Review · Samsung
Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra Review: Power-User Android at Its Sharpest
Runner-up Phone of the Year at MKBHD's 2025 Smartphone Awards. The S25 Ultra is the spec-sheet phone of the year — S Pen, 200MP camera, 5x periscope, and 7 years of OS updates — but at $1,299 and 232g, it's a phone you have to want, not one you stumble into. If you can carry it, this is the best Android in 2026.
By SmartphoneAwards Editorial · Published · Updated
Pros
- Runner-up Phone of the Year at MKBHD's 2025 awards
- Best zoom on Android — 5x periscope + 200MP main
- S Pen is still unmatched on a phone
- Seven years of major Android updates
Cons
- 232g is heavy and the bezels-aside it's a big phone
- $1,299 is the highest in the S lineup ever
- One UI's processing can over-sharpen skin
- Galaxy AI is still hit-and-miss vs Pixel and iPhone counterparts
Design & Build
Titanium frame, flatter sides than the S24 Ultra, and Samsung's brightest display ever (~2,600 nits typical). At 232g it's not light — but it's actually 5g lighter than the S24 Ultra. The S Pen still slots into the body, still works with apps Samsung has refined for over a decade, and remains a genuine differentiator no other manufacturer has matched.
Display
6.9-inch Dynamic AMOLED 2X, 1–120Hz adaptive, anti-reflective coating that genuinely works. Outdoors at noon is the most legible mobile display on the market in 2026. HDR content on YouTube and Netflix looks reference-quality.
Performance & Galaxy AI
Snapdragon 8 Elite (a Samsung-tuned variant) with 12GB RAM. It's fast, but the chip story isn't about benchmarks — it's about Galaxy AI. Generative photo editing, Live Translate, Circle to Search, and Galaxy AI Assistant (which runs Gemini under the hood) work well. They're still not as polished as Apple Intelligence's tightest features, but Samsung's catalog is broader.
Camera
Quad-camera array: 200MP main, 50MP 5x periscope, 50MP 3x telephoto, 50MP ultrawide. The 5x periscope is the strongest reason to buy this phone over the iPhone 17 Pro — it doubles as a digital zoom up to 100x. The 200MP main is exceptional in good light; in low light it's a half-step behind the Pixel pipeline. The S25 Ultra was a contender in MKBHD's 2025 Best Camera category but did not win — the Oppo Find X9 Pro took the category. Samsung's processing tends to over-sharpen skin and over-saturate greens, which is the most common 'this doesn't look right' complaint we hear from new users.
Battery
5,000 mAh battery, 45W wired, 15W wireless (Qi2 native this time). Real-world we got 8+ hours of screen-on time consistently. The S25 Ultra is the rare phone where you can actually push it hard for a day and not need to charge before bed.
Software & Updates
One UI 7 on Android 15. Seven years of major OS updates, putting Samsung on parity with Pixel and iPhone for longevity — a huge deal at this price. One UI is dense by default; we recommend turning off Samsung's duplicate Galaxy Store, Bixby, and Edge Panels at setup.
Verdict · 4.0 / 5
The S25 Ultra is the most capable Android phone in 2026 and runner-up to the iPhone 17 for Phone of the Year. If you want everything in a phone — S Pen, the strongest zoom system, the longest update commitment in Android, and a display that's brighter than anything Apple ships — this is the buy. If you just want a great phone, MKBHD's Phone of the Year (the iPhone 17 at $799) is the smarter pick.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra vs iPhone 17 Pro: which is better?
The S25 Ultra wins on zoom (5x periscope, 200MP main) and S Pen utility. The iPhone 17 Pro wins on video (ProRes) and creator-app ecosystem. Neither won Best Camera at MKBHD's 2025 awards — the Oppo Find X9 Pro did. See our full S25 Ultra vs iPhone 17 Pro comparison for details.
Is the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra worth the upgrade from the S24 Ultra?
Probably not. The S24 Ultra (Phone of the Year 2024) is now $300+ off and shares the same camera hardware, S Pen, and 7-year update commitment. We recommend the S24 Ultra unless you specifically want Galaxy AI or Snapdragon 8 Elite performance.
Does the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra have 7 years of updates?
Yes. Samsung promises seven major Android version updates and seven years of security patches — putting it on parity with iPhone and Pixel for software longevity at this price tier.
How we rate
Our editorial score is anchored to outcomes from MKBHD's annual Smartphone Awards (2014–2025), then refined for everyday usability. Phone of the Year winners earn 5/5; category winners 4.5/5; runners-up 4/5; otherwise we score on merit. We earn a commission on purchases via our retailer links — at no extra cost to you.