The Galaxy S25 Ultra smartphone is definitely one of the most anticipated flagship models of this year, as the Ultra series itself has long been associated with the best that Samsung has to offer. Especially since the previous generation turned out to be quite successful, sales S24 Ultra surpassed its predecessor, and for the Galaxy S25 Ultra, the manufacturer needed to come up with new advantages that could push users to upgrade. Like last year, Samsung relied on AI, but already in collaboration with Google, and also seemed to focus on a characteristic that is not entirely obvious for modern flagships - on comfort during use. What came of it, I will tell you in detail in this review.
Specifications
| Dimensions and weight | 162.8 x 77.6 x 8.2 mm, 218 grams |
| RAM and storage | 12/256GB, 12/512GB, 12GB/1TB |
| Processor | Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite for Galaxy |
| Graphics processor | Adreno 830 |
| Wireless modules | Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 5.4, UWB, NFC |
| Displays | 6.9-inch Dynamic LPTO AMOLED 2X Resolution: 3120x1440 pixels Refresh rate: 1-120 Hz S Pen support |
| Main cameras | 200 MP wide-angle, 1/1.3 inch, f/1.7, laser autofocus, optical stabilization; 50 MP periscopic telephoto, f/3.4, PDAF, optical stabilization, 5x zoom; 10 MP telephoto, 1/3.52 inch, f/2.4, PDAF, optical stabilization, 3x zoom; 50 MP ultra-wide-angle, f/1.9, 120˚, PDAF, electronic stabilization. |
| Front camera | 12 MP, ƒ/2.2 |
| Audio | Stereo speakers |
| Battery | 5000 mAh |
| Exercise | Wired up to 45W, wireless up to 15W, reversible up to 4.5W |
| Connectors | USB Type-C 3.2 |
| Operating system | Android 15, One UI 7 |
| Recommended price in Ukraine | 12/256 GB – 63,999 UAH; 12/512 GB – 67,999 UAH; 12 GB/1TB – 75,999 UAH. |
Package contents
In terms of the delivery package, nothing has changed; Samsung traditionally only includes documentation, a Type-C charging cable, and a clip for the SIM card tray in the box.
Design, materials and usability
The changes in the design of the Galaxy S25 Ultra can be called cosmetic, but in light of the fact that monoblock smartphones are increasingly difficult to develop, I would even say that the model has been updated quite noticeably externally. Samsung changed the shape of the case, replacing rounded edges and sharp corners with sharper edges and rounder corners. As for me, in terms of convenience, the smartphone has only benefited from this, it is more comfortable to hold in your hand, especially if you literally do not let go of the device during the day.
At the same time, the new silhouette of the Galaxy S25 Ultra easily distinguishes it from the previous generation even from the front, so changing the shape of the case was beneficial not only in terms of convenience, but also in terms of recognition.
The bezels around the screen in the Galaxy S25 Ultra have become thinner, which allowed the 6.9-inch screen to fit into a slightly smaller body. It has almost the same height, has become slightly smaller in width and thinner, at least in terms of specifications.
Samsung notes that the new model is 8.2 mm thick, while last year's S24 Ultra is 8.6 mm.
The difference is not very big and visually not very noticeable, even more so, because of the rounded side edges, the predecessor seems thinner. It is clear that Samsung wanted to bring the Ultra's design closer to other models of the S25 series, but the rounded edges could have been left, they really create the illusion of a thinner body.
And if the bezels around the display and the dimensions of the case were reduced, then Samsung decided that something needed to be increased in return. And they made the frame of the main camera lenses larger. In the S24 Ultra it was super minimal - it was just a thin metal ring, in the S25 Ultra the designers added an additional metal attachment to it, which does not completely fit the case.
On the one hand, this approach really highlights the lenses better, but on the other hand, the design itself is perfect for dust to get under it. However, this will most likely not be a problem if you carry the smartphone in a case.
Another important change in the Galaxy S25 Ultra case is the weight, which has decreased to 218 grams compared to 232 grams in the S24 Ultra . It seems like a small difference, but it is still quite noticeable. Against the background of the updated design, which makes it more comfortable to hold the smartphone in your hand, the lower weight also adds comfort during use.
The materials in the Galaxy S25 Ultra are apparently unchanged, but there are some innovations here too. Samsung has used a stronger grade 5 titanium for the frame of the smartphone, and the front is protected by the new Corning Gorilla Armor 2 glass, which promises better protection against scratches and impacts. However, it is worth remembering that it is still glass, and it can be damaged.
