Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra Review: A Galaxy of AI

Samsung Galaxy S25 sequence was unveiled final month as the most recent flagship telephone from the corporate. It was one of the primary main telephone launches in India after the OnePlus 13, and everybody, together with me, was desirous to see what Samsung needed to provide. As it seems, the South Korean large caught to the ‘why repair it if it is not damaged’ ideology, and did not actually convey any main modifications to the telephones. Apart from the same old incremental {hardware} upgrades, the one change was the brand new design of the Galaxy S25 Ultra and the brand new Galaxy AI options.

However, after utilizing the top-of-the-line Galaxy S25 Ultra for a pair of weeks, I consider that it may nonetheless be one of the best all-round flagship Android smartphone of the 12 months, or at the very least a high contender. The telephone begins at Rs. 1,29,999 for the 256GB possibility. Meanwhile, the 512GB and 1TB variants are priced at Rs. 1,41,999 and Rs. 1,65,999. All variants get 12GB of RAM and can be found in a bunch of color choices.

Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra Design: Slimmer and flatter

• Dimensions – 162.8 x 77.6 x 8.2mm
• Weight – 218g IP
• Rating – IP68

One of the primary belongings you’ll discover concerning the new Galaxy S25 Ultra is its flat body and rounded corners. It now contains a uniform design in step with the remaining of the Galaxy S25 sequence. The flat body and rounded corners additionally make the telephone extra snug to carry. While it not has a novel design, it additionally will not poke your palm inside 5 minutes of use.

No extra rounded sides

 

Samsung has used grade 5 titanium for the body, and also you get Gorilla Armor 2 safety on the again. The telephone is now barely slimmer and round 14 grams lighter than the Galaxy S24 Ultra. It continues to be IP68-rated for mud and water resistance. I consider Samsung may’ve finished higher right here, as rivals are on the market providing higher ingress scores, together with OnePlus, which now gives an IP69 ranking on the OnePlus 13.

On the entrance, the Galaxy S25 Ultra continues to supply an anti-reflective coating, which I feel extra telephone producers ought to do. The entrance can be protected by Gorilla Armor 2. The bezels on the display are additionally barely slimmer.

The anti-reflective coating on the display means fewer reflections

 

At the again, the digicam rings now function a special design, and seem like floating. They are considerably extra protruded than earlier than as nicely. The flash is in the identical location because the Galaxy S24 Ultra. Everything else on the again stays the identical as earlier than.

The digicam rings on the Galaxy S25 Ultra are extra pronounced

 

The left body homes the Volume keys and the Power button, whereas the highest homes the speaker grille. You’ll discover the USB Type-C port, second speaker, and SIM card tray on the backside. The backside left nook has the slot for the S Pen, which now lacks Bluetooth help (unhappy face). You can not use the S Pen as a distant digicam shutter or for any air gestures.

The gap for the SIM card tray is now on the other facet

 

The Galaxy S25 Ultra is offered in Titanium Silverblue, Titanium Gray, Titanium Black, and Titanium Whitesilver colors. However, you too can get the telephone in Titanium Jadegreen, Titanium Jetblack, and Titanium Pinkgold color choices if you buy it on-line through the Samsung retailer. Our evaluate unit got here in Silverblue, which will get a touch of blue on the rear panel.

In phrases of design, the Galaxy S25 Ultra is premium throughout.

Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra Display: Gorgeous as all the time

• Size and sort – 6.9-inch Dynamic LTPO AMOLED 2X, QHD+ decision
• Refresh charge – 120Hz
• Protection – Corning Gorilla Armor 2

The show on the Galaxy S25 Ultra just isn’t a significant improve from the predecessor, however that does not imply it is a unhealthy factor. It’s nonetheless one of the best-looking panels on a smartphone, and it is now barely larger at 6.9 inches. The show helps HDR10+, as much as 120Hz adaptive refresh charge, and is protected by Gorilla Armor 2, which is alleged to be harder. In my few weeks of use, the display didn’t decide up any scratches. Samsung continues to supply a non-reflective coating on the show, which is nice when watching content material, nevertheless it additionally signifies that the general brightness of the panel is affected. While I did not have any points utilizing the telephone below direct daylight, it did seem much less brilliant than, say, the Google Pixel 9.

