So, last year’s S24 Ultra was the phone of the year. MKBHD, MrWhosTheBoss, and many other creators, including us, gave the S24 Ultra the Best Phone of 2024 award! And as soon as 2025 began, Samsung launched the S25 Ultra!
Looking at the specs, there don’t seem to be many changes, to be honest. It looks like a boring upgrade. The only notable upgrades here are the latest Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 Elite chipset and a new 48MP ultra-wide camera.
Other than that, there’s nothing particularly new, but after using this phone for almost three weeks, I think I was wrong. The work Samsung has done on software and optimizations really makes this phone deserve all the love.
Maybe that’s why, in Nepal, the S25 Ultra sold out 4,000+ pre-booking units within just 2–3 days. Even globally, pre-bookings for the S25 Ultra have increased by more than 20% compared to the S24 Ultra. Just like how iPhones create hype during launch, Samsung’s Ultra phones are now generating similar excitement.
Plus, I don’t know how Samsung Nepal manages to price it so competitively! The S25 Ultra is NPR 23,000 cheaper in Nepal compared to India. On top of that, this time, we also get one time breakage insurance claims within 1 year.
Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra Specifications:
- Display: 6.9″ QHD+ 120Hz (LTPO, 1-120Hz)
- Processor: Snapdragon 8 Elite for Galaxy
- RAM: 12GB/16GB LPDDR5X
- Storage: 256GB/512GB/1TB (UFS 4.0)
- Cameras:
- Rear: 200MP (Wide), 50MP (Telephoto 5x), 10MP (Telephoto 3x), 50MP (Ultrawide)
- Front: 12MP (Wide)
- Battery: 5000mAh with 45W wired, 15W wireless, 4.5W reverse wireless
- Software: One UI 7 (7 years of updates)
- Colors: Titanium Black, Titanium Gray, Titanium Silver Blue, Titanium White Silver
- Check the full specifications of Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra here
Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra Review
UI and Software
- One UI 7 (7 years of updates)
- Android 15
I think one of the major improvements of Samsung’s latest flagship(although it will also be rolled out in other Samsung devices) is its UI. Here, Samsung’s new One UI 7 is a game changer which I am pretty sure no Chinese brands can match right now, except for OnePlus to some extent!
This new One UI 7 is just so good – completely different & refreshing to what we got on the previous Samsung UI. I really like the new multitasking tray and this redesigned control centre which I know is heavily inspired by iOS 18, but since I am not an Apple Fan girl as many of you might think I am, I don’t mind it at all.
I also like the “Now bar” feature with which I can quickly toggle from down here from the lock screen. The Camera App is also easier to use, and the good lock app – it offers so much customization and functionality!
Samsung has however become a bit naughty though by not providing the One UI 7 update yet to any other Samsung phones apart from the S25 series! We are already heading to the end of Feb now and yet there’s no One UI 7 update on older Galaxy phones. There are even rumours that Samsung will only push the updates from April on older Samsung phones!
And even on my S25 Ultra, I am yet to receive the January as well as February security patch. So far, I have not received any updates, not even one, to improve the cameras or performance and it still is running on the December security patch, which is just weird for a brand like Samsung.
Anyway, Samsung is still ahead with the S25 Ultra in the AI game. You could that say it offers better features than the iPhone and Chinese brands. But, it would have been awesome if some of the AI features like AI summary and AI grammar check would work on Gboard and Google Chrome. Right now, it only works on Samsung’s keyboard and Samsung’s browser.
Design and Build
- 162.8 x 77.6 x 8.2 mm
- 218 g
- Glass front (Corning Gorilla Armor 2)
- Glass back (Corning Gorilla Armor 2)
- Titanium frame (grade 5)
Another thing Samsung did super weird with the S25 Ultra is remove the Battery and Gyrosensor from the S-pen. So, I cannot use the s-pen of S25 Ultra to click photos or for using air gestures.
Samsung says they removed the battery to decrease the weight of the phone and also the data shows that not that many people use it, but if you calculate the weight difference between the S24 Ultra’s S-pen and the S25 Ultra’s S-pen, it’s barely like 1 or 2 gms difference. So, it’s more like cost savings for Samsung.
So..No surprise, the whole Internet and all the Note fans have hated this decision because the ability to use S-pen to click photos was just that one feature which was just so cool!
Ok, enough criticism. Let’s talk about the positives. And the first thing I like about the S25 Ultra is the weight. Compared to the S24 Ultra, it is now like 15 gms lighter and I can actually feel the difference.
Plus, with the rounded corners of all 4 edges, the hands-on feel is more mature now. It definitely has better grip and handling.
For someone with small hands like me, the S25 Ultra is still this huge boxy phone, and because of the sharp flat frames, it is still somewhat uncomfortable during longer gaming sessions.
Samsung has also upgraded the protection on the front and back with the new Gorilla Glass Armor 2. Compared to last year, I didn’t find any difference in the reflection or scratch resistance, but if you check out other reviews, the S25 Ultra has survived drops onto concrete from as high as 2 meters.
This might also be partly because the S25 Ultra has Titanium Grade 5 frames Vs the Grade 2 we got on the S24 Ultra. The IP rating is sadly unchanged. It still has IP68 resistance against dust and water, so we still don’t get a more robust IP69 rating which we get on almost every Chinese flagship phone right now.
Display
- 6.9 inches, 116.9 cm2 (~92.5% screen-to-body ratio)
- Dynamic LTPO AMOLED 2X, 120Hz, HDR10+, 2600 nits (peak)
- 1440 x 3120 pixels, 19.5:9 ratio (~498 ppi density)
Anyway, I like the super thin bezels of the S25 Ultra’s display. And because of this, Samsung is able to make the size of the screen slightly bigger from 6.8-inch to 6.9-inch without increasing the overall dimension.
