Samsung Galaxy S25, Galaxy S25+, Galaxy S25 Ultra

Samsung’s first Unpacked of 2025 brings the Galaxy S25 series, and while the hardware changes might seem iterative at first glance, there’s a lot more going on under the hood that could make these devices one of the year’s best phones.

The Galaxy S25 Ultra Leads With Power

The Galaxy S25 Ultra continues Samsung’s overall design language from last year but with some refinements. For one, it’s the slimmest and lightest Ultra device we’ve seen, coming in at 218 grams and 8.2mm, compared to the S24 Ultra’s 233 grams and 8.6mm of thickness. In the grand scheme of things, a 15 gram difference isn’t going to mean much, but with the Ultra phones being one of the biggest devices on the market, I think it’s excellent to see Samsung reduce weight and thickness where they can without sacrificing any core features.

The real upgrade here is the new Snapdragon 8 Elite for Galaxy chip. Samsung claims we’re looking at substantial performance gains with 40% in NPU, 37% in CPU, and 30% in GPU compared to last year’s model. We’ve already seen other devices like the OnePlus 13 rock this chipset, but with Samsung’s “For Galaxy” moniker, you can expect these phones to have a slightly higher clock speed across the board, which could make the Samsung devices perform marginally better.

What’s particularly noteworthy is the improved thermal management. Samsung has increased the vapor chamber size by 40% and implemented a new thermal interface material, which should help maintain those performance gains during extended use.

Camera-wise, the Ultra has gotten some meaningful upgrades this year. The ultrawide camera jumps from 12MP to 50MP, which should bring much better detail not only in landscape shots, but also improve upon macrophotography as well. The rest of the setup remains familiar with a 200MP main sensor, a 50MP 5x telephoto, and a 10MP 3x telephoto lens.

Honestly, what I’m most excited about in terms of camera quality is the default 10-bit HDR recording and support for improved log recording, which will be interesting compared to the iPhone 16 Pro, which is currently the gold standard in smartphone video.

Aside from these changes, the biggest visual difference with this year’s Ultra phone is its rounded edges. Personally, for content consumption, I really liked the Galaxy S24 Ultra’s flat and squared-off display, but it did mean the corners of the phone felt sharp in the hand. With the Galaxy S25 Ultra, it follows suit with flat rounded edges from the smaller S25 and S25+ phones, and makes the Ultra much easier to hold.

That said, I can’t help but feel that this design language, which was blatantly copied from the iPhone and the Pixel series after it, makes the S25 Ultra just a touch more generic than it needs to be.

Brand

Samsung

SoC

Snapdragon 8 Elite

Display

6.9-inch QHD+ Dynamic AMOLED 2X Display, 120Hz Adaptive Refresh Rate

RAM

12GB

Storage

256, 512, 1TB

Battery

5000mAh

The Galaxy S25 Ultra sets a new standard for AI-driven mobile experiences, featuring Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8 Elite processor. The device introduces context-aware AI capabilities, such as multimodal interactions and tools like AI-assisted editing and natural language commands.

With a durable titanium build, a new 50MP ultrawide camera, and ProVisual Engine enhancements, it offers exceptional photography and video quality. 

The S25+ and S25 Get Their Share of Upgrades

The regular S25 and S25+, which visually look identical to the S24 and S24+, get their fair share of “improvements” too. Both devices now include recycled materials in every external component, which is a first for the series, and includes recycled aluminum in their frames.

Both phones share the same Snapdragon 8 Elite for Galaxy chip as the Ultra, with the main differences coming down to the cameras and battery sizes— 4,900mAh for the Plus and 4,000mAh for the base model.

Aside from the chipset, this year is again another year of very marginal changes, with the rest of the phone’s hardware being nearly identical to the Galaxy S24 and S24+. While it’s commendable to see Samsung begin to introduce more meaningful and sustainable approaches to its supply chain, the end-user experience doesn’t really get anything worth upgrading to this year for the base models, and I think it’s a real shame given that these are the devices that would benefit the most from a visual overhaul.

