Marques Brownlee - Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra Review: The Tables Have Turned!
The Samsung S25 Ultra is a minor upgrade from the previous model, featuring a new Snapdragon 8 Elite chip that enhances performance, making it smoother and more efficient. Despite the lack of significant hardware changes, such as the absence of silicon carbide batteries or IP69 certification, the phone remains a reliable choice due to Samsung's established reputation in the US market. The phone's software, One UI 7, introduces several AI features and improvements inspired by iOS, enhancing user experience with functionalities like natural language search and object eraser. However, some AI features may incur costs after 2025, and the removal of Bluetooth functionality from the S Pen is a notable downgrade. The S25 Ultra's camera system remains largely unchanged, with a slight improvement in the ultra-wide lens, but it still delivers high-quality images. Overall, the phone is a solid performer but lacks groundbreaking innovations, making it a safe but not the best choice for its price.
Key Points:
- The S25 Ultra features a Snapdragon 8 Elite chip, improving performance and efficiency.
- Samsung's One UI 7 software offers new AI features, though some may become paid after 2025.
- The phone lacks significant hardware upgrades, maintaining a safe design approach.
- The S Pen loses Bluetooth functionality, reducing its versatility.
- The camera system is mostly unchanged, with minor improvements in the ultra-wide lens.
Details:
1. 📱 Minimal Visual Changes in S25 Ultra
- The S25 Ultra is priced at $1,299, the same as the previous S24 Ultra, indicating minimal visual changes year-over-year.
- The design changes include slightly boxier edges, which give an appearance of thickness but the device is actually thinner.
- The screen size has increased marginally from 6.8 inches to 6.9 inches due to thinner bezels, providing a slightly larger display area.
- The device features a more durable Gorilla Glass, enhancing durability but maintaining the same glass material.
- Camera rings have been slightly pronounced, adding to the design aesthetics without impacting functionality.
2. 🚀 The Major Internal Upgrade: Snapdragon 8 Elite Chip
- The Snapdragon 8 Elite chip represents a significant internal upgrade, positioning itself as a core technology pillar for 2025 flagship phones alongside super bright displays and silicon carbide batteries.
- Despite this major chip upgrade, the phone lacks other anticipated features such as IP69 water resistance, G2 magnets, 10x optical zoom, and high-frequency PWM dimming, reflecting a cautious approach to innovation.
- The SP pen experiences a downgrade, indicating limited advancements beyond the chip, which could impact user experience for those expecting comprehensive feature enhancements.
- The strategy involves building on the successful design of last year's flagship model without introducing substantial new innovations, focusing instead on internal performance improvements.
3. 📉 Playing It Safe: Samsung's Market Strategy
3.1. Market Position and Strategy
3.2. Competitive Landscape
3.3. Implications of Carrier Dependency
4. ⚙️ Performance and Software Enhancements
- The new Snapdragon 8 Elite chip is the standout feature, offering significant performance improvements over previous models.
- The phone benchmarks very high, rivaling Apple's A Pro chip, with slightly lower single-core performance but higher multi-core performance.
- Samsung has paired the chip with a 40% larger vapor chamber, preventing the phone from warming up even with regular use.
- All international versions of the S25 will include this new chip, eliminating the use of Exynos chips in certain regions.
- The performance improvements are expected to be standard across flagship Android phones for the next 10 to 11 months.
- The choice to buy this phone will likely be influenced more by Samsung's software, One UI 7, and added AI features rather than the chip itself.
5. 🛠️ One UI 7 and AI Features
5.1. User Interface Enhancements
5.2. AI-Powered Functionalities
6. 🤖 AI Features: Potential Costs and Concerns
- Samsung's uncertainty about pricing AI features reflects a need for a more proactive strategy, suggesting market analysis as a critical step.
- User skepticism about relying fully on AI for complex tasks like trip planning indicates a trust gap, underscoring the importance of improving AI reliability and transparency.
- Gemini AI's struggle with achieving 100% task accuracy highlights current technological limitations, pointing to the necessity for continuous AI development and testing.
- The removal of Bluetooth functionality from Samsung's S Pen, used by less than 1% of users, exemplifies data-driven decision-making and highlights the importance of analyzing user engagement metrics.
- To bridge the trust gap, companies could implement user feedback loops and transparency in AI decision processes.
7. 🖊️ S Pen Downgrade and Ultra Features
- Samsung has strategically removed certain features from the S Pen, such as Bluetooth, likely to streamline offerings or focus on core functionalities.
- The Ultra model is tailored for a niche market by including specialized features that enhance user experience for specific applications.
- Samsung introduced a new 50-megapixel ultra-wide camera in the Ultra model, significantly improving image sharpness and low-light performance.
- Despite the camera maintaining a 12-megapixel output, the improved light capture technology considerably enhances image quality, benefiting photography enthusiasts.
- The removal of some S Pen features is balanced by enhancements in other areas, ensuring that the Ultra model continues to offer unique value to its target users.
- Specialized features like the ability to shoot in log format are targeted at content creators, providing them with advanced options for professional-grade content creation.
8. 🏆 Missed Opportunities for the Best Experience
8.1. Cost-Saving Trade-offs vs. Premium Features
8.2. Impact of Feature Omissions on User Experience
9. 🔋 Battery and Miscellaneous Features
- The battery charges slightly faster than before, though not significantly, which enhances user convenience without drastically changing usage patterns.
- Hardware features are thoughtfully designed, such as the orientation of the SIM card tray, to enhance user experience and prevent errors.
- Both the regular S25 and S25 Plus models incorporate all discussed software and AI features, including the new Snapdragon 8 Elite chip, ensuring robust performance.
- Initial concerns about the Snapdragon 8 Elite Chip's cost impacting other features were unfounded, as these models retain valued features like Bluetooth in the Spen and maintain overall functionality.
- The S25 and S25 Plus models offer competitive pricing at $799 and $999, providing substantial value for consumers compared to the Ultra model's $1,299 price tag, balancing performance and cost-effectiveness.