The ergonomics of the Galaxy S25 Ultra, in my opinion, have improved, thanks to the smaller frames the smartphone has become narrower, so it fits better in the hand and people with smaller hands should find it more comfortable to use. The power button and volume control are traditionally located on the right edge and also do not cause any problems during use.
On the bottom edge you can find the S Pen, I will tell you more about it below, a fast USB Type-C port (USB 3.2 Gen 1) for charging and data transfer, as well as a SIM card tray.
An interesting detail: Samsung finally changed the location of the hole for opening the tray; in the S24 Ultra and previous models, it was next to the microphone hole, which could cause people to accidentally insert a paperclip into the wrong hole.
I don't know how big the risk of damaging the microphone was in this way, as if there was basic protection against such an error, but it could still cause unnecessary worries for users, so Samsung did the right thing by changing the location of the hole. But what hasn't changed is the protection against water and dust, it's still IP68, like in previous generations.
The speakers in the Galaxy S25 Ultra have become noticeably louder, with both volume and hints of bass, although, of course, the treble dominates the most. The increase in volume came as a surprise, because the smartphone's body has become thinner, and it seemed that there was no room left for improving the speakers.
The fingerprint scanner in the Galaxy S25 Ultra is also located under the display glass; Samsung uses the second generation of an ultrasonic fingerprint sensor from Qualcomm, which allows you to unlock the smartphone very quickly.
In this section, I mentioned several times that using the Galaxy S25 Ultra has become more comfortable. Samsung did the right thing by focusing not only on design, but also on making the case of the new product more comfortable. It is a little smaller, a little lighter, and fits a little better in the hand. In general, these are small changes, but they have a tangible effect. The S25 Ultra is probably one of the best “big” Samsung flagships in terms of ergonomics.
Display and S Pen
The characteristics of the 6.9-inch Galaxy S25 Ultra display have remained unchanged, it is still a Dynamic LTPO AMOLED 2X panel with a resolution of 3120x1440 pixels, an aspect ratio of 19.5:9, a refresh rate of 1 to 120 Hz and a peak brightness of 2600 nits. However, the smartphone now uses ProScaler technology, which allows you to get a clearer picture at a lower screen resolution. If earlier, the maximum picture clarity could be obtained only by selecting the QHD+ display resolution in the settings, now at FHD+ it does not differ much in quality. At the same time, you get, albeit minimal, but still battery savings.
The ProScaler technology itself is similar to the one used in Samsung TVs to improve image quality when video is at a lower resolution. Machine learning automatically recognizes objects and adds more detail to them. On a smaller smartphone screen, this proves to be even more effective.
Last year, Samsung first introduced a new anti-glare coating on the Galaxy S24 Ultra, which dramatically improved the use of the display in bright sunlight or under artificial light sources. After that, it was really difficult to switch to other smartphones, because their screens seemed almost like a mirror. However, even at the start of sales of the S24 Ultra, users noticed that the anti-glare coating also affected the color reproduction, so even with the “Saturated Colors” option, they were dimmer. Later, Samsung managed to fix this somewhat with a firmware update, but for the Galaxy S25 Ultra, they decided to change the anti-glare coating.
I can't say that it has become worse, the display also reduces glare and makes it more comfortable to read information from it in bright light. However, the degree of screen tinting has become smaller and this has improved the color reproduction, they seem more saturated.
Another notable change in the Galaxy S25 Ultra concerns the S Pen, its main characteristics have not changed in general, it also uses a Wacom chip with the ability to determine the pen coordinates up to 480 cycles per second, an input delay of only 2.8 ms and recognition of 4096 levels of pressure. However, Samsung decided to remove Bluetooth support from the S Pen, which removed the ability to remotely control the pen, for example, the camera or presentations in PowerPoint. The company notes that less than 1% of users used these features.
I can't confirm or deny this, but I've never actively used the S Pen remote control myself, so I see more advantages than disadvantages. In particular, because the Bluetooth pen had to be recharged, and for this there had to be additional components in the case that took up space. So if the company even conducted a survey, I would vote for a thinner case than for the ability to control the camera with the S Pen.
Platform and performance
As you might expect, the Galaxy S25 Ultra is fast in all tasks. This is thanks to the new Qualcomm platform with the Snapdragon 8 Elite processor and Adreno 830 graphics. This version of the chip marked "for Galaxy" has slightly higher frequencies. The smartphone also received 12 GB of RAM in all versions and fast UFS 4.0 storage of 256, 512 GB or 1 TB.
Wireless modules in the Galaxy S25 Ultra are represented by the latest Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 5.4, UWB (not yet available in Ukraine), and NFC. In addition, there is support for GPS, BDS, GALILEO, and QZSS global positioning systems.
