Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra: What Reddit Really Thinks

As someone with a S23 Ultra, the reason to buy a Galaxy S-series Ultra is because you don't want something that's just good; you want something that's special. This phone feels a little less special than the S24 Ultra did, which felt a little less special than the S23 Ultra.

The price is still pretty ultra I would say.

The Galaxy S25 Ultra was the only premium Android phone to make the global top 10 best-selling phones list in 2025. No other brand besides Apple and Samsung placed any phone in the top 10.

I hope this AI shit hype dies as quick as possible - there are definitely great use cases for AI, but a lot of the stuff they are trying to sell us AI on is just better with simple automation. Like a phone assistant. Just do what I ask you to do.

Every time I read a review for a great not-Samsung not-Pixel Android phone with a great screen, great battery, great features, great camera, maybe only okay update policy (eg. OnePlus 13, Motorola Edge+), the reviews always say 'this is a great phone, but why would you buy this over a Samsung?'

I'm not defending Samsung's weak max charging power, but 100W charging isn't close to twice as fast as 50W charging. People don't understand charge curves.

Funny how this phone with the much smaller battery is still somewhat competitive with the OnePlus 13 with its 6000mAh battery.

Both me and my wife pre-ordered our S25 Ultras. Her battery for the first two days was horrific — we almost returned the phone. But on the third day it miraculously improved. Mine has been decent. Feels about the same as the S24 Ultra when it was new. The iPhone still lasts longer.

Resale and ease of trade in is probably best with Samsung.

The 10x zoom is the second most used lens on my S23U, and the reason why I'm not upgrading to the S25U.

The charging speed is most useful when your phone is empty and you're trying to get to 30% or 40% to finish out the day. I find 45W fast enough in almost every situation but they should have gone to 60W.

After a week it gets a 9.5/10 for me. From display to battery and the camera it's been incredible. The only issue is the size and using it one handed. 100% happy with my purchase.

The Ultra is the only one of the line with the extra and better cameras, better battery life, and the S-Pen. If those things are important to you, that's why you get the Ultra.

S25 Ultra still has some awful cameras for the price. Laggy sensors and pics are over-processed. The 3x sensor was seen first on the S22 Ultra, the 200MP camera on the S23 Ultra, and the 5x periscope on the S24 Ultra. 5,000mAh battery — 6 years old tech. 45W fast charging — also 6 years old tech. S Pen was downgraded. The 25 Ultra is a parts bin phone that no one should buy at that hilarious price.

I was the biggest critic of the move to nerf the S Pen. I however think, this is just going to play like the headphone jack removal.

How is it that the screen looks so inferior to both Pixel and iPhone?

Hardware has hit a physical limit. Can't really shrink transistors anymore. 1" camera sensors are too big. Silicon carbon batteries are still quite new. And the biggest problem all flagship manufacturers face: low and midrange performance has caught up. There's now no real need for stronger phones unless these phone companies invent a need for them. Via software. Yes, that means AI.

I have the S25 Ultra and I love it. It's a beauty. Nothing special about it. It just works and is beautiful.

Samsung MX doesn't even pay Samsung Display for the newest and highest-end display materials anymore. Apple and now more recently Google are usually the ones debuting the newest emissive materials.

I have a Note10+ and want to stay in the Samsung ecosystem. I appreciate the smaller Ultra size compared to the S24U. I never used the Bluetooth S Pen on my Note10+ anyway.

I rarely use the S Pen but when I did it was usually always as a remote shutter. So I am kind of disappointed to see Bluetooth go away — it was one of the most common reasons I ever used it. It was way more convenient than doing a timer for group photos.

600 bucks for the S25 ultra if I trade in my S23 ultra? Worth it. I fucking hated the curved screen.

The OnePlus 13 was a more exciting release for me, with their new battery tech. Samsung has gotten pretty complacent, for the price they're asking.

That is some nice call time improvement vs the S24. 15:08 vs 13:49 using the same battery size. Qualcomm sure knows how to make modems that sip power.

