Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra review: Versatile AI phone

Despite the moderate internal hardware upgrade and minor design tweaks, the Galaxy S25 Ultra emerges as the top dog among the competition. Very few can match its abilities in terms of display quality, camera, generative AI features and support for S Pen.

Last week, the Galaxy S25 Ultra, Samsung's most powerful phone to date, hit stores in India.

It comes in three variants--12GB RAM + 256GB storage, 12GB RAM + 512GB storage and 16GB RAM + 1TB storage-- with prices starting at 1,29,999.

I used the Galaxy S25 Ultra for a little over a week. Here are my thoughts on the latest premium Android phone from the house of Samsung.

Design, build quality and display

Compared to the predecessor, which came with rounded mid-rails and corners, the new Galaxy S25 Ultra has undergone slight but noticeable changes.

Both the front and back panels fit flush with the flat frame and curved corners. For some people, the edges may come off as sharp and pointed, but for me, it was fine, offering a good grip to hold onto the device. Also, the device is slimmer and lighter than the 2024 model.

It is kind of amazing how Samsung managed to keep the large 5000mAh battery and the holster to keep the S Pen within such a slim body.

The rest of the key design elements such as circular camera islands on the back though a bit larger in size, look the same as the predecessor.

Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra.

The new Galaxy S25 Ultra's frame is made of high-grade titanium build material. Also, the device comes with Corning's Gorilla Armor 2 shield on both the front and the back panels, which is touted to be made of a first-of-its-kind material that is more durable than glass.

It combines Corning’s glass ceramic with a proprietary anti-reflective surface treatment, helping to ensure advanced drop protection and scratch resistance.

During the Corning lab tests, the Gorilla Armor 2-protected phone reportedly survived drops of up to 2.2 metres (approx. 7.21 feet) on a surface replicating concrete. Alternative glass ceramic materials failed when dropped from one metre (roughly three feet).

It also comes with an IP68 rating, meaning the device can survive a drop in the freshwater body up to 1.5 metres (around five feet) for close to 30 minutes.

However, I don't recommend the Galaxy S25 Ultra owners try their luck by dropping the phone on the floor or in deep waterbody for fun and check its durability. I suggest you 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 Ultra.

On the front, the Galaxy S25 Ultra sports a big 6.9-inch Quad HD+ (3120x1440p) Infinity-O-Edge Dynamic AMOLED Display with a variable refresh rate (1-120Hz).

Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra.

It is the best display on a phone to date. The key feature that makes the Galaxy S25 Ultra's display different and makes it stand in a league of its own is the special anti-reflective coating. It makes a huge difference when viewing content under the direct sunlight. The words in the messages appear clearly and when watching the multimedia content on OTT apps or viewing reels on Instagram appear so vibrant and crisp. I never had to take the phone near to my face while walking in the daytime.

Also, the vision booster technology ensures the display is at maximum brightness outdoors.

Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra.

And, with adaptive brightness, the display automatically reduces brightness and controls blue light emission when sitting indoors or at night time.

The in-display ultrasonic optical fingerprint sensor works like a charm. Even with a wet finger, the bio-metric sensor instantly recognises my fingers and unlocks the home screen.

Eco-friendly phone

All the new Galaxy S25 series phones' battery boasts of 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.

Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra.

Even certain plastic materials used to make certain components of the phone are recycled from discarded fish nets.

Performance

The new Galaxy S25 Ultra (& other S25 models) is powered by a custom-designed Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite for Galaxy chipset. It can clock 4.47GHz peak CPU speeds, compared to the standard Snapdragon 8 Elite variant found in other Android premium phones. The latter can support a max CPU speed of 4.32GHz.

In terms of numbers, the new Snapgradong 8 Elite for Galaxy promises 37 per cent better performance, 30 per cent improved GPU performance and 40 per cent better NPU performance compared to the previous iteration (S24 Ultra with Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 for Galaxy).

The device is available in three configurations-- 12GB RAM + 256GB storage, 12GB RAM + 512GB storage and 16GB RAM + 1TB storage configurations.

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

Our review unit comes with 12GB RAM + 256GB storage. Thanks to a faster chipset, the device, as advertised delivers buttery smooth performance in terms of running generative AI features, playing graphics-rich games and other heavy-duty tasks.

It also comes with a Vulkan Engine and improved Ray Tracing, which ensures smoother and more realistic mobile gaming on the Galaxy S25 series.

And, thanks to a larger vapour chamber (more than 40 per cent bigger than its predecessor), and a new thermal interface material (TIM), the Galaxy S25 Ultra delivers improved thermal performance.

Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra.

The devices on Android 15-based One UI 7. Like the predecessor and other Galaxy phones, it comes with several apps from Samsung and third-party developers in addition to the core Google apps.

It is not a big deal as the device comes with 256GB base storage enough to accommodate hundreds of more apps and also the owner can take thousands of photos and videos with the amazing camera of the Galaxy S25 Ultra.

Also, all the new Galaxy S25 series phones are guaranteed to get Android OS updates along with security patches for seven years.

Galaxy AI features

Google Gemini-powered Galaxy AI get upgrades to popular tools for communication, productivity and creativity such as Circle to Search, Call Transcript, Writing Assist, and Drawing Assist in the Galaxy S25 series.

Samsung Galaxy AI-powered Sketch to Image has gotten better with Android 15-based One UI 7 OS.

Galaxy AI features available on Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra.

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 to draw a rough image of a cat 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 cat. The Galaxy AI-based app will churn out a cat with an astronaut suit.

Reimagine feature on Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra.

