Jack of all trades, grasp of none

With our calls for for what we anticipate from a smartphone virtually met as of late, it is no shock the business has grown a bit of… boring. Greater than ever, software program is the secret, with the whole lot else — the design, the interior specs, even the digital camera sensors — coming in a distant second. Nowhere is that extra true than with the Galaxy S25 Extremely, a smartphone that’s arriving available on the market with out a lot else to its identify than a brand-new field of software program tips, practically all centered round AI.

In fact, that is far too easy of a narrative for Samsung. The Galaxy S25 Extremely is the one member of this yr’s trio to bear any visible modifications, whereas concurrently dropping out on some useful — albeit underused — S Pen performance. The outcome is without doubt one of the oddest smartphones I’ve ever reviewed for Android Police, a tool that feels caught between a superphone previous and an AI-first future. And albeit, whereas that appears like a recipe for catastrophe, the outcomes are about as predictable as you’d anticipate.

Availability, community, and specs

Out there, effectively, in all places

As traditional, you should buy the Galaxy S25 Extremely from virtually any electronics retailer. Amazon, Greatest Purchase, and the same old assortment of carriers all carry this smartphone, as do choose MVNOs like Google Fi (with, presumably, extra to return). Just like the Galaxy S23 collection, this yr’s complete lineup makes use of Qualcomm chips completely, so these shopping for in areas like Europe will get the identical Snapdragon 8 Elite-based expertise as these of us within the US.

In contrast to in 2024, Samsung has spared its followers from a worth hike. The Galaxy S25 Extremely begins at $1,300 for the 256GB mannequin, with the top-of-the-line 1TB mannequin priced at $1,660. Fortunately, between Samsung’s personal trade-in bonuses and the always-rotating allotment of offers from carriers, most smartphone buyers will not pay anyplace near these numbers this yr. Greater than ever, I would push patrons to benefit from these trade-in valuations.

I am reviewing the Galaxy S25 Extremely in its Titanium Silverblue colorway, and albeit, I feel it is fairly disappointing. That is grey by some other identify — you will solely spot the sunshine blue tinge in particular lights at much more particular angles. In case you’re planning on shopping for this cellphone, do the whole lot in your energy to select one of many three Samsung-exclusive colours. Titanium Jadegreen seems fairly sharp in individual.

Design and show

Familiarity breeds contempt

For the primary time because the Galaxy S21 Extremely, Samsung has a brand new search for its non-folding flagship. The Galaxy S25 Extremely leaves behind the Word-like look of its direct predecessors, adapting comparable attributes to the remainder of the S25 lineup. Curved corners, flat chassis: The long run is right here, of us, and it seems fairly just like each different cellphone available on the market. Say what you’ll in regards to the Galaxy S24 Extremely feeling “too large” — a minimum of it appeared distinctive.

The trade-off for such a boring aesthetic is, in fact, an enormous enhance to consolation. This cellphone is narrower, thinner, and lighter, and people curved corners assure that the caseless amongst us can maintain the Galaxy S25 Extremely with out feeling it dig into the palm of their hand. It is an awesome enchancment, however I actually want Samsung had discovered a method to deliver these modifications to this machine with out dropping the couple of attributes that made it stand out.

Apart from these modifications, although, this can be a fairly acquainted cellphone. The three foremost lenses alongside the again now have bigger, “floating” digital camera rings, whereas the UWB window has swapped sides throughout the body, and, effectively, that is about it. Frankly, I feel it is a completely superb design. These new flat edges make it look far chunkier — and fewer authentic — than its bulkier predecessor, however I can not argue that it is way more snug within the hand.

Fortunately, Samsung stored the most effective a part of the Galaxy S25 Extremely’s predecessor round: its show. Corning’s co-developed Gorilla Armor returns for yr two, promising higher resistance when dropped than its earlier iteration. That change appears to have come at the price of some scratch sturdiness, although, and we do not know but if it’s going to put on off after months of use, as some Galaxy followers discovered with final yr’s cellphone.

Considerations apart, Gorilla Armor continues to raise an already class-leading panel. This show is vibrant sufficient for use in direct daylight, but grows dim sufficient that I by no means felt like I wanted to activate Samsung’s extra-dim mode at evening. However, like many issues this yr, it is also outdated information. There’s nothing new with this panel outdoors the enhance to six.9 inches and the change to Gorilla Armor 2. It is an impressive show, however so was final yr’s.

