Summary
- Smartphone upgrades like the Galaxy S25 series are becoming less exciting thanks to incremental changes.
- The Galaxy S25 Ultra features minor design upgrades, slim bezels, a rounded look, and improved AI features.
- The Galaxy S24 and S24+ are nearly identical to their predecessors, with minimal changes beyond AI and chipset upgrades.
We’re in an era of incremental smartphone upgrades. Whether it’s the Pixel series, Apple’s iPhone, or, in this case, Samsung’s flagship S series line, the substantial leaps forward we saw a decade ago are no longer a thing in the world of phones. Smartphones have hit a point where, as long as you’re buying a high-end or mid-range device, you’re likely getting an excellent handset. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing, but it means smartphones are far less exciting than they used to be.
With this in mind, the Galaxy S25 series is incredibly incremental, even by modern smartphone standards. And look, I know the move from the Pixel 8 to the Pixel 9 and the iPhone 15 to the iPhone 16 wasn’t massive either, but there were a few key features worth honing in on, namely the Pixel 9’s substantial redesign and the iPhone 16’s versatile Photography Styles. With the Galaxy S25, Galaxy S25+, and Galaxy S25 Ultra, no key marquee features stand out similarly — though its new AI suite could hold a lot of potential.
If you’re familiar with the Galaxy S24 or arguably even the Galaxy S23, there’s not a lot to get excited about this year, especially when it comes to the Galaxy S25 and Galaxy S25+, which feature the same overall design and specs as the S24, right down to both devices’ cameras. There are a few more upgrades with the Galaxy S25 Ultra, including a subtle, iPhone-like, rounded design change, a minor camera bump, and more, but even then, it’s very similar to the S24 Ultra.
Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra
The Galaxy S25 Ultra features a more rounded design, an upgraded 50-megapixel ultra-wide, and new Galaxy AI features.
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I’m a fan of the Galaxy S25 Ultra’s rounded look
It’s friendlier and more in line with the Galaxy Z Fold 6 and Flip 6
I really the Galaxy S25 Ultra’s design. Last year’s overall aesthetic was squared off and best described as a bit angry, but with the Galaxy S25 Ultra, Samsung has opted for a more rounded, friendlier direction that moves it more in line with the S24/24+ and the new S25/S25+. The phone’s corners are less squared off and its screen is flatter. The S24 Ultra’s Camera bump has also changed subtly.
Each lens is still independent and there’s no old-school Note-like bump under the array, but there is a new lined black rim around each lens. I’m pretty indifferent about this particular change because it doesn’t look that different, but it moves the S25 Ultra more in line with the Galaxy Z Fold 6 and Z Flip 6, so it’s not surprising.
Other design shifts include a flatter display and reduced bezels (by 15 percent), bringing the S25 Ultra’s display up to 6.9-inches from 6.8-inches with the Galaxy S24 Ultra, which are welcome changes that make the top-tier phone look more modern, especially compared to the iPhone 16 Pro. On that note, I’ve never been a fan of smartphones with curved screens because they’re more susceptible to accidental touches, so I’m glad Samsung has finally embraced flatter displays.
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You’ve mostly seen these specs before
There are a few minor upgrades
Hardware improvements include Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8 Elite (3nm) chip, which Samsung says offers a 40 percent AI boost, a 37 percent efficiency improvement, and a 30 percent visual performance jump over the S24’s Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 chip. Of course, I’ll need to run benchmarks and test it more thoroughly.
Can I tell a notable difference between ultra-wide images shot with last year’s 12-megapixel f/2.2 ultra-wide and the Galaxy S25 Ultra’s? Not really.
On the camera side, the Galaxy S25 Ultra features the same array as the Galaxy S24 Ultra, including a 200-megapixel f/1.7 (wide) main shooter, a 10-megapixel 3x f/2.4 (telephoto), and a 50-megapixel 5x f/3.4 (telephoto). New for this year is a 50-megapixel f/1.9 (ultra-wide). I briefly tested out the new ultra-wide shooter, and it snapped great photos. But can I tell a notable difference between ultra-wide images shot with last year’s 12-megapixel f/2.2 ultra-wide and the Galaxy S25 Ultra’s? Not really. I’m looking forward to seeing how much it improves macro shots, though.
Of course, the S Pen is back this year and features a Note-like storage slot, just like the S24. Other changes include the fact that all three devices are lighter, which I took note of when I went hands-on with them, particularly with the Ultra, which features titanium sides (the Galaxy S25 and S25+ have aluminum sides). Another notable upgrade is Corning Gorilla Armor 2 with the Galaxy S25 Ultra, which should make the Galaxy S25 Ultra’s display more durable.
This year’s Galaxy S25 Ultra colors include titanium silver, blue, grey, white silver, and black (I’m a fan of the new deep blue).
And lastly, there’s Galaxy AI. Like pretty much every tech company, Samsung is heavily pushing AI-powered features. This year’s standouts include a new AI brief on the Galaxy S25’s home screen. It’s easy to access, thanks to a lock screen widget at the bottom of the display called the Now Bar that expands into the Now Brief. Information is pulled from Samsung’s apps and Google’s suite, giving you an at-a-glance AI overview of your day, including your calendar, emails, messages, and more.
As far as AI goes, a personalized LLM has the potential to be very useful, even if you’re like me and don’t find yourself using voice commands often.
Powering the Now Brief is a personalized LLM stored directly on the phone. It learns what apps you use the most frequently and can carry out tasks on the phone through a mix of Gemini and Bixby (yes, Bixby is still alive) with conversational searches. According to Samsung, the “AI Agent” that’s used changes based on your commands. Bixby primarily handles on-device app-related tasks, while Gemini handles web-based actions. For example, Samsung showed off a YouTube video being automatically summarized, and then that recap was added to the Notes app through AI. This AI Agent is triggered by clicking the S25 series’ side button.
As far as AI goes, a personalized LLM has the potential to be very useful, even if you’re like me and don’t find yourself using voice commands often. I can see myself using the new Now Brief often if it lives up to Samsung’s hype. Of course, I’ll need to spend more time with most of these features to figure out if they’re actually useful.
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The Galaxy S25 and S25+ tell a familiar story
These phones are nearly identical to last year
Design-wise, apart from the already mentioned camera bump changes and the bump to the Snapdragon 8 Elite, the 6.1-inch Galaxy S25 and 6.7-inch S25+ and Galaxy S24/24+ look pretty much identical. Seriously — it’s wild. If you placed these two devices beside their predecessors, I’d find it difficult to tell the difference between them. Even the camera arrays are identical regarding specs (they do feature the same black rim as the S25 Ultra, though). The only change worth noting is this year’s colors, which include navy, icy blue, silver shadow, and mint (my favorite this year is Mint).
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Galaxy S25
This year’s Galaxy S25 is very similar to the S24, with new Galaxy AI features and the Snapdragon 8 Elite being the only notable additions.
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Galaxy S25+
The Galaxy S25+ is just like the S25, only it features a bigger 6.7-inch screen.
That’s pretty much it for specific Galaxy S25/S25+ improvements. Beyond having the same new Galaxy AI features as the S25 Ultra, broadly, the phones are nearly identical to the Galaxy S24 line. That doesn’t necessarily mean they’re bad devices, but you probably won’t have much reason to upgrade if you’re a Galaxy S23 or S24 series owner. That said, if you’re rocking an earlier S series device, all three S25 devices are solid all-around solid packages.
Pre-orders for Samsung’s S25 lineup are available now and the smartphones release on February 7th. Pocket-lint will have reviews of the Galaxy S25/25+ and Galaxy S25 Ultra on our site in the coming weeks.
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