Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra Review: Still the Most Complete Android Phone?

The Galaxy S25 Ultra is Samsung’s everything phone. It has the biggest, brightest screen in the Galaxy S range, four rear cameras including two telephoto lenses, a built-in S Pen and a promise of seven years of Android and security updates. It is also large, heavy and expensive.

Launched in early 2025 at $1,299, the S25 Ultra is now widely discounted, which makes it a very interesting buy. Here is how it performs across the things that matter day to day.

Design and display

Samsung softened the Ultra’s corners this generation, which makes it more comfortable to hold than earlier models, and it is slightly lighter thanks to a titanium frame. It is still a big phone: the 6.9-inch display is the largest Samsung has put on an S-series device.

That screen is the best reason to buy it. It is a QHD+ Dynamic AMOLED panel with a 1–120Hz adaptive refresh rate, and it is covered with Corning Gorilla Armor 2, an anti-reflective glass that dramatically reduces glare. Outdoors in bright sun, it is easier to read than almost any other phone.

Cameras

The S25 Ultra has four rear cameras: a 200MP main sensor, a new 50MP ultrawide, a 10MP 3x telephoto and a 50MP 5x periscope telephoto. That line-up gives it exceptional range — you can shoot a wide landscape, a portrait at 3x and a detailed stadium shot at 5x or 10x without switching phones or lenses.

Photos are bright, sharp and punchy, with Samsung’s characteristic vivid colours. The upgraded ultrawide captures much more detail, especially in macro shots. Video recording is excellent, and features like Audio Eraser — which reduces wind or background noise in clips after you record — are genuinely useful.

Performance and Galaxy AI

Every S25 Ultra uses the Snapdragon 8 Elite for Galaxy chip, one of the fastest mobile processors available, paired with 12GB of RAM. Apps open instantly, heavy games run smoothly and the phone stays cooler under load than earlier Ultras thanks to a larger vapour chamber.

Galaxy AI features include Now Brief, a personalised daily summary; Circle to Search; writing and photo-editing tools; and Gemini, which can take actions across Samsung apps from a single request. Some features are genuinely time-saving, others feel like demos — but none are forced on you.

S Pen

The S Pen slots into the frame and remains a unique advantage for note-takers, sketchers and anyone who signs documents on the go. Samsung removed Bluetooth from this generation’s pen, so remote “Air Actions” such as using the pen as a camera shutter are gone. For writing and drawing, nothing has changed.

Battery life

The 5,000mAh battery combined with the efficient Snapdragon chip gives the S25 Ultra reliable all-day battery life, and moderate users can stretch into a second day. Charging tops out at 45W wired, which is fast enough but slower than some Chinese rivals.

Galaxy S25 Ultra vs the alternatives

Phone	Choose it if…
Galaxy S25 Ultra	You want the biggest screen, the S Pen and the best zoom
Galaxy S25	You want Samsung features in a compact size
Google Pixel 10 Pro	You prefer Google’s software and photo processing
iPhone 17 Pro Max	You are committed to Apple’s ecosystem

Comparing with Apple? Our iPhone 16 vs iPhone 17 guide explains Apple’s current line-up.

Should you buy the Galaxy S25 Ultra?

If you want one phone that does everything — the best screen for outdoor use, zoom photography, note-taking with a pen and long-term software support — the S25 Ultra remains one of the best Android phones you can buy, especially at today’s discounted prices. If you do not need the S Pen or 5x zoom, a smaller Galaxy S25 will save money and your pocket.