5 reasons the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra left me unimpressed
by Will Sattelberg · Android PoliceThe Galaxy S25 Ultra is finally here, but for anyone expecting Samsung to completely revolutionize its smartphone lineup is certain to be disappointed. The company's newest phablet adapts the design from its smaller siblings into an S Pen-equipped behemoth, but aside from a massive push on the AI front, nothing comes off as particularly new this year. If you're in a similarly disappointed boat, take a journey with me as I work out my feelings as to why I'm left feeling so unimpressed by the Galaxy S25 Ultra.
5 The Galaxy S25 Ultra's look isn't my cup of tea
A lack of identity outside the word "big"
Look. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder and all that jazz, but I have to be honest — I really don't care for how the Galaxy S25 Ultra looks. It's taking inspiration from the last couple of generations of smaller S-series devices, with a flat frame and rounded corners that won't dig into your palm. The result is something that is undoubtedly designed to please anyone who found previous Ultra devices particularly uncomfortable, myself included.
Unfortunately, in person, it simply doesn't work for me, and for one simple reason: it's too damn big. To my eyes, Apple had a similar problem last year, minimizing bezels and extending the height of the iPhone 16 Pro Max to squeeze in as large of a panel as possible. There comes a point where a device looks just comically large — we still think about the Nexus 6 to this day for a reason, after all — and I fear the Galaxy S25 Ultra has fallen into this category.
It's also, frankly, a lot less charming. Yes, I found the Galaxy S24 Ultra pretty uncomfortable in my hands, but with its subtle curved frame and sharp corners, it held onto a unique identity extending back to the days of the Galaxy Note. There was no mistaking the Galaxy S24 Ultra for anything else. Now, though? It's peak glass-and-metal slab, an anonymous obelisk that comes in four different shades of gray, with its massive camera modules the only thing left to provide any sense of distinguishing features. It's lighter and more comfortable, sure, but those changes come at the cost of a pretty unique design.
4 Specs
To some extent, most smartphone refreshes these days are playing extended games of "spot the differences" with specs sheets. Even so, the Galaxy S25 Ultra is an outlier. Spec for spec, there simply isn't much new in this device compared to its predecessor. Outside of Qualcomm's latest flagship processor, nearly everything is unchanged between Samsung's current and last-gen Ultra models. 12GB of RAM, up to 1TB of storage, 5,000mAh battery — even the camera system is nearly identical, save for an upgraded ultra-wide lens.
Not to diminish the Snapdragon 8 Elite, but considering how excellent of a chip the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 was, I'm not sure it's an upgrade worth getting excited about on its own. Worse yet, though, are Samsung's rivals, which are attempting to push their respective specs sheets forward in some meaningful ways. Take the OnePlus 13, for example, which combines that very same chipset with a much larger battery, significantly faster charging speeds, IP69 certification, and new ultra-wide and telephoto lenses.
Samsung doesn't need to reinvent the wheel every year, but there's plenty of space for some meaningful changes to the Galaxy S25 Ultra's specs sheet. The brand even missed some easy wins, like a move up to 16GB of RAM — something quickly becoming standard in the "AI era" of smartphones. If this phone is supposed to be Samsung's choice for its power user fan base, it needs to try a little harder here.
3 Older phones
Samsung's big marketing push for the Galaxy S25 Ultra doesn't revolve around a fresh design, or a particularly impressive specs sheet. It's all about Galaxy AI, newly upgraded for 2025 with all sorts of tools features, and agents supposedly designed to make your life easier. Only time will tell whether these tricks are good enough to make an impact on how people use their smartphones, but until then, users on older hardware can relax: You'll see plenty of AI features in the near-future.
Samsung confirmed to press during a briefing on the Galaxy S25 that it planned to bring as many AI features to older hardware as it possibly could. That means Galaxy S24 Ultra — and, potentially, even S23 Ultra — owners could see the majority of One UI 7's most impressive features hit their phones in the coming months. Obviously, we'll need to wait for Samsung to confirm exactly what is coming to legacy smartphones, but this pro-consumer promise does, admittedly, let the air out of the S25's announcement.
2 Legacy Note users
I'd be hard-pressed to think of a device series that had as many dedicated fans as the Galaxy Note. As time ticks by, Samsung's decision to fold its S Pen-equipped phablet into the Galaxy S-series makes, in my eyes, less and less sense, abandoning its core audience of road warriors and power users to slowly converge its product lines into various sizes and not much else. While Samsung is positioning the Galaxy S25 Ultra as a device worthy for S22 and S23 owners to upgrade, I think the company has a larger problem at hand: anyone still holding onto an older Note phone.
Practically every feature these users have previously cared about — expandable storage, 3.5mm headphone jacks, expansive displays without hole punch cameras — have been left behind on various models. Now, with the Galaxy S25 Ultra, another sacrifice has been made, with the S Pen dropping support for any and all Bluetooth LE-based features. Say goodbye to everything from Air Actions to camera shutter controls.
Related
It's time for Samsung to bring back the Galaxy Note
Someone always has to compromise
Posts 5
1 Bad value
Samsung kept the Galaxy S25 Ultra's starting cost at $1,300 this year, avoiding rumors of a potential price increase for the second year in a row. Some might see it as a commendable move; I see it as a necessary step to avoid some potentially harsh criticism. There's nothing on this specs sheet that would've justified a price increase, and compared to cheaper flagships like the OnePlus 13 and Pixel 9 Pro XL, the Galaxy S25 Ultra is actually lacking in some regards.
That very similarity that leaves the S25 Ultra feeling like a rerun also makes it a much worse value than ever before. The next few months will almost undoubtedly see big deals on last year's Galaxy S24 Ultra, as carriers and retailers alike work to move their remaining stock. Even if you're dead-set on sticking in Samsung's ecosystem, why not save a few hundred dollars and score a year-old phone on discount? Even if you're worried about longevity, the Galaxy S24 Ultra has software support through early 2031 — that's still six years of promised updates.
This is, of course, ignoring the Galaxy S25+, which squeezes nearly everything great about the Galaxy S25 Ultra into a more manageable — yet still expansive — chassis, all at a cheaper price. Even the S Pen feels less necessary than ever without its Bluetooth LE-based toolset, which really begs the question of whether it's worth the extra cost. Even the additional telephoto lens and upgraded ultra-wide just don't quite feel worth the cost compared to the other options on the market.
The Galaxy S25 Ultra could still impress — only time will tell
As I write this, I'm just hours away from getting my hands on a Galaxy S25 Ultra review unit. Over the next couple of weeks, Samsung will have plenty of chances to prove me wrong, to prove that I should be impressed with its vision for mobile AI and smartphones in general. But first impressions are everything, and my first impressions with the Galaxy S25 Ultra simply didn't leave me feeling the same sort of excitement that smartphone launches should — and have — generated. We'll have to wait to see just how everything shakes out.
Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra
Samsung's Galaxy S25 Ultra leaves the Note-like design behind for the very first time. With flat edges, curved corners, and a massive 6.9-inch display, this is a modern flagship through and through — and yes, that S Pen is still here too.