• 

  Brand

  Samsung

  SoC

  Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite

  Display

  6.2-inch FHD+ Dynamic AMOLED 2X Display, 120Hz Adaptive Refresh Rate

  RAM

  12GB

  Storage

  128, 256GB

  Battery

  4,000mAh

  The Galaxy S25 delivers a refined experience with its compact 6.2-inch Dynamic AMOLED 2X display and durable design, incorporating sustainable materials. Powered by the Snapdragon 8 Elite processor, it supports AI-enhanced features like natural language commands and context-aware interactions for improved usability.

  
  

• 

  Brand

  Samsung

  SoC

  Qualcomm 8 Elite

  Display

  6.7-inch QHD+ Dynamic AMOLED 2X Display, 120Hz Adaptive Refresh Rate 6

  RAM

  12GB

  Storage

  256GB, 512GB

  Battery

  4,900mAh

  The Galaxy S25+ strikes a balance between size and performance with its 6.7-inch QHD+ Dynamic AMOLED 2X display and durable build using sustainable materials. Powered by the Snapdragon 8 Elite processor, it supports advanced AI features like natural language commands and context-aware interactions for seamless usability.

  
  

Galaxy AI Gets More Contextual

On the software side, Samsung brings Android 15 through One UI 7 along with a couple of upgrades to its Galaxy AI suite. The interesting part of the Galaxy S25’s software suite isn’t necessarily its individual features but how Samsung is approaching contextual awareness. The phones now use what Samsung calls the Personal Data Engine to analyze your usage patterns on-device and enable more personalized experiences while keeping your data private.

Some practical applications include the new Now Brief feature, which proactively offers suggestions through the Now Bar on your lock screen, and more natural language understanding for searching through your photo gallery or adjusting system settings.

There’s also a new Audio Eraser feature for videos that lets you isolate and remove specific categories of sounds similar to what we’ve seen with the iPhone 16 series.

It’ll be intriguing to see how all of these new AI features play out in real-world testing, but what remains constant with Samsung’s software promises is the continued seven-year security and software upgrade commitment, which is always excellent to see.

Overall, while this might seem like an iterative update on the surface, the combination of the new Snapdragon 8 Elite chip, improved thermal management, and more sophisticated AI features makes this feel like a more substantial upgrade than in recent years. The Ultra,, with its improved ultra-wide camera and new build materials, is shaping up to be a compelling option for power users.

The real test will be how all these AI features perform in daily use, and whether that new chip can maintain its performance over time. But from what we’re seeing so far, Samsung seems to be taking meaningful steps forward, even if they’re not all immediately visible on the surface.

• 

  Brand

  Samsung

  SoC

  Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite

  Display

  6.2-inch FHD+ Dynamic AMOLED 2X Display, 120Hz Adaptive Refresh Rate

  RAM

  12GB

  Storage

  128, 256GB

  Battery

  4,000mAh

  The Galaxy S25 delivers a refined experience with its compact 6.2-inch Dynamic AMOLED 2X display and durable design, incorporating sustainable materials. Powered by the Snapdragon 8 Elite processor, it supports AI-enhanced features like natural language commands and context-aware interactions for improved usability.

  
  

• 

  Brand

  Samsung

  SoC

  Qualcomm 8 Elite

  Display

  6.7-inch QHD+ Dynamic AMOLED 2X Display, 120Hz Adaptive Refresh Rate 6

  RAM

  12GB

  Storage

  256GB, 512GB

  Battery

  4,900mAh

  The Galaxy S25+ strikes a balance between size and performance with its 6.7-inch QHD+ Dynamic AMOLED 2X display and durable build using sustainable materials. Powered by the Snapdragon 8 Elite processor, it supports advanced AI features like natural language commands and context-aware interactions for seamless usability.

  
  

• 

  Brand

  Samsung

  SoC

  Snapdragon 8 Elite

  Display

  6.9-inch QHD+ Dynamic AMOLED 2X Display, 120Hz Adaptive Refresh Rate

  RAM

  12GB

  Storage

  256, 512, 1TB

  Battery

  5000mAh

  The Galaxy S25 Ultra sets a new standard for AI-driven mobile experiences, featuring Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8 Elite processor. The device introduces context-aware AI capabilities, such as multimodal interactions and tools like AI-assisted editing and natural language commands.

  With a durable titanium build, a new 50MP ultrawide camera, and ProVisual Engine enhancements, it offers exceptional photography and video quality.