Samsung continues to work on its own ecosystem of products, so when it comes to wireless modules, it's worth mentioning that all of the company's devices, such as smartwatches and headphones, are very easy to connect to each other. So, for example, it's very easy to listen to music on the Galaxy Buds3 Pro with the S25 Ultra on the way to the gym, and once there, you can quickly switch to listening to music on the Galaxy Watch Ultra so you don't have to carry your smartphone with you.
Returning to performance, the Snapdragon 8 Elite has already earned itself the reputation of a very successful processor from Qualcomm, and indeed in synthetic tests it shows a good increase in speed compared to last year's flagship Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 chip. In the Geekbench 6 test, the new processor scores almost 1000 points more in single-threaded mode and over 3000 points in multi-threaded mode than the previous version. This is a very significant performance increase.
The integrated graphics also show a fairly strong increase in speed, in the well-known 3DMark Wild Life Extreme test the smartphone scores 5752 points against 4694 points in the S24 Ultra. But most importantly, for the first time for a Samsung device, the Galaxy S25 Ultra passes this demanding test with an average frame rate above 30.
Samsung says they've managed to increase the evaporation chamber to dissipate heat from the processor, so it was interesting to see how the smartphone performs under long-term stress. To do this, I used the Wild Life Extreme Stress Test, in which the Galaxy S25 Ultra showed stability at almost 53%.
This is actually a fairly typical indicator for flagship smartphones that use top-end processors. Much more important is the level of performance in the last rounds of the test, because it shows how fast the smartphone will work if you play for more than 20 minutes. In this regard, the Galaxy S25 Ultra shows higher results than its predecessor, and also heats up a little less. So we can say that the cooling system has really become better.
Cameras
Most of the main cameras in the Galaxy S25 Ultra have not changed, but the smartphone has received a new ultra-wide-angle camera, so the set of modules now looks like this:
- 200-megapixel wide-angle camera with a 1/1.3-inch sensor, 24 mm focal length, f/1.7 aperture, laser autofocus and optical stabilization;
- 50-megapixel periscopic telephoto camera with a focal length of 115 mm, f/3.4 aperture, phase detection autofocus, optical stabilization and 5x zoom;
- 10-megapixel telephoto camera with a 1/3.52-inch sensor, 69mm focal length, f/2.4 aperture, phase detection autofocus, optical stabilization, and 3x zoom;
- 50-megapixel ultra-wide-angle with f/1.9 aperture, 120˚ viewing angle, phase detection autofocus and electronic stabilization.
The new module has somewhat expanded the shooting capabilities, but in addition to it, the smartphone has also received some interesting software updates. But I'll start with the quality of the images.
The main 200-megapixel camera uses Pixel Binning technology to combine pixels, so it takes 12-megapixel photos by default. The relatively large sensor and f/1.7 aperture allow it to take high-quality photos with a wide dynamic range during the day. Compared to the previous generation, there are not many changes here, Samsung has slightly changed the color rendering, they have become closer to natural, and also slightly improved the detail. When the amount of light decreases, a little more noise appears in the photo, but the quality of the photos is still at a very good level.
It is also worth noting that the 200-megapixel camera works in 2x mode, simulating optical zoom thanks to the crop.
The 50-megapixel periscope telephoto camera, which was updated last year, takes photos with a zoom range of 5x to 100x, and it's essentially the most versatile sensor in the Galaxy S25 Ultra. It allows you to take generally high-quality photos from 5x to 30x, capturing enough detail. At even greater zoom, the smartphone is already trying to guess the details and fill them in, so at 100x zoom you get more of what objects and people might look like in the distance than the actual picture. But it's still impressive, as is the fact that despite the relatively small f/3.4 aperture, this camera does a pretty good job at night photography.
The 10-megapixel telephoto camera is the oldest module in the Galaxy S25 Ultra, but it still does its job well, allowing you to take photos with 3x optical zoom. Samsung could try replacing it with a crop from a 200-megapixel sensor, but in bright light the f/2.4 aperture often gives better sharpness, and at night the post-processing algorithms come to the fore anyway.
Finally, we have an all-new 50MP ultra-wide-angle sensor that makes landscape photography a lot more enjoyable. The f/1.9 aperture is larger than the previous 12MP sensor on the S24 Ultra, letting in more light, which is also important for nighttime photography, and allowing for better photos with a wider dynamic range.
The front camera in the Galaxy S25 Ultra has not changed, it is a 12-megapixel module with an f/2.2 aperture and phase detection autofocus, which is enough for selfies.
