Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra

Samsung reshaped the Ultra this year with rounded corners and flatter sides, keeping the grade-5 titanium frame and introducing Gorilla Armor 2 front and back. Most reviewers find the new shape more comfortable, though a minority think it still feels utilitarian. The phone is marginally thinner and lighter than the S24 Ultra despite a slightly larger display. Reddit users on r/Android flag that the new rounded corners make the Ultra visually less distinct from the base S25 than past generations.

• The rounded corners and straighter sides make the S25 Ultra more comfortable one-handed than the pointed S24 Ultra.— The Verge
• Bezels are 15 percent smaller, giving a 6.9-inch screen without the phone growing physically larger.— Engadget
• The flat sides make the Ultra comfier one-handed, though the look is less distinctive than older Ultras.— Wired
• The phone is flat and slab-like, and sharp edges still dig into the palm during long sessions — the OnePlus 13, Pixel 9a and Xiaomi 15 Ultra are all more comfortable.— Digital Trends
• Samsung has finally struck gold with the S25 Ultra design — a flat frame with rounded corners that improves looks and handling.— GSMArena
• It has become a beautifully crafted, ultimately gorgeous slab of glass and metal after six months of daily use.— 9to5Google
• Samsung reduced weight by about 15g versus the S24 Ultra, which is noticeable in the hand.— 9to5Mac
• The phone is slightly thinner, has thinner bezels, and a more pronounced camera ring — none of which makes a huge usability difference.— MKBHD
• Rounded corners make it 'just the same generic looking rounded corner slab' — the iconic square-corner Note/Ultra look is gone.— Reddit r/gadgets

Virtually every reviewer calls the S25 Ultra display the best on a smartphone, thanks to the Gorilla Armor 2 anti-reflective coating that practically eliminates glare in sunlight, the 2,600-nit peak brightness, and the sharp 1440p LTPO panel. A few reviewers note PWM dimming only reaches 480 Hz and peak auto-brightness doesn't always sustain.

• The anti-reflective coating makes it one of the easiest phones to use in direct sunlight and held up well to scratches over a week of abuse.— The Verge
• The Gorilla Armor 2 panel strikes an almost perfect balance between glossy and matte, with 2,600-nit peak brightness that dazzles in any environment.— Engadget
• The S25 Ultra's anti-reflective screen eclipses every other smartphone right now, especially under harsh sunlight.— Digital Trends
• After six months of use it is simply put: the best display I've ever seen on mobile — the bezels, brightness and colors are unbeatable.— 9to5Google
• The low-glare, bright LTPO display is a strength, but PWM dimming is only at 480 Hz which can bother sensitive eyes.— Notebookcheck
• The display still only hits around 850 nits with the manual brightness toggle, so you rarely see the full peak brightness outside of HDR.— Linus Tech Tips
• Even without a huge display upgrade, this is still absolutely one of the best displays — super crisp, very bright, high-refresh-rate LTPO.— MKBHD
• Slimmer bezels grow the screen to 6.9 inches without making the body larger, and the Gorilla Armor 2 glass looks great.— GSMArena
• r/Android commenters who upgraded from the S23 Ultra call out the titanium body and the non-reflective screen as the two features they actually notice day-to-day.— Reddit r/Android

The Snapdragon 8 Elite for Galaxy delivers a meaningful generational jump in both CPU and GPU, rivaling Apple's A18 Pro and outscoring the iPhone 16 Pro Max in multi-core. The 40 percent larger vapor chamber keeps the phone cool even under sustained gaming loads. The r/apple thread citing a 36% GPU lead over the iPhone 16 Pro Max generated heated discussion, with most commenters conceding the Snapdragon chip is genuinely fast even if they still wouldn't switch.

• The phone benchmarks crazy high, rivaling Apple's A18 Pro — a little lower in single core but higher in multi-core.— MKBHD
• Samsung's 40 percent larger vapor chamber keeps the phone from warming up in normal use and benchmarks are up 30-40 percent depending on the task.— Engadget
• Playing Genshin Impact at max settings for nearly an hour produced no stutters and no hot spots — a noticeable improvement over the S24 series.— Wired
• Multi-core Geekbench hits 9,793 versus the iPhone 16 Pro Max at 8,772 — the S25 Ultra pulls ahead thanks to extra cores and 12GB of RAM.— 9to5Mac
• The Snapdragon 8 Elite is the most welcome generational upgrade this year, with a boosted 'for Galaxy' variant delivering more CPU headroom than the standard chip.— GSMArena
• Under heavy loads the S25 Ultra becomes a bit power-hungry, which can cause faster-than-expected battery drain when multitasking or running demanding apps.— Engadget
• Everyday tasks run smoothly and there was no meaningful performance difference versus the OnePlus 13 running the same chip.— The Verge
• Apple users on r/apple concede Apple has fallen behind on GPU performance, saying 'competition is good' after the S25 Ultra posted a roughly 36% GPU lead in benchmarks.— Reddit r/Apple

The only new hardware is a 50MP ultrawide with an f/1.9 aperture and autofocus — the 200MP main, 10MP 3x and 50MP 5x telephoto lenses all carry over from the S24 Ultra. Reviewers agree the ultrawide is a genuine improvement and low-light video processing is noticeably cleaner, but colors still skew saturated and shutter lag persists — a complaint echoed on Reddit by would-be switchers. Samsung's imaging is now slightly behind the Vivo X200 Pro and Xiaomi 15 Ultra but remains top-tier.

