Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra Review: The Screen Era Begins—and AI Can Wait
The Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra is a paradox. It arrives with a label screaming “AI” from the rooftops, yet its most profound achievement is refreshingly physical: a 6.9-inch display so advanced it makes every other smartphone screen look a generation behind. While the tech world debates the merits of Google Gemini AI and on-device processing, Samsung has quietly crafted what can only be described as the greatest phone screen ever made, wrapped in a body that’s lighter, tougher, and more refined than its predecessor.
But at $1,300, the question isn’t whether this is a great phone—it is. The real question is: do you need it? We spent weeks living with the S25 Ultra, pushing its new 50-megapixel ultrawide camera, testing the limits of its custom Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite chip, and, yes, wrestling with its Galaxy AI features. Here’s everything you need to know to decide if this Ultra is your ultimate upgrade or a spectacular overreach.
A Design Refined to Near Perfection
The first thing you notice about the S25 Ultra isn’t the AI button or the new titanium hue. It’s the screen. Samsung has refined the display to an almost absurd degree. The 6.9-inch Dynamic AMOLED 2X panel is a masterpiece of engineering. The bezels are so thin they practically disappear, making the content feel like it’s floating in your hand.
However, the true game-changer is the Gorilla Glass Armor coating developed by Corning Incorporated. In direct sunlight—a scenario where most phones become barely usable mirrors—the S25 Ultra’s screen remains crisp and legible. You can be outdoors, shooting video or navigating, without squinting or cupping your hand over the display. For photographers, this means you can actually see your composition in bright conditions. For everyone else, it means using your phone outside is no longer a compromise. The 2,600-nit peak brightness ensures HDR content pops, but the anti-reflection layer is what truly sets it apart from competitors like the Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max and Google Pixel 9 Pro XL.
Samsung has also refined the physical form using a titanium frame, a material choice that balances strength with weight reduction. The new flat sides and reduced overall mass (down 15 grams from the S24 Ultra) make a significant difference in ergonomics. The previous Ultra models were powerful but felt like bricks. The S25 Ultra, by contrast, is comfortable to hold for extended periods. Some may miss the bold, unapologetic “Note” design language of years past, but this new minimalism is a sign of maturity. It’s a phone designed for long-term comfort, not just initial wow factor.
The S Pen: A Subtle Evolution
The S Pen has lost its Bluetooth connectivity. Samsung states that less than 1% of users ever used the “Air Actions” or the remote shutter feature. While some power users will lament this loss, it simplifies the phone’s engineering and likely contributes to its lighter weight. For most, the S Pen remains an excellent tool for note-taking, precise navigation, and creative sketching, now relying on the screen’s digitizer rather than a battery-powered connection.
Cameras: A New Ultrawide Steals the Show
The camera system on the S25 Ultra is the most versatile you can find on any smartphone today. While the 200MP main camera remains a titan of detail, the headline upgrade is the 50-megapixel ultrawide camera. This is a massive jump from the 12MP sensor on the S24 Ultra, and the results are immediately noticeable across a range of photography styles.
Ultrawide Excellence Redefined
The higher resolution sensor doesn’t just capture more detail; it fundamentally changes what the ultrawide lens can do. In our testing, the new ultrawide lens delivered shots with impressive dynamic range, often rivaling the main camera. The lens distortion is well-controlled, giving dramatic perspectives without the warped “fisheye” look. This is particularly evident in architectural photography, where straight lines remain straight even at the edges of the frame.
This new sensor also doubles as a macro lens. You can get incredibly close to subjects—like a cat’s fur, a flower’s stamen, or textured surfaces—and the camera will automatically switch to a crop that matches the framing of the main lens, maintaining sharp focus while preserving impressive detail. It’s a versatile system that reduces the need to switch lenses constantly.
A Videographer’s Secret Weapon
Samsung is finally closing the gap with the iPhone for video professionals. The addition of Log format recording is a significant move for content creators who use tools like Adobe Premiere Pro or DaVinci Resolve. Log footage appears flat and desaturated, but it preserves far more highlight and shadow detail, offering immense flexibility in post-production color grading. This feature alone makes the S25 Ultra a legitimate tool for mobile filmmakers.
The new Audio Eraser tool is also a standout. Powered by on-device AI, it intelligently identifies and allows you to reduce or remove specific types of background noise—wind, chatter, music—making your subject’s voice much clearer in recorded videos. Combined with a redesigned zoom slider for smooth, controlled zooms, the S25 Ultra is a formidable mobile video studio that competes directly with the iPhone 16 Pro’s ProRes capabilities.
The 200MP Main Camera and Telephoto Duo
The 200MP main camera remains largely unchanged from the S24 Ultra, which is hardly a criticism. It captures an extraordinary amount of detail, with excellent dynamic range and natural bokeh. Low-light performance is solid, with Samsung’s processing balancing brightness and noise effectively. The dual telephoto system—a 3x optical and a 5x optical lens—provides exceptional flexibility for portrait and long-range photography. For those upgrading from an S22 Ultra or older, the leap in camera quality will be staggering.
