Over All Rating 3.5/5
Price Starts From ₹ 1,29,999
PROS 👍
- Stunning display
- Top-tier performance
- Enhanced ultra-wide sensor
CONS 👎
- Downgraded S Pen
- Iterative design
- Average battery life
If January was the month of the OnePlus 13, February has signalled the arrival of one more biggie in the form of the Samsung Galaxy S25 series. The murmurs were indeed true, in that there’s nothing much of note in these devices that can be termed exciting. Nevertheless, the fact that cannot be ignored is that they’re all equipped with top-of-the-line specs and fresh Galaxy AI traits that are designed to make the lives of their users easier. Despite getting only small upgrades, the Galaxy S25 Ultra has still generated immense buzz in the Indian market. Priced at Rs. 1,29,999, it’s vying for the attention of diehard Android users who won’t settle for anything less than the best. Does it deliver that, though? Let’s find out in this review.
Detailed Review of Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra Review
Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra: Design
Aside from the camera, one of the prime reasons people buy an Ultra phone from Samsung is the S Pen. But the company has seemingly ignored that selling point, having taken away the Bluetooth functionality from the stylus. This means the Air Actions are absent. You can no longer use the S Pen as a remote shutter button for clicking photos, playing/pausing music, and performing plenty of other such tasks. Samsung argues that very few people actually use these features, which is a fair estimation, but on a phone that has very few updates to begin with, this downgrade sticks out like a sore thumb.
Coming to the form factor of the device itself, there’s nothing much to speak about here in terms of changes. Yes, the edges have gotten a bit rounder than those of the S24 Ultra, but they’re still pretty prickly to the palm. On the device’s flipside sits a 6.9-inch display, which is 0.1-inch larger than its predecessor. In other words, the difference is not noticeable at all. Again, those are the only things worth mentioning when speaking about the Galaxy S25 Ultra’s design. In real-world usage, it gives a fairly good grip thanks to its flat sides. And its reduced weight adds to the comfort.
Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra: Display and Speakers
There’s something about AMOLED displays made by Samsung that just makes them stand out among the crowd. The Galaxy S25 Ultra has gone for a 6.9-inch Dynamic LTPO AMOLED 2X panel that’s as beautiful as a phone’s display can be. There’s absolutely nothing that I felt I would like to change in this panel. The movies and TV shows I streamed on the handset got their full due on this splendidly bright display. Its HDR10+ brilliance shines through while streaming content and the 2600 nits of brightness ensure that the contrast levels are always top-notch.
There’s QHD+ resolution, LTPO support, and a 120Hz refresh rate. All the right boxes have been ticked by Samsung. Moreover, this panel is covered with an upgraded version of Corning Gorilla Armor, which offers better protection against scratches and falls. Coming to the speakers, these are splendid at regular volumes but can get a bit annoying at peak volume. This is never the case with an iPhone, and that’s something Samsung needs to put some effort into.
Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra: Performance and Battery Life
The Snapdragon 8 Elite for Galaxy (3nm) chipset inside the Galaxy S25 Ultra is a beast on its own, and it pairs beautifully with the device, shattering the benchmark scores of its competitors in the Android world. With the same CPU at its heart, the OnePlus 13 could only manage a single-core score of 2,912 and a multi-core score of 8,678 on Geekbench. But the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra has blown past those numbers with scores of 3,057 and 9,591, respectively. That multi-core score is better than even that of the iPhone 16 Pro Max, though the Apple device still reigns supreme in the single-core test, making it the king when it comes to handling heavy applications.
Of course, this means there’s truly unblemished everyday performance on offer. Games, no matter how demanding, run with incredible smoothness. Never did I face any heating issues during my time testing the phone. That’s no surprise, given it has a 40% larger vapour chamber than its predecessor. With such raw power and efficient thermal management, the Galaxy S25 Ultra isn’t just a performance king, it’s a reliability powerhouse. Whether you’re a gamer, power user, or multitasking enthusiast, this phone ensures seamless performance without compromise. If these benchmark numbers are anything to go by, Samsung has just set a new standard for Android flagships in 2025.
