It’s never been more difficult to figure out which new phone to buy because there have never been more options. For the average joe, new phone means prettier screen, better camera. They don’t care about”better” digital assistants or the faster processing power of AI.
So, when the $1,300 Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra showed up on my desk, my first question was: who is this for? Is it the S24 Ultra owner looking to upgrade or the Android user who hasn’t picked up a new phone in five years? What about the iPhone diehard that’s getting closer and closer to a change?
That last one describes me. Has for a while. As someone who has been a dedicated iPhone user for my whole life, I have some perspective dedicated Android reviewers don’t. But switching from Apple to Android—or going Android to Apple—is still a big deal. It helps that I really wanted to try the Galaxy Ring, which has gotten buzz in the Esquire office as a great smart ring. I couldn’t test it with an iPhone, so I gave Galaxy a trial run.
As it turns out, I found a lot to love in Samsung’s flagship smartphone. It’s the perfect phone for the creator who needs the best in power and longevity, even if it’s only a marginal improvement over the S24 Ultra. Does it beat an iPhone in usability? No. But if you’re already looking to make the switch, this would be my first recommendation.
First impressions from a first time Galaxy user.
What I can’t do is compare this phone to the Galaxy S24. I mean, I could, but I wouldn’t be speaking from hands-on experience. I can tell you, as someone who has spent a lot of time with iPhones and a good deal of time with Pixel devices, how it compares to those.
On a general use level, the S25 Ultra is a remarkably fast and responsive phone. Navigation is snappy, apps open with no issue 99-percent of the time, and web pages load as fast as on my best laptop, coincidentally also powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon processor. Without dwelling on specs, I’ll just say it feels like the Qualcomm processor has a leg up on my Apple-designed one in terms of this kind of everyday phone stuff. Both phones have a battery that lasts a full day without needing a charge. In my testing the S25 Ultra was pushing 19 hours of continuous use and even on low power, the moment-to-moment navigation was a bit snappier than the 16 Pro Max.
My biggest geek-out moment was when I discovered the stylus that lives inside the phone. The included Samsung S Pen (lacking Bluetooth this time around) is housed on the left side of the phone. Hit the spring-loaded button and the stylus pops out. If on the lock screen, the phone immediately goes into sketch pad mode in Samsung Notes. If not, the transition is seamless, as is the experience of using the S Pen. It has yet to fail me or show any lack of responsiveness so far. More than any phone I’ve used before, the S25 Ultra feels well-designed for stylus controls.
If you flip the S25 Ultra over, you’ll see a lot of lenses. It’s five, to be precise, with a variety of resolutions and optical zooms. It allows for some pretty incredible stuff. The 10x zoom on the S25 Ultra is next level. Clear and crisp images no matter how much I zoom in. Plus, it shoots 4K video in 60 fps, and yes, you can use all the zoom lenses (as well as the handy ultra-wide 0.6 lens) while doing videography as well.
The screen is large (6.9 inches like the iPhone Pro Max) and I have no complaints about quality so far. As someone who doesn’t use his phone for gaming, or even that much video watching or shooting, it’s a bit too big for me personally. In my weeks with it, I can tell the Galaxy S25 Ultra is a phenomenal phone, but it’s commitment to being the absolute best might be the one thing hold it back.
Sidebar: Galaxy Ring and Samsung Health
One of my biggest surprises is the Samsung Health app. I’ve tested smartwatches and smart rings before, so I’ve had my fair share of experiences with this type of app. This one is free for all Android users, and comes pre-installed on Galaxy devices. It’s got all I need in one helpful hub, and there’s no extra charge for deep-dive data.
I’ve been using a Galaxy Ring to log my daily activity and sleep over the past couple of weeks. The data has been reliable and informative, and the app makes it easy to sort through. So far, the experience has been nearly on the level of Oura. The app isn’t as pretty, but it also doesn’t require a premium subscription to access its full suite of features. I’ll call that a win for Samsung.
Should an iPhone Pro Max user make the switch to Samsung?
Tough question. It mostly comes down to how easy-to-use the Apple ecosystem is. In the world of plus-sized phone, it’s iPhone Pro Max or Galaxy Ultra. I’ve tried both the iPhone 16 Pro Max and the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra. At this point in the cycle, it’s worth mentioning the five month gap in Apple and Samsung’s release cycles. The iPhone 16 Pro Max I’ve used is a 2024 phone; this Galaxy S25 Ultra is 2025. They are different generations of phone, so it won’t be an even fight until September. That said, I’m confident in talking broad strokes here.
