Samsung showed it Samsung Galaxy S25 series of phones on their own An unpacked event in San Jose, and while most of the show was reserved for new AI features, there are still plenty of new hardware details to highlight. Here's what's different about the trio of new phones, and how Galaxy S25 Ultra specs compare to the standard Galaxy S25 and S25 Plus.
All three phones have the same prices as last year Galaxy S24 familybut they've all seen changes: the $800 standard S25 has all the new AI tricks and upgrades, the $1,000 S25 Plus builds on that with more storage and battery in a larger-format phone, and finally the most premium (and expensive) 1,300 dollars S25 Ultra it has the absolute best specs in terms of its cameras and screen.
Unbeknownst to everyone in attendance, the Unpacked event had one last surprise to reveal: the Galaxy S25 Edgea slimmer fourth sibling in the phone generation. Unfortunately, Samsung hasn't revealed much about this device, and aside from seeing it on the show floor showing off its thinness, we don't have any specs to compare it to its three well-known siblings. Take a look at the mystery we could see released in the first half of this year, if rumors are to be believed.
That said, here are all the specs for the three S25 phones we know a lot about.
Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra.
Design and display
You'll be hard-pressed to see the differences between last year's phones and this year's, as the overall look hasn't changed much. But there are still visual differences between the phones. Both the smaller S25 and larger S25 Plus have a trio of phone lenses on the back, while the S25 Ultra has four. As has been the case for years, the Ultra model has a slot on the right side of the bottom edge for the S Pen ejector.
Unsurprisingly, the standard S25 is the lightest of the bunch, weighing in at 162 grams (5.71 ounces), while the S25 Plus is heavier at 190 grams (6.7 ounces) and the S25 Ultra at 218 grams (7.69 ounces). The S25 and S25 Plus have standard aluminum frames, while the S25 Ultra has a titanium frame. All three phones are IP68 rated for dust and water resistance.
Although all AMOLED with 1-120Hz refresh rates, the screens are where the phones start to differ. The standard S25 has a 6.2-inch screen with a high HD resolution (2,340 by 1,080 pixels), while the larger S25 Plus has a 6.7-inch screen with a sharper 1440p resolution (3,120 by 1,440 pixels), and the S25 Ultra has a slightly larger 68. – inch screen with the same 1440p resolution with an anti-glare coating to minimize reflections.
There's another unifying factor: For the first time in years, the S25 Ultra has a curved screen just like its smaller siblings. Another hallmark of the Note series, the flat edges of the screen, is gone. All phone screens have a maximum brightness of 2600 nits.
Samsung Galaxy S25 camera specifications.
Cameras
The cameras on all three phones haven't changed much from last year's S24 series. The standard S25 and S25 Plus have a trio of rear cameras: a 50-megapixel main shooter, a 12-megapixel ultrawide camera, and a 10-megapixel telephoto with 3x optical zoom.
The S25 Ultra bolsters those capabilities with a 200-megapixel main camera, a new 50-megapixel ultrawide shooter, and dual telephoto cameras: 10-megapixel optical zoom and 3x optical zoom along with a 50-megapixel optical zoom camera.
All three phones have a 12-megapixel front-facing camera for selfies, and all can shoot up to 8K video from their rear cameras.
Performance
The phones are roughly matched in terms of performance, probably because all of their AI features require a high-spec baseline. (We've also heard this about Apple's iPhones.) All three phones pack 12GB of RAM, which could be the new baseline for using these features. Previously the S24 only had 8GB of RAM.
All three pack a customized version of Qualcomm's most advanced mobile chip, the Snapdragon 8 Elite introduced last October, which has fast speeds and lots of built-in AI capabilities. The S25 phones are not the first to pack the chip, but come later Xiaomi 15 the end of last year and OnePlus 13 introduced earlier this year — but Samsung's latest phones are among the entry-level packages that use Qualcomm's most advanced phone silicon ever.
The phones have increased amounts of storage, with the S25 coming in 128GB or 256GB, the S25 Plus packing 256GB or 512GB and the S25 Ultra arriving with 256GB, 512GB or 1TB. As in previous years, neither phone has a microSD slot or other way to physically expand storage, so you'll need to purchase cloud storage options to save more of their internal storage.
All phones come with Android 15 out of the box, as well as an overlay of Samsung One UI 7. All phones are guaranteed for seven years of Android and security updates from Samsung.
One of the AI ​​features is pet care, which aims to analyze problems with pets.
Features of artificial intelligence
On new AI features in the S25 series may be its most defining feature that differentiates it from last year's S24 phones (it's unclear if or how many of the features will trickle down to Samsung's older phones). All three S25 phones can access the same AI features.
One of the most notable new AI features is what Samsung calls cross-app actions — for example, asking to “find a pet-friendly restaurant and send me a text” will consult multiple response apps, like Yelp and Messages. Depending on the request, Samsung's or Google's AI models will be used.
Another artificial intelligence feature exclusive to Samsung is AI Select, which suggests actions or apps depending on what you're looking at. Just swipe off the screen to launch Edge Panel (the sidebar with app shortcuts) and tap the AI ​​Select button to have it make suggestions in the context of what you're looking at, like setting up a GIF or the image you want watching as wallpaper on your phone.
Samsung also has a new feature called conversational search that answers more mundane requests with contextual suggestions — so if you say “my eyes hurt, can you help with the screen” then the phone will bring up the brightness settings and blue light filter. It will also help make photo searches smarter, similar to how Apple and Google used artificial intelligence to improve their own photo album searches.