The telephone will get a barely larger 6.9-inch show

 

The Galaxy S25 Ultra gives a 120Hz refresh charge and two modes – Adaptive or Standard. You may also select the color mode of the show between the Vivid and Natural choices. The telephone additionally permits you to regulate the display decision (HD+, full-HD+, and QHD+) as per your liking. There’s Widevine L1 help as nicely, so you may relaxation assured that every one Netflix and streaming content material will play in full-HD decision.

The telephone gives an ultrasonic fingerprint scanner, which works simply in addition to the final one. It’s quick, has virtually a zero error charge, and is positioned in a extremely good place. It additionally works in case your finger is moist.

The ultrasonic fingerprint sensor is great

 

Overall, a superb show, as all the time, and you will love watching content material or enjoying video games on the Galaxy S25 Ultra.

Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra Software: More AI

• OS – Android 15
• UI – One UI 7
• Software help – 7 years

This 12 months’s Galaxy Unpacked occasion for the Galaxy S25 sequence was principally about Galaxy AI. The telephones did not actually get many main updates, however the software program actually did. The Galaxy S25 Ultra runs Android 15-based One UI 7 out of the field and comes with a bunch of new AI options that make the telephone extra helpful. You can learn all concerning the new Galaxy AI options right here.

Apart from new AI options, you get the traditional One UI feel and look, however with a number of enhancements. There’s a cut up notification and Quick Toggles menu now, which works equally to iOS. You can pull down the notifications drawer by swiping down from the left facet of the display, whereas the Quick Toggles present up whenever you swipe down from the correct. However, you may return to the earlier design if this is not to your liking.

The telephone will obtain 7 years of OS and safety updates

 

The telephone additionally comes pre-installed with Google apps and some from Microsoft, however there’s no bloatware. You may also use the S-Pen included contained in the telephone to navigate and carry out varied features. However, the S-Pen not has a battery and subsequently does not help Bluetooth performance, which is a bit disappointing. The pen nonetheless helps scribbling, drawing,m and writing with handwriting recognition, however you may not use it as a distant for the digicam shutter or carry out Air gestures.

The S-Pen not helps Bluetooth and lacks a battery

 

Samsung DeX continues to be out there on the Galaxy S25 Ultra and allows you to join your telephone to a monitor and use it as a desktop laptop.

Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra Performance: Flagship in all sense

• SoC – Snapdragon 8 Elite for Galaxy
• RAM – 12GB LPDDR5X
• Storage – Up to 1TB UFS 4.0

This telephone goes to final you years, and you’ll not see any main slowdown in efficiency even 3-4 years down the road. Yes, it is that highly effective. The 3nm Snapdragon 8 Elite for Galaxy CPU might not ship the identical high-end AnTuTu scores as some of the opposite flagships which might be centered on all-out efficiency (such because the OnePlus 13, iQOO 13, and Realme GT 7 Pro), however all the things is tremendous easy and quick on the telephone. There’s no lag in any way.

The Snapdragon 8 Elite for Galaxy SoC makes certain all the things is operating easy

 

I ran our typical set of artificial benchmarks to see how the telephone carried out, and under are the outcomes. Do be aware that every one of these exams have been finished with the decision set to QHD+.

Benchmark	Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra	iPhone 16 Pro Max	Vivo X200 Pro	Google Pixel 9 Pro XL
Geekbench 6 Single	3,053	3,203	1,577	1,944
Geekbench 6 Multi	9,832	7,846	6,496	4,667
AnTuTu v10	21,23,303	15,87,059	20,80,659	10,67,971
PCMark Work 3.0	19,266	N/A	16,804	12,922
GFXB T-rex	120fps	59fps	120fps	120fps
GFXB Manhattan 3.1	115fps	59.7fps	120fps	105fps
GFXB Car Chase	94fps	59.4fps	99fps	55fps
3DM Slingshot Extreme OpenGL	Failed to run	N/A	Maxed Out	Failed to run
3DM Slingshot	Failed to run	N/A	Maxed Out	Failed to run
3DM Wild Life	Maxed Out	8,942	Maxed Out	8,902
3DM Wild Life Unlimited	23,683	N/A	19,834	9,294

The Galaxy S25 Ultra simply outperforms telephones such because the iPhone 16 Pro Max, Google’s Pixel 9 Pro XL, and even the Vivo X200 Pro.