Different {hardware} and what’s within the field

Sure, the S Pen’s been nerfed

From the haptics to the audio system, many of the {hardware} this yr appears unchanged from earlier generations. Even the transfer to a 6.9-inch show feels refined; side-by-side with the S24 Extremely, it is robust to inform the place the additional tenth of an inch got here from — maybe the minimized bezels actually have been sufficient to make that change. Palm rejection, by the best way, appears significantly better than what I noticed on Apple’s iPhone 16 Professional Max final yr.

Okay, let’s handle the elephant within the room. Sure, the S Pen has obtained a critical downgrade, dropping out solely on Air Actions because of the lack of Bluetooth LE help. Sure, I do suppose it issues, even when Samsung says lower than 1 p.c of Extremely customers relied on Air Actions. That is the second era in a row the place Samsung’s flagship smartphone is dropping out on one thing its predecessor options, after the 10x telephoto sensor on the S23 Extremely two years in the past.

If this issues to you, I would suggest a Galaxy S24 Extremely as a substitute. It is likely to be a yr outdated, however it’ll nonetheless see updates till 2031. Contained in the field, you will discover the cellphone, a USB-C to USB-C cable, a SIM software, and the same old assortment of paperwork. In case you have been anticipating one thing else, effectively, that is the state of the smartphone house.

Software program and efficiency

If this cellphone is all about Galaxy AI, that is an issue

Samsung’s complete argument for upgrading to the Galaxy S25 collection revolves round One UI 7 and Galaxy AI. The corporate is pushing this as an AI-first cellphone — the Galaxy S25 press launch calls it a “true AI companion,” no matter meaning. As such, I pressured myself to enter this evaluate with the expectations {that a} common buyer would have from statements like, I do not know, “the Galaxy S25 collection is step one in Samsung’s imaginative and prescient to alter the best way customers work together with their cellphone — and with their world.”

If this can be a first step, it is a small one. Let’s get the AI instruments out of the best way first, since I haven’t got a lot to say about them. Samsung is actually enthusiastic about Gemini this yr, even booting Bixby out of its long-term default assistant spot. I can perceive why — Gemini makes up the majority of the options Samsung is advertising as a part of its Galaxy AI suite, that means you need to be enthusiastic about no matter Google’s been cooking up.

Proper now, that is cross-app actions, permitting Gemini, in idea, to work throughout a number of apps. Samsung’s favourite instance is to have Gemini search for upcoming basketball video games and add them to your calendar. By default, it is utilizing Samsung Calendar on the S25 Extremely. Nevertheless, for those who specify an alternate app like Google Calendar in your first request, it’s going to do not forget that choice in your subsequent immediate, which matches double for all different cross-app actions.

Now, basketball’s a long-dead dream in Buffalo, so as a substitute, I requested Gemini so as to add the following three Sabres video games to my Google Calendar. To make it a bit of extra troublesome, I requested dwelling video games solely. Credit score the place credit score’s due: It did it with out breaking a sweat, accurately including video games for February twenty second, twenty fifth, and March 1st towards the Rangers, Geese, and Canadiens, respectively. Thus far, so good, proper?

Two issues. First, this is not unique to the Galaxy S25 Extremely. Not solely might I do the identical activity on my Pixel 9 Professional, however I additionally pulled it off on last-gen’s Galaxy S24 Extremely. It is likely to be considered one of Samsung’s large promoting factors for this cellphone, however that does not imply it’s a must to purchase it to attempt it. Second, nonetheless, is an excellent larger problem. On a follow-up immediate, I requested Gemini so as to add the following Buffalo Bandits recreation — that is our skilled lacrosse staff — to my calendar. In response, it pulled up an 8:30 p.m. dwelling recreation towards the Calgary Roughnecks going down on Wednesday, February twelfth.

That recreation doesn’t exist. NLL video games are virtually completely held on Saturdays, not Wednesdays, and the following time the Bandits will face the Roughnecks at house is March eighth. So far as I can inform, there isn’t any method to verify the place any of Google’s extensions acquired their info from; it’s a must to acknowledge the tell-tale indicators that one thing’s gone mistaken — as I did, when noticing the Bandits recreation happened on Wednesday — or fact-check each motion you employ with Gemini. Both manner, that is a recipe for catastrophe.

Possibly I am being too exhausting on Samsung right here — that is, as I discussed, a Google characteristic that occurs to be a robust promoting level for the S25 collection. But when this actually is the way forward for utilizing my smartphone, I’ll miss a complete lot of occasions shifting ahead, and I is likely to be attending some that merely don’t exist.

