Samsung Galaxy S25, S25 Plus, S25 Ultra: Hands-On

The new Samsung Galaxy S25 series feels quite familiar when it comes to handling, particularly for the base S25 and S25 Plus. However, the S25 Ultra sees some small changes in the design which make it feel a bit smoother and easier to touch, and also has it looking a fair bit more like the rest of the range. While earlier Ultra devices still felt a bit Note-like, the Galaxy S25 Ultra gets a more uniform look as compared to its series devices.

ALSO SEE: Samsung Galaxy S25 series is here and AI takes centre stage

Expectedly, you still get the stylus with the Galaxy S25 Ultra, which remains its USP over the rest of the range. However, it's now a basic stylus with fewer features, including the absence of Bluetooth connectivity which enabled a bunch of featuers such as Air Gestures.

All of this makes the Galaxy S25 and S25 Plus a lot more attractive to buyers, who are largely only choosing on the basis of size now. The stylus is great for creative processes and the like, but the Galaxy S25 and S25 Plus are very capable phones in their own right now, with the similar levels of hardware and software capabilities.

The convenient size of the Samsung Galaxy S24 won it our big award, and the Galaxy S25 comes with the same convenient size and feel, along with the improved hardware capabilities, making it the device I'm most looking forward to in the range. It also puts the Galaxy S25 Plus in an awkward spot in the range, since buyers might tend to go with either the value-driven and compact S25, or the supersized S25 Ultra at the other end of the range.

The Galaxy S25 Plus and S25 Ultra are larger, and expectedly come with larger batteries as well, although most of. that additional capacity will be utilised in powering the larger screens. All three smartphones get 120Hz refresh rates and wireless charging, in addition to fast wired charging through USB Type-C. 

All three Samsung Galaxy S25 devices get the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite chipset this time around, and also come with 12GB of RAM as standard across the device range - the differences in the variants are only based on internal storage. While the Galaxy S25 and S25 Plus get 256GB and 512GB storage options, the Galaxy S25 Ultra gets those two plus a 1TB storage option as well.

The use of the Snapdragon 8 Elite chipset across the range standardises operation and performance, and also means that all devices in the range have the same capabilities when it comes to AI processing. Samsung continues to go big on AI, with the S25 series giving AI more of a focus than ever before. 

 

 

 

 

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All of this works with Gemini, and is entirely on-device for certain features that don't need cloud processing - this is where the processing capabilities of the Snapdragon 8 Elite come in. Samsung has showcased ways in which you can talk to your phone conversationally, get daily briefings based on your schedule and activity, and even use AI for generative features such as drafting emails, creating sketches, and more. It's all designed to learn from your usage and suggest ways to make things easier and possible to pull off with fewer steps.

While the cameras of the Samsung Galaxy S25 series don't see any major upgrades - the S25 Ultra gets a better ultra-wide camera with a 50-megapixel sensor - the major differences are once again AI and machine-learning enabled. The keynote showcased some interest new features with the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra, including better colour grading options and the ability to shoot at different times of day and get a standard tone in post-production.

Other features include the ability to analyse and mute the volume levels of background noise on-device, making the Galaxy S25 Ultra a much more capable device for professional and outdoor shoots, such as nature documentaries. The camera capabilties of these devices has always been among the best, and I'm looking forward to trying out the cameras and AI capabilities in more detail in the full review.