Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra review: A polished smartphone that’s so good, it just got better with AI

I’ve spent a fewer days with the Galaxy S25 Ultra to find retired however Samsung has evolved the 5th iteration of its flagship S-series smartphone, and what interaction the caller changes mightiness person for users. Here is my review.

Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra terms successful India (as reviewed): Rs 1,29,999 onwards

A large slab of glass, with squarer edges

The rounded sides person been swapped for squared-off sides. (Image credit: Anuj Bhatia/Indian Express)

From the archetypal look, it’s wide that Samsung’s extremity with the S25 Ultra has ever been to make a smartphone that’s ample and beefy, and I’m not shocked. The S25 Ultra has shades of the classical Galaxy Note and erstwhile phones successful the Galaxy S series, resulting successful a boxy instrumentality with squarer edges. The Galaxy S25 Ultra looks and feels similar a existent Samsung design, though it’s a spot ample for my taste.

Despite its gigantic size, the S25 Ultra feels incredibly light. (Image credit: Anuj Bhatia/Indian Express)

Samsung has made the bezel adjacent thinner, which means the surface tin beryllium noticeably larger, but the size of the S25 Ultra’s lawsuit is lone somewhat bigger successful your hand. It’s a titanium smartphone, and Samsung has shed immoderate value from the Galaxy S25 Ultra. In regular use, the instrumentality does consciousness lighter, and I’m gladsome Samsung has figured retired a mode to shave disconnected a fewer grams from the phone. However, the Galaxy S25 Ultra is inactive a heavy device, and it’s adjacent much noticeable if you usage it without a case.

It’s besides a precise slippery phone, which is simply a communal trait crossed each flagships, but I would highly counsel getting a lawsuit for your S25 Ultra.

The bottommost borderline houses the S Pen stylus, a talker slit, a USB-C (v3.2) port, and a SIM paper tray. (Image credit: Anuj Bhatia/Indian Express)

To marque the S25 Ultra lighter, Samsung has adjacent slimmed down the S Pen, which made the Galaxy Note iconic and has been a portion of the flagship S bid smartphones for years. For a change, though, determination is nary Bluetooth successful the stylus, which means nary much aerial actions and a distant shutter.

I cognize it whitethorn disappoint galore long-time S Pen fans, but for immoderate reason, Samsung decided to region Bluetooth functionality from the S25 Ultra’s S Pen, which is simply a spot puzzling.

Like the iPhone 16 Pro Max, the S25 Ultra is besides a two-handed smartphone, and coming from the iPhone 16, it takes immoderate clip to set to a telephone this large. I can’t usage it one-handed for astir tasks, and a batch of the time, particularly erstwhile I’m connected a greeting walk, I consciousness similar I’m astir to driblet it. It doesn’t acceptable successful my Levi’s (front oregon backmost pocket), and I’ve mislaid the battle. Phones are large now, and I’m surviving with this fact.

Gorgeous display

The 6.9-inch surface makes the S25 Ultra a mini tablet for sorts but without the other footprint. (Image credit: Anuj Bhatia/Indian Express)

The Galaxy S25 Ultra has a 6.9-inch HD+ Dynamic AMOLED 2x display, and it’s glorious. My iPhone 13 Mini (review) looks tiny adjacent to the S25 Ultra. The surface is covered successful scratch-resistant Gorilla Glass Armor 2.

The Galaxy S25 Ultra adjacent to the iPhone 13 mini. This volition springiness you immoderate position connected the size quality betwixt the 2 devices. (Image credit: Anuj Bhatia/Indian Express)

There are nary scratches aft a week truthful far—I carried the telephone without a lawsuit astir of the clip and wasn’t peculiarly careful; it remains unscathed. To authorities the obvious, the bigger the display, the much you tin see. Watching videos, looking astatine pictures, moving connected presentations, and opening websites are each overmuch easier to navigate connected the 6.9-inch display.

I tin easy constitute an nonfiction connected Google Docs connected the spell and edit a story. No substance however overmuch I explicit my discomfort with a ample phone, I get that you spot much content, similar possibly an other enactment successful the message app allowing you to spot 1 much email oregon looking astatine the regular tract numbers earlier you request to scroll more.