The Galaxy S25 Ultra’s battery life remains largely unchanged from its predecessor, the S24 Ultra, as Samsung hasn’t increased battery capacity. Initially, the phone took time to adapt to my usage patterns, but over time, it has delivered decent endurance. On typical days from 7 AM to 11 PM, the phone ended up with around 20% battery left, with 4+ hours of screen-on time. While the Snapdragon 8 Elite for Galaxy chipset was expected to bring better power efficiency, the real-world difference isn’t noticeable. Compared to some rivals like the OnePlus 13R, which offers exceptional battery life, the S25 Ultra doesn’t quite match up. It’s reliable, but if you were hoping for a two-day battery champion, this isn’t it.
Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra: Camera
Samsung has armed the Galaxy S25 Ultra with a quad-camera setup featuring a 200MP primary wide sensor, a 50MP ultra-wide, a 50MP telephoto with 5x optical zoom, and a 10MP telephoto with 3x zoom. The most notable hardware upgrade is the jump from a 12MP ultra-wide sensor to a 50MP one, significantly enhancing detail and dynamic range. However, beyond this, most improvements are software-driven rather than hardware leaps.
One of the biggest highlights is Samsung’s Nightography, powered by an advanced Spatio-Temporal Filter that helps distinguish moving and static objects, reducing noise in low-light conditions. This leads to clearer night shots with improved colour accuracy and reduced grain. However, while the low-light processing is impressive, capturing images with telephoto cameras still results in grainy images when the light is low.
That said, the S25 Ultra excels in daylight, delivering crisp details, rich colours, and excellent dynamic range. The 5x telephoto lens offers sharp zoomed-in shots, making it a great choice for portrait and landscape photography. However, the absence of a 10x optical zoom, which was present in its predecessor, may disappoint users who loved that extreme zoom capability. Samsung’s software compensates to an extent, but digital zoom can’t match the clarity of true optical zoom.
For professionals and content creators, Samsung Log makes a debut, offering advanced exposure controls with False Color and Zebra Pattern features—tools commonly found in high-end cameras. This allows for better post-production flexibility, making it a valuable addition for those serious about mobile videography. Additionally, Virtual Aperture lets users fine-tune depth-of-field settings, meaning you can get beautifully blurred backgrounds for portraits or ultra-sharp landscapes. While the Galaxy S25 Ultra’s camera setup is undeniably powerful, it still has room for improvement.
Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra: Software
Samsung has introduced a dedicated Gemini button, making AI access more seamless than ever. And the best part about it is that it’s tailored for secondary actions. This means you can ask the assistant stuff like “When is India playing its next match,” and even direct it to add that event to the Calendar – all in the same command. As great as it sounds, it’s still half-baked and seldom works with third-party apps. Galaxy AI is also home to Now Brief, which brings AI-driven personalised briefings directly to the lock screen and notifications. It curates a daily summary of your calendar, emails, weather, news, and even fitness updates in an easily digestible format.
But the best part about the new software is Gemini Live. The top-notch conversational assistant is a delight to talk with. I found myself getting educated about a lot of things during my daily car drives. I would pick a topic every day and go on asking questions and getting learned replies from Gemini Live during my commutes. This software feature well and truly transforms the Galaxy S25 Ultra into an on-demand AI concierge. Samsung has also brought studio-level audio cleanup solutions to the phone with Audio Eraser. This AI-driven tool removes unwanted background noise from recordings. And I’m happy to report that it works as advertised.
Verdict
The Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra follows a familiar formula, bringing incremental upgrades rather than groundbreaking innovations. While its top-tier specs, stunning display, and AI-driven features make it a powerful flagship, the lack of major design changes and the removal of Bluetooth functionality in the S Pen feel like missed opportunities. The camera system remains impressive, and performance-wise, the Snapdragon 8 Elite chipset makes it a beast. However, battery life remains average, failing to set new standards in endurance. At its core, the S25 Ultra is still one of the best Android flagships out there, but for those expecting a game-changing experience, this year’s model might not feel all that different.
Key Specification
| Display: | 6.69-inch Super AMOLED, 120Hz |
| Camera: | 200MP + 50MP + 10MP + 50MP |
| RAM: | 12GB |
| Processor: | Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite for Galaxy (3 nm) |
| Battery: | 5000mAh |
| OS: | Android 15 |