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It's official! The Galaxy S25 Ultra, the follow-up to one of the best phones on the market, made its grand entrance at Samsung's latest Unpacked event, accompanied by the Galaxy S25 and Galaxy S25 Plus. Now that we've got the complete rundown of Samsung's latest and greatest, let's take a closer look and see what it's all about.
Save up to $1,020 on the Galaxy S25 Ultra!
$399
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$1419
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$1020 off (72%)
Get the mighty Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra for up to $1,020 off at the Samsung Store! Eligible device trade-ins help you save up to $900. Moreover, you get $120 off the 512GB variant, landing it at the price of the base storage model. On top of that, you'll receive an additional $80 Samsung credit for accessories.
Subtle design changes and, once again, a great display
Galaxy S25 Ultra. | Image credit – Samsung
The first thing you probably noticed is the shift in design. The sharp, rectangular edges are gone. They are replaced with a softer, more rounded look for a more comfortable feel in your hand. Whether you love it or not, this new approach brings the Galaxy S25 Ultra in line with the overall design language of the series.
But that's pretty much where the design changes end. The phone still rocks a titanium-coated frame with the same textured, grippy finish we saw on the Galaxy S24 Ultra. The fan-favorite features are also sticking around, like the S Pen stylus, although it now does not support Bluetooth, IP68 water and dust resistance, and dual speakers.
When it comes to color options, you've got your pick of four main hues plus three exclusive online shades. The Galaxy S25 Ultra colors are:
Titanium Black
Titanium Gray
Titanium Silver Blue
Titanium White Silver
Titanium Pink Gold (online exclusive)
Titanium Jet Black (online exclusive)
Titanium Jade Green (online exclusive)
Galaxy S25 Ultra in all the available colors listed above. | Image credit – Samsung
Now, onto the display. The Galaxy S25 Ultra steps up with a slightly larger 6.9-inch Dynamic AMOLED 2X screen, up from the 6.8 inches of its predecessor. It boasts an adaptive refresh rate ranging from 1 to 120 Hz and an impressive peak brightness that hits a dazzling 2,600 nits.
The anti-glare coating that debuted with the Galaxy S24 Ultra makes a return but with the second generation Gorilla Armor 2, significantly improving outdoor screen visibility. It practically wipes out glare, making the Galaxy S25 Ultra's display one of the best in the game. The screen also boasts top-notch color accuracy, HDR support, and Samsung's trademark ultra-thin bezels.
For biometrics, Samsung sticks with its finely tuned ultrasonic fingerprint scanner embedded under the screen. This tech, honed over several generations, offers quick and precise recognition with just a light tap. Face unlock is still available as an alternative.
Almost the same camera performance, but better
The ultra-wide camera is now 50 MP. | Image credit – Samsung
The Galaxy S25 Ultra doesn't bring drastic changes to the camera setup, but honestly, it's tough to improve what's already considered one of the best. I mean, the S24 Ultra claimed a top spot in our PhoneArena Camera Benchmark, after all.
The main update is a new ultra-wide camera with a 50 MP sensor, a significant step up from the 12 MP ultra-wide on the S24 Ultra. Here are camera specs for Samsung's latest flagship:
200 MP primary camera
10 MP telephoto lens with 3x optical zoom
50 MP periscope telephoto lens with 5x optical zoom
50 MP ultra-wide-angle lens
12 MP front-facing camera
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In addition to all that, Samsung has once again placed a strong emphasis on software-driven camera enhancements, leveraging Galaxy AI, its suite of AI features. Here are some of the standout new features:
Edit Suggestion: The AI scans your photos and suggests improvements automatically.
Generative Edits: Expands images by seamlessly filling in the background and borders when needed.
Instant Slow-mo: Adds extra frames to videos, creating smooth, high-quality slow-motion effects.
Galaxy Zoom AI: When digital zoom isn't enough, AI Zoom steps in, reducing noise, sharpening details, and enhancing overall clarity for distant subjects.
(New!) 10-bit HDR recording by default: It brings richer color expression, offering four times the color depth compared to 8-bit.
(New!) Improved low-light video quality: Better noise reduction based on the powerful processor, allowing sharper footage even in poor lighting conditions.
(New!) Enhanced video editing tools: These were previously limited to specialized software, but are now available to everyone for pro-level photo and video editing.
(New!) Audio Eraser: Removes unwanted noise by isolating specific sounds like voices, music, wind, nature, crowd, and noise, giving you control over what to keep or eliminate.
(New!) Virtual Aperture: Provides depth-of-field control for DSLR-like photos, integrated into Expert RAW for more professional-looking results.
(New!) Galaxy Log: Offers precise color grading for more cinematic, pro-grade video production.
(New!) Portrait Studio improvements: Now you are able to create personalized avatars with realistic facial expressions.
(New!) Analog-style filters: For a film-like aesthetic in both photos and videos.
Image credit – Samsung
Same battery, slightly improved charging
Samsung used to lead the charge in battery size and speed, but recently, the focus seems to have shifted (hello, Galaxy AI!). The Ultra model retains the same 5,000 mAh battery from its predecessor. It supports 45W wired charging and 15W wireless charging.
