Samsung Galaxy S25 evaluation: The final compact Android flagship

Samsung followers in search of a contemporary revamp of the flagship Galaxy lineup is perhaps underwhelmed by the Samsung Galaxy S25, at the very least at first look. Aside from minuscule design and end updates, the base-model Galaxy S25 seems to be fairly just like the Galaxy S24 — and former generations earlier than that one.

In reality, among the solely impactful {hardware} upgrades to the Galaxy S25 — just like the Snapdragon 8 Elite for Galaxy chipset and improved connectivity protocols — is perhaps extra a testomony to the breakthroughs Qualcomm has achieved moderately than Samsung. And but, regardless of my disdain for Samsung’s complacency at instances, I’ve totally loved my time with this cellphone.

Samsung’s renewed strategy to software program and its shut relationship with Google are large explanation why. One UI was once a disjointed Android expertise, and it felt like Google and Samsung providers have been sparring beneath the software program pores and skin. Now, One UI 7 is a standout working system that feels quick and refreshing. Galaxy AI, Google AI, and the flurry of Samsung and Google software program options on the Galaxy S25 really feel like they’re lastly working collectively, not competing in your consideration.

That, plus the tiny kind issue, makes me need to overlook the Galaxy S25’s shortcomings in different areas. There are some egregious omissions right here, just like the digital camera system that hasn’t been upgraded for the reason that Galaxy S22. Slow charging speeds, the shortage of UWB help, and 128GB base storage are different notable oversights.

All this provides as much as make the Samsung Galaxy S25 my most irritating suggestion but. Yes, it is superb, and you can purchase it if you’d like a small, gentle, and compact Android flagship. But I’d be mendacity if I wasn’t anxious about Samsung being rewarded for dangerous habits if the Galaxy S25 flies off the cabinets as a result of it definitely may’ve accomplished extra right here.

Samsung Galaxy S25: Price and availability

Samsung introduced the Galaxy S25 collection at an Unpacked occasion in California on Jan. 22, 2025. The telephones turned accessible for preorder on that date and formally launched February 7. However, preorders from Samsung have been delivered early this 12 months — as early as late January.

There are three storage configurations of the Galaxy S25 accessible: 128GB, 256GB, and 512GB. With that being stated, the 128GB variant is not accessible in Australia, and the 512GB variant is not accessible in North America. Despite rumors of a value hike, the Galaxy S25 matches the pricing tiers of the Galaxy S24.

• Samsung Galaxy S25 (12GB/128GB): US $799.99 / UK £799 / AU N/A
• Samsung Galaxy S25 (12GB/256GB): US $859.99 / UK £859 / AU$1,399
• Samsung Galaxy S25 (12GB/512GB): US N/A / UK £959 / AU$1,599

The Galaxy S25 is available in Icyblue, Navy, Mint, and Silver Shadow colorways. I reviewed the Icyblue mannequin, which images nearer to white however seems to be like a mixture of gentle blue and silver in particular person. There’s additionally a trio of Samsung unique colours: Coralred, Blueblack, and Pinkgold.

You’ll discover the Galaxy S25 accessible for buy from Samsung’s on-line retailer, third-party retailers like Best Buy or Amazon, and from mobile carriers. We have a whole information to all the perfect offers in your reference.

Samsung Galaxy S25: Design and show

It’s clear from a glance down the spec sheet that the Galaxy S25 has to supply one thing distinctive to make consumers look previous its shortcomings. For instance, the OnePlus 13 is a extra full package deal whereas costing solely $100 extra, which does not bode effectively for Samsung’s base mannequin. The excellent news is that Samsung did create one thing distinctive with the Galaxy S25. It’s maybe the final small Android flagship left.

I do know, I do know — it is loopy to say {that a} 6.2-inch smartphone is small. As a fond former iPhone 12 mini person, I really feel you. Small cellphone lovers like myself merely must acknowledge that with the departure of the Asus Zenfone (as we knew it), the class is on life help. Unless you depend clamshell foldables just like the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 6, the Galaxy S25 is certainly the smallest 2025 flagship you should purchase right now.