Other than that, this is practically the same display as last year with the same brightness, same resolution, same colours, and the same ultra-sonic fingerprint sensor.
Overall, the display on the S25 Ultra is still A+, despite minimal upgrades. It’s great for content consumption and the speaker is also a tiny bit better than what you get from VIVO or OnePlus.
I was just hoping the brightness to be slightly higher this time since both Pixel 9 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro get marginally brighter. S25 Ultra only reaches 1400 nits of peak brightness Vs 1800 nits on the 16 Pro and 2300 nits on the Pixel.
And also, it’s now time that Samsung goes for high PWM dimming! There’s still screen flickering at low brightness on the S25 Ultra – which could be a problem for some!
Performance
- Snapdragon 8 Elite for Galaxy
- 12GB/16GB LPDDR5X
- 256GB/512GB/1TB (UFS 4.0)
Ok, another thing I like about the S25 Ultra is how fast it now feels Versus the S24 Ultra. It might be because of the One UI 7 optimization or the new, more powerful Snapdragon 8 Elite chip, but I am noticing much smoother animations and apps opening now.
Not only that, the Gaming side of things is also much better than what we got with the S24 Ultra. The SD 8 Elite is roughly 30% faster than the SD 8 Gen 3, and as you can see from this chart, I got better stability and much better temperature on the S25 Ultra in most games I tested.
Battery and Charging
- 5000mAh with 45W wired, 15W wireless, 4.5W reverse wireless
However, one major missed opportunity for Samsung is in the battery department since we’re still getting the same 5000mAh battery here. Like Chinese brands, if Samsung had adopted Silicon Carbon batteries, they could have easily fitted a 6000mAh battery here without adding any extra weight.
But, that’s rumoured to be available only on S26 Ultra. So, right now, in comparison, the S25 Ultra’s battery life is very good, like it offers 8 hours of SOT, but it’s not as good as say the OnePlus 13 which offers 9 to 10 hours of backup.
Camera
- 200MP (Wide), 50MP (Telephoto 5x), 10MP (Telephoto 3x), 50MP (Ultrawide)
- 12MP (Wide)
Another missed opportunity for Samsung is also in the camera department. Since the only upgrade we get here is the Ultrawide camera! The main camera, 3X, 5X, and even the selfie camera are the same as last year’s S24 Ultra
So, compared to the S24 Ultra, the S25 Ultra only brings small quality-of-life improvements. Like, the contrast in the images looks better now and the output is more balanced.
During the night too, I noticed slightly better color optimization and less noise from the S25 Ultra. The details when you zoom in look more natural from the S25 Ultra. Also, I don’t know if it’s because of the bigger camera rings, but the S25 Ultra is also able to manage glares better this time around.
Of course, with the updated Ultra-wide lens, you will now see better details when you zoom in from the S25 Ultra—both during daytime and low-light conditions.
The portraits are also slightly superior now. I found 3 improvements here.
No 1. It has a more consistent blur this time around and the depth mapping is quite nice. Number two: the S25 Ultra handles skin tones, highlights and contrast on the face better
And No 3 is the S25 Ultra has better edge detection than the S24 Ultra.
Even the selfie has got better optimization – the skin tones and highlight management are marginally better on the S25 Ultra Vs S24 Ultra!
Samsung also seems to have worked on the videography side, as I can clearly see that the overall smoothness and stabilization are better, the glare management is better and there is less noise as well. The same thing with ultra-wide videos, they are just more stable and have better quality, especially while shooting 4K 60fps videos during the night.
On the other hand, I have to praise Samsung for re-designing their camera UI so well; It has become more simple and everything you would want is just right there. Plus, I like that Samsung has included features like “AI Audio eraser” to enhance the audio and there are a ton of pro features like log videos and Smart filters where I can custom-select the colour/style of one picture to another for a similar vibe.
But still, I believe Samsung should have included a better camera sensor with the S25 Ultra. For eg, instead of using the same old 10MP 3X lens, Samsung should have gone 200MP ISOCELL HP9 sensor which is made by Samsung themselves. This sensor is used by VIVO on their X200 Pro and it captures amazing 3.7X and 6X portraits, much better than Samsung. You can also click some dope macro photos from this lens, whereas Samsung still uses the Ultra-wide camera for macros! That’s so old school.
Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra Review Pros and Cons
Pros:
- Faster performance, smoother animations
- Better ultra-wide camera and low-light photos
- One UI 7 is excellent
- Much lighter design
Cons:
- No major camera upgrades
- Missing S Pen features (photo clicks)
- Same battery size, no Silicon Carbon upgrade
Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra Review: Conclusion
So, overall this year’s S25 Ultra is only 10 to 15% better than the S24 Ultra. We could actually say that it’s just an iterative upgrade.
So, in my opinion, rather than getting the S25 Ultra right now, going with the S24 Ultra makes more sense if you are on a tight budget. Because sooner or later, the S24 Ultra will get the OneUI 7 update and S25 Ultra’s 15% improvement over the S24 Ultra will drop down to 10% because most of the software features are going to roll out to S24 Ultra too, and hopefully the camera optimizations too.
Anyway, in Nepal, the S25 Ultra makes a lot of sense to buy! Compared to other flagships, especially the iPhone, the S25 Ultra is much more affordable—it’s around NPR 44,000 cheaper than the iPhone 16 Pro Max. Plus, with just a citizenship card, you can get it on 0% EMI by paying NPR 74,000 upfront and NPR 9,250 per month—something that isn’t possible with iPhones in Nepal to this day. So, if you’re buying a flagship, in terms of affordability, accessibility, and even reliability, Samsung is the better choice.
- Meanwhile, check out our review of the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra
