Galaxy S25 Ultra after 3 months: my highs and lows

The Galaxy S25 Ultra came out in mid-January 2025. I ordered it right away and tested it extensively. Now, after three months, here is my long-term review with my highs and lows. The lows are pretty essential.

Highs

Design and weight

I’ve gotten used to the flat edges and love the extremely thin display bezels. Even after three months, the S25 Ultra looks incredibly modern. It is big at 6.9 inches and QHD+ Dynamic AMOLED, and with modern battery technology it could have been lighter. At 218 g, though, it is clearly lighter than the Honor Magic 7 Pro (223 g) or the Xiaomi 15 Ultra (229 g). That surprises me again and again when I pick up the S25 Ultra after another device. Unfortunately the impression quickly fades, and it feels big and heavy again.

Robustness and display

As always, I used it without a case and screen protector and simply threw it into my handbag with keys and odds and ends. The body, back and display show no marks. The display is sharp and bright. The anti-reflective coating is a game changer in direct sunlight. In my opinion, all phones should have that as standard.

Software and updates

One UI 7 is based on Android 15 and is one of the nicest Samsung updates so far. The S25 Ultra still gets seven major versions, so if you buy now, until 2032. I wonder whether the hardware can handle all the new features in seven years. But you aren’t forced to buy a new one after just four years. I like the regular security updates. In mid-April I was on the March 1, 2025 patch.

New features from One UI 7 have received further updates in those three months:

• Now Bar: It appears on the lock screen, depending on the setting, for the morning and evening briefing, for sports events and, new, also for Spotify or Google Maps. A small pill then shows, for example, the score, music controls or the direction. With Google Maps it is so small that nobody can tell where they should go. The info is also in the live notifications. I haven’t found a use yet for the morning and evening briefing, the information is trivial. I’d like it to show me how long it is until Friday, or what I should eat and how I should train, instead of what the weather will be.
• Gemini Live: I can imagine it becoming really helpful. With a paid Advanced subscription you can share your surroundings through the camera and ask questions about them. That has little to do with the S25 Ultra, it works on almost any Android smartphone through the Gemini app. I was impressed. What matters is that we are still in the early days of AI features.
• Photo editing: The menu feels more intuitive after the updates. If you apply a filter, you can directly adjust contrast, color temperature and more at the top without switching to editing mode.

Battery and camera

With 4 to 5 hours of screen time a day, I get almost two days of runtime, depending on how much Wi-Fi and how much filming and photographing is involved. That is the best battery life I have ever tested on a device.

The camera is really very good, but not the best on the market. For photos, in my view the S25 Ultra is beaten by the Xiaomi 15 Ultra with the Leica camera.

Lows

• Too big: It is still too big for me, and the angular corners contribute to it feeling like a foreign object. I like the design visually, but it’s not a joy to hold. I’d like Samsung to take a more compact route like Google does with the Pixel Pro: the features and pen of the S25 Ultra, but at 6.1 or 6.3 inches. Many people like precisely the size and the great display.
• Matte coating peels off: The display has no scratches, but the matte coating is peeling off in various places. With the display on, you can’t see it; with it off, it looks like grease smears. You can’t feel the spots. After three months that’s annoying. Ad: You can prevent it with a screen protector, for example Samsung’s, which is also anti-reflective.
• S Pen without Bluetooth: I only mention it because there was such an outcry. I never used the function and never missed it. In three months I used the S Pen maybe three times, and the camera can also be triggered with a hand gesture. It doesn’t bother me.
• Charging: 45 watts has nothing to do with a flagship. Inexpensive POCO devices charge much better at 120 watts. When I still have 15% on the second day around 8 p.m. and want to head out, I’d like to top up quickly. I hope Samsung steps it up with the S26.
• Late Android updates: This doesn’t affect the S25 Ultra itself. Until mid-April 2025, the Galaxy S25 devices were the only Samsung devices with One UI 7 and Android 15. Even the S24 Ultra was still running Android 14, six months after the release of Android 15. The beta for Android 16 is already available. Every current Redmi smartphone for €250 has Android 15. As the owner of an expensive S24 Ultra, I would be very annoyed.

Verdict

Apart from the peeling matte coating, the Galaxy S25 Ultra is a very robust smartphone with all the modern functions and AI features. Samsung benefits from the collaboration with Google and the further development of Gemini and builds the hardware that stands up to it. The camera is outstanding, but not the best for photos, because for me the Xiaomi 15 Ultra takes that spot. With up to 10 hours of screen time, the battery is the absolute highlight, while Samsung still has a lot of room for improvement with charging.

If you don’t necessarily want the design, angular corners and an S Pen without Bluetooth, you can safely go for the S25 Plus. In my opinion it sits much better in the hand.