While the iPhone and Pixel continue to grow bigger, the Galaxy S25 is getting smaller. The show on the Galaxy S25 remains to be 6.2 inches, however Samsung shrunk the chassis in each manner. It’s smaller, thinner, and lighter than the Galaxy S24. If that wasn’t sufficient, the Galaxy S25 can also be extra compact than the Google Pixel 9 and that iPhone 16 in each dimension.

To get particular, the Galaxy S25 measures 146.9 x 70.5 x 7.2 mm and weighs simply 162 grams. Those numbers do not fairly convey how a lot thinner and lighter this cellphone feels in comparison with the competitors. The base Pixel 9, as an illustration, weighs a whopping 198 grams. I already loved the shape issue of the Galaxy S24, and the Galaxy S25 feels higher in each manner. Although the Galaxy S25 Edge could also be thinner when it releases, its rumored 6.8-inch display screen will assist the Galaxy S25 hold the title of greatest small cellphone by the 12 months.

Overall, the design of the Galaxy S25 seems like a mixture of the design developments we noticed on Galaxy foldables and the Galaxy S24. There are nonetheless the identical flat aluminum aspect rails with rounded corners and chamfered edges, and Gorilla Glass Victus 2 on the back and front. Meanwhile, the rear digital camera lenses now have DSLR-style covers, matching the Galaxy foldables. While acquainted, I’ve no complaints in regards to the Galaxy S25’s construct — though Gorilla Armor and its anti-reflective properties would’ve been an enormous addition.

Though some are fast to level out that the sharper edges of the Galaxy S25’s design could be uncomfortable to carry, I do not assume that is a lot of a difficulty on the bottom mannequin. It’s sufficiently small that you must have the ability to maintain it with one hand without having to shove the nook into your palm. For the Plus or Ultra fashions, it might be one thing to contemplate.

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When I reviewed the Galaxy S24 final 12 months, I stated that the show’s bezels appeared smaller than another cellphone I’ve examined. That’s nonetheless visually obvious with the Galaxy S25, no matter whether or not it is really true. Especially with a light-colored cellphone, the distinction of the matte aluminum rails and the black show edges make bezels look half the scale — and greater than different flagships.

Compared to the Galaxy S24, the screen-to-body ratio has solely elevated by 0.2% on the Galaxy S25, so each units will really feel comparable. The similarities most likely have one thing to do with the truth that each telephones seem to have the very same show panel. It’s an AMOLED 2X show that goes as much as 120Hz with a variable refresh charge, HDR10+, and a pair of,600 nits of most brightness. The decision is 1080 x 2340 pixels, that means it is solely FHD+. As a outcome, the Galaxy S25 does not have the ProScaler for QHD+ that is now accessible on the Plus and Ultra fashions.

The lack of upgrades does not change the truth that the Galaxy S25 seems to be gorgeous in most situations. If I needed to nitpick, the brightness could possibly be improved. Other handsets can do a lot better, and out-of-the-box brightness outside needs to be increased. Samsung’s adaptive brightness tends to be too conservative, so I’d suggest disabling this and flipping on the “further brightness” possibility in the event you’re like me and love a brilliant display screen. Of course, this comes on the expense of battery life.

Around the perimeters, you may discover a quantity rocker and a aspect button used for energy and voice assistant management. The aspect button could be mapped to Gemini for fast entry to agentic help. On the underside, there is a speaker grill, a USB 3.2 Type-C port that helps DisplayPort Alt Mode, and a bodily SIM card tray. The proper aspect merely provides a mmWave cutout for enhanced New Radio connectivity.

To sum up, do not overlook the Galaxy S25’s kind issue. Its thinness and lightness, paired with the facility we’ll get to subsequent, makes it a compelling possibility in a sea of huge flagships.

