Is the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra with its AI features worth it? What we liked and didn’t like

After reviewing the Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra last year, I got one for myself to replace my old phone. Having owned the S24 Ultra for months – as opposed to simply reviewing it for a few days – I’ve come to appreciate its camera and AI features even more. Till today, Circle To Search and AI Generative Fill are tools I use daily. As such, when Samsung sent over the brand-new Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra, it made sense for me to try it over a longer period of time to get a better sense of the flagship device.

After using it for about a month, here are my thoughts on the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra and its features.

SAMSUNG GALAXY 25 ULTRA FEATURES

At 162.8 x 77.6 x 8.2mm, the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra is taller, narrower and slimmer than the S24 Ultra. However, as someone who has used both devices, I can honestly say that the differences in dimensions are minute and the average user would not be able to tell the difference.

Here’s what’s noticeable though. The S25 Ultra has curved edges and flat sides as opposed to the S24 Ultra’s sharp edges and curved sides. Personally, I thought it felt better holding the S25 Ultra than the S24 Ultra but ultimately, it boils down to your personal preference.

Camera-wise, the S25 Ultra has a 200MP wide camera and 50MP telephoto camera – just like the S24 Ultra. New to the phone is a 50MP ultra-wide camera.

The S25 Ultra also boasts the new One UI 7.0 user interface, bringing with it new features and a refreshed look from previous Galaxy S devices.

THINGS I LIKED ABOUT THE SAMSUNG GALAXY 25 ULTRA

1. SUPERB CAMERA

The Galaxy S Ultra line has become synonymous with stellar camera systems, and the S25 Ultra continues that streak. I brought the phone to a few work events including the opening of Minion Land and Apink’s concert, and the S25 Ultra’s camera performed excellently.

In natural light, the colours were punchy with a good contrast. The phone’s images were sharp across all cameras, and the 50MP ultra-wide camera did well to capture details in all the wide shots I took.

In a concert setting, the phone performed well both when it was dark and when I used the zoom function.

In this image below, you can see how the artistes’ faces are still sharp even at 30x zoom.

The same sharpness applies to video as well. The video shows footage taken from Apink’s concert using strictly the S25 Ultra, with most of the footage taken at 20x zoom.

2. LONG-LASTING BATTERY

When fully charged and used for everyday tasks like texting, watching videos and scrolling through social media, the S25 Ultra lasted about 16 hours which is remarkable – you can essentially use the phone for an entire workday without needing to charge it.

In my opinion, the true testament to the S25 Ultra’s great battery life came during Apink’s concert. For three whole hours, I was recording videos in 4K60fps – gathering about 36GB of content. I started the concert with my battery at 95 per cent and by the end of it, I was left with 51 per cent – a staggering number, considering how heavily I had used it.

3. FUN AI FEATURES

The AI features that worked well in the S25 Ultra, worked brilliantly.

Case in point, Google’s AI assistant Gemini is able to integrate tasks across multiple apps on the S25 Ultra – making it a powerful productivity tool.

Through its Talk Live feature, I was able to get a summary of a video interview featuring the cast of Daredevil: Born Again with a single voice command.
 

And then we have Circle To Search which continues to be one of the best features introduced to the Samsung family. I used its music recognition tool to help me identify songs from Apink’s concert that I didn’t know and the entire process of cataloguing songs from the three-hour concert took me less than three minutes.

The S25 Ultra also sees the Drawing Assist feature getting a big upgrade. Users can now generate AI images using text prompts and customise the images to different art styles. Admittedly, it isn’t exactly a make-or-break feature but it is definitely one of the phone’s most fun tools.

THINGS I DIDN'T LIKE ABOUT THE SAMSUNG GALAXY 25 ULTRA

1. AUDIO ERASER WAS INCONSISTENT 

Not every AI tool in the phone performed well. I wanted to like the Audio Eraser function, especially since I am an avid concertgoer who records loads of footage.

Unfortunately, the Audio Eraser tool did not work most of the time. When I used the tool on my Apink concert videos, it was not able to get rid of the screams of the audience members or even those around me.

As such, I tried to use it at a small-scale busking performance near my neighbourhood. Here, the Audio Eraser worked slightly better but it wasn’t able to completely remove all the background noise.

2. THE PHONE'S S PEN DOES NOT SUPPORT BLUETOOTH

As someone who regularly uses Air Actions on my S24 Ultra, I can’t fathom the decision to remove Bluetooth support on the S Pen included in the S25 Ultra. This means S25 Ultra users can’t use the S Pen to remotely control their camera or make gestures in the air to unlock certain functions.

Without Air Actions, the S25 Ultra’s S Pen is essentially just a stick. 

FINAL THOUGHTS

So, should you get the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra? Depends. If you own an S24 Ultra, you’re better off sticking with your current phone.

However, if you’re a user of an old Android phone who’s intrigued by all the tales of the Galaxy line’s camera capabilities or even someone looking to buy their very first Samsung phone, then yes – the S25 Ultra will not let you down.

The Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra is now available for purchase via Samsung's official website and at other retail outlets. Recommended retail prices for the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra start at S$1,828.