Samsung has officially launched the latest updates to its flagship S Series line of smartphones led by the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra.
Whether you’re wondering if it’s worth upgrading from the Galaxy S24 Ultra or are choosing between the Galaxy S25 Ultra and last year’s now cheaper model, this guide is for you.
Keep reading to learn how the Galaxy S25 Ultra and the S24 Ultra compare when it comes to price, design, cameras, performance and more.
Price
The Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra launches on February 7 with pre-orders open now. The phone starts at £1249 for 256GB, with 512GB and 1TB configurations also available.
The Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra was released in January 2024, making it a year older than the S25 Ultra. The phone has an RRP of £1249 with 256GB and 512GB and 1TB options are also available.
However, you may be able to find the phone cheaper now that the S25 Ultra is official. For example, at the time of publishing this guide the phone is just £767 – a 48% discount compared to its RRP.
The Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra is more durable
While the Galaxy S25 Ultra retains a similar look to the Galaxy S24 Ultra, there are a handful of notable design changes.
Firstly, the S25 Ultra is more durable than its predecessor thanks to the new Corning Gorilla Armor 2 screen protection. This material provides drop and scratch protection for the phone and offers anti-reflective properties. This is a step up from the Corning Gorilla Armor featured on the S24 Ultra.
The S25 Ultra also takes advantage of a slightly larger screen, offering 6.9 inches of display compared to the 6.8-inch screen on the S24 Ultra.
The dimensions of the new phone have been tweaked too, making the S25 Ultra a bit taller and slimmer than its predecessor. Despite this, the S25 Ultra weighs less than last year’s model at 218g, down from the S24 Ultra’s 232g.
The Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra features an upgraded ultrawide camera
The Galaxy S25 Ultra features mostly the same cameras as its predecessor, but with an upgraded 50-megapixel ultrawide camera.
Both phones include 200-megapixel wide-angle cameras and a duo of 50- and 10-megapixel telephoto lenses with up to 5x optical zoom. Both also pack a 12-megapixel front camera for selfies and video calls.
The ultrawide camera is where these two phones differ, with the S25 Ultra taking the 12-megapixel ultrawide camera of its predecessor and replacing it with a 50-megapixel sensor.
According to Samsung, you can expect exceptional clarity and vibrancy from the new ultrawide camera, though you’ll have to wait for our review to read how we think the two camera phones compare.
The Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra packs a more powerful chipset
The S25 Ultra has also received a performance boost from Qualcomm’s latest flagship chipset, the Snapdragon 8 Elite for Galaxy.
This custom chipset claims to deliver a 37% boost in CPU performance and 30% increase in GPU performance compared to the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 for Galaxy in the S24 Ultra.
The chipset also offers a 40% boost in NPU performance, meaning you can expect plenty of AI upgrades with this generation of Galaxy. One improvement is the ability to process more AI experiences on-device, including features previously based in the cloud (such as Generative Edit).
The Snapdragon 8 Elite for Galaxy also includes Vulkan Engine and improved ray tracing for smoother, more realistic mobile gameplay. Again, you’ll have to wait for our review of the S25 Ultra to see how our benchmarking results compare with last year’s model.
The Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra has the same size battery
When it comes to the battery, the Galaxy S25 Ultra is equipped with the same 5000 mAh battery as the S24 Ultra.
This doesn’t necessarily mean the two phones will share the same battery life, as factors like the display and chipset can cause the battery to drain faster, so you’ll have to wait for our review to see how the two phones compare when it comes to endurance.
The phones also support the same 45W fast charging speed on paper. On the S25 Ultra, this should take you from 0 to 65% in around 30 minutes. Considering we saw the S24 Ultra hit 50% in 26 minutes in our tests, this could mean a slight improvement on the S25 Ultra. Again though, you’ll have to wait until we get our hands on the phone to test this out ourselves.
Early verdict
The Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra marks subtle upgrades in design, durability and its ultrawide camera, but the new chipset and performance boost is where we really hope to feel a difference compared to the S24 Ultra.
However, you’ll need to wait for our full review to hear our final verdict on how these two phones compare.