The one different AI software I feel is value diving into is Samsung’s Now Temporary. In contrast to cross-app actions, this is unique to One UI, and extra particularly, it is solely on the Galaxy S25 collection at launch. The concept behind the Now Temporary is straightforward: What if Samsung spun again up a brand new iteration of Google Now, solely this time, it was powered by the magic of AI? I feel you’ll be able to see the place I am going with this.

The Now Temporary, like Google Now earlier than it, is a superb concept with a wasted execution. As soon as this evaluate is filed, I am going to seemingly by no means re-open it once more. It routinely gives updates on climate, calendar appointments, trending information tales, and fully random, user-generated Spotify playlists (usually with as little as zero follows). Sometimes, it’s going to embody visitors updates, urged routines, and YouTube Shorts. Personally, my urged routines included “opening the settings menu each morning,” whereas the YouTube Shorts integration is actually only a hyperlink to YouTube Shorts.

It provides nothing to your life that, say, Google’s (horrible) Uncover feed could not. And whereas it would possibly get higher over time, Samsung’s total monitor document with software program enhancements…is not nice? I would like to see the Now Temporary evolve into one thing remotely value utilizing, however proper now, it is one other One UI software that you will in all probability disable just a few days after you unbox this cellphone.

At first look, One UI 7 is a fairly large visible overhaul. It is a handsome pores and skin, and the inclusion of options like a vertical app drawer has been a very long time coming. However usually, One UI 7’s additions fall into two classes, and neither is especially good: wasted potential and unhealthy iOS knock-offs.

Within the “wasted potential” zone, you will discover issues like Samsung’s newly-optimized search bar in settings. In idea, Samsung’s utilizing AI to permit for extra natural-sounding search phrases. You are not typing “hotspot,” you are typing “how do I flip my hotspot on,” and One UI is delivering that outcome proper into your feed. In observe, it just about returns the identical precise search phrases, with none further context that may assist less-informed customers. Within the case of my hotspot instance, “Hotspot 2.0” was really the highest outcome, whereas the one you would have needed — “Cell Hotspot” — was the third outcome.

The Now Bar bleeds into each classes, however for the sake of simplicity, let’s preserve it to “wasted potential.” I used to be optimistic once I heard Samsung was constructing its personal model of Apple’s Stay Actions into One UI 7. Certain, we’ll get a bit of extra help in Android 16, however contemplating simply how useful these Dynamic Island-adjacent widgets have confirmed on iOS over the past couple of years, I am down for as many iterations of those as attainable.

Sadly, I by no means acquired it working correctly. Outdoors of some fundamental performance — media controls, timers in Samsung’s clock app, a recurring alert that my Now Temporary had refreshed — the Now Bar simply did not work for me. I am not saying it did not sync with the overwhelming majority of my apps (I imply, it did not, however that is to be anticipated). I am saying even its personal core performance did not correctly work. After greater than two weeks of makes an attempt, together with a troubleshooting name with Samsung, I have been unable to get sports activities scores to seem on my cellphone for any staff.

Then there’s the precise Apple knock-off stuff, like the brand new split-screen format for fast settings and notifications. By default, your notifications are accessed by a swipe down from the upper-left nook, whereas a swipe from the precise nook unveils your fast settings. You may swap these controls or mesh them again collectively, however both manner, I am not a fan.

This new devoted fast settings web page is someway much less customizable than Apple’s, whereas it introduces bizarre lacking components, like open house the place the settings shortcut might stay. And wasn’t One UI initially all about reachability? Why am I reaching over this whole 6.9-inch show to entry my notifications for crying out loud?

I digress. Look, I am not right here to say One UI 7 is unhealthy or something, however like most of this cellphone, it is merely superb. Contemplating how tough iOS 18 is, how sterile and chilly the Pixel expertise feels, and the way delayed this yr’s replace was, I simply hoped Samsung would seize the chance to blow me away within the software program division. However hey, I like the brand new app drawer.

That is the third Snapdragon 8 Elite-powered smartphone I’ve utilized in as many months, and I proceed to search out myself concurrently glad and disenchanted with Qualcomm’s newest. On one hand, any considerations over energy draw appear to be moot. That is the worst battery life I’ve seen from something working on this chipset, however as I am going to handle in a while, that does not imply it is unhealthy battery life.

Now, however, I’ve but to see any OEM or developer discover a method to make the most of the facility promised by the Snapdragon 8 Elite. I might’ve cherished to see Samsung make some large modifications to DeX within the wake of this improved efficiency. Oh effectively — perhaps subsequent yr.