Reputation is a hell of a thing. Samsung worked hard building up the reputation of being the Android flagship, and now it is paying dividends. That is why they don't have to improve the camera or upgrade anything, and just repackage the phone year after year.

I'm not walking away from Samsung just because they took Bluetooth away from the S Pen, but if I were to walk away it's because they continue to take features away from the ultra phone but continue to charge the consumer the same if not more for features we never asked for like AI.

It's better than the predecessor in a safe way — nothing extraordinary new, some minor fixes and a better chip. However I noticed it's a bit over-smoothened. Screen touch sensitivity is a bit like sliding on ice. The S23 Ultra felt more responsive.

Until they change to a better main sensor and fix the shutter speed I'm not buying anything. Same sensor as S23 Ultra and same problems with any moving subject.

It's a good phone. I personally don't use the S Pen shutter button so that's not bothering me. But I wish it had a 6000mAh silicon carbon battery. I'll wait for the S26 Ultra.

I'm still on an S21 Ultra and I haven't seen a good reason to upgrade. It used to be that new models had big leaps in CPU and GPU power, but that hasn't been the case for quite a few years. I'm not aware of anything my phone can't run and it still gets updates.

I came from iPhone 15 Pro Max to the S25 Ultra. The only issues are: pictures of moving people or things are awful. Don't know how that can be in 2025 — for what is 200MP if moving parts like hands are blurry?

My battery still sucks!!! Coming from S24 Ultra.

A new phone every year and still can't take a clear photo of a moving object. Blows my mind, the only reason I stay on Pixel and iPhone.

Samsung trade-in is huge for me. After my S24U trade-in I'm spending $400 for the S25U and a pair of Galaxy Buds 3 Pro which are $250 alone. So hard to justify going with anything else unless something majorly blows my socks off.

Claiming the S25 Ultra isn't worth it based on AI is laughable considering all the phones get the same AI. They always compare phones to the previous year but almost every payment plan is a 2 year plan. I just went from an S23 Ultra to an S25 Ultra and I'm very happy already. It's faster, I like the titanium body, the non-reflective screen.

I upgraded from the S24U, and before that from the S23U. Design changes were what sold it for me. With the S24U, the flat screen was something I'd been waiting on forever. With the S25U, I finally got the flat sides and back I wanted. It kind of feels like an iPhone in the hand, but I like that. The fact that it's noticeably lighter is great too.

Coming from the iPhone 16 Pro, 45W charging feels blazing fast. When I left my job at 50% on my 16P it only went up to 65-70% by the time I got home using my car charger. The S25U gets up to 80-90% in the same commute. Now I have peace of mind that even in a rush I can secure a good charge.

Having an S24 Ultra and a Pixel 9 Pro XL I can tell you first hand Samsung wins. Pixel is all hype. I switched back and forth and did Christmas videos on both phones and everyone agreed the S24 Ultra looked better. I often think people just list the Pixel as the best camera without actually doing a comparison.

I can count on one hand the number of times I've used any AI feature built into my S25 Ultra.

My S25 was getting me 8 hours of screen on time going from 85% to 15%. I can't imagine going with a phone other than Samsung. They may not be 'innovative enough' but their phones are all I need.

Got my S25 Ultra 3 days back coming from 6 years of iPhones. Phone is always warm. Battery is really cool compared to iPhone 14 Pro. Display is nice with the anti-reflective screen. AI is basic — no one should buy it for the AI. I haven't found a use for the S Pen yet. Buttons feel cheap.

No overheating apart from day 1 — it's been fine. My S22U was so hot you could fry eggs on it. The S25 Ultra seems a LOT better than the S22U for gaming.

Was about to press go on the upgrade from S23 Ultra, but you can't use the S Pen for shutter control to take pictures. Massive fail for Samsung if this is true. I use that all the time. I'm out.

Although reviews say cameras are 'much better' every year, it's still pretty much the same as last year. And the year before that. Indoor conditions and moving subjects are still where Samsung cameras fall apart.