There’s a concept in Metaphysics called the Act of Being, stating how an object, by merely existing, is perfect, fulfilling its purpose. The fact that the Galaxy S25 exists, being only marginally better than the previous model does bring some sense of wonder. Within its bubble, in its features and flaws, and within its narrative, it’s really a great device.
I say this as someone who has been using Fan Editions of previous Samsung flagships, and also as someone who has made extensive use of this model’s predecessor, the Galaxy S24 Ultra, which is merely a year old. I say this as someone who has heard and read about these marginal adjustments as complaints, perhaps expecting more from a dog to be able to fly or a mouse to speak.
I can wear two hats.
The first hat puts me in the position of a pundit questioning how the 2025 S-series flagship is more of the same from last year’s model. It has been roughly a year since the S24 series was launched. I have one in the backburner and use it from time to time, especially while traveling to a foreign country – the offline AI translator is a boon. For the past few weeks I’ve been toying with what many call “the new boss, same as the old boss.” Hardware wise, the upgraded Snapdragon 8 Elite processor, personal AI chip, and 50MP wide camera upgrade are the three pillars by which this review is hinged upon. But that’s just the thing. The pundit wonders if innovation is stifled. Or is this the absolute limit – the pinnacle of where our phones can get us.
The second hat is the narrative of considering the phone for its own sake. That this is the new Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra and it’s the best phone Samsung has ever built. And that last year’s phone was the best of 2024, and in 2026, the new S26 Ultra will be Samsung’s best. Samsung is a cook stirring a melting pot of the good stuff. Because it is being constantly stirred it matters not when you decide to dip your ladle to scoop up their tech. Because last year’s phone was great. This year was amazing too. Samsung in a way is a victim to its own success as reviewers will always need something to compare. But guess what: if Apple owns the long lines waiting at stores for a midnight launch, Samsung owns the gamification of the preorder. I’ve seen the buzz on the local Reddit groups and Facebook sharing how big of a discount they got through Samsung vouchers, trade-ins, and preorder promos. As of this writing, there’s a backlog in shipping. So yes, people are willing to buy … the best phone Samsung has ever built.
The Galaxy S25 Ultra does bring, as I said, a few new things. The 50MP camera for wide photography is a god-send. Little me who loved the 0.5 selfies would let out ‘que horrors’ when we actually see aberrations with this camera mode in other brands. The 50MP camera gives us more to work with, especially at night. The new Personal Data Engine hardware is core to the AI functionalities of this flagship, but to be honest people are really lukewarm to the concept of pushing boundaries with AI in phones. If it can do ChatGPT, they’re fine with it. So again, AI preference is very personal. The physical change to rounded corners is a matter of personal preference. A small note – I own a WiFi 7 mesh system and according to Samsung, WiFi 7 will be unlocked in a future update. If you are running a MLO network, you will be able to connect to WiFi 6E at most, as of this writing.
For accessories on the Galaxy, there’s only one. I use the official silicon case recommended by Samsung on the S24 Ultra, so it fixes the camera bulge and allows the phone to stand on its own. With the S25 Ultra, I go for the Crocs case.
And really, the Crocs case. That there is the symbol of what I’ve been talking about. It’s ugly. It’s beautiful. It works so well. The Samsung Galaxy S25 series is sold with an original Crocs case with an ankle strap that you can use to hang your lanyard and signature holes for your ‘jibbitz.’
The Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra is beautiful because it exists.
If you want a more detailed comparison of the new Samsung S25 series, check out our content capture feature and video below.