• The new 50MP ultrawide delivers more fine detail than the S24 Ultra's sensor, and the wider f/1.9 aperture helps keep noise low.— The Verge
• Some low-light ultrawide shots are sharper than both the Google Pixel 9 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max, but the rest of the cameras feel static.— Wired
• Samsung's penchant for slightly overboard sharpening is still visible, though the new ultrawide beats what the Pixel 9 Pro can do.— Engadget
• Photos straight from the camera are a little too natural-looking, and most shots need editing to look their best.— Digital Trends
• The 3x optical zoom uses a small, outdated sensor and is now a weak point of the camera setup.— Notebookcheck
• All cameras stay the same as on the S24 Ultra except the ultrawide, and Samsung is relying on the new ISP to improve quality.— GSMArena
• The S25 Ultra takes better zoom and ultrawide photos than last year with cleaner skin tones, and shutter lag is finally put to bed.— Mrwhosetheboss
• Samsung has aimed for consistency, and after six months the stills are vibrant yet muted — pictures up to 15x zoom remain tack-sharp.— 9to5Google
• The shutter activation is slow and not as instant as competing phones — a persistent Galaxy flaw Samsung should address.— 9to5Google
• Side-by-side low-light video clips versus the S24 Ultra show clearly more fine detail from the S25 Ultra.— The Verge
• iPhone-curious switchers on r/apple still call out shutter lag as the thing holding them back: 'I just want to open the camera and snap a picture right away. I don't want to have a motion blurred photo.'— Reddit r/Apple

The 5,000 mAh battery is unchanged but the more efficient chip pushes real-world endurance comfortably beyond a day — Engadget measured 29h 27m video runtime, Mrwhosetheboss got nearly 9 hours of screen-on time. Wired charging tops out at 45W, wireless at 25W. The Qi2 Ready implementation without built-in magnets is a consistent frustration, and Reddit users openly say the OnePlus 13's silicon-carbon battery was the more exciting release this year.

• Most days end with 60 percent left over — good but not amazing for a modern flagship.— The Verge
• Local video rundown lasted an incredible 29 hours 27 minutes — almost two hours longer than the S24 Ultra.— Engadget
• Battery life is just under 9 hours of total screen-on time per charge, regularly ending days with 30-40 percent remaining.— Mrwhosetheboss
• Standby time after half a year of use remains excellent — never a single battery issue during long-term testing.— 9to5Google
• Qi2 Ready is frustrating — you need a third-party magnetic case for MagSafe-like functionality, and some cases have weak magnets that pop off.— Wired
• Samsung is cutting corners by calling the phone Qi2 Ready without including magnets, and as the biggest phone maker it should do better.— Engadget
• The S25 Ultra loses in both capacity and longevity to the OnePlus 13, which packs a 6,000 mAh silicon-carbon cell.— Engadget
• Samsung stuck with the same 5,000 mAh cell rather than upgrading to silicon-carbon battery tech like the OnePlus 13.— MKBHD
• 'The OnePlus 13 was a more exciting release for me, with their new battery tech. Samsung has gotten pretty complacent, for the price they're asking.'— Reddit r/Android

One UI 7 on Android 15 is Samsung's biggest skin update in years and earns broad praise for polish. Gemini replaces Bixby as the default assistant on long-press and gains cross-app actions, though the experience is uneven — some reviewers report magical moments, others catch hallucinations. Samsung has committed to seven years of updates, and Galaxy AI is free only through the end of 2025. The r/gadgets thread is openly hostile toward the AI pitch — most top comments view it as bloat, tracking, or a distraction from real hardware progress.

