Samsung’s latest Galaxy S25 Ultra smartphone elevates the flagship Android experience through significant AI advancements and thoughtful refinements to an already successful formula. While positioned as an incremental upgrade rather than a revolutionary overhaul, the device maintains Samsung’s leadership position by delivering comprehensive excellence across performance, camera capabilities, battery life, and software features. The expanded AI toolkit and continued S Pen integration highlight Samsung’s commitment to both productivity and ecosystem development in the premium smartphone market.
The big picture: The Galaxy S25 Ultra refines rather than reinvents Samsung’s premium smartphone offering, focusing on enhanced AI capabilities and subtle design improvements while maintaining core strengths.
- The device features slightly lighter construction with flatter edges and rounded corners, making it more comfortable to handle than its predecessor.
- Samsung’s ecosystem integration remains a key selling point, with the S Pen continuing to differentiate the Ultra model from other premium smartphones.
Key AI capabilities: Samsung has significantly expanded its artificial intelligence toolkit with Gemini-powered features that enhance productivity and creative applications.
- Gemini Live serves as an advanced assistant capable of executing complex cross-platform tasks and maintaining contextual awareness.
- Creative tools like Generative Edit for photos and Audio Eraser for isolating and removing specific sounds in videos demonstrate practical AI applications.
- Productivity features include Browsing Assist for summarizing web content, Writing Assist for text organization, and AI Select for analyzing on-screen content and suggesting relevant actions.
Hardware specifications: The S25 Ultra maintains Samsung’s tradition of top-tier components while making strategic improvements to key areas.
- The 6.9-inch LTPO AMOLED display offers a 120Hz refresh rate, HDR10+ support, and peak brightness of 2,600 nits, enhanced by a new anti-reflective coating.
- Camera capabilities have been upgraded with a 200MP main sensor and improved supporting cameras, including a 50MP ultra-wide (up from 12MP) and dual telephoto lenses.
- Performance comes from Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8 Elite processor, paired with a 5,000mAh battery supporting 45W charging that delivers approximately 14 hours of use in benchmark testing.
Software experience: The device runs Android 15 with Samsung’s One UI 7, focusing on seamless integration across the company’s device ecosystem.
- One UI 7 prioritizes connection between Samsung devices, allowing for smoother workflows across phones, tablets, and computers.
- The Now Brief feature presents periodically useful information, representing Samsung’s approach to ambient computing.
Why it matters: Despite being an iterative improvement, the S25 Ultra maintains Samsung’s position as the creator of “the most loaded Android flagship money can buy,” according to the review.
- The comprehensive package of hardware excellence and expanded AI features provides a compelling upgrade path for existing Samsung users.
- The device’s focus on refinement rather than revolution suggests a maturing smartphone market where even incremental improvements deliver significant user benefits.
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