The Galaxy S25+ and the Galaxy S25 Ultra are big-screen smartphones offering top-tier hardware with Samsung’s One UI operating system. But what’s the difference between the two? Let’s find out.
Price and Availability
The baseline Galaxy S25+ with 256GB of storage costs $999.99, while the Galaxy S25 Ultra with 256GB storage is available at $1,299.99. You can pre-order the phones on Samsung’s official website, which will hit stores on February 7, 2025.
Galaxy S25 Ultra Might Be Too Big for Some People
Between the Galaxy S25+ and the Galaxy S25 Ultra, the former offers a more manageable size, while the latter goes all-in on maximizing the screen estate.
The S25+ measures 158.4 x 75.8 x 7.3 mm, while the S25 Ultra measures 162.8 x 77.6 x 8.2 mm. Because of its larger footprint, the Ultra weighs dramatically more (218 vs. 190 grams). Samsung’s top-tier handset also features Corning Gorilla Armor 2 front/back glass and grade-five titanium frames. In contrast, the S25+ comes with Gorilla Glass Victus 2 and aluminum frames.
Last but not least, both phones are IP68 dust and water-resistant. For people like me who use a compact smartphone (an iPhone 16) as their daily driver, Samsung’s Ultra variant feels a bit too heavy. On the contrary, I know users who love how the Ultra feels in their hands and have no complaints about the size or weight. So I’ll leave that up to you.
Regarding colors, the S25 Ultra is available in several titanium-themed shades. There are four regular shades: Titanium Silverblue, Titanium Black, Titanium Whitesilver, and Titanium Gray. You can also get the Ultra variant in three online-exclusive colors: Titanium Jadegreen, Titanium Jetblack, and Titanium Pinkgold.
The S25+ is also available in seven finishes, including four regular shades of Icyblue, Mint, Navy, and Silver Shadow and three online-exclusive shades of Blueback, Coralred, and Pinkgold.
The Galaxy S25+ offers a 6.7-inch Dynamic AMOLED 2X screen with a resolution of 3,120 x 1,440 pixels (resulting in 513 ppi). In my opinion, this is a sufficiently large smartphone screen for consuming content. You can watch videos and movies, scroll Reels on Instagram, or use two apps simultaneously in the multi-window setup without any issue.
However, for those who want the biggest possible screen on a device that can fit in their pocket, the S25 Ultra offers a 6.9-inch Dynamic AMOLED 2X screen (with a slightly lower pixel density of 498 ppi). And yes, the extra screen estate provides an even better visual experience.
Both phones feature a Dynamic AMOLED 2x screen that supports LTPO technology (for variable refresh rates between 1 and 120Hz), a peak brightness of 2,600 nits, and the always-on display feature. On top of that, the S25 Ultra features the Gorilla Armor 2 protective glass with anti-reflective properties.
What separates the Ultra from most Android smartphones is the S Pen. The built-in stylus lets you easily take notes, edit pictures, and navigate the user interface. However, the one with the S25 Ultra doesn’t have Bluetooth and, by extension, features like a remote shutter and Air Actions.
Snapdragon 8 Elite for Galaxy (3nm) Is a Performance Beast
Powering the Galaxy S25+ and the Galaxy S25 Ultra is an overclocked version of Qualcomm’s most powerful chipset for Android phones: the Snapdragon 8 Elite (3nm).
With two 4.47 GHz prime cores, the Adreno 830 GPU, which supports improved ray-tracing and the Vulkan Engine API, and an advanced NPU capable of handling complex AI-based features (like Generative Edit) entirely on the device, the Snapdragon 8 Elite for Galaxy gives other Android flagships a run for their money.
Combined with LPDDR5X RAM and UFS 4.0 storage, the chipset offers enough power to handle heavy multitasking, rendering high-quality videos in significantly less time than previous-generation processors and playing video games on the highest settings. Both phones feature a vapor chamber for sustained performance during prolonged usage.
However, the Galaxy S25+ offers 12GB of RAM and up to 512GB of storage, while the S25 Ultra’s top model packs 16GB of RAM and 1TB of storage (allowing more memory for opening apps and running them in the background).