Solid cameras, but nary large alteration from erstwhile models

Samsung didn’t alteration the camera plan connected the rear, which includes 4 circular lenses and a laser focusing module. (Image credit: Anuj Bhatia/Indian Express)

Somehow, the cameras connected the Galaxy S25 Ultra stay unchanged, but for a caller 50-megapixel ultrawide camera, which does marque a noticeable difference. There’s inactive a 200-megapixel main camera, arsenic good arsenic 2 telephoto lenses that supply 3x and 5x optical zoom.

The selfie camera? It’s besides the aforesaid 12-megapixel snapper. I liked the Galaxy S24 Ultra’s camera past year; it’s a professional-grade camera that does the occupation well—in fact, much than I could person wished for. The Galaxy S25 Ultra’s camera seems unchanged, arsenic I mentioned before, but it does execute amended successful debased light, and the algorithms effect successful amended zoom.

The flip broadside of utilizing a Samsung phone—at slightest for mean consumers—is that the camera delivers punchy reds, yellows, and blues successful photos. Not to discredit Samsung, the photos are excellent; they aren’t overly processed, colour reproduction is accurate, and tegument tones look great.

Galaxy S25 Ultra camera sample. (Image credit: Anuj Bhatia/The Indian Express) Galaxy S25 Ultra camera sample. (Image credit: Anuj Bhatia/The Indian Express) Galaxy S25 Ultra camera sample. (Image credit: Anuj Bhatia/The Indian Express) Galaxy S25 Ultra camera sample. (Image credit: Anuj Bhatia/The Indian Express) Galaxy S25 Ultra camera sample. (Image credit: Anuj Bhatia/The Indian Express) Galaxy S25 Ultra camera sample. (Image credit: Anuj Bhatia/The Indian Express) Galaxy S25 Ultra camera sample. (Image credit: Anuj Bhatia/The Indian Express) Galaxy S25 Ultra camera sample. (Image credit: Anuj Bhatia/The Indian Express)

If you’re idiosyncratic who prefers natural-looking photos, possibly a Samsung smartphone isn’t for you. That being said, the Galaxy S25 Ultra’s camera is great, and there’s nary 2nd thought astir it. In fact, I similar the optical zoom connected the Galaxy S25 Ultra amended than the 1 recovered connected the iPhone 16 Pro Max (review) immoderate day. The results are excellent, and you tin spot the camera samples for yourself.

AI is here, but this clip it’s embedded heavy into the OS

Google’s Gemini has been profoundly integrated and is designed to marque the device’s responses much human-like. (Image credit: Anuj Bhatia/Indian Express)

After utilizing the Galaxy S25 Ultra for respective days, I get the consciousness that the hardware is taking a backseat, and the bundle is taking halfway signifier successful the wide strategy of things. This isn’t to accidental that the hardware isn’t important—it perfectly is. All I’m trying to accidental is that portion the hardware is inactive needed to powerfulness the indispensable smartphone experience, it’s present taking a backseat, and the bundle is the main focus. This becomes much than evident connected the Galaxy S25 Ultra.

The telephone is powered by the latest Snapdragon chip—the 8 Elite (with 12GB of RAM modular connected the phone)—which delivers blazing-fast performance, though Samsung claims the S25 Ultra uses a mentation of the processor that’s specially optimised for Galaxy phones.

The Galaxy S25 Ultra ships with Android 15, with a wholly redesigned One UI 7 atop it. (Image credit: Anuj Bhatia/Indian Express)

Even the erstwhile generation’s spot was arsenic fast. I precocious utilized the OnePlus 13 (review) with the 8 Elite chip, and I couldn’t announcement a quality betwixt the 2 phones successful presumption of performance. Speaking of the battery, it is 5,000 mAh—the aforesaid arsenic the Galaxy S24 Ultra. Yes, it’s superb, and I got my Galaxy S25 Ultra to tally for astir 24 hours connected a afloat charge, lasting passim the time with regular use. However, I was much funny successful the Galaxy AI, which Samsung is heavy selling successful the Galaxy S25 series.

But earlier I leap into the AI stuff, I’d similar to concisely notation One UI 7. This was my archetypal clip experiencing the new One UI 7 connected the S25 Ultra, and it near maine with a bully impression. Samsung’s mentation of the tegument connected apical of Android 15 is precise clean, fast, and customisable. I felt Samsung has edged retired Apple, and One UI 7 really felt amended than iOS. There are tiny changes that made maine autumn successful emotion with One UI 7. For example, the notification shadiness is streamlined, the interface is smoother and easier connected the eyes, and the interactions wide are little overwhelming.