Samsung Galaxy S25: Hardware and specs

The {hardware} on the within of the Samsung Galaxy S25 Plus is each the perfect and worst factor about this gadget. Let’s begin with the nice. It’s powered by the Snapdragon 8 Elite for Galaxy chipset, which was co-designed by Samsung and Qualcomm. This cellular platform relies on the Snapdragon X lineup, the laptop computer and desktop-class processors made utilizing Qualcomm’s customized Oryon cores. In essence, it implies that the Galaxy S25 is essentially the most highly effective Android cellphone available on the market.

This is mirrored in benchmark checks, the place the Galaxy S25 got here out on high in Geekbench 6 runs. It decisively beat the Google Pixel 9, a cellphone that makes use of the underpowered Tensor G4 processor. Previously, Google had the sting in AI, with 45 tokens per second supported for AI operations on the Pixel 9.

Samsung and Qualcomm fully flipped the script with the Galaxy S25. It can course of as much as 70 tokens per second for AI duties, dethroning the Pixel 9. With efficiency, AI processing, and Galaxy optimization, it seems to be just like the Galaxy S25 is the top-performing base mannequin of any flagship providing in 2025.

What does that imply for each day use? It’s twofold. First, it’s unlikely that you’re going to discover the velocity distinction between the Galaxy S25 and one other succesful flagship whereas holding them side-by-side. Smartphones have been actually quick for some time now, and we do not want Geekbench 6 scores to understand it.

Second, it is seemingly that the large efficiency improve of the Snapdragon 8 Elite for Galaxy chipset will help the Galaxy S25’s longevity. Samsung is promising seven years of software program help, and I think the Galaxy S25 could have a neater time attaining that than the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3-powered Galaxy S24.

This isn’t the form of year-over-year efficiency enchancment we normally see in smartphone SoCs. It’s a once-in-a-decade sort of improve, and that is why I can see the argument for upgrading now to the Galaxy S25 in the event you’ve been ready some time.

To take a look at how the Snapdragon 8 Elite for Galaxy pushes the battery and cooling system within the Galaxy S25 to its limits, I ran the 3DMark Wild Life Extreme stress take a look at, which is a graphics-heavy take a look at lasting 20 minutes in a steady loop. I surprisingly discovered that the Galaxy S25 did not get scolding scorching to the contact. It received heat however did not overheat like different flagships have in recent times.

However, the loop rating through the stress take a look at regularly decreased over the course of the 20-minute stress take a look at. The Galaxy S25 hit a peak of 15,336 within the second loop and dipped beneath 11,000 by the thirteenth loop. It completed with a last loop of 10,991. What does this all imply? Essentially, the Galaxy S25 will decelerate the Snapdragon 8 Elite for Galaxy processor to maintain the cellphone cool. As a outcome, its inside temperature solely elevated by 5 levels Celsius through the take a look at and used simply 11% battery.

To be clear, it is a good outcome. You desire a cellphone to know its limits and decelerate earlier than burning itself up and dropping a ton of battery for the sake of some further frames whereas gaming.

I stated that the {hardware} was additionally the worst factor in regards to the Samsung Galaxy S25, and this is why. There are some omissions which are extraordinarily arduous to justify. For starters, you aren’t getting an ultra-wideband (UWB) chip on the bottom mannequin Galaxy S25 — it’s a must to improve to the Galaxy S25 Plus or Ultra for that. It creates a scenario the place in the event you plan to make use of Samsung’s personal SmartTag trackers or the Google Find My Device community over the lifetime of your smartphone, you should not purchase the Galaxy S25.

Additionally, the Galaxy S25 nonetheless expenses painfully gradual. It solely expenses at 25W over a cable, which is unacceptable for a flagship in 2025. Wireless charging is not that a lot better. It helps the Qi2.1 commonplace, providing 15W wi-fi charging and 4.5W reverse wi-fi charging. It does not have inside magnets, so you’ll be able to’t use MagSafe equipment with no case. I could also be within the minority right here, however I feel slapping a thick MagSafe case on the Galaxy S25 defeats the aim of it being a compact cellphone.

Those are just some small missed alternatives that may not matter a lot right now however may restrict you down the highway in the event you plan to maintain this cellphone for 5 or extra years. There’s nonetheless loads of good, just like the processor, Wi-Fi 7 help, and Bluetooth 5.4 help.