Gaming on the telephone is extraordinarily enjoyable, particularly due to the big show with slim bezels. The telephone options the Adreno 830 GPU, and it does an important job of delivering a excessive body charge and easy gaming. The machine additionally does not get scorching whereas gaming or utilizing the digicam repeatedly, due to the vapour chamber. I performed prolonged classes of BGMI and Genshin Impact and the Galaxy S25 Ultra solely obtained heat after about half an hour, however by no means scorching sufficient to make issues uncomfortable.

BGMI ran in any respect the best out there settings with none points

 

The Galaxy S25 Ultra contains a hybrid stereo speaker setup that is generally discovered on most telephones. The audio system sound nice and get fairly loud. There’s additionally a bit of bass with no cracking at increased volumes. It’s a strong pair of audio system. The earphone and microphone high quality throughout calls was additionally fairly good. I additionally did not face any community points, together with when utilizing Wi-Fi. The telephone gives Wi-Fi 7 help, Bluetooth 5.4, and NFC.

Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra Cameras: Solid cameras with some upgrades

• Main rear – 200-megapixel, f/1.7, PDAF, OIS
• Ultrawide – 50-megapixel, f/1.9, PDAF, 120 diploma FoV
• Telephoto 3x – 10-megapixel, f/2.4, PDAF
• Telephoto 5x – 50-megapixel, f/3.4, PDAF, OIS
• Selfie – 12-megapixel, f/2.2

The digicam setup on the Galaxy S25 Ultra is essentially the identical because the Galaxy S24 Ultra, which was the identical because the Galaxy S23 Ultra, and so forth. However, there’s now a brand new 50-megapixel ultrawide digicam. The selfie digicam can be the identical because the predecessor. The digicam app has been redesigned in One UI 7, with the totally different digicam modes now positioned beneath the shutter button.

The telephone will get a brand new 50-megapixel ultrawide sensor

 

Photo high quality from the principle digicam is great in daylight situations. There’s a lot of element within the pictures, and you will find the white steadiness to be on level in most conditions. The dynamic vary is great as nicely,l and colors are very true to life with little to no over-saturation. Photos seem like higher than the earlier Galaxy S24 sequence, and this could possibly be as a result of of the brand new ISP within the Snapdragon 8 Elite chipset. Samsung additionally claims that they’ve made some modifications to the post-processing algorithms.

Daylight photographs shot utilizing the 200-megapixel foremost rear digicam [Tap to expand]

 

The telephoto cameras produce good outcomes when there’s a lot of gentle, however I discovered the 5x to do higher with close-up photographs. Nevertheless, each the 3x and 5x cameras ship good photographs with correct colors and nice dynamic vary.

3x Telephoto (Top 2), 5x Telephoto (Bottom 2) [Tap to expand]

Portrait photographs with the cameras additionally end up nice, with good edge detection and never an excessive amount of bokeh. 

You may also shoot photographs at 10x, 30x, and all the best way as much as 100x. The noise ranges enhance as you go increased up the zoom vary. While the 10x and 30x are considerably usable, the 100x is not. Meanwhile, Samsung nonetheless does the AI enhancement whenever you zoom in on the Moon.

Top to backside: 2 x 10x photographs, 2 x 30x photographs, 2 x 100x photographs [Tap to expand]

 

The new ultrawide digicam can be fairly good in daylight situations, and the color matches the pictures from the principle sensor. The photographs have good publicity,a large dynamic vary, and there is virtually no edge warping.

Ultrawide photographs: Top – Daylight x 2, Bottom – Lowlight x 2 [Tap to expand]

 

Selfies are nice, and there is nothing to complain about right here. You get detailed photographs with excellent dynamic vary, virtually pure pores and skin tones, and good white steadiness. The digicam does help autofocus, which helps ship sharper pictures in all lighting situations.

In low gentle situations, the principle digicam continues to take good photographs, however you may discover some noise should you zoom in. The colors are good, although, and the exposures are well-maintained. The devoted Night mode does make issues somewhat higher, however the distinction is principally within the sharpness.

