Let me get this out of the way: I thought the Galaxy S25 Ultra was going to be one of those annual flagship updates that looks shiny, sounds impressive, but quietly dares you to care. Another titanium-clad shrug.
I was wrong.
This phone is excellent, but it’s also playing it safe. And that’s the paradox of the S25 Ultra. It reminds you why Samsung is still the most dominant name in Android, and simultaneously makes you wonder whether that dominance has become a bit… complacent.
It’s got the hardware. It’s got the software. It’s even got the AI. But it’s also starting to feel like a really fancy version of a phone Samsung already made. And that’s a harder sell in a year when the HONOR Magic7 Pro, vivo X200 Pro and others are catching up, and in some cases, overtaking.
Design: Titanium flash with less smash
Titanium Whitesilver is the kind of finish that makes you feel like you’re holding the Batmobile’s phone. It’s classy, clean, and confident. The move from flat to slightly curved edges? Long overdue, but you will need a case because the flat edges are a bit too flat.
This is Samsung doing what it does best: refined hardware with surgical fit and finish. Even the Corning Gorilla Armor 2 glass up front feels tougher and more fingerprint-resistant. At 218g, it’s still a brick, but at least it’s a well-balanced brick that looks expensive.
Problem is, it also looks familiar. We’ve seen this silhouette before. Slab, camera island, S Pen slot. In a world where foldables, wraps, and rollables are whispering about the future, the S25 Ultra still reads like an exquisitely crafted postcard from the past.
Performance: Fast enough to make you forget specs
Snapdragon 8 Elite for Galaxy. 12GB of RAM. 1TB max storage. And it just… works. There’s nothing dramatic to say here because the phone simply doesn’t break a sweat. No lags, no stutters, no drama.
Multitasking? Smooth. Gaming? Silky. Video editing? Go wild.
But this is 2025, and raw power is no longer the conversation. Everyone’s fast now. Samsung’s edge here isn’t speed, it’s polish. One UI 7 runs tight, animations are crisp, and the bloatware is more tolerable than before (though still present). It’s not just high-end; it feels high-end.
That said, you start to notice how similar this experience is to the S24 Ultra or even the Fold6. Samsung’s software excellence is also part of its stagnation.
Cameras: Everyone’s catching up, but Samsung still flexes
The 200MP main sensor still shoots like it’s trying to win Instagram. Bright, bold, and occasionally too much. Samsung loves drama in its colour science, sometimes at the expense of realism.
Low-light performance holds up well, but don’t be surprised if the vivo X200 Pro outperforms it in tricky conditions. And the Magic7 Pro? It’s getting dangerously close with computational photography that rivals Samsung’s, sometimes even surpassing it in dynamic range.
Where Samsung claws back ground is in the zoom.
Yes, the S25 Ultra no longer holds the crown as the undisputed zoom king, that’s being challenged hard by HONOR’s 200MP periscope lens, but what Samsung still does better is stability. The 100x zoom here doesn’t just reach far; it locks on to subjects with a steadiness that’s almost creepy. No jitter, no guesswork. It’s the difference between a blurry bird blob and a usable shot of something on the next rooftop.
And while the 12MP selfie cam does its job, it’s oddly underwhelming for a phone that costs around R30 000.00
AI is the new software skin
Let’s talk about Galaxy AI. Because Samsung certainly wants to.
There’s Circle to Search, Generative Edit, real-time transcriptions, summarised notes, interpreter mode, and a raft of background tools that make you feel like you’re cheating at being organised.
And sure, they work. Sort of. Sometimes.
But here’s the catch: this stuff isn’t unique anymore. You can find most of it in the HONOR Magic7 Pro (even the mid-range HONOR 400 series), in parts of Xiaomi’s HyperOS, or coming soon to Google’s own Pixel phones. So if AI is the main reason you’re eyeing the S25 Ultra, maybe slow your scroll.
Samsung’s real AI advantage is scale, not innovation. It’s everywhere across your Galaxy devices, and that integration does make it more useful. But it also highlights how much Samsung is using AI to paint over a canvas it’s already shown us before.
Battery and charging: Big cell, small gains
5,000mAh battery? Still excellent. This phone comfortably lasts a day and a half with moderate use and doesn’t flinch under pressure. That’s not a surprise anymore, it’s expected.
What is a surprise is how slowly it charges. 45W wired, 15W wireless. In 2025. When phones from HONOR and Xiaomi are comfortably pushing 100W and beyond. Come on, Samsung.
Wireless PowerShare is still a nice party trick, but the real trick would’ve been keeping pace with the industry on charging. Instead, Samsung plays it safe again.
S Pen: Icon or relic?
The S Pen is still here. Technically.
But honestly, it’s starting to feel like an obligation more than an innovation. Features like air gestures are disappearing. App support is stagnant. Samsung hasn’t given power users a real reason to use it since… maybe the Note20?
Yes, it’s great for quick notes and occasional doodling. But if the S Pen is what makes an Ultra ultra, then Samsung needs to either reinvent it or let it go.
Ecosystem: Samsung’s true secret weapon
Here’s where Samsung wins: continuity. If you’re wearing a Galaxy Watch, using Galaxy Buds, or flipping open a Tab, the S25 Ultra becomes more than just a phone, it becomes the hub.
File sharing is smooth. Device switching is seamless. The ecosystem has matured to the point where it rivals Apple in utility, even if it doesn’t quite match the aesthetic coherence.
This, more than the AI or the camera or the design, is why people stay with Samsung. It just works across devices. That’s not sexy, but it’s smart.
Verdict: A confident king, but rivals are closing in
The Galaxy S25 Ultra is still the benchmark for Android flagships, refined, powerful, and polished to a blinding shine. It’s also a reminder that Samsung, for all its dominance, is dangerously close to becoming the new Apple: incremental updates, legacy features, and resting on reputation.
I was wrong to assume the Galaxy S25 Ultra wouldn’t impress me. It did. But Samsung might be wrong to assume that polish alone is enough.
This phone is great. It just doesn’t shake anything.
And that might be the problem.