• Gemini can put events on the calendar, but it also hallucinates recipes and insists flights leave the wrong city — AI makes things up a lot.— The Verge
• Galaxy AI features will be free only through the end of 2025, so don't be surprised if the AI phone comes with an AI subscription fee.— The Verge
• Having two assistants (Gemini and Bixby) is confusing, and Now Brief still hasn't produced anything insightful in two weeks of use.— Wired
• Improved natural-language commands throughout the phone feel slightly magical — asking the phone to add the next Knicks game to a calendar just works.— Engadget
• Samsung's AI-powered eraser tool is excellent at removing power lines and telegraph poles, and the filter system carries edits across photos.— Digital Trends
• Seven years of major Android upgrades and security patches match the industry's best long-term support window.— GSMArena
• As it stands today, Galaxy AI on OneUI 7 has the edge over Apple Intelligence — it's more contextually aware and works across apps.— 9to5Mac
• After six months I haven't used any Galaxy AI feature except Gemini — there is no reason to let the phone automate things I want manual control over.— 9to5Google
• Galaxy AI might not just be marketing hype anymore — the features have gotten from gimmicky last year to actually decent this year.— Austin Evans
• Now Brief is mostly useless — every click it just surfaces the weather and a random news story.— MKBHD
• Samsung is withholding pricing on its AI subscription less than a year before Galaxy AI's free period ends, putting business ahead of users.— Mrwhosetheboss
• 'What benefit does the AI in phones even provide... It's just a search engine with a dedicated button' — representative of the dominant r/gadgets view that AI features are not a reason to buy.— Reddit r/gadgets
• r/Android commenters praise One UI 7 itself as a reason to stay with Samsung, calling it hard to imagine switching away from even as they criticize the AI push.— Reddit r/Android

Samsung removed Bluetooth Low Energy from the S Pen this year, killing Air Actions and the remote camera shutter. Samsung says fewer than 1 percent of users activated the feature, but reviewers — especially long-time Note fans — see it as symbolic of the Ultra losing its 'everything phone' identity. Precision writing and drawing still work as before. On r/Android, would-be upgraders from the S22 Ultra cite the S Pen downgrade as a reason they canceled their pre-order.

• The S Pen now loses Bluetooth, so it can no longer be used as a magic wand, remote camera shutter or media controller.— The Verge
• Samsung's data shows less than 1 percent of people activated Air Actions, but removing it from the Ultra violates the 'everything phone' identity.— MKBHD
• Air Actions gestures are gone with the BLE downgrade, though you can still get them with the optional S Pen Pro accessory.— Engadget
• The S Pen is still part of the Ultra, but it no longer supports Bluetooth — no more Air actions, no more remote shutter — and the move is hard to justify.— GSMArena
• The stylus is incredibly useful day-to-day for marking up documents or screenshots, even without Bluetooth features.— Linus Tech Tips
• Some users will definitely miss the S Pen's Bluetooth function, which is one of the phone's main downsides.— Notebookcheck
• Last year's S24 Ultra S Pen fits 99 percent of the way into the S25 Ultra but won't click in, and there is no longer any wireless charger inside the silo.— JerryRigEverything
• S22 Ultra owners canceled their S25 Ultra pre-order explicitly citing the worse S Pen and worse optical zoom as downgrades rather than upgrades.— Reddit r/Android

At $1,299 the S25 Ultra is one of the priciest non-folding phones on the market, and reviewers repeatedly ask whether the incremental hardware improvements justify the premium. The OnePlus 13 ($400 less) and iPhone 16 Pro Max ($100 less) are the two most common recommended alternatives, though the Ultra's complete package — stylus, 5x tele, anti-reflective screen, seven years of updates — still wins over buyers who want it all in one device. User sentiment across r/Android and r/gadgets skews cooler: the dominant view is that the Ultra 'no longer feels Ultra' and that rivals offer better value in 2025.

• At $1,299 it is one of the most expensive non-folding phones, and it's fair to ask for more than a spec bump for that money.— The Verge
• The iPhone 16 Pro is $300 less and also has a titanium frame — it's hard to justify the $1,300 asking price.— Wired
• A OnePlus 13 has a brighter display, IP69, better battery life, faster charging and a $400 lower price tag.— MKBHD
• This is still one of the most complete packages on Android and maybe the best outright phone you can buy, especially on discount.— 9to5Google
• Around 90 percent of the phone's capabilities are already available on previous models, so Samsung is asking buyers to consider why they need to upgrade at all.— Engadget
• The S25 Ultra is an excellent, robust smartphone and a safe purchase, but you'll buy it with your head, not your heart.— Digital Trends
• The Ultra is the definition of reliable flagship excellence and one of the best phones of 2025, even if it doesn't make you feel anything.— Austin Evans
• The base S25 and S25+ have every AI feature and the same chip for $500 less, making them arguably the better value for most people.— MKBHD
• The top-voted r/Android comment summarizes user sentiment: 'This phone feels a little less special than the S24 Ultra did, which felt a little less special than the S23 Ultra. But this is the Ultra! Doesn't that mean something?'— Reddit r/Android
• r/gadgets sums up the mood in one line: 'Samsung didn't have any new hardware to bring so they tried to turn the focus to AI, basically selling you an S24/S23 with more AI stuffed in it.'— Reddit r/gadgets