Samsung’s Galaxy S25 Ultra is here, and it’s ready to take center stage in the flagship war in 2025. With a design refinement, AI-driven features, and camera upgrades, this is the Ultra many have been waiting for. But is it just an incremental update, or has Samsung truly set the benchmark for 2025? I put the Galaxy S25 Ultra through its paces in real-world usage to see if it lives up to the hype—especially for Indian users.
Design & Display: Familiar Yet Polished
At first glance, the S25 Ultra doesn’t scream “new,” but hold it in your hand, and you’ll notice subtle refinements. Flatter edges, a more comfortable grip, and a slightly lighter frame make a difference. The titanium build gives it a premium touch, and Samsung has kept things simple—no unnecessary gimmicks.
The 6.8-inch QHD+ Dynamic AMOLED 2X display remains one of the best in the industry. Whether you’re binge-watching Netflix, gaming, or scrolling through social media, the 1750-nit brightness, 120Hz adaptive refresh rate, and vivid colors make for a stunning experience. HDR10+ support ensures crisp visuals, and the panel is brighter and more efficient than last year.
But my favorite use for that expansive and crisp display is how it displays high-graphics games. One has to appreciate the details rendered so beautifully, which PUBG players will agree it gives an advantage over opponents.
Samsung clearly leads when it comes to display quality, and the S25 Ultra reinforces that crown.
Performance & AI: Smart, But How Useful?
Under the hood, the Snapdragon 8 Gen 4 for Galaxy powers the S25 Ultra in India, offering blazing-fast performance, better thermal management, and improved efficiency. Bye-bye Exynos, globally!
Day-to-day usage is seamless—apps open instantly, gaming runs without a hitch, and multitasking is effortless. One UI 7.1 feels polished. The little things, like the “clear” button in the notification panel, are at the bottom right, which is really convenient, and in the other corner is direct access to “notification settings.” The universal search bar at the bottom of the menu screen makes accessing specific apps useful, a hassle when you’ve downloaded plenty of apps over the months.
What caught everyone’s attention is how the S-Pen lost Bluetooth functionality, which meant losing the air gestures, which we found extremely useful in the S24 Ultra for shooting with the camera. Samsung says less than 1% of owners actually used the Bluetooth functionality in the S Pen. To think of it, I didn’t use it as often as I’d like, but it was still handy.
AI: A gimmick or a real deal?
Samsung has leaned heavily into AI features this year. Let’s dive deeper into the AI features offered in the S25 Ultra.
Live Translate is one of the most practical AI features on the Galaxy S25 Ultra, enabling real-time call translation directly within Samsung’s Phone app. It works seamlessly by transcribing, translating, and even generating AI-powered voice responses. The best part is that all of it is processed on-device, ensuring privacy. While accuracy is impressive for common phrases, it can be tricky in cases of different dialects. Nevertheless, for frequent travelers and professionals, this is a game-changer.
Samsung’s Generative Edit takes photo editing to new heights, doing some crazy things like removing objects, repositioning elements, and even filling in backgrounds intelligently—all with a great deal of accuracy. Using AI, it recognizes textures and lighting to seamlessly adjust images, much like Photoshop’s AI-powered tools but with one-tap ease. In real-world use, simple edits like removing distractions work flawlessly, but complex backgrounds can sometimes confuse AI.
Another feature I’ve grown to love ever since the advent of AI in phones is the AI (Apple Intelligence) integration in Apple Notes. Well, Note Assist in Samsung Notes does just that by summarizing, auto-formatting, and extracting key takeaways from lengthy notes. This has made my work faster, as I no longer have to sift through detailed press notes and research documents to get a gist of it all while on the go. In daily use, structured notes are summarized accurately, but messy, unstructured inputs needed manual tweaking.
There’s another interesting feature called Chat Assist, which improves messaging by suggesting AI-powered replies, tone adjustments, and translations in real time. This feature is loved by many, who struggle to frame an appropriate response.
Avid travelers will find the Interpreter useful, which can identify several languages and act as the name suggests, an interpreter, between you and the foreigner. In my case, the feature was extremely useful to brush up my Arabic conversational skills, which I’m currently trying to learn. You can download various languages and let AI do the rest.
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Of all the features, the one I used the most was Samsung’s AI Voice Transcription, which converts recorded conversations into text and even provides summaries of key points. After an hour of a telephonic interview, I had the notes at my fingertips without having to listen to the whole recorded conversation for notes, articles, etc. This is perfect for interviews, meetings, or even lectures. In everyday use, to get accurate transcriptions, make sure there’s no background noise. Still, for professionals, journalists, and students, this feature is a productivity powerhouse.
Finally, Galaxy AI also works in the background to learn user habits in order to optimize battery life, app performance, and background processes, which enhances the overall user experience. The result of this wasn’t evident in such a short period. The Galaxy AI is smart enough to adjust refresh rates, prioritize frequently used apps, and conserve power when needed.
These AI features aren’t just gimmicks; most of them actually work in real-world cases. That said, their true value will be realized over time, depending on how users adopt them.
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Cameras: More Refined Now
Samsung’s 200MP primary sensor is back, but it’s more refined this time. Better low-light processing, improved HDR, and sharper details make it a step up from the S24 Ultra.
But that’s not the biggest change. A new 5x periscope zoom lens replaces last year’s 10x optical zoom. Samsung argues that 5x is the sweet spot for most users, and the results back that up. The digital zoom up to 100x is still here, and while it’s great for moon shots, anything beyond 30x isn’t practical for everyday use.
Here are my key takeaways from having used the S25 Ultra’s camera:
It’s safe to say that Samsung isn’t reinventing mobile photography, but it’s refining it in all the right places.
Here are a few camera samples taken from Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra:
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Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra zoom test
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Portraits shot on S25 Ultra
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Camera samples aren’t complete without that moonshot, right?
Battery & Charging: Same, But Different
The 5,000mAh battery isn’t new, but the Snapdragon 8 Gen 4’s efficiency means better endurance. Expect a full day of heavy usage without breaking a sweat. This, thanks to the massive size of the Galaxy S25 Ultra, no battery anxiety was noted during the entire time of the review. What’s impressive, though, is the weight distribution, which doesn’t make the phone heavy despite packing a 5,000 mAh battery.
Samsung still sticks to 45W charging, while competitors offer 100W+ fast charging. This is indeed a disappointment, and it’s time Samsung step up the game on this front.
Verdict: Worth the Upgrade?
The Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra is a polished refinement of an already great flagship. Brilliant AI features, a refined camera system, and a premium design make it a solid choice for power users, professionals, and mobile photographers.
Should you upgrade?
Samsung isn’t reinventing the wheel, but it smooths out the rough edges (literally) for an even better Ultra experience.
Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra starts at Rs 139,999 for the base variant, and it comes in Titanium Black, Titanium Gray, Titanium Blue, and Titanium Orange colours.