The cellphone’s battery capability is 4,000mAh, similar to final 12 months. A much bigger battery can be good, however I can reside with this capability on this kind issue. For most individuals, the Galaxy S25 ought to supply all-day battery life. I persistently received 6+ hours of screen-on time with a mixture of cellphone calls, video streaming, digital camera utilization, and social media doom-scrolling. That was paired with about 10+ hours of screen-off time between expenses.

Most of the time, the Galaxy S25 lasts all day. If you are in a position to briefly high off the battery at varied instances all through the day, you may be golden. I discover this straightforward to do, merely conserving a cable or wi-fi charging pad at my desk and within the automobile.

Samsung Galaxy S25: Cameras

Samsung reused the rear digital camera system within the Galaxy 25 for the fourth straight smartphone technology. That’s proper — the Galaxy S25 and the Galaxy S22 share digital camera sensors. You get a 50MP, f/1.8 essential sensor, a 12MP, f/2.2 ultrawide with a 120-degree subject of view, and a 12MP, f/2.2 telephoto lens with 3x optical zoom. The {hardware} is respectable sufficient, but it surely’s outdated and performs such as you’d count on of four-year-old lenses.

The one completely optimistic factor I can say in regards to the Galaxy S25’s cameras is that they embody a telephoto sensor, which is essential and is not a given on flagships of this dimension. Some telephones, just like the iPhone 16 and Pixel 9, attempt to faux optical zoom utilizing a way known as sensor crop. Nothing beats the true factor, and I like that the Galaxy S25 provides you 3x optical zoom in a 6.2-inch gadget.

Paired with the ultrawide lens, the digital camera system makes for various zoom ranges, as proven within the gallery under.

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Samsung tries to take advantage of the identical digital camera {hardware} with computational pictures enhancements, like traditional. There’s some proof to recommend that the Galaxy S25 is improved in a number of areas, equivalent to shutter lag and movement blur. However, hold expectations tame. The Samsung Galaxy S25’s digital camera remains to be no match for a shifting automobile on a nighttime road.

I’ve additionally discovered the Galaxy S25 digital camera to provide colours that look barely uninteresting in comparison with cameras in different flagships. I’m glad that Samsung does not take the Pixel strategy, which incorporates over-saturating colours and including fake vibrancy. I do assume iPhone photographs have a greater pure pop of coloration, although.

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The front-facing digital camera is simply 12MP, but it surely will get the job accomplished. Put merely, you are not shopping for the Galaxy S25 for its digital camera system. If that is one thing you actually care about, you don’t have any selection however to look to the OnePlus 13 or Galaxy S25 Ultra for that.

Samsung Galaxy S25: Software and AI

I’ve been a constant critic of Samsung’s software program strategy, particularly One UI, in recent times. It received to the purpose that I refused to contemplate Samsung telephones as my each day driver. That’s why it ought to say loads that I love One UI 7. I’m unsure if it is leaped the Pixel Launcher but, but it surely’s forward of OxygenOS, Hello UI, and iOS in my guide. That’s one thing I could not even fathom saying earlier than attempting One UI 7 on the Galaxy S25.

What makes One UI 7 so nice? It’s arduous to pinpoint one characteristic or two — it is extra about how contemporary and new the working system feels. I desire the cut up management panel/notification shade from iOS, and I genuinely just like the bubbly and rounded look of One UI now. The app drawer is healthier, too. You can lastly swap between One UI and different Android skins with out the training curve. Everything simply is sensible.

Another large motive for my newfound One UI 7 love affair is the combination between Google and Samsung apps and providers. The two corporations are lastly determining work collectively and ship a cohesive software program expertise. It comes right down to the little issues, like how Google Messages is the default and solely messaging app put in on the Galaxy S25. Or how the supercharged Gemini assistant is accessible with the press of a aspect button and might take multi-app actions in your behalf.

Of course, there’s extra to enhance. Samsung ought to work on chopping down on the bloat additional and eliminating pointless third-party apps from inventory One UI. I do not know why my Galaxy S25 ships with LinkedIn and different Microsoft apps, however I hate it.