Digital camera

Higher than final yr, however simply barely

As a each day driver, I discovered the Galaxy S24 Extremely fairly unreliable for any scene with movement — so, you realize, the whole lot however landscapes. Months of rumors surrounding an enormous digital camera replace that might repair the S24’s shutter pace issues got here and went, and right this moment, it is nonetheless primarily the identical digital camera system that launched final yr. The Galaxy S25 Extremely is, undoubtedly, higher at dealing with movement than its predecessor, however I am damning it with faint reward. Samsung is behind its rivals in practically each capability, together with these shutter pace points.

Throughout the daytime, the Galaxy S25 Extremely is completely superb. It may deal with movement with out breaking a sweat, however the second the lights begin to dim, those self same issues from the previous decade’s value of Samsung telephones begin to rear their ugly heads: blurry topics, graining photos, and unhealthy post-processing outcomes.

Its issues transcend that, in fact. I have never taken a single photograph with this machine that made my jaw drop, one thing that may’t be mentioned for OnePlus or Google or, actually, even Apple, when you make the most of these foolish Photographic Kinds. All the things seems a bit of too desaturated to my eye, a bit of too flat. Most of those pattern photographs are usually not unhealthy — I would even name just a few of them outright good — however none of them make me wish to bust out my photograph printer to get a bodily souvenir.

The one {hardware} change Samsung made this era comes from a brand new ultra-wide sensor. Please, sit down and attempt to not get too excited once I let you know that…. It is superb. I do not use the ultra-wide lens notably usually on any smartphone, and once I do, it is often for macro mode, not large group photographs. (And sure, I’ve associates, I swear. They’re simply out of body.) This is an instance utilizing a Catbus toy from My Neighbor Totoro in comparison with the identical shot on the Galaxy S24 Extremely.

Left: Galaxy S25 Extremely. Proper: Galaxy S24 Extremely.

The S25 Extremely might be the higher shot, and that is earlier than you account for the bump in decision, however it’s actually not the type of generational leap that’ll make you rush over to Greatest Purchase. And, frankly, macrophotography is a reasonably area of interest use case — actually this consideration might’ve gone in direction of lastly bringing a 1-inch sensor to a single flagship accessible within the US, proper?

On the video facet, Samsung added LOG recording this yr, which ought to please the content material creators round us. I did not try it out—my video manufacturing diploma apart, I am not capturing a lot as of late—however the usual 4K capturing appears adequate for many shoppers to be proud of. I am unsure Steven Soderbergh is abandoning his iPhone for a Galaxy S25 Extremely, however for everybody else, it is a completely satisfying expertise.

Yet another notice earlier than I shut out on the digital camera, and this one’s a bizarre one. I’ve by no means had a digital camera wrestle with its accelerometer’s orientation like I’ve seen right here. I’ve needed to repair rotation points on greater than two dozen pictures taken with the Galaxy S25 Extremely, together with photographs that have been taken seconds other than one another. I am unsure if this can be a downside with my particular machine, or one thing Samsung might handle in a post-launch patch, however it’s a very irritating expertise regardless.

Battery life and charging

Do not get us began on Qi2

A few years in the past, I’d’ve referred to as the Galaxy S25 Extremely’s battery life “excellent.” This yr, I am holding issues a bit of extra reserved. The S25 Extremely’s battery is sweet, there isn’t any doubt about it, however I am unsure it is as much as par with the present state of Android flagships. Certain, this cellphone can outlast the Pixel 9 Professional XL, however Google’s Tensor period has by no means been Android’s best. And in comparison with what we’re seeing from present and rumored 2025 flagships, I feel Samsung is likely to be falling behind the curve.

In case you’re anxious about getting by a full day on a single cost, here is the excellent news: I by no means discovered myself topping up this machine out of necessity. There have been, admittedly, just a few occasions once I ended the day with lower than 15 p.c left, completely requiring an in a single day cost, however often, I fell into the 20 to 30 p.c space. Nonetheless, I would suggest plugging in at bedtime; regardless of turning out the lights with 21 p.c remaining one evening, I nonetheless awoke to a lifeless machine the following morning.

On Wi-Fi, I would name the Galaxy S25 Extremely’s 5,000mAh cell is completely environment friendly. It is the times when you are going to be on a cell community that you just would possibly end up in hassle. This cellphone appears to empty surprisingly quick on 5G, even when it is simply chilling in my pocket or casting a downloaded podcast to my earbuds. On days once I wasn’t dwelling for lengthy durations, I would completely discover myself beginning to really feel the slightest pangs of battery nervousness. Frankly, I feel it is time for Samsung to push previous this 5,000mAh threshold — the Galaxy Word 7 debacle was practically a decade in the past.

