Samsung Galaxy S25

The S25 keeps the S24's flat-edge aluminum chassis nearly intact — 0.4 mm thinner, 5 g lighter, and visually distinguishable only by slightly more prominent camera rings. Reviewers unanimously call out that this is now the last 'small' Android flagship you can buy in the US, which has become a feature in its own right. Build quality is high: Gorilla Glass Victus 2 front and back, Armor Aluminum 2 frame, IP68 rating.

• The Galaxy S25 is secretly the best small Android phone you can buy in the US — almost more by attrition than by design, since Google's Pixel only comes in big and bigger.— The Verge
• After several years of testing 6.5-inch-plus phones, having the 6.2-inch S25 around is refreshing — small enough to use one-handed but still big enough for everything but extended video.— Engadget
• The S25 is a 'pocket powerhouse' — its lightweight, compact build delivers a refreshing change from larger devices while still offering a big enough display for everything you need.— Trusted Reviews
• Aside from the camera lens hubcaps and the new chip inside, the S25 is essentially the same boxy, sharp-cornered phone we've seen for the past three years.— 9to5Google
• Spot-the-difference between the S25 and S24 is a tough game — the camera lenses sit slightly more prominent on the rear, the weight is 5g lower, and that is basically the entire visual delta.— Trusted Reviews
• Build quality is excellent — Gorilla Glass Victus 2 on both sides, an Armor Aluminum frame, IP68 water and dust resistance, and a high-quality feel in the hand.— Notebookcheck
• The S25 series is so visually similar to the S24 that the new color palette is one of the few obvious ways to tell them apart — Black is now a Samsung.com-exclusive, leaving Navy, Mint, Icy Blue and Silver Shadow at most retailers.— GSMArena
• Unbox Therapy noted the S25 design language is 'as minimal as you can get' — a familiar boxy phone with very little flair in the camera layout, branded with a small mirrored Samsung logo on the back.— Unbox Therapy

The 6.2-inch Dynamic AMOLED 2X panel is unchanged from the S24 — 1080p / 416 ppi, 1–120 Hz LTPO, 2,600-nit peak brightness, HDR10+. Reviewers praise the sharpness and color but flag that the base S25 does not get the Ultra's new anti-reflective Gorilla Armor 2 coating, peak brightness is rarely sustained in manual mode, and PWM dimming sits at a low 240 Hz on Notebookcheck's measurements.

• The 6.2-inch display has not changed from the Galaxy S24 but remains a great screen with good detail, vibrancy and plenty of punch — perfectly sized for one-handed use.— Trusted Reviews
• The 2X AMOLED screen tops out at 2,600 nits peak and is plenty bright, with variable refresh rates from 1 Hz to 120 Hz — though at 6.2 inches it can feel small for extensive Netflix or YouTube watching.— Engadget
• Notebookcheck measured 1,311 cd/m² in APL18 white and a 2,594 cd/m² HDR peak — light output is almost identical to the S24, but PWM dimming sits at just 240 Hz which can bother sensitive eyes.— Notebookcheck
• Brightness is not as high as some Android rivals — the OnePlus 13R reaches 4,500 nits — but the S25 is bright enough for sunny days and HDR streaming.— Trusted Reviews
• The S25 keeps Corning Gorilla Glass Victus 2 instead of the Ultra's Gorilla Armor 2 — meaning no anti-reflective coating on the base model, a step Trusted Reviews wishes had trickled down.— Trusted Reviews
• Dave2D notes the regular S25 and S25+ did not get any design overhaul — the new anti-reflective coating is exclusive to the Ultra, and the difference vs the Plus is visible side-by-side under overhead light.— Dave2D

The Snapdragon 8 Elite for Galaxy is the single substantive hardware change this year and reviewers agree it delivers — Engadget measured multi-core Geekbench jumping from 7,049 on the S24 to 8,950, Trusted Reviews logged 9,450 multi-core / 3,101 single-core. The base S25 lacks the Ultra's larger vapor chamber so it warms up under sustained load, but everyday performance is butter-smooth. RAM is now 12GB across all storage tiers — a real upgrade.

• With the 3 nm Snapdragon 8 Elite for Galaxy, CPU multi-core hit 8,950 (up from 7,049 on the S24) and GPU scored 19,158 (up from 15,082) — a meaningful generational jump.— Engadget
• Geekbench 6 multi-core landed at 9,450 and single-core at 3,101, putting the S25 at the top of the Android pile and roughly on par with the iPhone 16 in multi-core.— Trusted Reviews
• Everyday tasks and gaming run smoothly — the S25 got warm under stress tests and back-to-back generative AI plus 4K video uploads but never uncomfortably hot.— Trusted Reviews
• Back-to-back generative AI requests and shooting and uploading 4K video made the S25 heat up — it lacks the expanded vapor chamber that Samsung added to the S25 Ultra.— Engadget
• The Snapdragon 8 Elite is the most powerful chip on Android to date, with a special enhanced 'for Galaxy' variant supporting Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth 5.4 — the biggest upgrade in years.— GSMArena
• Across all S25 devices the Snapdragon 8 Elite shows roughly 25–30 percent better real-world battery efficiency over the previous generation — and that is the change that matters most.— Dave2D
• For now this is the most powerful small phone on the market — the Snapdragon 8 Elite makes the S25 feel slick and top-of-the-line, and dropping the Exynos chip globally is a big win for non-US buyers.— 9to5Google
• All three S25 models share the same Snapdragon 8 Elite chip and 12 GB of RAM — the biggest practical differences between them come down to battery size and screen size.— Unbox Therapy

