Another year comes another phone; this time, big hitters like Samsung come prancing in unveiling their new Galaxy flagship series to the rest of the public. The Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra might steal the thunder for showing off the best of the best of what Samsung offers. However, the more budget variant, the Samsung Galaxy S25, still has much to offer, especially for those looking for an upgrade but not at a premium cost. So, we’ve highlighted all the essential considerations for why the Galaxy S25 could be the upgrade to get.
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6
One UI 7 update
Galaxy S25 owners don’t have to wait
Jules Wang / AP
The Galaxy S25 is launching with One UI 7, which means you don’t have to wait for the update. The news of Samsung’s delay for One UI 7 was disappointing last year, but given what we’ve experienced so far in the One UI 7 beta, it has become worth the wait. The bad news is that the One UI 7 update might take even longer to release if you have an older Samsung device.
Still, this doesn’t apply to you if you purchase the Galaxy S25. The One UI 7 is out now for the S25 series. One UI 7 has some handy new features. It includes a new pill-shaped widget on your lock screen, known as the Now Bar, that lets you see relevant information at a glance (like live information from active apps). More customizable options for your lock screen, including widgets for weather and battery status, and finally, the Good Lock app has even more tools under its belt, which can also be accessed globally.
The One UI 7 will bring welcome changes, which S25 users will be the first to try. It’s only the first release, so we expect more to come later.
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5
Compact and slim form factor
The Galaxy S25 fits perfectly in your hand
It’s ideal for carrying it around without feeling too weighty. The official specs list the phone as 162g, with dimensions of 146.9x 70.5 x 7.2 (mm) for height, width, and depth. For reference, the S25 Ultra is 162.8 x 77.6 x 8.2mm and weighs 218g. Last year’s Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra was also a little on the hefty side, having weighed 232g with 162.3 x 79.0 x 8.6mm. In comparison, the regular S24 is much smaller, only 167g in size and 147.0 x 70.6 x 7.6mm in measurements.
The S25 follows suit with the regular S24, but this time, it’s lighter and thinner than its predecessor. You must consider the size since that’s what you will have in your hand most of the time. Of course, adding a protective case may even add a bit more weight to your phone. The S25 is an excellent compromise in size without losing out on anything else.
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4
Improved battery
Fast battery drain shouldn’t be a concern
We can’t claim the S25 is a game-changer for battery life compared to other smartphones (OnePlus still has most phones beat). Our designated Google Editor, Taylor Kerns, reported after 72 hours of testing that his S25 lasted around six hours of screen time on a full charge while the AOD wallpaper was active. That’s fairly decent. Samsung also has various settings that help improve battery life, such as using Samsung’s built-in battery protection and using light performance when using the device leisurely. If battery life is a concern, the S25’s battery should be more than adequate for moderate usage.
3
Snapdragon 8 Elite
Qualcomm’s new and improved chip
Source: Qualcomm
Snapdragon 8 Elite is an impressive chip, and it’s not being excluded from any of the S25 lineups, nor is it being excluded based on region. The Snapdragon 8 Elite chip has two prime and six performance cores with hexagon-neutral processing, improving multimodel AI efficiency. According to Samsung, the Snapdragon 8 Elite offers 37 percent faster CPU performance and 30 percent faster gaming GPU performance than Snapdragon Gen 3. Of course, having a powerhouse of a chipset doesn’t mean anything if it’s not handled well in practice since a powerful chip can be a prominent reason why the device overheats.
One important note of the Snapdragon 8 Elite is that it sets the bar for good camera capabilities; having an upgraded chip can make it easier for your camera’s sensors to take higher resolution photos and come out with good image processing capabilities. We are hopeful that Samsung will be ready to use this monstrous chip to its maximum.
2
The Galaxy S25 comes packed with great cameras
Audio Erase and Nightography are a plus
Yes, the camera is slightly worse on the S25 than the S25 Ultra. But it doesn’t take away that the S25 (and S25+) still comes with a great camera. However, if you own an S24, you might be disappointed learning that the S25 retains the same hardware: the phone has a 50MP main camera, 12MP ultrawide, and a 10MP Telephoto with 3x optical Zoom. But the difference maker is actually in the software.
The S25 brings new software features that can help produce better photos. One such feature is the Audio Eraser feature, which helps clean up unwanted noise in your photos; another feature, Nightography, enables better video-taking in the dark. There are still more features to unveil, but those were some ones that stood out.
1
The price is just right
You’re still paying for flagship quality
It’s still treated like a flagship, even if the hardware isn’t as impressive as the S25 Ultra and S25+. The base model (128GB) will cost $800, but the 256GB could cost up to $860 on the manufacturer’s website. Samsung also lets you redeem Samsung Credit towards a storage upgrade as well. Considering inflation and AI gimmicks being tacked on, it’s not too shabby when most phones can easily be $1000 plus.
Don’t overlook the Samsung Galaxy S25
The Samsung Galaxy S25 might not be the biggest upgrade, especially if you still use the S23 and S25. But if you’re absolutely on board with AI, the S25 is still a promising candidate to consider. More smartphone companies plan to leverage AI as their selling point. Samsung is no different. We have seen it with the Pixel series and Apple’s iPhone with Apple Intelligence. By the end, it will depend on what flavor you want it in — but the good news is that if you want to try it out without paying the premium, the regular S25 would not be a bad choice.
Samsung Galaxy S25
- SoC
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Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite for Galaxy
- Display type
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LTPO AMOLED, 120Hz
- Display dimensions
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6.2″
- Display resolution
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2340 x 1080
- RAM
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12GB
- Storage
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128GB, 256GB, 512GB
