I used On Samsung new Galaxy S25 Ultra in a few days, and I have to confess. For years, my absolute favorite ultra-wide camera found on any phone was on the Samsung Galaxy S models, and the new version of the S25 Ultra is even better. When on The Galaxy S10 series fell in 2019, I couldn't take enough photos with Samsung's first ultra-wide camera. Was it perfect? No. But the lens had an amazing way of warping reality to make ultrawide photos look dramatic without being completely fisheye with distorted edges.
Over the years, Samsung has updated the lens and sensor of its ultra-wide camera. And the Galaxy S25 Ultra powers the new version with a 50-megapixel sensor — and it's amazing. Judging from my first 48 hours with the S25 Ultra, the ultrawide seems to be catching on a lot of detail, while having a respectable dynamic range, especially for high-contrast shots with varying light and shadow-like sunrises. Obviously I have more testing to do, but so far I'm loving the photos I'm getting from the new ultra-wide camera.
The ultra-wide on the S25 Ultra gives Peebles' cat a dramatic look as it moves to peek out the window.
See the details of the S25 Ultra's ultrawide captured in this photo of Peebles the cat. Even as Peebles rushes to his bed from the window, the phone picks up a ton of texture in his fur and whiskers. This image has challenging lighting, with sunlight pouring through the window on the left into an otherwise dark room. Note the image noise in the shadows on the right. Perfect? No, but in my book, the detail and dramatic lens distortion make up for it.
While the ultrawide camera isn't clinically perfect (and is still a step down from the main camera), it can produce stunning shots like this one of water flowing down stone steps.
Here's an early morning shot of a water sculpture taken with an ultrawide. The flowing water looks like glass contrasted against the stone. The image is too sharp, but I like the look of the sunburst in the upper right corner.
Macro photography gets a nice boost thanks to the new 50-megapixel sensor.
The S25 Ultra's ultrawide doubles as a macro lens, allowing it to get very close to the subject and still keep things in focus. In this photo of a toy Godzilla on a window, the plastic texture of the monster shows up quite well. Note the details of the turquoise eyes and cream colored teeth – Godzilla may need a visit to the dentist. Also, the S25 Ultra balances the exposure of the Godzilla image by avoiding blowing the sky and cityscape highlights out the window.
This photo was taken with the S25 Ultra's main camera.
Here's the same scene shot with the ultra-wide camera.
The ultra-wide isn't without its flaws, and it's still a step down in terms of overall image quality compared to the main camera. Notice in the photos above that the main camera image has better shadow detail (the trees on the right) and a wider dynamic range, and that the main camera uses less noise reduction (look at the bricks in the buildings). But even with those downsides, ultrawide images are, more often than not, impressive.
Here are some more ultra-wide shots of the S25 Ultra.
This ultra wide image was taken indoors with a mix of overhead light and daylight coming in from the windows.
I'm impressed with the dynamic range, which isn't as wide as the main camera, but respectable for an ultra-wide camera phone.
Maisie the cat's downward gaze looks even more dramatic through an ultrawide lens. Of course, as good as this photo is, it's not perfect, with the shadows in her coat all crisped up to black.
VI and rounded corners
The S Pen coming out of the Galaxy S25 Ultra. Notice the phone's new rounded corners.
But wait, there's more! Although the Ultra in the phone's name doesn't refer to the ultrawide lens, it symbolizes the ambitions of this phone. The Galaxy S25 Ultra is an ultra in everything in terms of specifications: Snapdragon 8 Elite chip12GB of RAM, a 5,000mAh battery, two telephoto cameras, a stylus and, the real star of the phone, that screen. But the same can be said about last year S24 Ultraif you swap out the new chip for last year's still blazing fast Snapdragon 8 Gen 3.
As for the physical design, the S25 Ultra now has rounded corners instead of the rectangular Galaxy Note-like ones found on previous Ultra phones. And similar to ordinary ones Galaxy S25 and S25 Plusthe edges of the phone are now flat, which I find makes the phone easier to hold. The S25 Ultra weighs even less than last year's model. Watching videos, playing games, or just scrolling through social feeds is more engaging, thanks to the screen's thinner bezels. None of these improvements are major, but they add up to make the S25 Ultra look more polished and less like I'm carrying around a tech-heavy brick.
Then there's artificial intelligence. Oh, the artificial intelligence. During the unveiling of the S25 Ultra at the Galaxy Unpacked event, Samsung highlighted its relationship and partnership with Google. And that might be the best way to think about it all these features of artificial intelligence. You need to have a Google account for the Gemini side of things and a Samsung account for the device and Bixby things.
Watch this: Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra Hands-On: Bigger Screen and More Artificial Intelligence
As advertised, a long press of the power button allowed me to pull up the Gemini interface to ask things like when the next Warriors game is and add it to my calendar. It's nice to have the digital assistant perform multiple steps from one command. Unfortunately, it added the game to the Samsung calendar app, not the Google calendar app I've used for years — a guess that meant I still had to manually add the event to the second calendar.
This may sound funny, but outside of my preference for Google apps over Samsung's, having a digital assistant capable of more complex questions will take some getting used to. Like most phone owners, I've mastered the reality of our current smartphones one step at a time over the years. In the short time I've had the phone, I'm constantly trying to think of additional ways I can take advantage of this more sophisticated assistant.
My final thought for now is that I really like the idea of a now bar on the lock screen that shows live updates to apps in the background. But unlike the iPhone and its Live Actions on the lock screen, it's very limited at the moment. I see the potential and hope this is something Samsung can get more third-party developers to take advantage of.
I have more testing to do, but after two days, I'm still feeling ultra good about the new S25 Ultra.
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