Samsung Galaxy S25+ review: Well-packaged premium phone with AI goodies

Samsung's Galaxy S25 Plus strikes the right balance of fire power and affordability among the three Galaxy S25 series models.

Like the previous iterations, Samsung has positioned the Galaxy S25 Plus variant as a middle tier between the standard Galaxy S25 and the top-end Galaxy S25 Ultra.

Samsung's latest Galaxy S25+ comes in two variants--12GB RAM + 256GB storage and 12GB RAM + 512GB storge-- with prices starting at Rs 99,999.

The S25 Plus comes with a bigger display and larger battery capacity than the Galaxy S25, but it is the opposite case with the Galaxy S25 Ultra. The latter also has an in-house holster to store the S Pen. However, the S25 Plus strikes the right balance of fire power and affordability.

Let's check it out in detail on how Samsung's Galaxy S25 Plus fares in our review.

Design, build quality and display

As you can see the photo comparison (below) between the S24 Plus and S25 Plus, Samsung has retained the core design language with minor tweaks.

Samsung Galaxy S25 Plus [Left] and Galaxy S24 Plus [Right].

It flaunts trademark metal-ringed camera islands with LED flash at the back. The accent around the camera sensors of the S25 Plus are little more pronounced than the predecessor.

And, rest of the back panel has minimalistic design with frosted glass cover. The matte finish does a decent job with repelling the fingerprint smudges. But when looked from certain up close, we can notice dust on camera rings and also smudges on the panel.

The new S25 Plus is a tad slimmer and weighs less than the predecessor. However, the device comes with top class build material. The rails around the display is made ofaerospace-grade armour aluminium 2, good enough to survive accidental fall.

Samsung Galaxy S25 Plus.

In fact, the Galaxy S25 Plus unintentionally drop from my jacker pocket while I was seated on a chair in the airport. It fell on the hard surface made of granite. It withstood the fall without any crack on the screen or dents on the frame.

Both the front and the back panel are protected by Corning's Gorilla Glass Victus 2 ensures to protect the phone from getting scratched when kept in the close confines with the coins and keys in the pant pocket.

Also, device boasts of IP68 rating, meaning it can survive a drop in the freshwater body up to 1.5 metres (around five feet) for close to 30 minutes.

No matter how durable the device is, I recommend prospective Galaxy S25 Plus customers get a solid cover case and if possible subscribe to the Samsung Care+ plan to get the device repaired at a subsidised rate in case of god forbid accidental damage.

Samsung Galaxy S25 Plus.

On the front, the Galaxy S25 Plus flaunts a beautiful 6.67-inch QHD+ (3120x1440p) dynamic super AMOLED-based screen with variable refresh rate (1Hz-120Hz). It is the best display compared to any other rival branded phones in the market, but comes second to its elder sibling Galaxy S25 Ultra. The latter boasts of anti-reflective coating, which makes viewing even better under direct sunlight.

In the rest of the aspects, the Galaxy S25 Plus delivers a really good viewing experience. It is easy to read messages clearly when outdoors. At night, it can control the emission of blue light to lessen the strain on the eyes while reading the long-form articles or e-books.

The in-display ultrasonic optical fingerprint sensor works like charm. It can even recognise fingerprint impression with sweat.

Eco-friendly Galaxy S25 series

Like the other two models (Galaxy S25 and S25 Ultra), the Galaxy S25 Plus' battery boasts at least 50% recycled cobalt, a first for Samsung phones.

Also, it should be noted that the aforementioned repurposed material is sourced from previously used Galaxy smartphones.

Performance

In 2024, Samsung had used ultra premium Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 for just the S24 Ultra and the other two S24 and 24 Plus came with Exynos 2400 chipset.

This time, there is no such discrimination among the S25 series models. All come with top-of-the-line Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite for Galaxy. It is a custom-chipset exclusively made for Samsung phones.

Samsung Galaxy S25+'s CPU and GPU performance score on Geekbench 6.0 app.