The Circle to Search feature, which debuted on last year's S24 series, also gets an upgrade: it can now recognize audio, so you can say goodbye to Shazam. The new phones also have more personalized recommendations, Samsung says, such as a recommendation to change the thermostat when the phone detects that you sleep better at a certain temperature (assuming the health data comes from the Samsung Galaxy Ring or Galaxy Watch).
Battery
Battery capacity is another area where phones differ, although it's important to clarify that more capacity doesn't always correlate with your phone lasting longer. Lighting, GPS location tracking, and other features can quickly drain your phone regardless. But being equal, bigger batteries mean more battery life: the S25 has a 4,000 mAh battery, the S25 Plus has a 4,900 mAh battery, and the S25 Ultra has a 5,000 mAh battery.
Both the S25 and S25 Plus have 25-watt charging, a rate Samsung's phones have been stuck at for years as other Android flagships leave them in the dust — OnePlus 13for example, it has a 100-watt charger (80 watts in the US) that fully charged a dead battery in just over half an hour in our testing. The S25 Ultra is slightly better, with 45-watt charging, but it feels particularly archaic on the most advanced phone in Samsung's stable.
All three phones have 15W wireless charging (the same as you'll get with the Qi2 standard), as well as Wireless PowerShare to charge other devices using their own battery. Although the phones don't have the MagSafe magnetic connection inside the phones like Apple's latest iPhones, they can get it close with official Samsung and third-party cases with magnetic connectors.
Conclusion
Samsung's three-phone lineup is pretty set these days, with the lowest-priced S25 having the least impressive specs, the larger S25 Plus catering to users who want more battery and the S25 Ultra offering the highest specs with S Pen functionality.
But those lines are blurred a bit thanks to the upgrade to 12GB of RAM, which leaves storage space and screen resolution as the biggest difference between all the phones. The big jump between the S25 Plus and the S25 Ultra remains the latter's more impressive cameras and stylus, though that becomes an increasingly steep increase for the $300 price jump.
Galaxy S25 vs Galaxy S25 Plus vs S25 Ultra
| Samsung Galaxy S25 | Samsung Galaxy S25 Plus | Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Screen size, technology, resolution, refresh rate | 6.2-inch AMOLED; 2,340×1,080 pixels; Adaptive refresh rate from 1-120 Hz | 6.7-inch AMOLED; 3,120×1,440 pixels; Adaptive refresh rate from 1-120 Hz | 6.8-inch AMOLED; 3,120×1,440 pixels; Adaptive refresh rate from 1-120 Hz |
| Pixel density | 416 ppi | 509 ppi | 501 ppi |
| Dimensions (inches) | 5.78 x 2.78 x 0.28 inches. | 6.24 x 2.98 x 0.29 inches. | 6.41 x 3.06 x 0.32 inches. |
| Dimensions (millimeters) | 146.9 x 70.5 x 7.2 mm | 158.4 x 75.8 x 7.3 mm | 162.8 x 77.6 x 8.2 mm |
| Weight (grams, ounces) | 162 g (5.71 oz.) | 190 g (6.70 oz.) | 218 g (7.69 oz.) |
| Mobile software | Android 15 | Android 15 | Android 15 |
| Camera | 50 megapixels (wide), 12 megapixels (ultrawide), 10 megapixels (3x telephoto) | 50 megapixels (wide), 12 megapixels (ultrawide), 10 megapixels (3x telephoto) | 200 megapixels (wide), 50 megapixels (ultrawide), 10 megapixels (3x telephoto), 50 megapixels (5x telephoto) |
| Front camera | 12-megapixel | 12-megapixel | 12-megapixel |
| Video recording | 8K | 8K | 8K |
| Processor | Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite for Galaxy | Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite for Galaxy | Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite for Galaxy |
| RAM + storage | 12 GB RAM + 128 GB, 256 GB | 12 GB RAM + 256 GB, 512 GB | 12 GB RAM + 256 GB, 512 GB, 1 TB |
| Expandable storage | No one | No one | No one |
| Battery | 4,000 mAh | 4,900 mAh | 5,000 mAh |
| Fingerprint sensor | Under the screen | Under the screen | Under the screen |
| Connector | USB-C | USB-C | USB-C |
| Headphone jack | No one | No one | No one |
| Special features | 2,600 nits peak brightness; 7 years of OS and security updates; 5G (mmWave); IP68 water and dust resistance; wireless PowerShare for charging other devices; 25W wired charging (charger not included); Galaxy AI; Wi-Fi 7 | 2,600 nits peak brightness; 7 years of OS and security updates; 5G (mmWave); IP68 water and dust resistance; wireless PowerShare for charging other devices; 25W wired charging (charger not included); Galaxy AI; Wi-Fi 7; ultra wide range | Titanium frame, maximum brightness of 2600 nits; 7 years of OS and security updates; 5G (mmWave); IP68 water and dust resistance; wireless PowerShare for charging other devices; integrated S Pen; UWB to find other devices; 45W wired charging (charger not included); Galaxy AI; Wi-Fi 7; Gorilla glass armor glass; ultra wide range |
| US pricing starts at | $800 (128GB) | $1,000 (256GB) | $1,300 (256GB) |
| UK pricing starts at | TBD | TBD | TBD |
| Pricing in Australia starts at | TBD | TBD | TBD |