- Best-in-class display
- Great battery
- Premium design
- Expensive
- Slow zoom lens
- Downgraded S Pen
Whether you like it or not, AI has been the headline feature for flagship phones for the last year. Rather than focusing on new hardware features, manufacturers have been busy rolling out new software features.
The Galaxy S25 Ultra epitomises this. While there are some minor changes, year-on-year hardware improvements have slowed, ceding precedence to new AI features.
On one hand, this makes sense. Generative AI is the new shiny and everyone is rushing to ship it while the hype is there. On the other, if everyone is shipping AI features, they become table stakes.
Now that every manufacturer is doing AI, there are so few features that are genuinely exclusive to a single manufacturer. No matter what phone you're looking at, you'll find tools like transcription, summarisation, and magic erasers.
If every flagship phone has AI features, they're no longer the reason to buy the phone. Instead, the equation flips back to hardware. While the Galaxy S25 Ultra is a lovely device, Samsung's emphasis on AI over hardware means it risks getting lapped.
Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra 512GB Plans
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Vodafone
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What's new is now par for the course
The Galaxy S25 Ultra's new AI features are a mixed bag. Some barely feel they're intelligent, while others are playing catch up. Some can be useful, but none are what you'd call a "killer app".
"Now Brief" is one of Samsung's headlining new features, and is meant to provide personalised dossiers throughout the day. Mine, by and large, featured the forecast and my upcoming calendar appointments. The briefings would also occasionally throw in photos I took, or a Spotify playlist.
The playlist didn't seem to have anything to do with my listening activity, however. I was recommended a "Christian hymns" playlist multiple times, despite that being the furthest thing possible from my troubled taste in music. If you're using a Samsung wearable, the briefs can also pull fitness information and the like.
Now Brief isn't exactly unhelpful, but it hardly feels like an AI feature. The lock screen on my iPhone already shows me my next appointment, the weather, and my fitness progress. A photo recap is kinda cute, but I don't see how a dedicated app for this kind of information is more useful than widgets.
There are a few more useful features, which we've already seen on devices like the Pixel 9 family. Face swap photo editing, an audio eraser, and call transcription are all features lifted from the latest Pixel devices. iOS 18 also added call transcription to most recent iPhones.
Then you've got functionality that's been built in tandem with Google. Gemini is now the default assistant on the Galaxy S25 Ultra, and a key part of Samsung's pitch is that it can complete multi-step actions across both Google and Samsung apps.
For example, you can ask Gemini to look up Mexican restaurants in Surry Hills and then text them to Davo. It will find the restaurants using Google Maps, then use Samsung's messaging app to message your mate.
The multi-step functionality isn't new, but being able to interoperate with Samsung's in-house apps is. This isn't some kind of exclusive partnership, however. Google has confirmed that every phone manufacturer will be able to implement this in the next version of Android. Samsung has a slight lead when it comes to non-Pixel phones, but brands like OPPO will likely all offer the same thing by the end of the year.
Circle To Search has had some improvements, and can now handle audio. But again, that's also on other phones.
There are new Gemini Live features, that were debuted with the Galaxy S25. Gemini Live - the conversational mode of Google's assistant - is now able to take visual input. You can ask it for recipes based on what's in your fridge. I found the results questionable - it made up ingredients that clearly weren't in my fridge - but your mileage may vary.
If you're interested by this feature, you don't need a Galaxy S25. It's already available on Galaxy S24 and Pixel 9, and Google says it's coming to more devices in the coming weeks. It's also a feature that runs in the cloud rather than on your device, so having a faster phone doesn't matter here.
If we're looking at exclusive features, Samsung's translation feature for phone calls is all it has. It's a nifty feature and I'm sure it's a genuine reason to buy a Galaxy device for some. It's also available on devices as old as the Galaxy S22. You don't need to upgrade for it.
You could deep dive into the speed and comparative quality of these AI features, but it's the kind of conversation that's getting lost in the weeds. Does it matter if Samsung's magic eraser (based on its own models) does a better job than Google's magic eraser on the Pixel? There might be a tiny fraction of people where the answer is yes, but the individual performance of an AI feature isn't going to be the kind of thing that sells a phone for the vast majority of the population.
Then there's the issue of Galaxy AI pricing. Every Samsung Galaxy AI mentions comes with fine print that states the features will be free until the end of this year. The company has yet to provide firm guidance about what happens next.
If a Galaxy AI feature requires computational power greater than what the phone can provide, it's offloaded to a cloud server. Each time you use that kind of feature, you're costing Samsung money. While some Galaxy AI features run directly on device, it would make sense that Samsung would want to stop subsidising the ones that don't eventually.
If you're also using Gemini Live, that's another payment. Gemini Live costs $32.99 per month as part of Google One AI Premium (which also includes 2TB of Google Drive storage). You'll get six months free with the Galaxy S25 Ultra, but you'll need to pay if you want to keep using it after that.
This also could mean you end up paying one subscription to Google for Gemini features, and another to Samsung for Galaxy AI. We don't know for sure, and it's the kind of thing Samsung needs to provide more clarity about for customers buying its most expensive devices. Especially when AI is the headliner. If you're buying a Samsung phone for a certain feature, how would you feel about paying a monthly fee to keep using it from next year?
Incremental advances
When it comes to hardware, not a lot has changed. While the Galaxy S25 Ultra has received a more significant upgrade than the standard Galaxy S25 and Galaxy S25 Plus, we're only inching forward here.
A speedy Snapdragon 8 Elite chipset and a new higher resolution ultra-wide camera are the key changes this year. There are some minor tweaks, but these don't feel as consequential. The screen is 0.1-inch bigger, and the bezel is a little smaller. The phone is a touch lighter. The corners have been rounded to look more like the rest of the Galaxy S25 family, moving away from the squared-off edges we saw on previous Ultras.