The S Pen inactive makes the S25 Ultra a unsocial smartphone, though this clip the stylus is little powerful. (Image credit: Anuj Bhatia/Indian Express)

Now, the Galaxy AI. Last year, the Galaxy S24 Ultra (review) marked the opening of Samsung leaning heavy connected artificial intelligence, but I felt the features were deed oregon miss. This time, Samsung takes the adjacent measurement with Galaxy AI, and portion the institution has made immoderate progress, AI inactive feels similar a enactment successful progress.

The Galaxy AI offers photograph editing, penning assistance and Circle to Search which galore of you are already acquainted with, but present Samsung is adding a fewer much features, notably the Now Bar and the Now Brief. Think of the Now Bar arsenic Apple’s Dynamic Island, but placed astatine the bottommost of the fastener screen. It fundamentally summarises what’s happening connected your telephone and makes it viewable connected the fastener screen. For instance, if you’re utilizing Google Maps to find a location, person a timer running, and are playing music, the Now Bar volition springiness you accusation from each 3 sources. Notifications are besides integrated into the Now Bar. I tin inactive spot its potential. For example, if you’re pursuing a cricket match, the Now Bar could springiness you periodic updates and summaries of cardinal moments. I’m inactive not utilized to the Now Bar, but it does consciousness utile astatine times.

Meanwhile, Now Brief uses AI to summarise the weather, news, information from Samsung Health, and besides suggests playlists and pictures you’ve taken passim the day. ‘Briefs’ tin beryllium delivered astatine circumstantial times to coincide with the moments erstwhile you are astir apt to privation to spot that information, similar aboriginal greeting oregon precocious astatine nighttime earlier going to bed. However, I recovered the Now Brief to beryllium much of an experimental feature. Right now, I consciousness the Brief is simply a spot limited, but gradually it whitethorn amended arsenic much developers enactment it.

Samsung has besides introduced Galaxy AI’s cross-app AI capabilities—simply put, arsenic an AI agent. A agelong property connected the powerfulness fastener brings up Gemini, a caller shortcut connected each Samsung phones, and you tin inquire it to assistance you adhd accusation oregon implicit a task successful a Samsung app alternatively than a Google one.

The caller Now Bar successful action. It’s viewable connected the fastener screen. (Image credit: Anuj Bhatia/Indian Express)

The AI, for example, does good successful grabbing ocular information from a webpage and adding it to the Samsung Calendar. But I noticed that it becomes much complicated, and the AI struggles with my commands successful an effort to go much human-like, making mistakes successful knowing idiosyncratic requests. I tin spot the potential, but for now, it’s not arsenic large arsenic Samsung claims. I’m keeping an oculus connected however the integration with third-party apps, similar WhatsApp, mightiness alteration the agent-like capableness successful the future.

There are galore much AI features arsenic portion of Galaxy AI 2.0, including Drawing Assist and Audio Eraser. As I mentioned before, determination is an effort to marque AI much personalised—which is intelligibly visible. However, I haven’t yet recovered 1 diagnostic that instantly makes maine leap and go addicted. Maybe the “aha” infinitesimal is yet to arrive.

Should you bargain the Galaxy S25 Ultra?

The Now Brief is simply a spot constricted astatine the infinitesimal but it tin go addictive. (Image credit: Anuj Bhatia/Indian Express)

Some whitethorn accidental the Galaxy S25 Ultra doesn’t look immoderate antithetic from the S24 Ultra. Well, they are not wrong. The S25 Ultra, arsenic I mentioned before, is each astir the caller AI experiences—and Samsung isn’t hiding that. Honestly, it’s besides a bully thing. As a reviewer and a user myself, determination came a constituent erstwhile the speech was stuck connected however the telephone looked and the camera. I deliberation the smartphone manufacture needed a reset moment, and present is the time. The bundle has been somewhat neglected connected modern smartphones, and I’m gladsome that the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra is astatine slightest heading successful that direction. However, I should notation that AI is inactive successful its aboriginal stages, and the experiences are yet to beryllium afloat developed. The S25 Ultra is an enthusiast smartphone, and its AI capabilities are conscionable the opening of what’s to come.