by Samsung introduced the world to the Galaxy S25 Ultra last week, which means that even those among us are lucky to have tried the phone, not spent much time with it. But even after just a few day of use, the phone left an impression on me.
The ultra version of the flagship of each year is usually one of the best phones of the year, and with the number of new software and AI contains Samsung’s that have been added this time, the Galaxy S25 Ultra will probably also erase that beam. I have a main complaint about the phone that can influence the final judgment of our review, but everything else that I have tasted so far is promising.
For a more holistic picture of this phone, our Galaxy S25 Ultra Hands-on review will explain more. But here is my recording based on my short time with the S25 Ultra so far.
A new but trusted look
The Titanium Silverblue color of my review -unit looks excellent, but the black, gray and whitesilver versions also look pretty slippery. And the lively Samsung-Winkele-Exclusive colors don’t look bad either.
The new rounded corners on the edition of this year give the Galaxy S25 Ultra a matching design with the Galaxy S25 and Galaxy S25 Plus, which makes sense, even if I will miss the Galaxy Note-style pointed corners for the unique look they offered . Black camera -Omrings help the phone to look like it means businesslike, even if only one of them (the 50MP Ultrawide Camera) is different from the Galaxy S24 Ultra.
On the subject of cameras, I still have to properly test the photographic potential of the S25 Ultra. But from the Galaxy S25 Ultra photo over comparisons that I and my colleagues have already taken, this looks like one, it will be a different mention on our best camera telephone guide from Samsung.
The One Galaxy AI tool that already shows potential is the now assignment, which draws information from different apps in one easily accessible widget. By default it lives on your home screen, but it can also be found in the edge panel that appears when sweeping from the side of the screen or on the lock screen when it has an update for you.
I now hope to see a short offer if I keep using the phone. Even in its basic format, it is useful to contain a single screen with the weather conditions and events of the day at any time, but I look forward to seeing it recommending that automated routines and surface -relevant tickets and discount coupons are stored on Samsung wallet.
Display looks better than ever
Samsung has its screens and the Galaxy S25 Ultra is another example of this. Early test results show that the 6.9-inch panel is much brighter than the Galaxy S24 Ultra and is only defeated by the screen on the Google Pixel 9 Pro XL. In addition, the increased size and slimmer edges mean even more viewing space, where the prolcaler system helps the content of the lower reserves to better fit the QHD panel.
I am not going to test the durability of the Gorilla Armor 2 display, but the anti-glare layer makes the screen easier to read when a clear spotlight are above the head. This is something I wanted that every phone had, but the only place you currently think it is on Samsung’s Ultra flagship.
Galaxy AI and one onion 7 are already complete
Samsung has launched its latest operating system and all its new tools on the Galaxy S25 at the same time as the phone, something that Google has not managed with its latest flagships. Apple’s iPhone 16 -Line -Up arrived in advance with iOS 18, but Apple Intelligence started to appear later. Everything that Samsung has to show is ready to try, instead of waiting for a complete or partial OS update.
The new design of one onion 7 steals a few instructions from iOS, but still looks clear Samsung. It all works very smoothly from what I have seen so far. The only potential bottleneck is the new standard notification style, which places all app icons in the upper right corner instead of their views lying in the middle. I will stay with the standard setting for the time being, but I can switch it to the traditional “map” the road on the road if I find the lack of information annoying if I want a quick look at incoming messages.
The pen remains a loyal companion
I am glad that Samsung continues to bundle a stylus with the Galaxy S25 Ultra, and although it is never good to see functions disappear, I do not miss the air actions that the Galaxy S24 Ultra has offered. Unlike testing to see that they have worked on earlier models, I never used them. As long as the stylus remains admitted and stored in the body of the future Galaxy’s Ultras, it is cool.
The price still makes me shiver
All these useful or fun functions aside, I can still no longer happen that the Galaxy S25 will cost Ultra $ 1,300 (£ 1,250 here in the UK or AU $ 2,149 in Australia). The iPhone 16 Pro Max and Google Pixel 9 Pro XL, both great phones, sell for $ 100 or $ 200 less. Perhaps the functions of the S25 Ultra are worth the extra money, and my opinion about the price will alleviate as I get more use of it. But as the most expensive phone in its class, the Galaxy S25 Ultra may be difficult to justify this yourself.
We still test the entire Galaxy S25 series, including the ultra. So perhaps when our full reviews arrive, the phone has justified its hefty price tag, and it will be surprisingly easy to recommend up to the latest Premium device from Samsung.