Though Samsung hasn’t promoted the Galaxy S25 Extremely as that includes sooner charging speeds, it appears faster to energy up than its predecessors — with the precise charging brick. Paired with a 45W PPS-supported plug, I discovered myself powering up from lifeless to full in round an hour. That is removed from the quickest charging speeds you will discover on the planet of Android as of late, however it’s positively an enchancment on what got here earlier than.

Samsung would like to let you know its newest flagship is “Qi2-ready,” and I would like to roll my eyes at that assertion. Certain, you can purchase a Qi2/MagSafe-ready case, however the one factor that is new for 2025 are first-party choices. I had a MagSafe case on my Galaxy S24 Extremely for crying out loud. Like OnePlus earlier than it, Samsung would not get bonus factors for providing an non-obligatory accent years after MagSafe on Android started to develop traction. No matter what number of customers preserve their units in circumstances, I would nonetheless prefer to see the Galaxy S26 collection achieve native help.

Competitors

It is fairly stiff this yr

Proper now, there isn’t any higher different to the Galaxy S25 Extremely than the OnePlus 13. It isn’t an ideal match — you will not discover stylus help on this yr’s OnePlus flagship, and it is not fairly as premium-feeling within the hand. Nonetheless, for those who’re after a do-it-all Android cellphone (or, you realize, the fashionable equal of that), the OnePlus 13 is a superb selection, matching or beating the S25 Extremely spec-for-spec in virtually each regard.

The OnePlus 13 is a real multi-day battery champ, whether or not on Wi-Fi or mobile, and regardless of Samsung’s sooner charging speeds, the S25 Extremely merely cannot compete with an 80W charging brick. To me, although, the Hasselblad-branded digital camera system trumps Samsung’s 2025 efforts. Even the shutter pace enhancements aren’t sufficient to depart me wowed with the multitude of lenses offered by the Galaxy S25 Extremely; the OnePlus 13, in the meantime, ceaselessly left me stunned, even with the occasional botched shot.

In case you’re after a extra dependable total expertise, the Pixel 9 Professional XL is a superb selection. I feel long-time Samsung followers will discover Google’s taste of Android to be fairly missing, however a third-party launcher can go a good distance in bringing again a few of that lacking performance. Its digital camera is trusty and dependable — albeit a bit boring and undersaturated at occasions — and it contains the most effective cell AI instruments within the recreation, for no matter that’s (or is not) value. And whereas I do not anticipate everybody to like Google’s design language, I feel it is the type of machine that stands out in that same-old same-old crowd.

The OnePlus 13 begins at $900 — although you will seemingly wish to pony up for the $1,000 mannequin with extra RAM — whereas the Pixel 9 Professional XL begins at $1,100. Each handle to undercut the Galaxy S25 Extremely’s MSRP, with their very own respective trade-in offers. However nobody gives financial savings like Samsung, and contemplating the OnePlus 13 is not even in a single service retailer, it is apparent why the S25 Extremely has the higher hand.

Must you purchase it?

Objectively, the Galaxy S25 Extremely is a superb cellphone. It is acquired top-of-the-line shows accessible on any machine right this moment, no matter type issue. It is acquired a reliable digital camera system. It is acquired sufficient battery life to get you thru a day in all however probably the most excessive of use circumstances. It’s going to see seven years of software program help, a timespan that might see most of its customers abandon it for one thing new effectively earlier than that date ever reveals up on a calendar. It is the whole lot that makes up our most elementary concept of what a smartphone must be.

Should not we ask for greater than that, although? I am not right here searching for Samsung to revolutionize the very idea of cell phones, however actually, shoppers ought to anticipate extra out of their four-digit devices than this, proper? From a {hardware} perspective, this feels just about indistinguishable from what got here earlier than, save for the shortage of pointy corners — a pleasant enchancment, to make certain. The software program right here feels bloated and uninspired, with a give attention to AI that merely is not earned. Consider these lacking S Pen options, and it is robust to get notably enthusiastic about Samsung’s newest launch.

The Galaxy S25 Extremely is not a nasty cellphone — it simply fails to face out in any explicit manner. It is the primary of Samsung’s current flagships to really feel as uninspired as its design, a tool that exists solely to meet the necessity for a “new” ultra-premium smartphone sitting on cabinets in each service retailer. In case you’re rocking a Galaxy S20 or Galaxy S21, or perhaps even a Galaxy S22 that is beginning to really feel a bit of lengthy within the tooth, I might see upgrading to the Galaxy S25 Extremely. For everybody else, although, I am simply unsure there’s sufficient right here to justify that sticker worth. Higher begin buying round for service offers — or, higher but, skip out and watch for no matter comes subsequent.