The Gemini Live conversational experience that helps you 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.

Gemini AI features on Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra.

Another new feature coming with the Galaxy S25 series 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 appointments, office meeting schedule and more.

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

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

Battery life

With a 5,000mAh capacity cell, the Galaxy S25 Ultra delivers great battery life. It can easily last a whole day under normal usage (with Wi-Fi connectivity at the office and at home). At the end of the day, it would still have around 25-30 per cent juice left in the tank.

If you are fully dependent on the cellular network for the internet all day and watch TV series on OTT apps or play games for several hours, the device may last till late evening.

It supports a 45W charger. It can reach from zero to 60 per cent in under 30 minutes and hit the 100 per cent mark in an hour. It also supports 15W Qi2 wireless charger, but it will take more than 90 minutes to get fully charged.

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.

It should be noted that there won't be any chargers in the retail box. It only comes with a braided Type-C-to-Type-C data cable.

Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra's camera sample.

Photography

It houses a quad-camera module-- 200MP(with OIS: Optical Image Stabilisation)+ 50MP 120-degree Ultra Wide sensor + 10MP Telephoto lens (with 3x zoom, OIS) + 50MP Periscope lens (for 5x zoom, 100x Space Zoom, Laser autofocus) with LED Flash. It will support 4K video recording at 60 frames per second (fps) and 8K at 30fps.

Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra's camera sample.

The Galaxy S25 Ultra boasts of ProVisual Engine, which is powered by AI-powered algorithms, to deliver top-class photos in all light conditions. It can enable the camera to get all the minute details clearly, reduce noise, a wider dynamic range and boost the colours to capture a vibrant picture.

As you can see in the photo samples, the device did manage to capture stunning images in natural sunlight. The subjects, be it a pet dog or a flower or a human face, appear vibrant and lively.

Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra's camera sample.

With Portrait Studio, users can create personalised avatars with more true-to-life facial expressions. Filters introduce new analogue-style filters, delivering a film-like aesthetic for their photos and videos.

Like Pixel 9 (review)'s best take feature, Samsung has introduced Best Face to the Galaxy S25 series.

Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra's camera sample.

With Motion Photo turned on, 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.

At night, it takes brilliant photos with less noise.

Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra's camera sample.

Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra's camera sample.

The device supports up to 100X zoom. The image quality remains prestine up to 10X and beyond that, it begins to accumulate noise. And once you hit 60X, it becomes grainy.

Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra's camera sample.

Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra's camera sample.

Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra's camera sample.

Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra's camera sample.

Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra's camera sample.

However, at night, the 100X zoom offers sharper images thanks to software tricks. You can see how good the crater-laden surface of the Moon looks in the photo.

Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra's camera sample with 100X zoom.

The object eraser on the Galaxy S25 Ultra does an amazing job with removing unwanted stuff from the frame. It is way better than any premium phone available in the market right now.

Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra's camera sample with Reimagine feature.

Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra's camera sample with Reimagine feature at work.

Other notable generative AI photography tools include audio eraser in the video. It does an amazing job of reducing the outside ambient noise and retaining the voice of the person.

Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra's camera sample.

On the front, the Galaxy S25 Ultra features a 12MP camera for selfies and video recording. It takes stunning selfies in the sunlight and decent-quality photos indoors with controlled light conditions. Videos too, are on par with rival brands in its segment.

Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra's camera sample.

Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra's camera sample.

In addition to great camera hardware, Samsung has done a good job of improving the native camera app to deliver the best photography experience on par with standalone professional cameras.

Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra's camera sample.

The device offers depth-of-field control with Virtual Aperture, integrated into the popular Expert RAW format. To deliver high quality, it supports Galaxy Log format, which enables editors to make precise colour grading for more professional video production.

Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra's camera sample.

Besides the special Snapdragon 8 Elite for Galaxy chipset, Samsung also worked with Qualcomm to bring the Spatio-Temporal Filter (STF) feature into the Qualcomm Spectra ISP (Image Signal Processing) chipset for the new device. With this, the Galaxy S25 Ultra will be able to capture sharper-than-ever low-light videos.

Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra's camera sample.

Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra's camera sample.

The Galaxy S25 Ultra records 10-bit HDR quality videos by default. The videos are four times more vibrant than regular 8-bit HDR videos.

The quality of the video captured by the primary camera is really good. It can come in handy for amateur photographers working on a documentary to get high-quality videos.

Final thoughts

Samsung's Galaxy S24 Ultra was one of the best premium phones in 2024. It had several unique features such as the anti-glare display, S Pen support and more, which no other rival brands can boast of.

Now with the latest Galaxy S25 Ultra, Samsung has played a safe game by not tinkering much with the winning formula of the predecessor. It has improved the successor with meaningful upgrades in terms of a new main camera, a more powerful processor and added new Galaxy AI features. Also, it has managed to trim the thickness of the S25 Ultra and yet be able to store a large 5,000mAh capacity cell, the same as the S24 Ultra.

Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra.

The new phone manages to deliver more than a day of battery life. Also, the Google Gemini AI and Galaxy AI features, which are integrated deeper into the native apps and a few third-party applications, have set a higher benchmark in terms of delivering improved user experience and productivity.

Despite the moderate internal hardware upgrade and minor design tweaks, the Galaxy S25 Ultra has all the potential to emerge as the top smartphone of the year.

It comes in three variants--12GB RAM + 256GB storage, 12GB RAM + 512GB storage and 16GB RAM + 1TB storage-- for Rs 1,29,999, Rs 1,41,999 and Rs 1,65,999, respectively.

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