As advertised, it does an amazing job with all tasks. Be it loading app faster or playing the graphics-heavy gaming titles, the device never showed any sign of lagness as such.

Also, it has bigger cooling chamber than the predecessor and features a new thermal interface material (TIM). It managed to deliver efficient heat dissipation and keep the phone stable at all times inside the office and at home.

However, when performing same tasks outdoors (with early onset of summer in Bengaluru), the device did get warmed up pretty faster. But, it remained under control. It is not a deal breaker, as all phones with glass and metal build materials behave the same under these conditions.

Gemini AI app comes pre-loaded with Samsung Galaxy S25 Plus.

The device runs on Android 15-based One UI 7 OS. As noted in my reviews of the Galaxy S25 and S25 Ultra, One UI 7 comes with a lot of pre-loaded apps. But, again its no big deal, as Samsung offers 256GB base storage, which is more than sufficient to install hundreds more apps and also capture thousands of photos and videos without any anxiety of running out of the memory anytime soon.

Generative AI features

The device supports both Gemini and Bixby digital assistants. Owners will be able to converse with AI assisant like any two regular people speak. The AI assistant will be able to finish tasks with minimal voice commands.

Samsung Bixby Assistant on the Galaxy S25+.

With the One UI 7 OS, Samsung has introduced improvements to several Galaxy AI-powered features including the Sketch to Image, Circle to Search, Call Transcript, and Writing Assist.

With Drawing Assist feature, users will be able to do much more than draw a rough sketch and let the Sketch to Image complete the drawing.

For instance, you can write a rough image of a dog with an S Pen (on the Galaxy S Ultra version) or use one's finger (on another standard Galaxy S device) and then let Sketch to Image complete it. Then, with text or voice commands, the user can add more effects to the cat. Like type- Add space suit to the dog. The Galaxy AI-based app will churn out a cat with an astronaut suit.

Galaxy AI features on Samsung Galaxy S25+.

Another notable new feature is the 'Now Brief'. Based on user behaviour, the new 'Now Brief' feature appears on the lock every morning when the user gets the hand on the phone. It offers a short summary of what's happening on the day including morning's weather, traffic updates, scheduled appointments, office meetings and more.

Also, it will offer live updates on food delivery status, cab arrival status, live sports updates and more.

The Galaxy S25 Plus also supports Gemini Live. It offers a conversational experience that helps users brainstorm ideas, simplify complex topics and rehearse for important moments with real-time, spoken responses. Gemini Live is more multimodal, meaning it will be capable of understanding queries in text, video, photos and audio) and deliver personalised suggestions and answers.

Gemini Extension feature on the Samsung Galaxy S25 series can access several native apps such as Samsung Reminder, Samsung Calendar, Samsung Notes and Samsung Clock in addition to Google Google Maps, YouTube, Google Messages, WhatsApp Spotify and more.

In a single prompt, users can ask Gemini to take multiple actions across apps and services. For instance, users can ask Gemini to check for the schedule of an upcoming cricket match and put a reminder to watch on a particular date and day.

User-privacy security

The Galaxy S25 series comes with a Personal Data Engine for personalized AI features. All personalised data is kept private and secured by Knox Vault.

Galaxy S25 series also comes with post-quantum cryptography, which safeguards personal data against emerging threats that could increase as quantum computing evolves.

Samsung has promised to bring more such value-added features to enhance the productivity and also creative work experience on the Galaxy S25 series.

All the new Galaxy S25 series phones are guaranteed to get Android OS updates for seven years. This also includes quarterly security patches for protection against emerging cyber threats up to 2031.

With a 4,900mah cell capacity, it was able to deliver a full day of battery life under normal usage. It supports 25W charger. It also supports a 15W Qi2 wireless charger, but it will take more time to fully charge.

And, with the PowerShare feature, it can reverse charge another phone with up to 4.5W speed. It is best suited to charge an earphone case with wireless charging capability.

