Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra review - a very clever phone that might be too smart for most

Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra review (Image: SAMSUNG)

The Galaxy S24 Ultra was one of our favourite Android phones of 2024, and it’s a supremely hard act for Samsung to follow. Now there's a replacement for that award-winning flagship, the Galaxy S25 Ultra, that arrives in stores this week. The big question is, has Samsung managed to outsmart the S24, and is this the year to upgrade your ageing smartphone?

I've been using this latest and greatest device since it was unveiled at an Unpacked event in California and, just like its predecessor, it's a bit of a showstopper.

The good impressions start with the design. It's not had a massive overhaul, but some subtle tweaks have breathed new life into its looks. Sharper edges, rounder corners and a paper-thin bezel now surround the bigger 6.9-inch screen (the S24 Ultra has a 6.8-inch panel).

As you'd expect from Samsung, that AMOLED display is as pixel-packed as ever. There's possibly no better phone for a boxset binge or epic gaming session.

To make sure the S25 Ultra keeps pace with your daily digital needs, there's the very latest Snapdragon 8 Elite for Galaxy processor tucked inside its titanium and tough Gorilla Glass body.

This mighty chip not only ensures the S25 Ultra is rapid—and it really is blisteringly quick—but also improves efficiency. I've been blown away by this device's ludicrous battery life, often stretching to two days so you won't have to worry about packing a charger in your bag. An improved vapour chamber also keeps things cooler under serious processing pressure.

The Galaxy S25 Ultra comes packed with upgrades (Image: SAMSUNG)

The quad-camera has been upgraded this year with a new 50MP ultra-wide angle lens. This means you get seriously impressive macro shots that look like they've been snapped on a pro camera. The S24's snapper was already good but this change definitely adds some extra punch to those landscape and close up shots. Night video has also been improved, with movies in the dark looking brighter and with better contrast.

You also get a 200MP main camera lens, 50MP 5x optical telephoto zoom and a 10MP 3x telephoto optical zoom. Adding these four together makes for a seriously versatile setup.

CHECK OUT OUT PHOTO SAMPLES BELOW

Galaxy S25 Ultra camera test (Image: EXPRESS NEWSPAPERS)

Galaxy S25 Ultra camera test (Image: EXPRESS NEWSPAPERS)

Galaxy S25 Ultra camera test (Image: EXPRESS NEWSPAPERS)

Galaxy S25 Ultra camera test (Image: EXPRESS NEWSPAPERS)

Galaxy S25 Ultra camera test (Image: EXPRESS NEWSPAPERS)

Galaxy S25 Ultra camera test (Image: EXPRESS NEWSPAPERS)

Galaxy S25 Ultra camera test (Image: EXPRESS NEWSPAPERS)

There are some nice upgrades this year, but perhaps the biggest change to the S25 Ultra is the smarter Galaxy AI.

This new device has many tricks up its sleeve and has even joined forces with Google to offer users full access to Gemini, Google’s latest AI chatbot and app.

That means you can hold the power button and have a full-blown conversation with the helpful assistant. What makes this even smarter is that Samsung has also combined its Bixby assistant with Google, so you get double the smarts when you ask questions, add a date to your calendar, or set reminders.

I've been chatting away with Gemini on the S25 Ultra, and it really is like talking to a real person. You can even say things like "I'm bored," and Gemini will respond with ideas and suggestions for places to visit. The whole experience is like conversing with a friend - it's spookily good.

AI is now a massive part of this phone (Image: SAMSUNG)

The phone also gives you a customised morning briefing with weather, news and upcoming diary events displayed on the screen.

There's also the new "Now Bar", which pops up and shows live football scores, travel information, timers and more - it's pretty useful and reminds me of Apple's Dynamic Island notch, except it’s at the bottom of the screen.

Smarter features even come to the camera, with the S25 Ultra doing a better job automatically retouching images and magically removing background noise from videos you shoot if you ask it to.

The phone also gives you a customised morning briefing with weather, news and upcoming diary events displayed on the screen.

There's also the new "Now Bar", which pops up and shows live football scores, travel information, timers and more - it's pretty useful and reminds me of Apple's Dynamic Island notch, except it’s at the bottom of the screen.

Smarter features even come to the camera, with the S25 Ultra doing a better job automatically retouching images and magically removing background noise from videos you shoot if you ask it to.

Galaxy S25 Ultra (Image: SAMSUNG)

It's all mind-bogglingly clever, but I'm starting to feel like I need a degree in AI just to use my phone.

There are so many things to understand, and I've felt slightly overwhelmed by it all. That meant I've found myself going back to the old-fashioned way of doing things rather than making full use of the AI packed inside the device.

Maybe it's my fault for not embracing the future, or maybe it's simply the fact that I still want my phone to take photos, send messages, play a few games, and watch a few whacky cat videos on TikTok.

This isn't a criticism of Samsung as there's no doubt the S25 Ultra is ridiculously smart; it's more the fact that I don't know how much I want or need all of this AI in my life. There's also the fact that by the time I have launched the Gemini assistant, and asked it about my local cinema, what films are on and how to book tickets, I could have simply Googled it manually, which often feels more intuitive and faster.

The new Galaxy S25 Ultra S Pen is no longer Bluetooth (Image: SAMSUNG)

Of course, you can use Galaxy AI as much or as little as you like, and the S25 Ultra's hardware is still leading the Android pack.

One thing I like about the software is the latest One UI 7 update, which looks and feels really slick. It also offers bags of customisation and makes it easier to find things on the device, with even the Settings app getting voice search. Samsung will also make sure the S25 Ultra stays fully updated thanks to seven years of software updates, an industry-best promise.

So, is there anything not to like about the S25 Ultra?

Other than its pretty massive size, the only thing that's really missing this year is a Bluetooth-enabled S Pen. For some reason, Samsung has removed that connectivity from its in-built stylus, which basically means you can no longer use it to snap photos or control presentations remotely. It's no deal breaker, but it is a slight downgrade over the S24 Ultra with has a Bluetooth S Pen.

The only other issue with the S25 Ultra is that brilliant S24 Ultra. It's likely this older device will get many of the Galaxy AI upgrades that are currently exclusive to the S25 via a software update and, if that happens, there's really not that much difference between them.

Samsung has done it again and produced another spectacularly good smartphone. The Galaxy S25 Ultra looks great, features a stunning 6.9-inch screen, brilliant camera, long battery life, and that supremely quick Snapdragon 8 Elite processor.

It also gets all of those Galaxy AI upgrades that can organise your life, retouch your photos, chat to you like a human and bring live football scores straight to the home screen.

It's all clever stuff, but for some, it might just be a bit too smart.

There's so much Artificial Intelligence now included it can all feel slightly overwhelming and only power users (and true AI geeks) are going to get close to scratching the surface of what this device can really do.

That doesn't make this a bad phone. In fact, it's a very good phone. It just feels like all of Samsung's development is going into the software rather than boosting the hardware. Perhaps the AI boom for smartphones is because there’s nothing else manufacturers can add or improve. You might ask yourself why you need a new phone at all - they say AI is the answer.

If the brilliant S24 Ultra gets the S25's Galaxy AI upgrades - and the price continues to fall due to its age - that might also be a better bet.

However, if you really want the best Galaxy on the planet, then the S25 Ultra won't disappoint. It's a very, very smart phone!