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While last year’s Galaxy S24 series ushered in Samsung’s Galaxy AI era, this year feels more like the company cementing itself as the leader in the smartphone space, besting Apple and even Google (for now) on features and capabilities. Of course, how decorative that honor is ultimately depends on how invested you are in using AI.
I’ve spent the last 10 days testing the S25 Ultra and wasn’t too surprised to find myself both fascinated and bored. After all, this is now Samsung’s fifth iteration of the S-series Ultra model, and the changes year-over-year have been modest, to be generous. But if you’re currently using a three- to four-year-old handset and considering an upgrade, take this first-hand testimonial to heart. (And if you’re an enthusiast, it’ll matter just as much to you.)
The Galaxy S Ultra has always been a big-phone, two-handed affair, and that holds this year. When I first unboxed the S25 Ultra, it felt like the fanciest calculator ever (and I mean that in a nice way), with its round edges and tall stature. Coming from the OnePlus 13 I recently reviewed — which, on paper, is relatively similar in size — the S25 Ultra had a bolder and more striking presence.
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The other notable design upgrade with the S25 Ultra is the Corning Gorilla Armor 2 layered over the front display. It doesn’t take away from the anti-reflection surface treatment that made headlines on last year’s S24 Ultra, yet promises improved drop protection and scratch resistance. I believe it. My S24 Ultra last year had numerous micro scratches after just days of testing, while my S25 Ultra review unit has remained pristine so far.
Now if only Samsung could bring back the glory days of psychedelic Aura Glow finishes, because these S25 Ultra colors are uninspiring. Perhaps it’s the nature of titanium finishes or the harsh reality that consumers are more likely to opt for safer colors with black, white, and silver hues than poppy and bright. Regardless, you’ll want to slap on a case to give your S25 Ultra even a touch of personality.
Under the hood is a new Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite chip for Galaxy, which is an overclocked variant of the processor powering competing Android phones in 2025 like the OnePlus 13 and Honor Magic 7 Pro. The most notable benefit of the chipset comes in the form of AI experiences — specifically, a 40% increase in NPU performance compared to last year’s Snapdragon 8 Gen 3.
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In layman’s terms, on-device AI features should take up less bandwidth and power to operate while also functioning quickly. I saw the results in person, placebo effect or not, as my S25 Ultra can swiftly remove subjects (along with their shadows) from the background of photos via Generative Edit and pull up Gemini search results in a matter of seconds. I ran a couple of response tests with the iPhone 16 Pro (running Siri and ChatGPT) and Google Pixel 9 Pro (running Gemini), and the Galaxy S25 Ultra was the clear front-runner.
You can also chalk up the performance to the enhanced Gemini app, which can now be fired up with a long press of the power button. Previously, Samsung phones were limited to Bixby — or Google Assistant, if you made some sketchy, backend modifications — so this change is a breath of fresh air. It makes transitioning from any other Android phone that uses Gemini as the default assistant much more burdenless.
Considering last year’s S24 series introduced Google’s Circle to Search feature, and this year’s S25 series is doing the same for the enhanced Gemini-Bixby experience, it wouldn’t be farfetched to say that Samsung, not Google, makes the best AI phone on the market right now.
Some other new Galaxy AI tools like AI Select and Now Brief only reinforce that statement, with the former being an adaptive, context-aware screen selection tool, and the latter giving you daily summaries of the weather, calendar events, and news.
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I just wish Now Brief showed me more than just political news; even with my topic preferences within my Samsung News app set to technology and sports, the app still treated my weekend mornings with the generic “Uplifting Morning Prep” Spotify playlist and latest scoop on the US president signing executive orders.
In ways, Samsung has even taken a few steps back, with the S Pen stylus no longer supporting Bluetooth controls and gestures, and the company opting for Qi2-ready cases
Source : ZDNet