Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra: Refining the Ultra Experience

The Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra is here, and at first glance, you might be thinking, “Didn’t I just see this phone?” While it’s true that the S25 Ultra shares a strong family resemblance with its predecessors, don’t let that fool you. Samsung has been busy refining the details and making subtle but significant improvements under the hood. After spending some quality time with the S25 Ultra, I’m ready to share my thoughts.

Design: Smoothing Out the Rough Edges (Literally)

One of the most welcome changes is the design refinement. Samsung has finally embraced a consistent design language across the S25 series, opting for rounded corners instead of the sharper edges found on the S23 and S24 Ultras.

As someone who always found those sharp corners a bit uncomfortable, especially when trying to pocket the phone, I applaud this change. It just feels better in hand.

The rest of the design remains largely familiar. As for the camera ring, honestly, I don’t understand the hate it gets. It’s a distinctive design element that adds a bit of personality, just like many other design choices in other phones.

What’s really impressive is that despite a slight increase in screen size (from 6.8 to 6.9 inches), Samsung has managed to reduce the weight from 232g to 218g. That might not seem like a lot, but it’s noticeable the moment you pick up the phone. It feels significantly lighter and more comfortable to hold, especially if you’re coming from an older Ultra.

Display: Still a Visual Treat

The S25 Ultra boasts the same stunning Dynamic LTPO AMOLED 2X display as its predecessor, with a peak brightness of up to 2600 nits. It’s bright, vibrant, and incredibly sharp. Everything from watching videos to browsing the web is a visual treat.

Corning Gorilla Glass Victus 2 provides protection, and while it’s hard to objectively assess how much better it is than the previous generation, we can assume it offers improved durability. The display’s anti-reflective coating is also excellent, though I suspect most users will still slap a screen protector on it, rendering the coating somewhat redundant.

Camera: Minor Tweaks, Major Results

The camera system sees a minor but welcome upgrade this year. The ultrawide lens gets a bump from 12MP to 50MP, which is great news because the ultrawide is arguably the most versatile camera in the system. The rest of the camera setup remains unchanged.

Samsung’s computational photography prowess is well-established, and the S25 Ultra continues that tradition. Images are sharp, colors are neutral and pleasing, and the dynamic range is excellent. Samsung has also been focusing on videography, and the S25 Ultra delivers smooth, high-quality video recording.

Performance: Snapdragon 8 Elite Delivers

The S25 Ultra is powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite (3nm) processor paired with 12GB of RAM. While we may be reaching a point of diminishing returns in terms of raw performance gains, the focus now is on efficiency and thermals. Samsung has increased the surface area of the vapor chamber, which translates to better heat dissipation and sustained performance under load.

Interestingly, some reviewers have noted that the phone chassis feels warmer than before. This actually suggests that the heat is being effectively channeled away from the processor, which is a good thing for long-term performance and device longevity.

Battery Life: Efficiency Gains

The battery capacity remains at 5000 mAh, but thanks to the efficient Snapdragon 8 Elite chip, battery life is noticeably improved over the S24 Ultra. This isn’t a placebo effect; I’ve seen comparisons that confirm the S25 Ultra lasts significantly longer.

One puzzling aspect is the continued reliance on 45W wired charging. While the addition of Qi2 wireless charging support is nice, I’m not a huge fan of wireless charging due to the heat it generates. Faster wired charging would have been a more welcome upgrade.

One UI 7 and Galaxy AI: Samsung’s Secret Sauce

One UI continues to be the gold standard for Android skins. It’s clean, intuitive, and relatively bloatware-free. No built-in ads either, which is a major plus.

Galaxy AI, introduced with the S24 series, gets some new features this year. While some people seem to have an aversion to AI, I find it incredibly useful. The keyboard integration, for example, helps me write better emails and messages with AI-powered writing suggestions. I’ll be diving deeper into Galaxy AI in a separate article, so stay tuned.

Conclusion: Refinement Over Revolution

The Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra is a refinement of the Ultra formula. It’s not a revolutionary leap forward, and I understand why some people might hesitate to pay a premium for a device that looks similar to its predecessor. But that’s how technology matures. We’re no longer seeing the massive leaps in performance that characterized the early days of smartphones.

The S25 Ultra is an excellent phone, especially if you’re invested in the Samsung ecosystem. It’s lighter, more comfortable to hold, has a fantastic display, a great camera system, and improved battery life. If you’re looking for the best Android phone on the market, the S25 Ultra is a strong contender. However, if you already have an S24 Ultra, the upgrade might not be essential.