Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra vs. S24 Ultra: evolution on hold
At first glance, Samsung’s new high-end smartphone hardly offers any upgrades. If you look more closely, the Galaxy S25 Ultra is actually a downgrade.
New year, old smartphone. I was initially disappointed with the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra: there hardly seems to be anything new, either visually or technically – to the extent that it didn’t seem worth releasing a new model.
Display and design: not quite two peas in a pod
Samsung stays true to its design identity but has made some minor adjustments. The housing is now more angular; however, the corners are rounded. What’s also striking are the camera lenses. On the Galaxy S25 Ultra, they seem to float and have wider rings. As a result, they attract a bit more dust than the Galaxy S24 Ultra.
Source: Michelle Brändle
Samsung has also updated the display. The Galaxy S24 Ultra features Gorilla Glass Armor, which has already fared very well in tests. For the new Galaxy S25 Ultra, the manufacturer has upgraded to Gorilla Glass Armor 2. This latest generation is said to be even more shatterproof. However, it apparently scratches more easily (see the following video from 2:32 minutes in).
In terms of display backlight, Samsung hasn’t changed anything, with both models theoretically able to achieve a peak brightness of 2,600 nits. For comparison, I set the displays to full brightness with the same setting, in other words adjusting for eye comfort and ambient lighting. This yields almost identical values of about 620 lx. The colours on the S25 Ultra are somewhat warmer. While it’s nicer on the eye, you barely notice it.
Hardware: the SoC sets it apart
Little has changed on the inside either. The only two new features on the Galaxy S25 Ultra are the Snapdragon 8 Elite and an ultra-wide-angle camera with 50 instead of 12 megapixels.
The benchmarks show how much better the Snapdragon 8 Elite performs compared to the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 from the Galaxy S24 Ultra – at least in theory. Fellow editor Jan Johannsen compared the Qualcomm chipset with the competition when he tested out the Galaxy S25 Ultra. As well as clearly beating them, it also outstripped the predecessor with Snapdragon 8 Gen 3.
The S25 Ultra is also the clear winner in my benchmark comparison with Geekbench 6. The more powerful SoC has a positive impact on the new AI features, as well as on multitasking and gaming. But that’s rarely an issue on a day-to-day basis. Both devices switch quickly between different apps. However, AI features and games load a fraction faster on the S25 Ultra, where it can take up to five seconds to start a game.
Here comes the S Pen
As with the previous model, the Galaxy S25 Ultra comes with an S Pen. This stylus now only works when it’s close to the display and not from a distance via Bluetooth. Samsung’s data reveals that only about one per cent of users had taken advantage of the feature (for instance, as a remote shutter release for the camera). This is why it’s been removed from the new model. Without Bluetooth, the pen no longer needs a battery that has to be charged.
Source: Michelle Brändle
Overall, I still think the stylus is the best thing about the Galaxy S25 Ultra. And it remains unrivalled. Hardly any other manufacturer offers anything comparable, let alone a stylus that can be stowed away in the device. Ever since the Galaxy S24 Ultra, the Pen has been able to offer extra options with the help of AI features. For example, I can convert sketches into pictures and use this gimmick to spice up notes or text messages. Every now and then, Samsung has adapted how this AI feature looks.
Source: Michelle Brändle
Source: Michelle Brändle
Not all AI functions have necessarily improved. On the Galaxy S25 Ultra, you now have less space to draw and you can only see one result instead of three. However, the results are of the same level on both phones.
Same battery, easier to replace
The battery is far easier to replace than in previous years. In the battery test with PCMark Work 3.0, the Galaxy S25 Ultra achieves a runtime of 16.10 hours. That’s about thirty minutes more than its predecessor managed. But it’s not necessarily down to the battery itself, which retains its size at 5,000 mAh. It’s much more likely due to the more efficient chipset – the software can also play a part. More runtime and a battery that’s easier to replace allow the device to last longer.
Cameras: a look at the new ultra-wide-angle camera
When it comes to the cameras, hardly anything has changed. That isn’t meant to be a criticism in itself. But on the DXOMark test platform, the Galaxy S25 Ultra and S24 Ultra are only ranked in 28th and 31st place. I find Samsung’s photos over-sharpened and the colours too bright; I prefer them more natural.
According to the spec sheet, only the ultra-wide-angle camera is new. The S25 Ultra boasts 50 megapixels (MP) (f/1.9), while the S24 Ultra only has 12 MP (f/2.2). So in the photo comparison, I only focus on this. Due to pixel binning, the camera with 50 MP really ends up with 12 MP, but the quality would be better. In practice, however, I haven’t noticed any significant improvement.
When I enlarge the images on the computer, the ones shot on the Galaxy S25 Ultra aren’t quite as sharp. That being said, I only notice the difference when pixel peeping. The issue is there in all the photos, no matter how they were taken, including zoom, selfie and night mode. This is what makes me suspect Samsung has changed something in its image processing.
Software: Samsung’s rose-tinted AI glasses
Samsung delivers the Galaxy S25 Ultra with Android 15 and One UI version 7.0. The Galaxy S24 Ultra lags behind with software updates, as it currently runs Android 14 and One UI 6.1. I can see this visually in apps, but also in its AI features. Samsung hasn’t yet provided any clear information as to whether these new functions will also be available on older devices. The S23 handsets were also upgraded with the AI innovations six weeks after the release of the S24 series. This isn’t the case at the moment with the S24 Ultra. In his review, Jan has been looking into what these new features will do.
What it does have, though, are the seven years of updates that the manufacturer has been offering since last year. This means that the Galaxy S24 Ultra still has six years to go, which is generous of Samsung, placing the manufacturer at the top in this field.
Source: Michelle Brändle
Verdict: the S24 Ultra is the better deal
Overall, Samsung has only made minor improvements to the Galaxy S25 Ultra but has launched it with a much more powerful chipset. This means that things like AI features and games load faster. The S25 Ultra’s longer battery life and the fact that its battery is easier to replace also score points for the new handset. This would make the new device the narrow winner, were it not for the price and S Pen downgrade.
If you’re not bothered about AI features and can get through the day with 11 hours of battery, you can save around 200 francs with the Galaxy S24 Ultra. The Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 it comes with is also very powerful and is fine for fuss-free everyday use. The older ultra-wide-angle camera actually seems to be better than the newer model. What’s more, the long update period means you also get six years of support.
The overall small improvements, or maybe even changes for the worse, support fellow editor Lorenz Keller’s belief that there doesn’t need to be a new model every year.
Galaxy S24 Ultra
Galaxy S25 Ultra
Header image: Michelle Brändle
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In my world, Super Mario chases Stormtroopers with a unicorn and Harley Quinn mixes cocktails for Eddie and Peter at the beach bar. Wherever I can live out my creativity, my fingers tingle. Or maybe it's because nothing flows through my veins but chocolate, glitter and coffee.
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