It’s a fantastic mix that will like the most ardent Android, Samsung, and Google Gemini fans.
Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra: Two-minute review
Is there such a thing as ‘ultimate phone design’?
That was my first thought as I held the newSamsungGalaxy S25 Ultra and turned it over in my hand.
(Image credit: Future / Lance Ulanoff)
I dont consider this mimicry.
And Samsung isnt shy about presenting its partner’s capabilities.
There are more powerful tools for generating AI images and making AI alterations to existing photographs.
Samsungs AI integration also extends to sound.
Thats a triumph right there.
For existing Samsung Galaxy S Ultra fans, this is the ultimate Android.
For the latest Galaxy S25 Ultra deals in your region, check out our dedicatedSamsung Galaxy S25 dealspage.
Its also considerably lighter, at 218 grams compared to the S24 Ultras 232 grams.
Despite the significant chassis alteration, there arent a lot of other design changes.
This is a big-screen handset that I enjoy holding and using.
This is still an adaptive display, auto-switching from 1Hz to 120Hz on an as-needed basis.
ProScaler is an image upscaling technology adopted from Samsung’s TV tech.
Underneath the screen is an ultrasonic fingerprint reader.
I initially only registered my thumb, but found that the scanner sometimes struggled to read my print.
I also used a PIN and my face to unlock the phone.
(Image credit: Future / Lance Ulanoff)
In general, Im a big fan of the S Pen.
It’s thin and small, but a worthy drawing implement.
All the lenses now appear to almost float above the chassis.
(Image credit: Future / Lance Ulanoff)
Heres what youll find on the S25 Ultra.
The only new camera of the bunch is the 50MP ultra-wide.
Similarly, youll do most of your 200MP main-camera shooting in a pixel-binned 12MP mode.
(Image credit: Future / Lance Ulanoff)
Portrait shots default to some beautification.
If you like absolute truth in your photography, this might bother you.
I was especially impressed with the 50MP ultra-wides nighttime performance.
(Image credit: Future / Lance Ulanoff)
The Samsung Galaxy 25 Ultras zoom capabilities are strong even without a dedicated 10x optical zoom.
Its been two Ultra generations since the Ultra line featured 10x optical zoom and Im officially over it.
I attribute this to the algorithmic Pro Visual engine, and I assume a tiny tweak could fix it.
(Image credit: Future / Lance Ulanoff)
Youll need to download Expert RAW and then switch on the Lab features to try it.
With it, you’re free to virtually adjust the aperture from f/1.4 to f /16.
This cross-app prompt functionality works with a small collection of non-Google and non-Samsung apps, including Spotify andWhatsApp.
I asked Gemini to find science-related podcasts on Spotify and then make a list of them in Notes.
Multimodal capabilities mean that the AI can react to everything from photos and videos to audio.
Samsung, though, has some work to do on making these processes simple and seamless.
(Image credit: Future / Lance Ulanoff)
Then I selected the camera, took a photo of my meal, and selected ‘Attach’.
Then I pressed the microphone button and asked Gemini about the calorie count.
It smartly figured that I could use all this to make cheeseburgers.
(Image credit: Future / Lance Ulanoff)
In each case, Gemini maintained the context of our conversation.
This shows up as the new Now Brief widget on the home screen.
These include basic info like calendars, weather, and reminders.
(Image credit: Future / Lance Ulanoff)
Eventually, itll start offering suggestions on how you’re able to improve these metrics.
And while Apple is only comfortable letting people create cartoonish images of themselves and new genmojis.
Samsung is pushing the boundaries of AI image generation.
I used Sketch to Image to add a white mouse to a series of images.
I can also generate images from text and original photos.
The sketch features do a nice job of turning photos into line drawings.
(Image credit: Future / Lance Ulanoff)
The system can be a bit unpredictable, though.
More practically, Samsung’s Galaxy AI was effective at helping me clean up images using Generative Edit.
AI has helped Samsung add it own Shazam feature.
(Image credit: Future / Lance Ulanoff)
A more useful audio feature, in my opinion, is the new Audio Eraser.
This is very similar to Apples Audio Mix tool.
Both can identify, separate, and remove background noise in videos.
(Image credit: Future / Lance Ulanoff)
Samsungs version did an excellent job of removing all noise from a video I shot on busy street.
As a system, One UI 7 is cleaner and smarter than ever.
Even Gallery has been given an AI upgrade, so its better at returning useful photo results.
Stepping through all the cameras (except the selfie one).(Image credit: Future / Lance Ulanoff)
I can now grab the search icon and then speak my query, with typically accurate results.
I asked for photos of plants, and the S25 Ultra instantly returned all my photos that included plants.
If you let it do that, youll find no better image search engine.
(Image credit: Future / Lance Ulanoff)
There was no task it couldnt handle, and I found its AI capabilities speedy and effective.
This isnt just the fastest chip Qualcomms ever produced; its a custom version for Samsung.
Perhaps more notable is that despite intensive use Im seeing amazing battery life.
(Image credit: Future / Lance Ulanoff)
With a 65W charger, I fully charged the 5000mAh battery in one hour.
It’s also the same price as last year.
This phone is potentially an AI-powered hub for Samsung’s AI ecosystem experience.
(Image credit: Future / Lance Ulanoff)
I’ve been using it as my everyday phone and for comparison with my iPhone 16 Pro Max.
(Image credit: Future / Lance Ulanoff)
(Image credit: Future / Lance Ulanoff)
(Image credit: Future / Lance Ulanoff)
(Image credit: Future / Lance Ulanoff)
(Image credit: Future / Lance Ulanoff)
(Image credit: Future / Lance Ulanoff)
(Image credit: Future / Lance Ulanoff)
(Image credit: Future / Lance Ulanoff)
(Image credit: Future / Lance Ulanoff)
(Image credit: Future / Lance Ulanoff)
(Image credit: Future / Lance Ulanoff)
(Image credit: Future / Lance Ulanoff)
(Image credit: Future / Lance Ulanoff)
(Image credit: Future / Lance Ulanoff)
(Image credit: Future / Lance Ulanoff)
(Image credit: Future / Lance Ulanoff)
(Image credit: Future / Lance Ulanoff)
(Image credit: Future / Lance Ulanoff)
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(Image credit: Future / Lance Ulanoff)
(Image credit: Future / Lance Ulanoff)
(Image credit: Future / Lance Ulanoff)
(Image credit: Future / Lance Ulanoff)
(Image credit: Future/Jacob Krol)
(Image credit: Future/Jacob Krol)
(Image credit: Future / Lance Ulanoff)
(Image credit: Future / Lance Ulanoff)