It wasn’t too way back after I really helpful that Android consumers choose a Pixel as a result of Google’s unique perks. Now, the scenario feels reversed. The Galaxy S25 will get lots of Google’s greatest AI options, from Gemini to Circle to Search, and it will get Samsung’s full Galaxy AI suite. It’s like the perfect of each worlds.

Not each AI characteristic might be value utilizing. The Now Bar, a pill-shaped middle for info, is overhyped by Samsung. If you are deep within the Samsung ecosystem or use choose supported providers like Spotify, it will be neat. But I normally do not put on a Galaxy wearable and use Apple Music, so my Now Bar simply advised me the climate and inspirational quotes all day. Which, hey, is good. Just not all that helpful.

One factor value calling out is how good Samsung’s picture enhancing options have gotten over time. Object removing and generative enhancing with Galaxy AI is hands-down higher than something Apple or Google supply, as you’ll be able to see above.

To sum up, if you have not used One UI shortly or have been disenchanted by it up to now, it is time to give it a second probability.

Samsung Galaxy S25: Competition

At the second, the $799 Samsung Galaxy S25’s greatest opponents are the Google Pixel 9 and the iPhone 16. You may argue that potential Galaxy S25 consumers most likely aren’t contemplating an iPhone 16 and vice versa, in order that leaves the Pixel 9 — additionally priced at $799.

There are some who will desire Google’s software program or digital camera profile to that of the Galaxy S25, however I’ve a tough time swallowing how a lot larger and heavier the Pixel is with out offering sufficient advantages. The Samsung cellphone is thinner, lighter, and extra compact but additionally sooner and extra succesful.

With the Pixel 9 and that iPhone 16 out of the way in which, there is not a cellphone that immediately competes with the Galaxy S25 by way of dimension. However, in the event you’re in search of an Android flagship for round $800 and might reside with an even bigger display screen, think about the OnePlus 13 for $100 extra. It’s solely a smidge slower than the Galaxy S25 whereas providing a greater show, higher digital camera, sooner charging, and extra base storage. This is the cellphone I’d purchase if I have been in search of a Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra-esque cellphone at near-base Galaxy S25 costs.

Samsung Galaxy S25: Should you purchase it?

You should purchase this if…

• You desire a small cellphone with the newest Snapdragon 8 Elite for Galaxy processor
• You have an older Galaxy cellphone, or aren’t anxious about digital camera high quality
• You need the perfect of each worlds with Google AI and Galaxy AI, and like One UI 7

You should not purchase this if…

• You desire a MagSafe-compatible cellphone with out utilizing a case
• You want newer digital camera tech inside your smartphone
• You’re prepared to make use of an even bigger and costlier competitor, just like the OnePlus 13

After spending time with the Samsung Galaxy S25, two issues are concurrently true. This is a standout compact flagship, and Samsung additionally may’ve given it extra upgrades. It feels prefer it’s the identical story each time a Galaxy gadget is launched. There’s simply sufficient to make the Galaxy S25 a extremely compelling gadget and simply as many recycled concepts and elements to make consumers hesitate.

As I discussed earlier than, I’m involved that purchasing the Galaxy S25 alerts to Samsung that releasing 4 generations of telephones with the identical digital camera system is appropriate. It’s merely not, and it seems like a gross sales hit stands out as the solely factor that pushes Samsung to innovate extra. The cellphone’s cameras, charging speeds, sturdiness rankings, and connectivity capabilities are simply the short hits of issues Samsung may’ve simply improved with the Galaxy S25 — however selected to not.

I’m additionally conscious that almost all smartphone consumers aren’t attempting to make an announcement with their cellphone purchases. Most individuals simply desire a good, highly effective, and dependable gadget, and the Samsung Galaxy S25 checks all these bins. It’s additionally maybe the one compact Android flagship left available on the market right now. That’s how I’m in a position to suggest it regardless of my frustration with how a lot Samsung reused from prior Galaxy generations.