Introduction
The top-of-the-line model is always the most favored one from Samsung's Galaxy S series every year. It's not going to be any different for the Galaxy S25 Ultra. The good news is that Samsung is given this model the goods that it needs to succeed in the market.
Samsung has made major changes in some areas while refining many aspects of what's already proven to be a tested formula for success. The Galaxy S25 Ultra binds it all together in a package that's tough to beat.
Design
The design is one of the biggest changes Samsung has made to the Galaxy S25 Ultra. It's not as boxy as previous models, and certainly doesn't resemble the beloved Galaxy Note models its predecessors did. It now has more rounded edges and curves that make it look a lot more like Galaxy S phones.
Samsung has used Grade 3 Titanium to construct the device. This makes it tougher and more durable. A new construction method has also resulted in more titanium material being used for the frame. The device does have an IP68 rating for dust and water resistance.
The front of the device is protected with Corning's Armor 2 cover glass. It also has an anti-reflective surface treatment which reduces glare and helps improve readability, particularly when out in bright sunshine.
The Galaxy S25 Ultra measures 77.6 X 162.8 X 8.2mm and weighs 218g. It's much more thin and light compared to its predecessor, which certainly makes it more appealing for those who want amazing performance and a svelte frame.
Specifications
Samsung has used the Snapdragon 8 Elite for Galaxy chipset in the Galaxy S25 Ultra. This is a beast, boasting a 37% CPU, 30% GPU, and 40% NPU performance increase compared to the previous model. The company has integrated a 40% larger vapor chamber to help keep the chipset's thermals in check, ensuring that users can extract maximum performance from it without thermal throttling.
The Galaxy S25 Ultra is available with 12GB RAM and 256/512GB and 1TB storage variants. There's also a variant with 16GB of RAM but it's only available in select markets. It has the same 5,000mAh battery as its predecessor with support for 45W charging. Qi2 wireless charging support is also present.
Display
Samsung has equipped the Galaxy S25 Ultra with a 6.9-inch QHD+ resolution Dynamic AMOLED 2X display with a 1 – 120Hz refresh rate, vision booster, and adaptive color tone. The display is marginally larger than its predecessor since the bezels are much slimmer on this model.
The display also has S Pen support but Samsung has made a major change this year. It has removed the S Pen's Bluetooth features. So while the stylus can write and draw on the displays with ease, features that enabled the S Pen to be used as a clicker for the camera or presentations are no longer available.
Cameras
The rear camera setup includes a 200-megapixel f/1.7 primary sensor with Optical Image Stabilization. It's paired with an upgraded 50-megapixel F1.9 ultra-wide sensor. The zoom package includes a 50-megapixel f/3.4 telephoto sensor with Optical Image Stabilization and 5x optical zoom and a 10-megapixel f/2.4 3x optical zoom sensor also with stabilization. A 12-megapixel selfie camera is on the front.
Many camera software improvements have been made to increase the performance of these sensors. 10-bit HDR recording is now enabled by default and Expert Raw provides Virtual Aperture control for better depth-of-field control. There's also been a significant improvement in low-light performance. Log video recording is supported as well.
Software and features
The Galaxy S25 Ultra ships with Android 15 and One UI 7.0 out of the box. It brings several new features, such as the Now Bar, which is a context-ware UI element that provides relevant information based on what the user is doing. The new software also brings many Galaxy AI-related improvements.
Like most high-end Samsung phones today, the Galaxy S25 Ultra is also supported for seven years of Android OS and security updates, meaning that users don't have to worry about software support until 2032.
Availability and price
Samsung unveiled the Galaxy S25 Ultra at its Unpacked event on January 22nd, 2025, with the release set for February 7, 2025. Prices for the Galaxy S25 Ultra start at $1,299 in the United States. The handset is available in Titanium Silverblue, Titanium Black, Titanium Whitesilver and Titanium Gray colors.