Photography

Samsung Galaxy S25 Plus.

The Galaxy S25 Plus boasts of a triple camera module-- with 24mm wide 50MP camera ( with f/1.8 aperture, 1/1.56-inch sensor, 1.0µm pixel size, dual pixel PDAF: Phase Detection Auto Focus, OIS: Optical Image Stabilisation) + 13mm 12MP 120-degree Ultra Wide camera (f/2.2, 13mm, 120-degree field -of-view, 1/2.55-inch sensor, 1.4µm pixel size) + 67mm 10MP Telephoto lens (with f/2.4, 1/3.94-inch sensor, 1.0µm pixel size, PDAF, OIS, 3x optical zoom) with LED flash.

Samsung Galaxy S25 Plus' camera sample.

It takes amazing photos in all light conditions. The subjects appear more vibrant and colourful than they appear to the eyes. But, I won't complain as they look great and worthy to be shared with friends on messenger apps and upload on social media platforms.

Samsung Galaxy S25 Plus' camera sample.

Be it ultra wide angle or in close range, the photos look amazing with great detail.

The device also supports up to 3X optical Zoom. It can also digitally zoom up to 30X.

Samsung Galaxy S25 Plus' camera sample.

Thanks to Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite processor, the Galaxy S25 Plus is capable of supporting generative AI features to improve photography experience.

Samsung Galaxy S25 Plus' camera sample.

It supports Portrait Studio, which allows users to create personalised avatars with more true-to-life facial expressions. It also supports new analogue-style filters, which can deliver a film-like aesthetic to the photos and videos.

Samsung Galaxy S25 Plus' camera sample.

Samsung has introduced Best Face to the Galaxy S25 series. It is similar to Pixel 9(review)'s best take feature but better. It can come in handy while taking group photos where people sometimes close their eyes or look away from the camera. This can help in getting the perfect group photo with all the faces looking at the camera and smiling.

Samsung Galaxy S25 Plus' camera sample.

Ensure to turn on the Motion Photo. This way, the phone will take the best photo in all light conditions. Even when one or two persons in the group photo blink, the phone will be able to pull the photo of those particular people with eyes open and deliver the perfect group photo.

It also boasts object eraser, photo remaster and reflection eraser. They do an excellent job, way better than any premium phones in the market.

At night too, it takes brilliant sharp photos with accurate colours. Also, it does nice job with controlling the noise in the background.

Samsung Galaxy S25 Plus' camera sample.

On the front, it houses 26mm 12MP front camera ( f/2.2, 1/3.2-inch, 1.12µm, dual pixel PDAF).

Samsung Galaxy S25 Plus' camera sample.

It takes amazing selfies and comes with a bevy of portrait modes to get that perfect DP for the social media handle.

Samsung Galaxy S25 Plus' camera sample.

It supports 4K video recording at 60 frames per second (fps) and 8K at 30fps. It even supports gen AI-powered Audio eraser. It does an amazing job with significantly reducing the noise around the subject (in a public space) during the video recording.

Final thoughts

Samsung's Galaxy S25 Plus has right balance of features, screen size and has a large battery that can allow it to last a whole day without any anxiety. And, the company has not compromised on generate Artificial Intelligence capabilities. It comes with full suite of Galaxy AI features to deliver best user experience.

Like I noted in both reviews of the Galaxy S25 and S25 Ultra, Samsung has done a pretty good job with gen AI features. No premium phones come close to match them in this particular aspect. Even the Google's Pixel 9 series come tad short with object eraser capability.

Samsung Galaxy S25 Plus.

The Galaxy S25 Plus, though a modest upgrade over the predecessor, it is an excellent device. It ticks all the key aspects we expect from a premium Android phone.

The Galaxy S25 Plus is available in two variants--12GB RAM + 256GB storage and 12GB RAM + 512GB storge-- for Rs 99,999 and Rs 1,19,999, respectively.

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