The S25 Ultra, is just smaller, just lighter, and has a just slightly larger battery than the iPhone 16 Pro Max. That all leads to me preferring how the Samsung phone feels in my hand, and in my pockets. Despite the larger bezels (on top and bottom of the phone especially) it also has a more impressive OLED screen. I watched whole episodes of Paradise on this thing. I don’t watch TV on my commute—typically I spend that time reading on my Kobo Libra Color—but the S25 screen made me a believer in the practice.
I’d be a liar if I told you the Galaxy S25 was more immediately intuitive and easy to use than the 16 Pro Max. It’s not. That crown still goes to the iPhone, and barring any big UX changes (not likely) it’ll stay that. Apple just understands usability. Seamless remains the word of choice for the Apple ecosystem and the consistency of notifications across my phone, watch, and laptop is still unmatched by Android and Windows products. And while I don’t use 95-percent of the baked-in AI features in either phone, it’s clear to me that this seamless approach is already defining how Apple Intelligence is being implemented.
If you’re excited about AI (and want to use it to help you in your everyday tasks), I’d recommend sticking to your iPhone. Apple Intelligence is there to help suggest and summarize regardless of which messaging or email app you’re using. The photo editing tools are similarly well integrated. The AI experience on Galaxy feels fragmented in comparison. This may have something to do with Since the S25 runs on a Snapdragon chip, it has a neural processing unit (NPU) that uses AI to make the device run more efficiently. AI is directly impacting performance, but Copilot isn’t at all integrated the way various Apple Intelligence features are on the latest iOS.
Hell, I don’t even know which LLM app to open to help me with my latest query. Samsung has its own digital assistant, Bixby, but the phone also comes installed with Google Gemini. And then there’s the Copilot app, which requires a Microsoft account and log-in. Simply put, the AI features on the Galaxy are too confusing and split up over too many apps to hold a candle to what Apple is doing.
In short, the Galaxy phone simply outperforms on pure power. Even compared to other excellent Android phones Pixel 9 Pro, it’s the most powerful smartphone money can buy. With more cameras, a faster processor, it’s hard not to recommend the S25 Ultra to big phone fans. But if you still find yourself enjoying the Apple ecosystem—and if ease of use is a big thing for you—I recommend staying in that ecosystem.
Should a Galaxy S24 Ultra user upgrade to the S25?
The Galaxy S25 Ultra is the top-of-the-line Android phone right, and the price reflects that. But with generous trade-in options, the chances that you actually pay that are slim. So the question is a more simple: Who opt for the Ultra? Who exactly is this phone for?
On top of having the a huge screen, S25 Ultra rocks the best battery life and superior cameras. If you are a regular person who just wants a nice big phone, it’s an overbuilt high-end model. For a bargain, the average smartphone user will have a comparable experience on an S25+ or last-gen S24 Ultra.
Speaking of, the phone is not a meaningful upgrade to the S24 Ultra specs wise. A casual user could hold onto that phone for another year or two without worry. The S25 Ultrua is the Android phone for those who want (maybe don’t need) the absolute best, every single year. It’s for the hardcore, both creators and consumers.
If you’re a professional content creator or app developer and need to have the longest-lasting, most up-t0-date Android, here it is. And if you’ve spent the last few years binging all your shows on your 2021 Galaxy A series phone, this will be a game-changing upgrade that won’t leave you with the need to buy a new one for another half decade. So yes, worth the upgrade in certain scenarios.
Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra
Cons
- S-Pen doesn’t have Bluetooth
- Slow charging speed
| Display | 6.9-inch 120 Hz 3,120 x 1,440p AMOLED |
|---|---|
| Processor | Snapdragon 8 Elite for Galaxy |
| Cameras | 50MP ultrawide; 200MP wide, 10MP 3x optical zoom, 50MP 5x optical zoom, 12MP front |
| Battery (as tested) | Up to 19 hours |
| Storage | 256GB, 512TB and 1TB |
| Colors | Gray, Black, Silverblue, Whitesilver |
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