Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra
Announced January 22, 2025
PixelMeter The PixelMeter is our 1–100 aggregate of reviewer scores from trusted publications and creators. Weighted by source tier — not a raw average, and not PetaPixel’s own review.
Reviewer Consensus
Strong
The Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra is a refined, highly capable flagship that excels in display quality, performance, and camera versatility. While it remains one of the best Android options available, the lack of significant hardware leaps and the removal of Bluetooth from the S Pen make it a modest update for current owners.
Weighted from 60 reviewer scores
Pros
- Best-in-class display with industry-leading anti-reflective coating
- Versatile camera system with improved ultrawide sensor and log recording
- Refined, comfortable design with reduced weight
- High-performance Snapdragon 8 Elite processor
- Long-term software support and feature-rich One UI
Cons
- S Pen lacks Bluetooth remote functionality
- Stagnant camera hardware and inconsistent image processing
- Lack of integrated magnets for Qi2 accessories
- Slow charging speeds compared to modern rivals
- High price point with minimal year-over-year upgrades
- Launch price $1,299 (USD)
- Main camera 200MP f/1.7 + 50MP Ultrawide + 50MP 5x Telephoto
- Video 8K 30p
- Display 6.8-inch LTPO AMOLED 120Hz
- Chipset Snapdragon 8 Elite for Galaxy 12GB, 16GB
What the Reviewers Say
All 60 expert reviews, weighted into the PixelMeter score.
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- PetaPixel 7/10
[T]he Samsung S25 Ultra is a premium smartphone that feels like a refinement rather than a revolution, offering a smoother experience and improved video tools that make it a solid choice for those upgrading from older models [...]
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The Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra remains an excellent flagship smartphone for photographers, but there’s little to compel S24 Ultra owners to upgrade already.
- The Verge 8/10
That’s all been true of the last few Ultra phones, and it’s true of this one. But I think there’s something intangible that the Ultra has been losing over the past couple of generations.
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The Ultra is a great phone that will go the distance. Just don’t buy it for the overhyped AI features.
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Ultimately, the Galaxy S25 Ultra is a perfectly fine, quite good flagship phone in 2025. It’s good at everything you want a smartphone to be good at, has some solid upgrades in the software and camera departments, and does it all for the same price.
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The Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra is undoubtedly one of the best smartphones around right now, though it does have its drawbacks.
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The Samsung S25 Ultra deftly manages to meld the consistent Galaxy S series aesthetic with all that made previous Ultras notable, including the S Pen.
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The Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra takes AI on phones to the next level with the ability to perform actions across multiple apps at once.
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The S25 Ultra is a hugely versatile phone, but this edition of Samsung's flagship is hard to get excited about.
- Digital Trends 8/10
The Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra is a powerhouse and its performance, screen, and battery life will impress and satisfy most people who buy one. It’s also a phone that will last years due to its durability, software commitment, and wealth of features.
- CNET 9.2/10
The Galaxy S25 Ultra is undoubtedly a wonderful phone — its performance is jaw-dropping and it offers the most versatile phone camera you can find today. But before you buy one, consider why you’d want to.
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One UI 7 is infused with so much AI that you'll feel like you're living in the future, there's a rather welcome upgrade to the camera system, and it could've powered trips to the Moon in 1969 enough times that we'd almost be on the way to Mars. But there's always a but.
- Android Police 7.5/10
The Galaxy S25 Ultra isn't a bad phone — it just fails to stand out in any particular way.
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[W]hile this may not be the most innovative or exciting release, Samsung has yet again delivered a high-quality flagship phone, and if you're in the market for that, the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra is worth recommending.
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The Galaxy S25 Ultra brings a lot of incremental updates, but none of them can be considered big compared to the Galaxy S24 Ultra. It appears that Samsung is relying more on the software and AI functions to sell the new models, as opposed to hardware and camera updates.
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Samsung’s effective new picture-enhancing feature has well and truly won us over, and while its sound is lacking some subtlety, it's a win overall for this flagship handset.
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I think the design change is probably the biggest thing; that doesn't mean that this isn't a really nice super high-end phone for those of you who can fork over $1,300.
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To bring this all together, if you're getting a new Android right now and all you want is just to buy the best phone there is, then this is absolutely one of the phones that you should be looking at.
- SlashGear 9/10
Samsung also has a few Samsung.com exclusive colorways that you can buy if you go through the manufacturer directly. But the question is, should you?
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An underwhelming year-on-year upgrade that makes software the star. The Galaxy S25 Ultra is still compelling, and a class leader in several areas, but doesn’t excite like previous generations.
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Here's the thing: if I wasn't reviewing phones and switching ecosystems and SIM cards every other week, I'd actually be pretty happy to continue using the S25 Ultra. It's a solid flagship and more phone than most people need.
