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The Galaxy S25 line hit store shelves in January. The S25 Ultra retails beginning at $1300 (a little steeper than the 9 Pro XL), but currently you can get 15% off if you buy on Amazon. If you have a device to trade-in, you can definitely get better deals than that through your provider since its a brand new phone.
When I reviewed the Galaxy 25 Ultra, I wrote that it was “… a phenomenal phone, but its commitment to being the absolute best might be the one thing holding it back… On top of having a huge screen, the 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 a last-gen S24 Ultra.”
I still agree with that. Even compared to the Pixel 9 Pro XL, it’s got the fastest processor in a phone and even stronger battery life. The S25 Ultra has the best telephoto lenses you can buy, and a free—pretty damn good—stylus that lives inside the phone itself. It’s slick, it’s luxurious, but it’s also the definition of too much for most people.
In terms of size, number of AI helpers (Gemini and Bixby), and even the stylus itself, there’s plenty of overkill going on and that may scare away more casual users who just want a phone with a big screen. While this may also be true of the 9 Pro XL to some degree, that’s where the lower price comes in to give Google’s phone the slight edge.
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