Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra: Refinement over revolution
Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra. Picture: Noel Campion.
Samsung’s latest flagship, the Galaxy S25 Ultra, sticks to a familiar formula but introduces a series of refinements, including a sleeker design, an upgraded ultrawide camera, and the powerful Snapdragon 8 Elite for Galaxy chipset. While these updates aren’t revolutionary, they collectively enhance the overall user experience.
The S25 Ultra doesn’t look drastically different from its predecessor. However, subtle design refinements make it feel more polished. Samsung has rounded off the previously sharp corners, making the device more comfortable. The titanium frame is now flat, and the phone is slightly thinner and lighter than before.
Samsung continues to use Corning Gorilla Armor on both the front and back, which promises improved durability. The phone retains IP68 water and dust resistance, but some competitors now offer IP69 certification for even better protection.
One disappointing change is the downgrades to the S Pen, which Samsung claims were features most users do not use. The stylus is still included but has lost its wireless functionality, meaning no more air gestures or remote camera shutter controls.
The 6.9-inch QHD OLED panel is slightly larger than before, achieved by shrinking the bezels. This results in an immersive, near edge-to-edge experience. The display continues to support HDR10+, and brightness levels remain exceptional. While it’s not class-leading in peak brightness, it's still one of the best displays for outdoor visibility. The new anti-reflective coating greatly affects sunlight legibility, reducing glare significantly.
The 120Hz refresh rate is adaptive, thanks to LTPO tech, and can scale down to 1Hz when idle to save battery. It’s silky smooth, making scrolling and animations feel incredibly fluid.
Samsung has equipped the Galaxy S25 Ultra with an exclusive version of Qualcomm’s latest chipset, the Snapdragon 8 Elite for Galaxy. This variant is slightly overclocked compared to the standard Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 Elite.
In benchmarks, the S25 Ultra dominates CPU tasks, making it one of the fastest Android smartphones. However, its performance is on par with other flagships in GPU-heavy tasks.
Day-to-day usage is flawless, with apps opening instantly and no signs of lag. Gaming is smooth even with max graphic settings in the most demanding titles.
Storage options remain at 256GB, 512GB and 1TB, but microSD expansion is still absent.
Samsung and many other brands are working hard to convince us that AI is a significant upgrade to the user experience. While I’m still not entirely convinced at this stage in the development, One UI 7, which runs on Android 15, offers many interesting features. For example, cross-app actions allow interactions between Samsung and Google apps, making multitasking more intuitive. AI Select replaces Smart Select, offering enhanced text and object recognition.
A new feature called Now Brief summarises your daily schedule and even tracks your favourite podcasts and artists. It feels pointless and undercooked but has potential. AI Audio Eraser can mute specific sounds in videos after recording. These AI enhancements make the software feel more intelligent and capable, but they have a long way to go, and it’s still in the early days. For AI to be genuinely useful, it should operate seamlessly in the background, continuously enhancing the user experience without requiring manual activation or input.
Samsung promises seven years of major Android updates, making the S25 Ultra one of the longest-supported Android devices. The same commitment was made for the S24 Ultra, which raises an interesting question: Does Samsung expect users to hold onto their flagship phones for seven years, or is this more about reassuring buyers that their devices will stay relevant for longer? Either way, it’s a welcome commitment for such an expensive device.
The 5,000mAh battery remains unchanged, but improved efficiency from the chipset and display results in better battery life.
Charging speeds remain capped at 45W, and with a third-party charger, I could go from 10% to 100% in under an hour. Wireless charging and reverse wireless charging are still present.
The camera hardware is mostly unchanged from the S24 Ultra. It has a 200MP primary sensor, a 10MP 3x telephoto lens, a 50MP 5x periscope telephoto lens, and a new 50MP ultrawide camera, which replaces last year’s 12MP sensor.
The main camera generally produces sharp, detailed shots with excellent dynamic range. The colours are natural, and the 3x and 5x telephoto shots maintain great detail. The minimum focus distances allow for solid close-ups, making the telephoto lenses more versatile. The new 50MP ultrawide camera, however, is a mixed bag. While it offers higher resolution, it sometimes lacks the sharpness that the previous 12MP sensor provided.
In low-light conditions, Samsung takes a conservative approach. The camera system retains more noise to preserve details, which I prefer to the more common aggressive noise reduction techniques, which result in smeared images that look unnatural — there’s nothing wrong with a little grain. However, it aggressively smooths details in night mode, occasionally leading to an artificial look. Interestingly, the 5x telephoto performs better in low light than the 3x telephoto, which can struggle with graininess.
Video recording remains a strong suit, supporting 8K recording across most lenses except the selfie camera. The main camera delivers excellent 4K footage with great dynamic range. A new 4K 120fps slow-motion option has been introduced, providing more flexibility for content creators.
Selfies from the 12MP front camera are excellent, with great skin tones and accurate autofocus.
The Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra is a refinement rather than a revolution. It improves design, AI software, and battery life but doesn’t dramatically advance features. Some may find the minor upgrades underwhelming, especially the downgraded S Pen functionality and the lack of meaningful camera improvements beyond the ultrawide sensor.
That said, the S25 Ultra remains one of the most complete flagship smartphones on the market. It delivers a polished experience with strong performance, a stunning display, and long-term software support.
from €1,469 samsung.com