Performance & Battery Life: Future-Proof Power
Under the hood, the Snapdragon 8 Elite for Galaxy is a beast. This custom 3nm chip is built specifically for Samsung and is currently the most powerful processor in any smartphone. In our benchmarking using Geekbench 6 and 3DMark, it outperformed not only the OnePlus 13 and Pixel 9 Pro XL but also the iPhone 16 Pro Max in multi-core CPU and graphics tests.
In practical terms, this means a few things:
Gaming: It handles the most graphically intensive games at max settings without breaking a sweat, with the larger vapor chamber cooling system ensuring sustained performance.
AI: On-device AI processing is noticeably faster. Photo edits that previously required a cloud upload now happen instantly, enhancing the experience of using Samsung’s Gallery app.
Longevity: This level of performance headroom means the S25 Ultra will feel fast and capable for years to come, easily handling future Android OS updates and more demanding applications.
Battery life remains excellent. With a 5,000 mAh battery, the phone consistently lasted a full day of heavy use (including photography, video, and gaming) with 30-40% charge remaining. On lighter days, it stretched well into a second day. Charging speeds are a mixed bag. The 45W wired charging is fast, but the 15W wireless charging and the lack of a built-in Qi2 magnetic profile feel like a missed opportunity, especially given the phone’s weight and premium price. Samsung sells cases with built-in magnets, but a native solution would have been better for seamless compatibility with the growing ecosystem of Qi2 accessories.
Galaxy AI: The Unfulfilled Promise
Here is where the S25 Ultra’s story gets complicated. Samsung has heavily marketed the phone’s AI capabilities, but our experience mirrors the broader industry reality: it’s a work in progress.
The Good: Cross-App Integration
The integration with Gemini is genuinely impressive. Being able to ask a single complex query like “Find all upcoming soccer practices in my email and add them to my calendar” works reliably. It’s a glimpse of a future where our digital assistants are truly helpful, handling multi-step tasks seamlessly across Google Workspace apps and Samsung’s own suite. The Now Bar on the lock screen, showing live updates from maps or sports scores, is a thoughtful touch, though it lags behind Apple’s Live Activities in third-party app support.
The Bad: Hallucinations and Gimmicks
However, for every success, there’s a failure. AI “hallucinations”—like Gemini inventing a location for a photo—are common and erode trust. Features like Now Brief, which aggregates your daily info, often feel shallow. It frequently surfaces random news articles or repetitive weather updates instead of genuinely useful insights that adapt to user behavior over time.
The UX Hurdle
The biggest challenge for Galaxy AI isn’t the technology; it’s the user. We’ve been trained for over a decade to interact with our phones one app at a time. Asking a single assistant to perform complex tasks across multiple apps requires a mental shift that most users haven’t made. Until AI features become more intuitive, reliable, and demonstrably time-saving, they will remain a novelty for most, not a primary buying reason.
Galaxy S25 Ultra vs. The Competition: Who Should Buy?
The CNET review makes a crucial point: the standard Galaxy S25 and Galaxy S25 Plus offer the same processor, same AI features, and same software experience for $500 less. So, who is the Ultra for?
Buy the S25 Ultra if:
You are a display enthusiast: You want the absolute best screen on any phone. The anti-reflective, 6.9-inch panel is in a class of its own.
You are a camera professional: You need the versatility of four rear cameras, especially the new 50MP ultrawide, and you’re excited about Log video recording for professional workflows.
You use the S Pen: Even without Bluetooth, the stylus is an essential tool for your workflow, whether for note-taking in Samsung Notes or precise photo editing.
You are upgrading from an S22 Ultra or older: The leap in performance, camera quality, and display will feel monumental.
Consider the S25 Plus or standard S25 if:
You have an S23 Ultra or S24 Ultra: The upgrades, while meaningful, are mostly iterative. You can wait another year.
You care about value: The base S25 offers nearly identical core performance and AI features for a much lower price.
You prefer a smaller, lighter phone: The standard S25 is compact and comfortable for one-handed use.
Consider the OnePlus 13 or Google Pixel 9 Pro XL if:
Battery and charging are paramount: The OnePlus 13 offers a massive 6,000 mAh battery and 80W charging.
You prefer a pure software experience: The Google Pixel 9 Pro XL offers a cleaner Android experience and what many consider superior, more reliable AI features directly from Google.
Final Verdict: A Screen-First Masterpiece
The Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra is a testament to what Samsung does best: hardware. It houses the most stunning display ever put on a smartphone, backed by a versatile, pro-grade camera system and a processor that is essentially a portable supercomputer.
The AI features, for now, feel like a promise of the future rather than a compelling feature of the present. They are interesting to explore but not yet reliable enough to form the basis of a $1,300 purchase decision. The phone’s true value lies in its tangible, physical excellence.
Ultimately, the S25 Ultra earns its “Ultra” moniker for its screen, its cameras, and its raw, untamed performance. If those are your priorities, this phone is unmatched. If they aren’t, the more affordable Galaxy S25 series or last year’s Galaxy S24 Ultra might be the smarter—and equally satisfying—choice. The screen era has begun, and Samsung is leading it. AI can wait.