Score Breakdown
Pros & Cons
Pros
- Best zoom camera on any phone
- 200MP main sensor detail
- Integrated S Pen
- Stunning AMOLED display
- Galaxy AI is genuinely useful
Cons
- Very expensive
- Heavy at 218g
- Software bloat
- Gets warm under sustained load
Full Review
The Ultimate Android Camera Phone
Samsung’s 200MP sensor delivers images packed with extraordinary detail. Zoom into a shot taken at 0.6x wide and crop to a specific face on the other side of the frame – it still looks sharp. The 50x Space Zoom is the best periscope telephoto in class, beating competitors from Apple and Google at long distances.
Display: Class Leading
The 6.9-inch Dynamic AMOLED 2X panel is as good as it gets on a smartphone. Peak brightness exceeds 2600 nits outdoors. The anti-reflective coating significantly reduces glare compared to prior S Ultra models. Colours are vivid but accurate when calibrated to Natural mode.
S Pen Integration
The built-in S Pen is a differentiator no other flagship matches. Note-taking, sketching, and precision work feel natural. Galaxy AI can now transcribe and summarise handwritten notes, which is a genuinely useful productivity tool.
Performance
The Snapdragon 8 Elite is the most powerful chip ever shipped in an Android phone. Gaming, video rendering, and AI inference all run at maximum with minimal thermal issues thanks to Samsung’s improved vapour chamber cooling.
Key Specifications
| Processor | Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite |
|---|---|
| RAM | 12GB |
| Storage | 256GB / 512GB / 1TB |
| Display | 6.9" Dynamic AMOLED 2X, 1-120Hz adaptive |
| Camera | 200MP main + 50MP ultrawide + 10MP 3x + 50MP 5x telephoto |
| Battery | 5000mAh, 45W wired, 15W wireless |
| Price | From $1,299 |
Verdict
The S25 Ultra is Samsung's finest ever flagship - a camera-first powerhouse with a brilliant display and the Snapdragon 8 Elite's unbeatable performance. The S Pen remains uniquely useful.