The Galaxy S25 Ultra is the top model of the Samsung Galaxy S25 series. Samsung announced it on January 22, 2025, and general sales in the US started on February 7, 2025. It starts at $1,299.99 with 12 GB of RAM and 256 GB of storage. It is a large flagship with a built-in S Pen, a titanium frame and four rear cameras.
Design and display
The phone measures 162.8 x 77.6 x 8.2 mm and weighs 218 grams. That makes it lighter than the Galaxy S24 Ultra, which weighed 232 grams. The frame is titanium, and the display is covered by Corning Gorilla Armor 2 with an anti-reflective coating. The body is rated IP68 for water and dust resistance.
The 6.9-inch Dynamic AMOLED 2X panel has a QHD+ resolution of 3120 x 1440 pixels. Its LTPO refresh rate changes between 1 Hz and 120 Hz. The rated peak brightness is 2,600 nits, and the panel supports HDR10+. The S Pen still slides into the body, but this generation drops its Bluetooth features.
Performance
Inside is a Snapdragon 8 Elite tuned for Galaxy phones, with higher clock speeds than the standard chip. Samsung uses this chip in the S25 Ultra in all markets. It pairs it with 12 GB of LPDDR5X RAM and UFS 4.0 storage. Storage options are 256 GB, 512 GB and 1 TB, and there is no microSD slot. In some markets, the 1 TB version comes with 16 GB of RAM.
Samsung also fitted a vapor chamber that is 40% larger than before. This helps keep long gaming sessions and AI tasks stable.
Cameras
The main camera uses a 200 MP sensor with an f/1.7 lens and optical stabilization. The ultrawide camera moves from 12 MP to 50 MP, with a 120-degree field of view. Two telephoto cameras cover zoom: a 50 MP periscope with 5x optical zoom and a 10 MP lens with 3x optical zoom. Both telephoto cameras have optical stabilization.
The rear cameras record video up to 8K at 30 fps. 10-bit HDR recording is on by default, and Samsung added a Galaxy Log profile for color grading. On the front, there is a 12 MP selfie camera with an f/2.2 lens.
Battery and charging
The battery has a typical capacity of 5,000 mAh. Wired charging reaches 45 W, which can fill about 65% of the battery in around 30 minutes. The phone also supports Fast Wireless Charging 2.0 at 15 W and can charge other devices with Wireless PowerShare. Samsung does not include a charger in the box.
Software and updates
The Galaxy S25 Ultra launched with Android 15 and One UI 7. Samsung promises seven generations of OS upgrades and seven years of security updates. Galaxy AI features include Now Brief, Audio Eraser and multi-step tasks with Google Gemini.
Should you buy the Galaxy S25 Ultra?
The phone suits buyers who want a big screen, a built-in stylus and a flexible zoom camera system. Its long update promise also makes it a sound choice for people who keep a phone for many years. However, it is large and expensive, and charging stays at 45 W wired. Samsung has since released the Galaxy S26 Ultra, so it is worth comparing both before you buy.
