung would want you to focus on the new software smarts. The new One UI 7.0 overlay based on Android 15 is now equipped with better AI capabilities and brand-new features too. The AI assistant is touted as much more personalized and actionable.

Samsung Galaxy S25 specs at a glance:

• Body: 146.9x70.5x7.2mm, 162g; Glass front (Gorilla Glass Victus 2), glass back (Gorilla Glass Victus 2), aluminum frame; IP68 dust/water resistant (up to 1.5m for 30 min), Armor Aluminum 2 frame with tougher drop and scratch resistance (advertised).
• Display: 6.20" Dynamic LTPO AMOLED 2X, 120Hz, HDR10+, 2600 nits (peak), 1080x2340px resolution, 19.5:9 aspect ratio, 416ppi; Always-on display.
• Chipset: Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite for Galaxy (3 nm): Octa-core (2x4.47 GHz Oryon V2 Phoenix L + 6x3.53 GHz Oryon V2 Phoenix M); Adreno 750 (1 GHz); Adreno 830.
• Memory: 128GB 12GB RAM, 256GB 12GB RAM, 512GB 12GB RAM.
• OS/Software: Android 15, One UI 7.0.
• Rear camera: Wide (main): 50 MP, f/1.8, 24mm, 1/1.56", 1.0µm, Dual Pixel PDAF, OIS; Telephoto: 10 MP, f/2.4, 70mm, 1/3.94", 1.0µm, PDAF, OIS, 3x optical zoom; Ultra wide angle: 12 MP, f/2.2, 13mm, 120˚, 1/2.55" 1.4µm, Super Steady video.
• Front camera: 12 MP, f/2.2, 26mm (wide), Dual Pixel PDAF.
• Video capture: Rear camera: 8K@24/30fps, 4K@30/60fps, 1080p@30/60/240fps, 1080p@960fps, HDR10+, stereo sound rec., gyro-EIS; Front camera: 4K@30/60fps, 1080p@30fps.
• Battery: 4000mAh; 25W wired charging, PD3.0, 50% in 30 min (advertised), 15W wireless, 4.5W reverse wireless charging.
• Connectivity: 5G; eSIM; Dual SIM; Wi-Fi 7; BT 5.4; NFC.
• Misc: Fingerprint reader (under display, ultrasonic); stereo speakers; Samsung DeX, Samsung Wireless DeX (desktop experience support).

Some non-AI smart features and redesigns are also at hand, making your everyday software experience a tad more convenient and personalized. But more on that later.

With the meat and potatoes out of the way, let's get into the nitty and gritty.