Some power users might feel disappointed, especially when competitors like the OnePlus 13 are offering 6,000 mAh batteries. However, the 5,000 mAh battery in the Galaxy S24 Ultra has already proved more than capable, easily lasting over a day with casual use. If the Galaxy S25 Ultra matches that performance, it should be more than sufficient for most users.
Performance, storage and RAM options
Now, of course, battery life isn't just about capacity – it heavily depends on what's under the hood. The Galaxy S25 Ultra packs the Snapdragon 8 Elite optimized for Galaxy under the hood. Qualcomm's latest, built on an advanced 3 nm process, promises significant boosts in both performance and energy efficiency.
Samsung teamed up with Qualcomm to customize the Snapdragon 8 Elite for Galaxy, bringing smarter AI and better performance to the Galaxy S25 series. The new ProScaler tech boosts display scaling quality by 40%, while Samsung’s mDNIe engine promises to improve display efficiency without draining the battery.
The company claims that mobile gaming gets smoother and more realistic with Vulkan Engine and upgraded Ray Tracing. Plus, the improved heat dissipation system, with a larger vapor chamber and custom thermal materials, keeps everything running smoothly even during heavy use.
While we'll need to run our own tests to give a final verdict, early impressions from other flagship devices like the OnePlus 13 suggest it's indeed a powerhouse.
Samsung equips the S25 Ultra with 12 GB of RAM, so it can handle demanding AI tasks with ease. The base model comes with 256GB of storage, but if you need more, 512GB and 1TB options are also available.
Software, updates and Galaxy AI
Galaxy AI gets even more enhancements with the S25 Ultra. | Image credit – Samsung
Right from the start, the Galaxy S25 Ultra comes preloaded with Android 15 and One UI 7. This update brings a sleek redesign, adds fresh AI features from both Google and Samsung and boosts things like dynamic notifications and see-through elements for a more polished look.
With a solid 7-year support guarantee, the Galaxy S25 Ultra is built to stay relevant until 2032, making it a great pick for anyone who doesn't swap their phone every year. Now, here's where Samsung is really doubling down – the latest AI-driven features.
Galaxy AI
In addition to the camera-centric AI upgrades we've already talked about, Samsung packs a bunch of fresh AI features into the new Galaxy S25 series. On top of the Galaxy AI features available on older models, this new lineup introduces some exclusive (at least for the time being) perks:
Multimodal AI agents let the phone understand text, speech, images, and videos for seamless interactions.
Google’s Circle to Search now recognizes phone numbers, emails, and URLs, allowing one-tap actions like calling, emailing, or visiting websites.
Context-aware actionable searches offer smart suggestions for next steps.
Effortlessly switch between apps for quick follow-ups, like sharing GIFs or saving event details.
Natural language understanding lets you find photos or adjust settings just by asking.
Gemini integration lets you interact across Samsung, Google, and third-party apps with a simple button press.
Call Transcript and Summary keep your calls organized.
Writing Assist automatically formats and summarizes content from multiple apps.
Drawing Assist lets you combine sketches, text, and images to bring ideas to life.
The Galaxy S25 Ultra comes with 6 months of Gemini Advanced and 2TB of free cloud storage. The great thing about Galaxy AI is that it puts you in charge of your personal data. You decide whether to share it with Samsung or keep it stored securely on your device.
Pricing and availability
Galaxy S25 Ultra. | Image credit – Samsung
The Galaxy S25 is priced at:
12 GB RAM with 256 GB storage space: $1299/£1249/€1449
12 GB RAM with 512 GB storage space: $1419 /£1349/€1569
12 GB RAM with 1 TB storage space: $1659 /£1549/€1809
It's up for pre-order now and will officially be available starting February 7.
Competitors
With the Galaxy S25 Ultra now officially out, it’s hard not to bring up its main rivals. After all, when you’re buying a new phone, you’re definitely considering other options, right?
The Galaxy S25 Ultra, as the flagship of the new Galaxy S25 lineup, goes head-to-head with the freshly released OnePlus 13. Both phones pack similar specs, but the OnePlus 13 stands out with a much more wallet-friendly price for a 2025 flagship. The priciest version comes in at $999, offering 16GB of RAM and 512GB of storage. Meanwhile, as mentioned above the Galaxy S25 Ultra price starts at $1299.
It’s still early in the year, so the Galaxy S25 Ultra is about to face a slew of new competitors. For instance, the Xiaomi 15 Ultra is expected to drop soon, boasting a massive 6,000 mAh battery and better camera performance.
Google will unveil its next Pixel 10 series later this year. Nothing is also gearing up to launch its first flagship of 2025, and let’s not forget the ongoing rivalry between Samsung and Apple.
The iPhone 17 Pro Max, along with its counterparts, is expected to launch in September. Yeah, I know it’s still a ways off, but the Pro models of the iPhone 17 series tend to steal the spotlight from the Galaxy S Ultra phones, especially in the US.
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Tsveta, a passionate technology enthusiast and accomplished playwright, combines her love for mobile technologies and writing to explore and reveal the transformative power of tech. From being an early follower of PhoneArena to relying exclusively on her smartphone for photography, she embraces the immense capabilities of compact devices in our daily lives. With a Journalism degree and an explorative spirit, Tsveta not only provides expert insights into the world of gadgets and smartphones but also shares a unique perspective shaped by her diverse interests in travel, culture, and visual storytelling.
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