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It might not be an exciting update, but this is still undoubtedly one of the best Android phones. It’s fast, looks good, takes great photos and videos, and the display is my absolute favourite.
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There is no valid reason to upgrade to the Galaxy S25 Ultra if you are already on an Ultra within the last two generations. I won’t be the one to stop you if you have a trade-in, and it’s a fantastic deal.
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Samsung has positioned the Galaxy S25 Ultra as the most well-rounded smartphone of 2025 – literally and artificially.
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The Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra is not a particularly exciting phone, but it does a lot of things a bit better than before and it adds up to, I would say, more than the sum of its parts.
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The Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra is the best phone Samsung has ever made, but that doesn't mean it's the best phone for your next upgrade: You need to pay a relatively high price for the excellent display, top-notch cameras, and slick software on offer here.
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It's the perfect phone for the creator who needs the best in power and longevity, even if it's only a marginal improvement over the S24 Ultra.
- MakeUseOf 9/10
[T]he Galaxy S25 Ultra is arguably Samsung's most refined flagship yet – not because it revolutionizes the smartphone industry, but because it expertly delivers a dependable experience.
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[T]here you have it: the Galaxy S25 Ultra is a predictably great iteration on the best big Android phone, packing the right combination of battery life, cameras and performance. If you are in need of a large phone and you don’t rock with Apple, your choice is pretty clear.
- IGN 8/10
Samsung really needed near-perfection this year, and all it delivered was greatness.
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[M]y impression hasn't changed in the intervening months.
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Personally, it's the super smooth performance and really great display that made me appreciate this device every day.
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I'll have some b-roll clips where you can see some of the photos and stuff in here, but overall it's still the Ultra. It's still the the biggest best phone that Samsung makes.
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In terms of the camera system, guys, I've got lots more testing to do, which is on the way, but it's very, very good and it's flagship worthy.
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[T]his year's Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra is only like 10 to 15% better than the S24 Ultra.
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The Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra is an excellent phone thanks to its stunning power, large high-end screen, and camera performance, including the ability to take incredibly sharp photos of far-away subjects.
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It's been the most stable phone I've used in a little while, more stable than an iPhone; Pixel's about the same for me right now, but in general I'm very impressed with it and it feels fast and smooth and fluid all the time.
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The big improvements for me have definitely be in the screen, that 0.1 in. It makes a difference, every little inch helps.
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[I]t's a worthy device to pick up even now.
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[T]he Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra is still a powerhouse of a phone, but I do feel like it's a downgrade in some ways compared to the S24 Ultra [...]
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So my final thoughts, this is one of the least exciting flagship upgrades we've had in years but at the same time it's actually a bigger improvement than I expected.
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This all, guys, with the S25 Ultra, it's clear that Samsung is here to stay and again, this device is far more superior flagship in the market right now.
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[C]amera upgrades, the overall experience is still topnotch.
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I think I've tried about five to six different phones last year and and this is what I keep coming back to every time.
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It's been an absolutely solid flagship Android smartphone for the past 6 months. And while at first I think people thought it was kind of a boring update, 6 months later, my takeaway is that Samsung's just made a lot of really good refinements to the Ultra phone.
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Even so, the Galaxy S25 Ultra is one of most powerful smartphones you can get in 2025, and despite the fact that it resembles last year’s model in many aspects, it’s a good smartphone that you won’t regret purchasing.
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[T]his still is the best all-around smartphone that I can recommend at least at this time.
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[T]his is the only phone you've got.
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The Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra is almost a carbon copy of its predecessor on the outside, though does make some changes inside.
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The Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra will probably still end up being one of the most well-rounded, feature-packed Android phones that you can buy this year. It might not dominate every category anymore, but it's competitive across the board and still stands out in a lot of ways.
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The S25 Ultra is without question one of my favorite phones to use.
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[W]hat it does have and what it can do is better than any other phone and more capable than any other phone you can find today [...]
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At the end of the day, the Galaxy S25 Ultra was and still really is a phenomenal phone.
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I feel like Samsung's always giving me the total package.
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[I]'ve actually been really enjoying the S25 Ultra this time around.
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Like I said at the beginning of the review, the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra is an excellent all-around phone in pretty much every regard.
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I think if you buy Galaxy S25 Ultra cheaper with discounts, then definitely this phone is worth it.
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While the S25 Ultra is a good all-around phone, it's just not the phone I personally reach for. With all that said, though, I actually do recommend this phone to most people looking for an Android or Samsung phone right now.
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[I]t just doesn't feel exciting anymore, as most of these improvements are just quality of life updates with Samsung focusing mostly on new and enhanced AI features, which quickly become available on older S series phones as well, making one reason less to upgrade.
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The phone is an absolute beast, but like any beast it has a few rough edges.