The camera hardware is identical to the S24 — 50MP main, 12MP ultrawide, 10MP 3x telephoto, 12MP selfie — for the third year running. Samsung made software-side improvements (HDR by default, 10-bit color, Galaxy Log, Audio Eraser) and the new ISP cleans up low-light noise, but reviewers are nearly unanimous that the Pixel 9 and iPhone 16 have pulled ahead at this price point. The 12MP ultrawide in particular looks dated next to the 48MP/50MP ultrawide on the Pixel 9, iPhone 16 Pro and S25 Ultra.

• It is the same camera system as the S24, minus some software tweaks — the unchanged 12 MP ultrawide is lackluster, and the lineup feels static while rivals pulled ahead.— The Verge
• The $800 Pixel 9 and $1,000 iPhone 16 Pro both have 48 MP ultrawides — it is confusing that Samsung doesn't give the full S25 lineup the same ultrawide upgrade it gave the Ultra.— Wired
• Samsung's main camera once again uses the four-generation-old ISOCELL GN3 sensor, originally introduced on the Galaxy S22 — Vivo's X200 Pro Mini with the newer Sony LYT-818 delivers visibly better photo quality at a similar size.— Notebookcheck
• Samsung was pleasantly consistent in daylight, but iPhone 16 results were better in darker conditions and S25 night-time shots sometimes came out amber-hued — telephoto and primary sensor process images differently.— Engadget
• The 3x optical telephoto is a real asset — most base-model rivals don't include a telephoto at all, and the 3x reach is treated as essential by 9to5Google.— 9to5Google
• Compared to the Apple iPhone 16 or the Google Pixel 9, the S25 doesn't deliver the best camera performance in its class — Samsung will have to make changes next year to avoid slipping further behind.— Trusted Reviews
• Photos straight from the S25's main sensor show strong dynamic range and natural colors, but the edges appear somewhat blurred and low-light contours soften noticeably.— Notebookcheck
• Samsung has substantially improved video for cinematographers — HDR by default, 10-bit color and a new Galaxy Log mode that lets you capture flat footage and color-grade in post.— Engadget
• Generally I preferred the photos from the Google Pixel 9 Pro over the Galaxy S25 series, though there are several instances where the Samsung phones pull ahead.— Wired
• iJustine confirmed at Unpacked that the S25 base and Plus retain the same primary sensors as the prior generation — the major camera upgrades were reserved for the Ultra.— iJustine

The 4,000 mAh battery is unchanged from the S24, but the more efficient 3 nm chip pushes real-world endurance noticeably further — Engadget recorded 28+ hours of video playback (about 4 hours longer than the S24), Trusted Reviews ended most days with 30%+ remaining, 9to5Google occasionally killed it in a heavy day. Charging is the weakness — 25W wired, 15W wireless, with Qi2 'Ready' working only via a separately purchased magnetic case. The OnePlus 13R's 80W wired charging is a generation ahead.

• The Galaxy S25 clocked in at over 28 hours of video playback — almost four hours more than the S24, and a real testament to processor efficiency gains since the battery itself didn't grow.— Engadget
• Battery life was decent overall — most days finished with over 30% remaining, comfortably getting through a day but not a full two-day phone.— Trusted Reviews
• A 4,000 mAh battery at $799 is not great — 9to5Google could kill the phone in a single heavy day, and a midday top-up may become routine as the battery ages.— 9to5Google
• The S25's 4,000 mAh got me through a full day of moderate use — a smaller battery is a concern in a tiny device but the new chip earns the phone enough efficiency to compensate.— The Verge
• Charging speeds aren't the fastest — 25W wired and 15W wireless trail the OnePlus 13R's 80W, but Trusted Reviews considers it comparable to Apple and Google and not a deal-breaker.— Trusted Reviews
• Qi2 charging only works through a compatible third-party magnetic case — the phone itself has no built-in magnets, and Samsung's first-party magnetic case has 'weak magnets' that lose hold over potholes.— Wired
• 0–50% wired charging took 33 minutes and a full 0–100% charge took 90 minutes — Trusted Reviews benchmarks confirm Samsung is happy to stay conservative versus 80W-plus Chinese rivals.— Trusted Reviews
• Samsung has stuck to the same 4,000 mAh capacity, 25W wired, 15W wireless and 4.5W reverse wireless charging as the S24 — there's an upgrade to Qi2.1 Ready, but it can go easily unnoticed.— GSMArena

One UI 7 on Android 15 is the biggest single software step Samsung has shipped in years — Now Bar, redesigned Quick Settings, smoother animations and Gemini as the default assistant (Bixby still hangs around). Galaxy AI's headline feature is multi-app voice actions: ask Gemini to find a restaurant and text it to a friend in one go. The execution is split — Mrwhosetheboss, Austin Evans and 9to5Mac like cross-app actions and Gemini-with-context, while The Verge, Wired, Mrwhosetheboss and Now Brief itself frustrate as often as they impress. Samsung has not committed to whether Galaxy AI stays free after end of 2025.

