Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra: 3 wins and 3 misses

Contrary to the hype, the S25 Ultra hasn’t received as warm a welcome. If you’re on the fence about buying this new release, this guide highlights a few of the phone’s highs and lows to make the purchase decision easier.

6

Miss: The S Pen is a downgrade

You read that right — it’s worse than last year

Support for the S Pen is a distinguishing factor between the regular S25 and S25 Ultra. This functionality dates back nearly a decade and a half, debuting with the first Samsung Galaxy Note. The Note series took its last breath in 2020, replaced by the highest-end S-tier smartphone. You can do a lot with the S Pen, including note-taking or out-doodling everyone on your Snapchat friend list.

The S Pen slides into your phone when not in use and is at full battery when it’s summoned. The stylus has had Bluetooth connectivity with its host device for some time, allowing you to perform party tricks like capturing remote selfies. You can no longer do that with the latest Galaxy S25 Ultra because its S Pen lacks Bluetooth support. This puzzling change hasn’t sat well with most prospective buyers. Nobody likes the idea of losing features with a new generation of a product.

This also affects Air Commands, which have been an iconic part of the Galaxy Note and S Ultra experience. Samsung claims to have removed this functionality due to a lack of user engagement. At $1,300, I feel Samsung shouldn’t be pinching pennies for a phone branded as “Ultra.”

5

Win: A proven design

It’s as recognizable as ever

The Galaxy S25 series looks identical to the phones before it, which largely recycled the same design from the S22 lineup. I might be in the minority who likes this persistence. The iPhones have the stove top camera layout, and the Pixels house their sensors in a camera visor. The Galaxy S25 Ultra may look bland, but it has built an identity over the years.

The new flagship retains the flat display, which now measures a bigger 6.9 inches, thanks to the slimming of the bezels all around. The QHD+ Dynamic AMOLED 2X display has the same anti-reflective coating as its predecessor. It’s an addition that users loved. You also get Corning’s newer Gorilla Glass Armor 2 protection on the front and the back.

Apart from the slightly narrower build and the camera rings at the rear, you’d be hard-pressed to differentiate the S25 Ultra from its predecessor, at least until you hold it. With flat edges and rounded corners, some may find the Galaxy S25 Ultra uncomfortable to hold. This should not be a dealbreaker because most people use their phones with a case.

4

Miss: Still a 5,000 mAh battery

Surely, Samsung can pack in a bigger cell

The Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra reigned supreme when it came to battery endurance. For the fifth year, Samsung’s best phone packs in the same capacity. Although the processor’s efficiency and the software’s optimization play a vital role in extending battery life, a bump in raw capacity wouldn’t have hurt.

The competition has caught up with Samsung and, in some cases, has surpassed the S25 Ultra. The OnePlus 13 exceeded our expectations with its mammoth 6,000mAh battery. Not only does it survive the day with heavy use, but its support for fast charging up to 100W means it won’t stay plugged in for too long. The S25 Ultra’s 45W charging seems almost ancient by comparison. Also, the OnePlus 13 theoretically charges at faster speeds wirelessly than the S25 Ultra does while plugged in.

It could be that Samsung is playing it safe after the Note 7 fiasco, or perhaps the company is cutting costs again. Or are the tech giants afraid that people who have tasted multi-day battery life on smartphones will never again settle for less? Jokes aside, the S25 Ultra could continue the legacy of being a battery king, though only time and a long-term review will tell.

3

Win: The Snapdragon 8 Elite is powerful

Elite for the Ultra

The spec sheet of last year’s Ultra and this year’s flagship are nearly identical. You get the same display technology, 12GB of RAM, and 256GB, 512GB, or 1TB storage sizes. This makes the decision harder for those torn between picking up the S24 Ultra at a discounted price or biting the bullet to grab the latest and greatest.

The Galaxy S25 Ultra gets the new and improved Snapdragon 8 Elite SoC, which boasts metrics such as a 37% faster CPU, 30% improved GPU performance, and 40% faster AI processing through the NPU, according to Samsung.

If you enjoy graphically demanding titles like Genshin Impact or Alien Isolation, this upgrade could be worth the extra money. A newer chipset means the Galaxy S25 Ultra handles daily use gracefully and doesn’t struggle to churn out the occasional intensive tasks like video editing.

2

Miss: Identical camera setup

Same-sung

We’ve gone over the striking resemblance of the camera housing in the previous four Galaxy S Ultra devices and how this aesthetic choice doesn’t affect me. Packing in barely any hardware upgrades for the cameras is disappointing.

The Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra features the same 200MP main sensor as the S24 Ultra and S23 Ultra flagships from previous years. The 1/1.3-inch sensor is smaller than the 1-inch sensors we’ve seen in phones by Xiaomi and Vivo. The benefits of a larger sensor include better low-light performance, a shallower depth of field, and a higher dynamic range.

The 10MP 3x telephoto and 50MP 5x periscope sensors remain unchanged. The Galaxy S25 Ultra sees an improvement in its ultrawide capabilities, with a 50MP f/1.9 sensor replacing the 12MP f/2.2 lens from last year. While upgrades to image processing bring improvements year after year, I’d love to see Samsung pushing things to the extreme with innovative camera hardware for its most expensive flagship.

1

Win: One UI keeps improving

The power of AI in the palm of your hands

After receiving universal hatred for its TouchWiz interface, Samsung’s comeback with One UI should be studied. There’s less bloatware, more meaningful features, and no over-the-top UX elements (though the droplet sound effects are missed). A Samsung Galaxy smartphone now feels mature but is also accommodating to people who love customization options.

The Now Bar is Samsung’s version of Dynamic Island. Only time will tell if third-party developers update their apps to make use of this feature. There are a few controversial changes, like removing the quick settings from the notifications area. Swiping horizontally to jump between these panels is reminiscent of custom ROMs from the Android Jelly Bean era.

One UI 7 on the Galaxy S25 Ultra is packed with AI galore. Pressing and holding the power button triggers the Gemini Live assistant. Galaxy AI allows apps to interact with one another, allowing you to perform compounding tasks on your phone. Now, Brief displays summaries about the weather for the day, upcoming events on your calendar, and your health score if you have a compatible Galaxy wearable device connected. The simple yet effective Circle to Search functionality is a favorite, and it now recognizes songs.

Galaxy S25 Ultra — to buy or not to buy?

Planning an upgrade from the Galaxy S24 Ultra wouldn’t have been a smart move, even if the S25 Ultra brought about notable improvements. If you own an older device, there might not be as many incentives to pay the premium for the Galaxy S25 Ultra when you can save a considerable amount to get nearly the same phone.

If the slightly worse S Pen doesn’t bother you, the Galaxy S25 Ultra, with the latest from Snapdragon, is poised to set the standard for all smartphones slated for release this year.