Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra: Hands-On

The highly anticipated Galaxy S25 Series is here, and today, we turn our attention to the Galaxy S25 Ultra.

As you can see, Samsung moved away a bit from its signature boxy design for the Ultra variant and added sleeker curves to the edges. But apart from that, let’s check out the other upgrades in cameras, processing power, and software.

So, without further ado, let’s dive right in!

Design and Construction

First, let’s talk about the Galaxy S25 Ultra’s build and design.

Galaxy S24 Ultra (left), S25 Ultra (right)

Compared to last year’s S24 Ultra, the new model is noticeably less boxy. The phone now has rounded corners, which, honestly, makes it more comfortable to hold considering its large size. It’s also a bit lighter in the hand.

The phone features an improved titanium frame fitted with Corning Gorilla Armor 2 on both the rear and front panels. Suffice it to say, it should be safe from drops or scratches, and Samsung also claims it’s 29% more resistant to fractures.

Moving on, we have the S Pen. Oddly enough, Samsung hasn’t discussed many improvements for their stylus, but we can expect it to still feature all the bells and whistles.

All things considered, the phone is sleek and, apparently, built to last—not to mention the fact that it comes with significantly longer software support, which we’ll discuss later on.

Display

Flip to front, it sports a 6.9-inch QHD+ LTPO Dynamic AMOLED screen that offers great visuals along with buttery smooth 120Hz adaptive refresh rate.

It has a peak brightness of 2600 nits that makes it more than viewable under direct sunlight.

Galaxy S24 Ultra (left), S25 Ultra (right)

While it’s just subtle, the bezels are actually thinner as compared to its predecessor. And like we mentioned earlier, the screen is also sandwiched by Corning Gorilla Glass Armor 2.

Performance

Under the hood, the Galaxy S25 Ultra is powered by the latest chipset from Qualcomm that is also custom-made by Samsung, dubbed as the Snapdragon 8 Elite for Galaxy.

It is a 3-nm SoC with octa-core architecture containing Oryon CPU cores clocked at up to 4.32GHz. This is paired with the newer Adreno 830 GPU.

Expect around 40-45% better performance and efficiency compared to the previous Snapdragon chipset, with almost the same 40% improvement in graphics performance.

To put it in perspective, it offers better ray tracing, a slight increase in frames per second, and reduced core workload for both the CPU and GPU. Additionally, it features a larger vapor chamber with tailored thermal interface material for improved cooling efficiency.

Similar to its predecessor, the S25 Ultra will be available in 256GB, 512GB, and 1TB variants. It also starts with 12GB of memory (expandable to 16GB), so it can definitely handle anything you throw at it.

As for the battery, the S25 Ultra retains a 5,000mAh capacity, with 45W fast wired- and 15W wireless charging. We’ll be testing the battery efficiency of the new chipset in our full review, so stay tuned for that.

Cameras

For optics, the Galaxy S25 Ultra retains its 200-megapixel main, 50-megapixel telephoto, and 10-megapixel telephoto cameras. As for what’s new, it features an upgraded 50-megapixel ultrawide lens.

At the front, it has the same 12-megapixel selfie shooter.

From our experience, the cameras now produce shots with less noise and more detail. Unfortunately, we weren’t able to keep the photos from the closed-door event.

The higher resolution and Galaxy AI features allow the camera to shoot in 50MP, while also performing pixel binning to produce a 12MP resolution image with better clarity and more detail, as demonstrated during the Unpacked session.

For post-processing, we found the audio eraser tool to be a handy addition. It’s an on-device editor that lets users remove or reduce unwanted noise, including voices, wind, and music.

There are also improvements to generative edit and the portrait studio, which now produce more accurate and natural tones.

OS

Software-wise, the Galaxy S25 Series runs on One UI 7, based on Android 15, and just like last year, Samsung also promises seven years of OS updates and security patches for the new lineup.

This iteration mainly focuses on new innovations in Galaxy AI on top of overall improvements in design and system performance. Its top features include improvements to Circle to Search, Photo Assist, and the Samsung Keyboard.

What really stands out, though, are the new features tailored to personalization, streamlining, and a hands-free experience. Users can now ask their Galaxy devices to search for photos taken on a specific day or even increase text size for easier reading.

Additionally, Galaxy AI learns your routine and provides tailored insights, which are integrated into the nifty ‘Now Bar’. This is Samsung’s take on the Dynamic Island, designed to offer users a smart lock screen with essential notifications.

Initial impressions

To wrap things up, the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra is, without a doubt, a flagship in every sense of the word.

From its sleek, more ergonomic design to the beefed-up titanium frame and Gorilla Armor Glass 2, it’s clear that Samsung’s focused on both style and durability.

Finally, let’s talk about the price. As with all Ultras, it’s not exactly what you’d call budget friendly. The 256GB model starts at PHP 84,990USD 1,461INR 125,224EUR 1,413CNY 10,726, with the 512GB and 1TB variants climbing to PHP 93,990USD 1,616INR 138,485EUR 1,563CNY 11,862 and PHP 110,990USD 1,908INR 163,533EUR 1,846CNY 14,007, respectively.

But when you consider the long-term value, seven years of OS updates, premium build quality, and top-tier performance, it’s clear this is an investment in longevity, not just the latest tech trend.

So, if you’re ready to spend on the best and want a device that’ll stay relevant for years to come, the Galaxy S25 Ultra delivers, without compromise.

Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra specs:
6.9-inch Edge QHD+ Dynamic AMOLED 2X Display
120Hz Dynamic refresh rate
Gorilla Glass Armor (front)
Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite SoC
12GB RAM
256GB, 512GB, 1TB storage
Quad-rear cameras:
• 200MP Phase Detection F1.7 (wide)
• 50MP Dual Pixel F2.0 (ultrawide)
• 50MP Dual Pixel F3.4 (5x tele, 100x Space Zoom)
• 10MP Dual Pixel F2.4 (3x tele)
12MP Dual Pixel F2.2 front camera
Dual-SIM
5G, 4G LTE
WiFi 7
Bluetooth 5.3
NFC
GPS, A-GPS, GLONASS, BDS, Galileo
USB Type-C
Fingerprint scanner (in-display)
Face Unlock
AKG Stereo Speakers
IP68 water and dust resistance
S-Pen
OneUI 7 (Android 15) 7-year OS support
5,000mAh battery w/ 45W fast charging, 25W wireless charging, reverse wireless charging
77.6 x 162.8 x 8.2mm
219g
Titanium Gray, Titanium Black, Titanium Blue, Titanium Silver