• AI does a good job adding structure to chaotic notes — turning a typed list of a child's symptoms into a sensibly subheaded 'Child's illness progression' document with no manual prompting required.— The Verge
• The list of reasons to upgrade to an S25 aside from 'my current phone stopped working' is awfully thin — much of Samsung's AI pitch will be ported to older S-series phones in short order.— The Verge
• Now Brief is unfortunately underwhelming — every click surfaces the weather and a random news story, and after two weeks Wired had yet to receive anything insightful.— Wired
• Multi-step Gemini actions like 'find a pet-friendly Italian restaurant nearby and text it to Luca' actually work — not 100% reliably, but often enough to feel like a real generation ahead of regular voice assistants.— MKBHD
• Once you use Gemini, it is hard to go back to regular Google Assistant or Siri — and the fact that holding the power button pulls it up with on-screen context makes it the standout new feature of the S25.— Austin Evans
• Having two assistants on the phone — Gemini for general AI, Bixby for system settings — is confusing and there is no obvious reason Gemini can't do both.— Wired
• One UI 7 is a brilliant operating system — everything reacts immediately and apps run reliably, and Now Bar plus the redesigned Quick Settings feel like a meaningful step forward.— Digital Trends
• Now Brief without a Samsung wearable is essentially useless — it resorted to saying 'Have a nice day' on the lock screen when it had nothing better to surface.— Digital Trends
• Seven years of major Android upgrades and security patches put Samsung in line with Google and Apple for long-term support, and three years longer than what OnePlus offers.— Trusted Reviews
• Galaxy AI might not just be marketing hype anymore — features have gone from gimmicky last year to genuinely useful this year, with Gemini cross-app integration the standout improvement.— Austin Evans
• r/gadgets sums up the prevailing user-side critique on Samsung's AI-first 2025 pitch: 'You shouldn't upgrade each year. Phones have plateaued for a few years now.'— Reddit r/gadgets

At $799 the S25 holds the line on price for the third year in a row — which is the problem. The base S25 misses the Ultra's new 50MP ultrawide, anti-reflective Gorilla Armor 2 display, S Pen, larger vapor chamber and 200MP main camera. Reviewers consistently point to two more compelling buys at this price point: the $799 Pixel 9 (better stills, similar size, Gemini built in) and the OnePlus 13R / OnePlus 13 (much faster charging, bigger battery, lower price). If you specifically want a compact Android with seven years of updates, the S25 still wins — but the field around it has gotten much stronger.

• If this is peak phone, it's not a bad place to be — the cameras are good, battery life is fine, and the software updates will flow for seven years, making the S25 the last reasonably sized Android phone you can buy in the US.— The Verge
• Besides a powerful new chip and AI tricks, why isn't the S25 cheaper? At $799 launch it matches the S23 and S24 exactly, and the year-old Galaxy S24 will get heavily discounted in the coming months.— Engadget
• If you have last year's S24 there is little reason to upgrade — but if you have an older Samsung or other phone a couple of years old, the S25 is a pocket powerhouse with a lovely small form factor.— Trusted Reviews
• From a value proposition perspective the S25 isn't enough — a $799 phone with a 4,000 mAh battery doesn't fly in 2025, and Samsung needs to spend more time working on the base model next year.— 9to5Google
• The vanilla S25 hits the sweet spot of value and size — arguably the best choice for most people across the entire Galaxy S25 lineup.— Austin Evans
• The Vivo X200 Pro Mini and Xiaomi 15 show what is possible in battery technology and cameras at a similar size — Samsung's compact crown is genuinely under threat in 2025.— Notebookcheck
• The OnePlus 13 has the character missing from the Galaxy S25 lineup — its Hasselblad camera and more inspiring colorways make it the more interesting buy at this price.— Digital Trends
• The Galaxy S25 launched at the same $799 / £799 price as the S24, putting it in the same bracket as the iPhone 16 and only slightly above the Pixel 9 — competitive on price even if iterative on hardware.— Trusted Reviews
• Samsung is relying more on software and AI to sell the new models, as opposed to hardware and camera updates — a strategic bet that not every reviewer or user is willing to make.— TechCrunch
• Samsung released the Galaxy S25 series earlier this year to generally favorable reviews — Ars Technica's framing captures the consensus even from publications less impressed with the iterative cycle.— Ars Technica