ALL phone makers are making noise about AI at the moment and chances are a lot of it doesn’t really interest you.
But what if it could save you money on shopping?
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Samsung is positioning its new AI features on the Galaxy S25 as a “companion” that’s there to make ordinary life activities that little bit easier.
As The Sun’s main Android smartphone reviewer, I get hands-on with an array of devices all the time – and the Galaxy S series is up there among the best.
The evolutionary jump from S24 to S25 is, like most smartphones these days, small but there’s certainly some exciting additions to shout about.
I’ve been using the Galaxy S25 Ultra for just over a week now, testing everything from AI features, to battery, performance and the camera.
Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra: Look and feel
Having tested last year’s S24 Ultra, the first thing I’ve noticed this time around is how much lighter it is – literally, so much lighter.
In fact, it’s 15g than the predecessor, coming in at 218g. By comparison, the iPhone 15 Pro Max is 221g.
Moreover, the S25 Ultra is slimmer too and Samsung has managed to squeeze slightly more display on it (6.9-inches in total diagonally) by reducing the bezel so the overall handset size doesn’t have to increase in your palm.
So, it sits quite comfortably in your pocket without pulling you down.
Looks-wise, it follows a consistent design to before except for one big change – the S25 Ultra has rounded corners so it fits in with the entire family now.
I think it’s a positive decision, easing the harshness from the S24 Ultra’s sharper corner approach.
However, aside from size the display is basically the same as last year, delivering bright, crisp, punchy visuals.
In terms of the colours, you have a choice of:
- Titanium Black
- Titanium Gray
- Titanium Silverblue
- Titanium Whitesilver
- Titanium Jadegreen
- Titanium Jetblack
- Titanium Pinkgold
Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra: Performance and software
Samsung’s own version of Android, One UI, has always been among my favourite takes on the operating system.
It’s consistent, clean and easy to navigate – though the Samsung style app icons still bug me with their cartoon-like design.
The S25 devices run on Android 15, One UI 7, which is the very latest version of both.
One great highlight about Samsung’s Galaxy S devices is that you get a whooping seven years of security and software updates, so if you look after the handset it could last you quite sometime – and therefore save you money on upgrades.
Who offers free updates longest?
The longer you receive updates, the longer you can safely continue using your smartphone – with the latest features thrown in too for free.
Samsung
For the Galaxy S25 series, Samsung said it would provide at least seven generations of OS updates and seven years of security updates.
OnePlus
At the launch of the OnePlus 13, OnePlus committed to at least four years of Android updates and six years of security updates.
Xiaomi
Xiaomi offers four years off Android updates and five years security updates.
Google
For the Pixel 9 series, Google said that devices would receive at least seven years of support.
As for the performance, the Galaxy S25 Ultra runs beautifully with the market-leading Snapdragon 8 Elite for Galaxy chip keeping everything in the fast lane.
This means you won’t notice any annoying lag as you run multiple apps, even demanding ones like games.
There’s also Snapdragon Satellite, so you can send and receive messages via satellite – but support for this will depend on your network provider.
There are three storage options: 256GB, 512GB and 1TB.
Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra: Features
Samsung has been really leading the charge on AI and with it comes lots of features, though some are more useful than others.
The firm has collaborated closely with Google here, which gives you the best of both worlds and, crucially, greater choice.
Samsung’s position on AI this year seems to be about simply making life easier.
First up, there’s a seamless experience across multiple apps so they essential “talk” to each other.
AI may not be what everyone is asking for right now but the tools are becoming more useful
For example, using Google’s Gemini AI I was able to show it inside my fridge with the camera.
It correctly detected most items (even half eaten chicken leftovers in a storage bag) and suggested what I could make with the ingredients on show.
I then asked it to add the recipes to my notes app, which it did, less of me faffing around copying and pasting, more of me getting on with my day, perfect.
This is also a great example of a feature that can help you save money, using up those ingredients before they go off.
Another addition is Now Brief, an AI companion that acts as a central hub for everything going on in your day.
Now, Samsung has offered lots of wonderful examples about how it can help with life, such as warning you that traffic is bad so you might want to leave to collect the kids, based off of information from your calendar and knowing your commute.
Sadly (or, perhaps not) during the short amount of time I’ve had to test the Galaxy S25 Ultra, I haven’t had any major issues like these in my life to put it to the test like that, so this trick requires more time to develop.
However, I did see another potential money saving benefit for a classic mistake I make – forgetting my coupons.
All I have to do is take a photo of my shopping vouchers, add to the Wallet app and the Now Brief warns me that it’s expiring soon.
It’s these little things that can be a big help for saving thinking space and time.
I still think there’s a way to go to make AI more proactive but this is a good starting point.
And I’m more fussed about these than features like drawing assist to generate AI images which serve little use to me.
Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra: Battery
The battery on the S25 Ultra is the same as last year but the newer chip and upgraded tech offers some efficiencies to help the battery last longer.
With moderate use – by my standard that’s web browsing, watching videos, light gaming and some WhatsApp – I was able to use the S25 Ultra well into the second day.
Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra: Camera
The S25 Ultra has the same 200-megapixel camera as last year but the big change is its upgraded ultra-wide camera, which now comes in at 50-megapixels.
Read more on the Scottish Sun
This means you can get in much closer for macro images with greater focus than before.
Samsung’s cameras always deliver great results with popping colours, detail and sharpness.
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Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra: Verdict
Final thoughts by Jamie Harris, Assistant Technology and Science Editor at The Sun
The Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra is an undeniably beautiful device inside and out.
AI may not be what everyone is asking for right now but the tools are becoming more useful.
You can’t go wrong for battery, camera or performance here, they all excel.
But it comes at a hefty cost, starting at £1,249 / $1,299 – fortunately there are some good trade-in rates to consider that will bring the cost down.
The upgrades on the S25 aren’t that huge compared to last year so those with the S24 might want to stay put for now – but anyone with an older model stand to gain lots of great additions.
Rating: 4.5/5
All prices in this article were correct at the time of writing, but may have since changed.
Always do your own research before making any purchase.
