The latest flagship product of Samsung, the Galaxy S25 Ultra is there, but does it offer enough improvements compared to the ultra Galaxy S23 excellent to justify an upgrade?
At first glance, you would be forgiven to think that little has changed, but some key differences could influence your decision.
Let's explore the most important upgrades and what they mean for daily use.
Design
The Galaxy S25 Ultra maintains Samsung's Boxy Aesthetics but introduces subtle refinements.
The corners are now slightly more rounded, which makes the device more comfortable in the hand compared to the bright edges of S23 Ultra.
Although this change does not revolutionize conviviality, it makes manipulation in the long term a little more pleasant.
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Samsung has also reduced the weight of the S25 ultra by around 15 g, which makes it a little less brick to transport.
Since the flagship phones have become heavier at each iteration, it is a welcome change.
The titanium alloy frame remains exclusive to the ultra model, strengthening the premium sensation.
Dominik Tomaszewski / Foundry
However, one of the most confusing demances is the elimination of the Bluetooth functionality of the S.
While writing and sketch remain unaffected, features such as using the stylus as a remote shutter button has disappeared.
It is a small but frustrating not behind, probably an economy measure.
Display
On paper, the 6.9 -inch AMOLED display of the ultra galaxy S25 seems almost identical to that of its predecessor, but Samsung has made significant refinements.
Compared to the 6.8 inch screen of the Galaxy S23 Ultra, the new screen is larger and its telescope is now 15% thinner, creating a more immersive vision experience.
Although this may seem a minor improvement, it is noticeable when looking for videos or games.
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The largest upgrade is perhaps the use of Gorilla Armor 2, which not only improves resistance to scratches and impact, but also improves the anti-reflexive properties of the screen.
This refined glass makes the S25 ultra even better, reducing reflections for improved visibility in shiny environments.
The ultra S23 only has Gorilla Glass Victus 2.
Dominik Tomaszewski / Foundry
Samsung has also introduced proclaim, a functionality fueled by AI designed to improve image clarity, although its real impact is questionable.
While the S25 Ultra screen is now one of the best in the industry, the S23 Ultra display is still holding.
Cameras
The Galaxy S25 Ultra comes with a standard 200 MP camera, a 10MP telephoto lens with a 3X optical zoom and a 50 MP periscope with a 5X optical zoom and a 50MP.
Meanwhile, the Galaxy S23 Ultra is delivered with a 200 MP camera, a 10 MP 3X telephoto lens, a 10 MP periscope with a 10x optical zoom and a 12MP ultra-edited camera.
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The most notable camera changes in the Ultra S25 are the new 50MP ultrawid sensor, replacing that of 12MP in the Ultra S23, and the 50MP Periscope with a 5x optical zoom, which replaced the 10MP one next to the version of the S24 Ultra.
This provides more details, especially during the zoom on ultrairs shots, but it is not a game changer in everyday photography.
Otherwise, the central camera system remains largely unchanged.
Dominik Tomaszewski / Foundry
However, Samsung has improved its image processing with the introduction of the provisional engine and the Spatio temporal filter, which improves the accuracy and the details of the colors. Skin tones in particular now seem more natural, which makes a photographic experience more realistic.
A major new addition is the possibility of shooting in newspaper format, which gives professional videographers greater flexibility in post-production. Although this feature does not matter for most users, it is a big step for content creators, especially since Samsung is one of the only brands offering a newspaper recording at 8k.
If you are looking for the best camera phone from these two, although the Ultra S23 is still great, the Galaxy S25 Ultra is the winner.
Other differences
In addition to these key modifications, the S25 Ultra also has the Snapdragon 8 elite for the Galaxy chipset and a basic RAM, offering a boost on the Galaxy Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 of the S23, which was associated with 8 GB of RAM in the basic variant of the phone.
Although this will not make the phone much faster in daily tasks, you will probably notice a difference in terms of games or more demanding applications.
The Ultra S25 also has a larger steam room for cooling, helping the phone maintain high performance for longer games or intensive tasks. However, it still warms up during prolonged use.
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Elsewhere, the Ultra S25 has software improvements fed by AI, including a reworked gemini assistant, a search fueled by AI and now short summaries.
Although useful, these features are largely based on software and can appear on the Ultra S23 after updating Android 15 and One Ui 7, which made its debut with the S25 Ultra out of the box.
Price and availability
The Galaxy S25 Ultra is price of £ 1,249 / $ 1 299 for the 256 GB model, £ 1,349 / $ 1,419 for the 512 GB version and £ 1,549 / $ 1,659 for the 1TB variant.
It is available on the Samsung UK and Samsung US sites, but there are also attractive offers available elsewhere.
Consult our guide from the best Galaxy S25 Series offers to make sure you get the best price.
The Galaxy S23 Ultra was launched at £ 1,249 / $ 1,19 for the 256 GB model, £ 1,399 / $ 1,379 for the 512 GB and £ 1,599 / $ 1,619 for the 1TB variant. With the launch of S25 Ultra, Samsung removed the S23 Ultra from Sale.
However, it can always be purchased for around £ 679 to Amazon or other British retailers to the hard of the shares. If you live in the United States, you can also buy it on Amazon at around $ 799.
Verdict
If you come from the Ultra Galaxy S23, the Ultra S25 may not offer enough to justify the upgrade.
It is undeniable that it is better than its predecessor, but most of its improvements are subtle, and many software features should be deployed in S23 ultra in the future.
However, if you use the ultra S22 or an older device, the Ultra S25 is a fantastic upgrade, providing significant improvements in design, display and features powered by AI.
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