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Last year, Samsung ventured further into the realm of artificial intelligence with its assortment of Galaxy AI features. The latest S25 Ultra, while exhibiting improvements in speed, curves, and display size, has predominantly focused on enhancing software and machine learning functionalities over hardware upgrades. The question remains: is this focus adequate to meet consumer expectations?
Design: A curvier titanium frame with notable features
The Galaxy S25 Ultra maintains its predecessor’s titanium frame but introduces a softer design ethos for 2025. Instead of the sharp angles that characterized earlier models, Samsung has opted for a more rounded contour, aligning the Ultra’s aesthetic more closely with its less expensive variants, the S25 and S25+. Nonetheless, its edges remain distinctly sharper than last year’s model, reflecting a minor evolution rather than a complete overhaul.
In terms of materials, Samsung has upgraded to Corning’s new Gorilla Armor 2 for the front and back glass, incorporating a “next-gen” anti-reflective coating aimed at minimizing glare. Moreover, the S25 Ultra boasts a larger 6.9-inch QHD+ AMOLED display, an increase from the previous 6.8 inches, featuring 15 percent smaller bezels. This design choice affords more screen real estate without altering the device’s overall dimensions (6.41 x 3.05 x 0.32 inches).
However, a notable downgrade for the S25 Ultra is the removal of Bluetooth Low Energy support from its S Pen. While this decision may raise eyebrows, Samsung reasons that only a small fraction of users utilized Air Actions—the only feature reliant on this technology. By eliminating it, Samsung believes the S Pen will become more resistant by forgoing intricate internal electronics. Users can still trigger the camera remotely through alternative methods, such as using a Galaxy Watch or simply raising their palm.
Notably, the S25 family supports wireless charging up to 15 watts, but is not entirely Qi2 compliant. Samsung describes the device as “Qi2 ready,” meaning it will work with compatible chargers, though alignment magnets are absent, potentially necessitating aftermarket cases for optimal magnetic accessory support.
An exciting hardware enhancement is the addition of a 50-megapixel ultra-wide camera sensor, complementing the established trio: a 200MP main camera, and two telephoto cameras at 10MP and 50MP, respectively, with optical zoom capabilities of 3x and 5x. Improvements in photo and image processing are anticipated due to the new chip, particularly in noise reduction and spatial-temporal filtering for distinguishing between moving and stationary subjects. However, concrete evaluations will require a full review of the device.
Performance: Snapdragon 8 Elite for universal markets
Within its core, the S25 Ultra is driven by Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8 Elite for Galaxy chip, paired with 12GB of RAM and storage options up to 1TB. For international markets, Samsung has opted to use the same system-on-chip (SoC) globally, moving away from its previous practice of deploying Exynos chips in specific regions. The company asserts that CPU performance has improved by 37 percent year-over-year, while GPU speeds have surged by 30 percent, with the NPU enhancing by around 40 percent. Samsung claims that the S25 Ultra’s larger vapor chamber—40 percent increased in size—facilitates better sustained performance, notably during intensive gaming sessions.
In practical use, the device felt responsive, although it’s uncertain whether this attributed solely to the new chipset or was enhanced by the refinements in One UI 7, which ships with the S25 family. Samsung continues to promise seven years of operating system updates alongside regular security patches.
AI agents and enhanced functionality
As a continuation of its focus on artificial intelligence, the S25 introduces greater AI capabilities following last year’s launch of initial features. Samsung aims for these tools to be more powerful and user-friendly. For instance, existing functionalities like Smart Select have transitioned to a new identity as AI Select and have evolved into AI agents that enable broader capabilities and better contextual understanding.
Engaging the AI Select icon allows the phone to analyze the viewed content and offer suggestions such as capturing a screenshot, conducting a visual search, summarizing an article, or transforming a video clip into a GIF. Similarly, Samsung’s Sketch to Image tool has been revamped into Drawing Assist, enriching the realism of results and permitting users to incorporate AI-generated art into their photos via simple sketches or text prompts. Furthermore, Google’s Circle to Search feature has been upgraded, including song identification through audio recognition or humming.
In an effort to provide timely information, Samsung has also unveiled the Now Brief and Now Bar features. The Now Brief works as a personalized feed delivering pertinent updates throughout the day, while the Now Bar displays notifications or highlights of open apps and events, akin to Apple’s Live Activities. Moreover, the phone is designed to learn user habits, potentially automating routine tasks such as toggling Bluetooth based on established patterns.
Another intriguing feature is the Audio Eraser tool within the camera app, leveraging AI to identify various noise types, enabling users to minimize distractions during recordings.
Notably, the advanced natural voice recognition capability appears to be one of the standout features of the S25 line, allowing the phone to execute intricate tasks across multiple applications seamlessly. In a demonstration, the AI successfully added a sports event to the calendar by reconciling various pieces of information, showcasing its cohesive functionality. Voice commands can also facilitate image searches in the Samsung Gallery and make specific device adjustments without navigating through extensive menu options.
Additional features
Additionally, some niche enhancements include logarithmic video capture (Galaxy Log) with exclusive look-up-tables and a technology borrowed from Samsung’s TV division to upscale lower-resolution content during playback. The Wallet app is set to receive a “Buy now, pay later” feature, extending payment flexibility to in-store purchases and enabling wireless money transfers by simply tapping two devices. However, these new functionalities will not be available upon launch and will be limited to Visa and Mastercard debit cards when they do arrive.
After my initial experience with the S25 Ultra, I left with mixed impressions. The integration of AI tools seems more streamlined, enhancing the overall user experience, yet questions linger regarding their day-to-day utility. The redesigned chassis, while visually appealing, entails only a slight evolution. Improvements such as the new anti-reflective coating and the larger ultra-wide camera sensor are certainly welcome. However, there is a sense that certain areas could benefit from additional focus.
For instance, a larger battery, such as the 6,000mAh variant seen in the OnePlus 13, could enhance longevity, while improvements to the S Pen would be appreciated. Additionally, the Qi2 support approach feels somewhat inadequate. Although the S25 Ultra presents itself as a solid device and thankfully avoids a price increase for 2025, there appears to be room for Samsung to elevate its flagship offering further.
Pre-orders for the Galaxy S25 Ultra are currently available, with prices starting at $1,300 and official sales beginning on February 7.
Source
www.engadget.com