Lowlight photographs from the principle rear digicam [Tap to expand]

 

The photographs from the 3x and 5x telephoto cameras usually are not one of the best at evening, even with the Night mode. There’s a loss of focus, further sharpening, and pictures have rather a lot of softening occurring. However, I did discover the cameras to supply good color output. Again, the 5x sensor does a greater job in some way, with barely extra element and higher dynamic vary.

The ultrawide digicam delivers pictures which have good colors and respectable particulars. The white steadiness and dynamic vary usually are not too unhealthy. I did discover them to be on the softer facet in comparison with the principle digicam, although.

Video efficiency on the Galaxy S25 Ultra is basically good throughout all of the sensors when the lighting is sweet. All cameras have the flexibility to document at 4K 60fps, which is sweet. You may also shoot at 8K 30fps on the principle, ultrawide, and 5x telephoto cameras. All cameras additionally help video stabilisation, however the principle and 5x cameras deal with the bumps one of the best. The colors, particulars, and dynamic vary are wonderful from the principle digicam. The telephoto cameras aren’t nearly as good as the principle sensor, and so is the ultrawide. However, movies from all cameras, shot in daylight situations, are very usable.

In low gentle situations, the principle digicam nonetheless does a extremely good job. The movies are detailed, the colors aren’t overdone, and the exposures are well-handled. There is a few noise within the shadows, although, however nothing unhealthy. The telephoto and ultrawide cameras additionally do a effective job at midnight, supplied there’s good lighting.

Samsung has additionally launched LOG recording on the Galaxy S25 Ultra, and also you get improved 10-bit HDR video recording. There’s additionally an Audio Eraser function that is out there within the Gallery app, which very a lot jogged my memory of the Audio Eraser that was introduced by Google with the Pixel 8 sequence. In testing, the function did an excellent job of eradicating noise.

Overall, the Galaxy S25 Ultra has a extremely good digicam setup, I would not name it one of the best available in the market, nevertheless it delivers constant efficiency throughout all of the sensors.

Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra Battery: No upgrades right here

• Capacity – 5,000mAh
• Charging – 45W wired, 25W wi-fi

Samsung went with the identical 5,000mAh battery that was discovered on the Galaxy S24 Ultra, nonetheless, that is not likely a nasty factor. The telephone nonetheless gives good battery life. In our HD video loop check, the telephone lasted for 27 hours and 34 minutes with the brightness at 50 p.c, decision set to QHD+, and refresh charge set to Adaptive. I additionally ran the PCMark Work 3.0 Battery check on the telephone. It delivered a runtime of 14 hours and 9 minutes earlier than the battery hit 20 p.c.

The telephone helps as much as 45W quick charging

 

As for charging, the telephone helps the identical 45W quick charging as earlier than. Using a 30W charger, the telephone hit 52 p.c from 0 in half-hour. A full cost took about 1 hour and 10 minutes. However, you should use a higher-wattage charger and cut back the cost time.

With day by day utilization, the Galaxy S25 Ultra would simply final me a day and a half and even longer. Under heavy utilization, I’d nonetheless finish the day with 15 to twenty p.c battery. The telephone additionally helps 25W wi-fi charging with Qi 2.1 help.

Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra Verdict

The Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra is a extremely good all-rounder Android flagship that you should purchase should you’re coming from a Galaxy S22 Ultra or an older iPhone. If you are somebody with an S23 or S24 Ultra, I’d say it’s best to maintain on a bit longer. The telephone delivers wonderful efficiency, gives a stupendous show, a flexible set of cameras, a greater design, and a few usable AI options. It may positively be a contender for one of the best smartphone of the 12 months. And no, the brand new Galaxy AI options aren’t sufficient to justify an improve.

In phrases of options, you could possibly take a look at the OnePlus 13 (Review), iQOO 13 (Review), the Vivo X200 Pro (Review), Oppo Find X8 Pro (Review), or the Pixel 9 Pro XL (Review) from the Android steady. You’ll get higher efficiency and total worth from most of these telephones, besides the Google Pixel. The Vivo can be a greater digicam telephone. All of these telephones are additionally cheaper. On the Apple facet, there’s the iPhone 16 Pro Max (Review), which can provide roughly the identical efficiency throughout the system and cameras. You may additionally get your self a Galaxy S24 Ultra, which can now be cheaper.