Samsung’s Big Bad Galaxy phone has arrived, and it’s almost everything I expected. The Galaxy S25 Ultra, which starts at the same bold price as last year, $1,299, remains the company’s do-everything handset, with a more durable display, an upgraded camera system with some handy editing tricks, and the latest Qualcomm processor keeping things running. Oh, and yes, AI is everything, everywhere, all at once.

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While last year’s Galaxy S24 series ushered in Samsung’s Galaxy AI era, this year feels more like the company cementing itself as the leader in the space, besting Apple and even Google (for now) on features and capabilities. Of course, how decorative that honor is ultimately depends on how invested you are in using AI.

I’ve spent the past day and a half testing the S25 Ultra and wasn’t too surprised to find myself both fascinated and bored. After all, this is now Samsung’s fifth iteration of the S-series Ultra model, and the changes year-over-year have been modest, to be generous. But if you’re currently using a three- to four-year-old handset and considering an upgrade, take this first-hand testimonial — I’m not calling it a full review yet — to heart. (And if you’re an enthusiast, it’ll matter just as much to you.)

The Galaxy S Ultra has always been a big-phone, two-handed affair, and that holds this year. When I first unboxed the S25 Ultra, it felt like the fanciest calculator ever (and I mean that in a nice way), with its round edges and tall stature. Coming from the OnePlus 13 I recently reviewed — which, on paper, is relatively similar in size — the S25 Ultra had a bolder and more striking presence.

Fortunately, the device is not as top-heavy as I remember previous models being, even though Samsung encased the four rear cameras with thicker rings this time around. In fact, the S25 Ultra is lighter than its predecessor by 16 grams, earning it the title of the thinnest Galaxy S Ultra ever. You’ll likely hear more about the “thinnification” of phones later this year.

Also: I went hands-on with the Samsung Galaxy S25 – and the AI features were surprisingly polished

The other notable design upgrade with the S25 Ultra is the Corning Gorilla Armor 2 layered over the front display. It doesn’t take away from the anti-reflection surface treatment that made headlines on last year’s S24 Ultra, yet promises improved drop protection and scratch resistance. I believe it. My S24 Ultra last year had numerous micro scratches after just days of testing, while my S25 Ultra review unit has remained pristine so far.

Now if only Samsung could bring back the glory days of psychedelic Aura Glow finishes, because these S25 Ultra colors are uninspiring. Perhaps it’s the nature of titanium finishes or the harsh reality that consumers are more likely to opt for safer colors with black, white, and silver hues than poppy and bright. Regardless, you’ll want to slap on a case if you want to give your S25 Ultra even a touch of personality.

Under the hood is a new Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite chip, the same processor powering competing Android phones like the OnePlus 13 and Honor Magic 7 Pro. The most notable benefit of the chipset comes in the form of AI experiences — specifically, a 40% increase in NPU performance compared to last year’s Snapdragon 8 Gen 3.

Also: Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra vs. iPhone 16 Pro Max: We tested both, and the winner is not so obvious

In layman’s terms, on-device AI features should take up less bandwidth and power to operate while also functioning quickly. I saw the results in person, placebo effect or not, as my S25 Ultra can swiftly remove subjects (along with their shadows) from the background of photos via Generative Edit and pull up Gemini search results in a matter of seconds.

You can also chalk up the performance to the enhanced Gemini app, which can now be fired up with a long press of the power button. Previously, Samsung phones were limited to Bixby — or Google Assistant, if you made some sketchy, backend modifications — so this change is a breath of fresh air. It makes transitioning from any other Android phone that uses Gemini as the default assistant much more burdenless.

Speaking of which, the new Gemini-Bixby hybrid AI agent, as Samsung confusingly puts it, can handle natural-sounding, conversational chains of actions, such as looking up the upcoming schedule of your favorite sports team and adding the date(s) to your calendar. While the agent-like capability mainly works across Google and Samsung apps, some third-party services like Spotify are supported, too. 

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The important thing is knowing how to phrase your commands. For example, when I asked the AI agent to create a Spotify playlist for road trips and send it to my wife, it responded that it was unable to do so. When, instead, I asked it to find songs that were good for road trips, it curated the list and drafted a modifiable text message. Ladies and gentlemen, AI.

Considering last year’s S24 series introduced Google’s Circle to Search feature, and this year’s S25 series is doing the same for the enhanced Gemini-Bixby experience, it wouldn’t be farfetched to say that Samsung, not Google, makes the best AI phone on the market right now. 

Some other new Galaxy AI tools like AI Select and Now Brief only reinforce that statement, with the former being an adaptive, context-aware screen selection tool, and the latter giving you daily summaries of the weather, calendar events, and news. 

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I just wish Now Brief showed me more than just political news; even with my topic preferences within my Samsung News app set to technology and sports, the app still wakes me up with an “Uplifting Morning Prep” Spotify playlist and the latest scoop on the US president signing executive orders.

One of the key reasons to buy a Galaxy Ultra phone continues to be the camera, though Samsung hasn’t improved the specifications much this year — at least on paper. The only hardware change is the 50-megapixel ultrawide lens (up from 12MP), which, from my initial shots, yields greater detail and vividness, especially when capturing macro photos. The rest of the lenses, such as the 200MP wide, 50MP 5x telephoto, and 10MP 3x telephoto, are identical to last year’s S24 Ultra. 

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There’s a bigger focus on the software side of things, with Samsung introducing helpful photo and video features like 10-bit HDR video recording by default to capture a wider dynamic range, a new Audio Eraser feature that lets you adjust the volumes of various frequencies (classified as audio subjects like voices, wind, and noises), and the ability to record in Galaxy Log mode. 

The latter feature allows you to better spot overexposed areas and adjust the dynamic range as you’re recording videos, while also applying LUTs in post for better color and light control. I’ll be testing the shooting mode more in the coming days.

ZDNET’s buying advice (for now)

My first full day of testing the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra confirms several things for me. While most aspects of the phone, such as the vibrant, glare-free display and versatility across the cameras and AI features, are easy to appreciate, the upgrades this year feel iterative and safe. 

In ways, Samsung has even taken a few steps back, with the S Pen stylus no longer supporting Bluetooth controls and gestures, and the company opting for Qi2-ready cases instead of embedding the actual technology within its phones.

It’s understandable that early adopters and tech enthusiasts might feel underwhelmed by the S25 Ultra. But when I consider consumers who are coming from an S21 series, Pixel 6 or 7, or even an older iPhone, Samsung’s new flagship handset checks almost every box you can think of. And you may even score a generous trade-in deal through your local carrier or retailer.