None of this stuff is bad. It's just not particularly exciting if we're doing year-on-year analysis. It also means Samsung is falling behind the competition in some regards.
Last year, I was very excited to see the Galaxy S24 Ultra had a much better battery, lasting at least six hours of screen time per charge. The Galaxy S25 Ultra lasts about the same, representing over a full day of moderate usage. You shouldn't find yourself needing to top up throughout the day.
This is very good! But in November last year, OPPO launched the Find X8 Pro with a battery that will give you at least eight hours of screen time per charge. It's the only Android phone that's been able to keep pace with the Pro Max iPhones, which have been unrivalled in battery for the last few years.
The OPPO Find X8 Pro also retails for $1,799. That's $350 cheaper than an entry-level Galaxy S25 Ultra, but with 512GB of storage compared to the Samsung's 256GB.
It's a similar situation with camera. The Galaxy S25 Ultra certainly has a good camera, but I wouldn't call it best in class. While Samsung's portrait mode continues to be excellent, there are longstanding issues that haven't been addressed.
Night mode continues to produce inconsistent results, where colours can feel unnaturally oversaturated. Night mode images are also prone to artifacting in the sky, and you can end up with blooming that makes elements look like they've been cut and pasted into the shot. I often get better results by turning night mode off.
Samsung cameras have tended to be a little less reliable at capturing moving subjects, which continues to be the case here. This issue isn't as bad as it used to be, but recent iPhone and Pixel devices have done a better job of capturing my rambunctious kelpie x border collie in action.
This is magnified on the 5x zoom lens, which is noticeably slower than the competition. While using long-range zoom on a phone can involve an element of luck - especially in challenging environments like a gig - the Galaxy S25 Ultra is more prone to misfiring. Samsung's 5x zoom lens does however do a far better job at preserving detail compared to Apple and Google when you punch into 10x, however.
The key camera change this year is a new 50MP ultra-wide lens, up from 12MP on previous Ultra models. It's especially good for macro photography, but performs well across the board. You can definitely get stunning macro shots, but actually forcing the Galaxy S25 Ultra into macro mode can take a bit of luck. I often had to move the phone back and forth from my subject to get it to switch to macro mode; there's no option to manually toggle it on.
One area where Samsung still excels is portraiture. The Galaxy S25 Ultra's portrait mode is still easily best in class, with the phone doing an excellent job at subject mapping and creating realistic depth of field.
Galaxy S25 Ultra camera samples
Check out these camera samples taken on the Galaxy S25 Ultra. Click or tap on any photo to see a larger version.
There are still areas where Samsung is clearly ahead. The Galaxy S25 Ultra's screen is unrivalled. Samsung obviously has prowess as a display manufacturer from a technical perspective, but the anti-reflective coating further elevates it. Sun and bright lights don't cause glare or impact readability in the slightest. It was introduced last year in the Galaxy S24 Ultra, and it's genuinely surprising we haven't seen it end up on other phones, given how damn good it is.
It's also hard to fault Samsung's industrial design. Aesthetics obviously come down to personal preference, but the Galaxy S25 Ultra continues to reinforce the fact Samsung does a great job of building phones that feel premium. Samsung also says the Galaxy S25 Ultra is more drop-resistant this year.
The Galaxy S25 Ultra also benefits from what's - on paper - the fastest processor in an Android phone. It easily laps the Tensor chips Google uses in its phones, and provides more headroom for demanding tasks like gaming. While I didn't have issues playing titles like Diablo Immortal on the latest Pixels, a zippier chipset can make a phone more future-proof.
On note, Samsung is promising seven years of software and security updates for the Galaxy S25 Ultra. That matches Google's commitment for the last few generations of Pixels, and is a best-in-class commitment.
Lastly, there's still an S Pen. You won't find a stylus bundled with any other phone sold in Australia, and for some, that's a selling point. Unfortunately for S Pen stans, Samsung has simplified its stylus this year. It no longer has Bluetooth this time around, which means it no longer supports features like remote camera shutter and Air Actions.
Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra - Final Thoughts
The Galaxy S25 Ultra is a very capable phone but an underwhelming upgrade. It's such a gradual improvement on last year when it comes to hardware. If Samsung were best-in-class in every category, smaller annual updates would be a bit more understandable, but the competition in the flagship space is fierce.
I understand the desire to talk up AI, but it's shortsighted. There's resilience in hardware. If your phone has the best battery, best camera, or best screen, competing devices can't catch up until their next iteration.
Any software-based advantage is a lot more fragile. Companies can ship new software whenever they want - and to old phones too, but just new ones. A Samsung spokesperson told WhistleOut that all new Galaxy AI features will eventually make it to some older models.
Unless there's a specific exclusive AI feature you really want - like Samsung's phone call translation tool -, these aren't the kind things that should influence your buying decision. So much of this tech is already ubiquitous, so it comes down to what you want to use.
Philosophically, it's clear Samsung could have done more with its flagship phones this year. But from a what's-in-the-box perspective, the Galaxy S25 Ultra is still a fantastic phone. If you're a Samsung lover, I wouldn't be upgrading from an S24 Ultra or even an S23 Ultra, but if you're on an S22 Ultra and want to stick with what you know, the Galaxy S25 Ultra shouldn't disappoint.
It's just easy to want more given we're seeing the competition outpacing Samsung in some regards, but the Galaxy S25 Ultra still excels in key areas like display, performance, and industrial design. And even if some rivals beat it in areas like battery and camera reliability, it's not like it performs poorly here. I'd just like to see Samsung push harder on hardware next time.
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