Samsung's new S25 phones are a tiny bit different to last years...

Samsung has announced the brand new Samsung Galaxy S25 series, the annual update to the flagship S25 Ultra features a new 50MP ultra-wide-angle camera, a new processor, and a few design tweaks, and that’s it. Some people are calling this the most disappointing update ever made in terms of the cameras, battery capacity, charging speeds, and lack of new telephoto cameras, especially when compared to other brands which offer more battery, faster charging speeds, and high-resolution telephoto cameras capable of macro shooting. Other brands also offer higher resolution selfie cameras.

The brand new Samsung Galaxy S25 series, features the S25, S25 Plus, and S25 Ultra, replacing the earlier S24 series. These new camera phones continue with new AI features, including a new Aperture mode (in Expert RAW), new Portrait features, and voice isolation for video recording. Despite the seemingly minor updates, the S25 series is likely to make them some of the best phones for photography ever released from a main brand.

Let’s start by taking a look at the range-topper, the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra, we’ve highlighted the differences we’ve noted compared to the S24 Ultra.

The Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra features:

200MP f/1.7 main camera, with OIS
New: 50MP f/1.9 ultra-wide-angle camera (0.6x)
10MP f/2.4 3x telephoto camera, with OIS
50MP f/3.4 5x telephoto camera, with OIS
5x telephoto camera has 10x Super AI / Multi-frame / Super Resolution
12MP f/2.2 PDAF selfie camera (same on all models)
8K 30fps video, 4K 120/60/30fps (HDR now switched on by default)
6.8/6.9inch screen, 1-120Hz, 2600nits, with Corning Gorilla Glass Armor 2*
Titanium frame, 5000mAh battery
Snapdragon 8 Elite processor
New colours: Titanium grey, black, silver blue, white silver (with more colours online)
$1,299.99 / £1249 (256GB)

Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra colour options. Image: Samsung

The charging speed remains the same, at 45W, with slightly faster 25W wireless charging. The main camera promises “Optical quality” 2x zoom, and “Optical quality” 10x zoom from the 5x camera, just like the Google Pixel 9 Pro / XL phones. Samsung have changed the screen specifications on the website, with a 6.9″ full rectangle / 6.8″ rounded corners screen on the S25 Ultra compared to 6.8″/6.8″ (full/rounded) on the S24 Ultra.

If you’re looking for a high-spec Samsung phone, then the Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra would be a great option, with so little changed, why not buy last years model for way less?

The Samsung Galaxy S25 and S25 Plus

In comparison, the S25 and S25 Plus feature exactly the same triple camera setup, battery, and screen size as last years models, with ultra-wide-angle, wide-angle and 3x telephoto cameras, as well as a 12MP selfie camera with auto-focus. The AI features are also available on these phones, albeit without the 5x telephoto camera. The S25 remains Samsung’s small flagship camera phone, for those that want smaller phones, and the main update appears to be due to the new processor.