Big changes also apply to video recording, Samsung has slightly improved recording in 4 K 60 fps, in this mode you can switch between all modules, but now the smartphone also supports switching between three cameras when recording 8 K 30 fps. In the previous generation, you could separately record 8K videos either on the main 200-megapixel or on the 50-megapixel telephoto camera. Now they have been joined by a 50-megapixel ultra-wide-angle sensor. And for more professional shooting, the Galaxy S25 Ultra now supports the LOG format, when the camera shoots in a flat profile to preserve the greatest amount of detail and the widest dynamic range. Such videos then require color correction, but have higher quality and allow videographers to create videos in their own color style or with a certain mood. LOG can also be recorded in resolutions up to 8 K.
Overall, we have an evolutionary development of the camera system in the Galaxy S25 Ultra, the smartphone provides good photo and video quality, very wide shooting capabilities, but at the same time its cameras do not occupy half of the body, and it remains convenient for everyday use.
One UI 7 and AI capabilities
Along with the Galaxy S25 Ultra, Samsung introduced the new One UI 7 interface, which is based on the Android 15 operating system. In addition to a refreshed design with redesigned icons and a new quick settings panel, it also received deep integration with Google 's Gemini chatbot, making the S25 Ultra one of the first smartphones on the market that can act as an AI agent.
That is, in addition to the ability to answer questions or generate text, Gemini has access to some applications on the Galaxy S25 Ultra, it can search for information in Google Maps, create reminders in Samsung Reminder, enter your schedule in the calendar, summarize emails in Gmail or documents in Google Docs, write SMS and messages in WhatsApp for you, set alarms, timers, start playing music on Spotify and much more. My favorite, and probably the most impressive case of Gemini's work is its ability to extract the information you need from YouTube. For example, you found an interesting recipe, but it is talked about somewhere in the middle of a 2-hour cooking show, and instead of wasting time searching for the right fragment, you can simply ask Gemini to find and describe this recipe, including the ingredients. And all this works immediately in Ukrainian, and if you don't want to contact Gemini by voice, you can simply correspond with the chat bot.
Gemini can always be quickly called up by long-pressing the power button, while Galaxy S25 Ultra buyers will receive a 6-month subscription to Gemini Advanced, which costs UAH 910 per month, and with it 2 TB of cloud storage for Google Drive and Google Photo. It turns out a good bonus of almost UAH 5.5 thousand.
Other features of Galaxy AI artificial intelligence have not gone anywhere either, with options available for the Ukrainian language, in particular text generation in the Samsung keyboard, the ability to summarize information in notes and the company's browser. However, the most impressive was the new photo editing with AI. Last year, One UI 7 added the ability to remove objects in pictures, but the function worked best when the changes were not too significant. This year it works like magic, for example, here is our editor Igor Sushon holding a Galaxy S24 Ultra in his hand, which covers part of his face:
But if you select and remove the smartphone, Galaxy AI doesn't just fill in the image, blurring the background and details, it recreates a person's face, even taking into account the light source and eye color:
Once upon a time, you would have had to spend a long time in a graphics editor to do this, but now it happens in less than a minute.
So we can say that finally, the integration of AI is emerging as something that can truly be called a significant advantage and something that users can get used to really quickly.
Another innovation in One UI 7 is Brief Now notifications, which appear on the locked screen in the morning and evening and summarize information that may be important to the user. For example, in the morning they show the weather forecast, events for the day from the calendar and a sleep summary from Samsung Health. And in the evening they summarize the day with information about activity, alarms for tomorrow, offer to watch YouTube Shorts before bed or meditate.
As you can understand, the number of recommendations in Brief Now is limited so far, and these notifications may be most useful for owners of Samsung smartwatches or fitness bands. For other users, it may be more familiar to receive the same information through widgets or One UI 7 applications. Therefore, I hope that over time the company will expand the capabilities of Brief Now.
Overall, One UI 7 has become a fairly significant update that not only refreshes the interface, but also brings new features, including truly useful AI features.
Battery life
The battery capacity of the Galaxy S25 Ultra has not changed, the smartphone still uses a 5000 mAh battery, however, thanks to better processor optimization, its autonomy has become higher. In the PCMark test , the device lasted 16 hours and 45 minutes, 1.5 hours more than its predecessor S24 Ultra. Therefore, with normal use, you can not worry that the smartphone will have to be recharged during the day.
The Galaxy S25 Ultra supports wired charging with a power of up to 45W (PowerDelivery 3.0), which allows you to restore up to 65% of the charge in 30 minutes. There is also wireless charging with a power of up to 15W, and thanks to reverse power, you can charge accessories directly from the smartphone, although the power in this mode is only 4.5W. However, this will be enough for headphones or a smartwatch.
The editorial team thanks Samsung for providing the Galaxy S25 Ultra for review.