Both Phones Offer One UI 7 With Agentic AI Integration
Galaxy S25 Ultra
With the 2025 flagships, Samsung has integrated Galaxy AI deep into its One UI user interface. Now, you can ask the Galaxy S25 series devices to perform multi-step tasks, like finding a picture in your gallery and sharing it via WhatsApp, and the phones will execute them quickly.
Agentic AI on the Galaxy S25 series can understand natural language and accept/interpret multimodal inputs, providing personalized solutions for problems. In addition, on-screen awareness allows Galaxy AI to provide intelligent, actionable suggestions.
Both the phones get improved Circle to Search for selecting call-to-action options on the screen. There’s another feature debuting with the S25 lineup: Now Brief. The feature gathers insights from the other apps and shows them as Now Bar (based on the time of the day and your usage) on the lock screen.
Moreover, the S25+ and the S25 Ultra offer a comprehensive set of GenAI features that can be helpful in daily life. Finally, Samsung promises to provide seven years of Android and security updates on the devices.
Galaxy S25 Ultra Offers an Additional Zoom Lens
Galaxy S25 Ultra
Like the screen, the camera system on the Galaxy S25+ should be enough for most users. It includes a 50MP (f/1.8, OIS) primary sensor, a 12MP (f/2.2, 120°) ultrawide sensor, and a 10MP (f/2.4, OIS) tertiary sensor with a 3x optical zoom lens. With this setup, the Galaxy S25 can click pictures between 0.5 and 30x, which is quite good.
However, the S25 Ultra takes photography to the next level. First, it includes a 200MP (f/1.7, OIS) primary camera and a 50MP (f/1.9, 120°) ultrawide camera that doubles as a macro shooter. Then, there are two zoom cameras: one 10MP (f/2.4, OIS) sensor with a 3x telephoto lens and another 50MP (f/3.4, OIS) sensor for 5x optical zoom.
The Ultra’s dedicated 5x zoom camera offers better picture quality when shooting at higher focal lengths. Together, these sensors let you extend your zoom range beyond 30x to 100x. While the S25 Ultra features a superior camera array on the back, it shares the 12MP (f/2.2) selfie shooter with the S25+.
Both phones support 8K recording at 60 fps and 4K at 60 fps, but the S25 Ultra can also shoot 4K at 120 fps. They also received some software tweaks. For example, they can now record better low-light videos with reduced noise and increased clarity. They also get the Audio Eraser feature (borrowed from the latest Pixel series), a virtual aperture button, an improved Portrait Studio, and new filters.
While the S24 series had pretty good cameras, these features ensure that the S25+ and the S25 Ultra offer even better quality photos and videos.
Want the Best Battery Life? Go With Ultra
Galaxy S25 Ultra
The Galaxy S25+ features a 4,900 mAh battery, which is only slightly smaller than the Galaxy S25 Ultra’s 5,000 mAh cell. While the S25+ can provide 30 hours of video playback, the S25 Ultra outlasts it by an hour.
On the other hand, I also want to call out Samsung for not including larger silicon-carbon batteries in the new smartphones, especially when competitors like OnePlus are doing so.
The charging speeds on the S25+ and the S25 Ultra are equally disappointing: The phones support 45W wired and 15W wireless charging. Instead of fully complying with the Qi2 standard, they don’t have the magnetic ring built into the casing.
Similar Connectivity Options With Support For Satellite Communication
Connectivity options on the S25+ and S25 Ultra are the same. Both phones support Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth v5.4, GPS, NFC, and USB Type-C 3.2 (for wired connectivity).
This year, Samsung’s flagships can communicate with narrow satellites via Qualcomm’s Snapdragon X80 5G modem. However, the company didn’t talk about the feature at launch, implying that it won’t be supported at launch.
Which Phone Is Right for You?
In the battle of big-screen smartphones, the Galaxy S25+ strikes a balance between form and function, while the S25 Ultra pushes the boundaries of a smartphone’s screen size. The Ultra also offers additional memory for accommodating more apps, a 5x zoom camera, and a larger battery, making it one of the best Android flagships.
The Galaxy S25+ is for buyers who prefer a slightly lighter phone and can live without the S-Pen and the additional zoom range in the camera. Its battery can easily last a day of moderate usage, and the Galaxy AI features and performance are the same as those of the S25 Ultra. Last but not least, the phone costs less than the S25 Ultra.
