I just wish Qi2 wireless charging support didnt require a case.
Heres the most ironic thing about the Galaxy S25 Ultra.
The moment it launched, lots of people were calling out Samsung for copying the iPhones design.
And its all wrapped up in a design that while Phone-like is lighter than its main rival.
Samsung did cut some corners with the Galaxy S25 Ultra.
The S Pen no longer hasBluetooth.
And the newly added Qi2 charging support forces you to buy a compatible case.
Check out ourGalaxy S25 Ultra deals pagefor the best discounts available.
Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra review: Design
As they say, haters are gonna hate.
But I think some of the criticism around the Galaxy S25 Ultras design being too iPhone-like is warranted.
But I actually blame Samsungfor not copying the iPhone enough.
Im talking about the left and right edges of the design.
Theyre too sharp for my taste and make the phone less comfortable to hold and use.
Apple does a better job of beveling these edges so theyre smoothed out.
I also like the floating camera design on the back.
It looks better than the iPhone 16 Pro Maxs unsightly patch.
The S24 Ultra weighed in at 8.22 ounces while being a slightly thicker 0.34 inches.
The Galaxy S25 Ultra color options are not exactly wild.
Theres Titanium Black, Titanium Gray, Titanium Silverblue and Titanium Whitesilver.
I tested the Silverblue hue and I think it has just enough pop without being too in your face.
If youre feeling more adventurous, Samsung.com is also offering online exclusive colors like Jadegreen, Jetblack and Pinkgold.
Theres two design trade-offs I need to talk about here.
The second trade-off is that the S25 Ultra has half-assed Qi2 charging support.
I say that because the magnets are not built into the phone itself.
The size has grown from 6.8 to 6.9 inches, thanks to slimmer bezels.
And that makes this an even more immersive canvas for movies, games and more.
In our lab testing, the Galaxy S25 Ultra turned in a max brightness of 1,860 nits.
The iPhone 16 Pro Max hit 114.1% and 80.9%, respectively.
The S25 Ultras screen promises better durability, too, though we have not been able to test it.
This time around, he saw faint scratches at level 6.
It then sent the text to my brother with the relevant info.
Thats pretty impressive, and it shows the potential of agentic AI on your phone.
Within several seconds, I had my list.
Cross-app actions work with Samsungs apps, Googles apps and third-party apps likeWhatsAppandSpotify.
And Id certainly like to see this list expand.
Plus, Circle to Search can now recognize sounds or music in things like videos.
The first isNow Brief, which can give you a quick summary to start your day.
Think of it as a personalized large language model.
The Galaxy S25 Ultra has lots of other AI powers that are worth trying out.
you might also ask questions about any photos on your screen.
So the S25 Ultra can easily be your tour guide.
This means better detail in your shots, as well as the promise of sharper macro photos.
To test out the S25 Ultras ultrawide camera I pointed it at this creek.
Theres a lot more definition in the iPhones pic while the Samsung looks a bit blurry.
When it comes to capturing colors, the S25 Ultras 200MP main camera is fantastic.
Theres more dimension and depth to some of the Galaxy S25 Ultras photos as well.
Take this image of the San Jose Museum of Art with a sculpture in front of it.
Theres more definition in the brick and the pic feels more 3D.
So how about low light?
Its a similar story with this selfie.
But the S25 Ultra wins on details when you look at the bricks themselves and metal around the clock.
Its also worth mentioning that the Galaxy S25 Ultra picks up some new AI photo editing tricks.
In addition, the S25 Ultra gets one of my favoriteGalaxy Z Fold 6features: Sketch to Image.
It’s definitely not for everyone, but it’s a nice to have feature.
Bonus points for the Samsung offering louder sound with its zoom mic.
Samsung also recorded better looking video when I used both phones to record skaters in Bryant Park.
As I pan around, the iPhones footage looks softer with more of a haze.
My voice sounds a bit computerized but overall the Audio Eraser-treated version is a major improvement over the original.
TheS25 Ultra is also a gaming beast.
I enjoyed rock solid frame rates when playing Diabolo Immortal even with over a dozen enemies on screen.
The S25 Ultra beat the iPhone 16 Pro Max in some key benchmarks but not all.
I personally like the look of the new quick prefs menu.
Its very Control Center-like, but its super intuitive.
In terms of AI features, I like the new call transcript feature.
Our detailedGalaxy AI pros and conshighlights the stuff we think are most noteworthy about the new experiences.
Samsung backs up the S25 Ultra with 7 years of software and security updates.
But overall, I really like the Galaxy S25 Ultra.
