Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra Review: The Android Phone to Beat
Samsung's latest Ultra packs a new 200MP sensor with AI-enhanced processing, a redesigned S Pen, and a titanium frame. But is it worth $1,299?
The Galaxy S25 Ultra is Samsung's most refined flagship to date. It's also the most expensive. At $1,299, it needs to justify itself against not just the iPhone 16 Pro Max, but also a growing field of premium Android alternatives that cost significantly less.
Camera System
The headline addition is the 200MP main sensor with a new 'ProVisual Engine' that uses on-device AI to reconstruct fine detail in challenging conditions — particularly low light and high-contrast scenes. In practice, the results are excellent. Outdoor daylight shots are exceptional. Low-light performance has closed the gap with Google's Pixel computational photography in ways previous Ultra models couldn't claim.
S Pen and Productivity
The S Pen is now stored in a redesigned silo that allows for faster deployment and adds haptic feedback. Samsung's AI note-taking features — automatic summarisation, handwriting-to-text, and cross-referencing with Calendar and email — are genuinely useful for productivity users. This remains the only flagship with a built-in stylus.
At $1,299, the S25 Ultra is not for everyone. For power users who live in Samsung's ecosystem and value the S Pen, it remains the definitive Android flagship.