Galaxy S25 Ultra vs S25 and S25 Plus: I compared all the key specifications and features

Samsung showed off the Samsung Galaxy S25 series of phones at its packed event in San Jose, and while most of the showcases were reserved for new AI features, there are still plenty of new hardware details to highlight. Here’s what’s different across the trio of new phones, and how the Galaxy S25 Ultra specs compare to the standard Galaxy S25 and S25 Plus.

All three phones are priced the same as last year’s Galaxy S24 family, but 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 – Shape porter and finally premium (and more expensive) 1.300 Ultra S25 S25 has the absolute best specifications for in terms of its cameras and display.

Despite everyone in attendance, the packed event had one last surprise to reveal: the Galaxy S25 Edge, a fourth-thinner sibling in the phone’s 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 specifics to compare it to its three popular siblings. Chalk it up to a 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 about the three S25 phones we know a lot about.

Design and display

You’d be hard-pressed to see any 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 the larger S25 Plus both 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 its bottom edge for a removable S-pen.

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 coming in at 218 grams (7.69 ounces). Both the S25 and S25 Plus have standard aluminum frames, while the S25 Ultra has a titanium one. 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 long HD resolution (2,340 by 1,080 pixels), while the larger S25 Plus has a 6.7-inch screen with a larger 1440p resolution (3,120 by 1,440 pixels) and the S25 Ultra has a slightly larger 6.8 large 6.8 -In screen with the same resolution 1440p with a layer anti-glare to help minimize reflections.

There’s another unifying factor: For the first time in years, the S25 Ultra has a curved display just like its smaller siblings. Another gripe of the Note series, the flat edges of the display, is gone. The phone screens all have a maximum brightness of 2,600 nits.

cAMERA

The phones’ three cameras haven’t changed much since last year’s S24 series. Both 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 boosts those capabilities with a 200-megapixel main camera, a new 50-megapixel ultrawide shooter, and dual telephoto cameras: a 10-megapixel optical zoom along with a 50-megapixel 5x optical 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 closely tied in terms of performance, likely because all their AI features require a high starting base. (We’ve also heard this about Apple’s iPhone.) All three phones pack 12GB of RAM, which could be a new starting point 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 Elite Snapdragon 8 introduced last October, which has blazing speeds and plenty of built-in AI capabilities. The S25 phones aren’t the first to pack the chip, coming in behind the Xiaomi 15 at the bottom of the phones yet.

The phones pack escalating amounts of storage, with the S25 coming in either 128GB or 256GB, the S25 Plus packing either 256GB or 512GB and the S25 Ultra arriving with either 256GB, 512GB or 1TB. Like past 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 beyond their onboard storage.

The phones all come with Android 15 out of the box, as well as an overlay of Samsung’s UI 7. The phones all have Samsung’s seven-year warranty on Android updates and security.

Features of AI

The new AI features on the S25 series may be its most defining feature that sets it apart from last year’s S24 phones (it’s unclear if or how many of the features will trickle down to older Samsung handsets). All three S25 phones can access the same AI features.

One of the most important new AI features is what Samsung is calling cross-actions—for example, a request to “find a pet-friendly vegan restaurant and text it to me” would consult multiple apps for an answer, like Yelp and Messages. Depending on the demand, Samsung or Google AI models will be used.

Another Samsung-exclusive AI feature is AI Select, which suggests actions or apps depending on what you’re looking at. Just swipe from the screen to launch the Edge panel (the sidebar with app shortcuts) and tap the SELEC button Viewing as your phone’s wallpaper.

Samsung also has a new feature called Conversational Search which responds to the most random of requests with contextual suggestions – so if you say “My eyes are hurting, can you help with the screen” then the phone will bring up brightness settings and blue light filter. It will also help make photo search smarter, much like how Apple and Google have used AI to improve their photo album searches.

The Search Circle feature, which debuted on last year’s S24 series, is also getting an update: it can now recognize audio, so you can say goodbye to Shazam. The new phones also have more personalized recommendations, Samsung says, like recommending thermostat changes when your phone notices you’re better at a certain temperature (assuming the health data is coming from a Samsung Galaxy Ring or Galaxy Watch).

BATTERIES

Battery capacity is another area where phones differ, although it’s important to clarify that more capacity doesn’t always equate to your phone lasting longer. Brightness, GPS location tracking, and other features can drain your phone quickly, regardless. But all things 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 norm Samsung phones have stuck to for years while other Android flagships leave them in the dust—the OnePlus 13, for example, has 100-watt charging (80-watt in USA) that fully recharged 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 juice up other devices using its own battery. While the phones don’t have Magsafe magnetic connectors inside the phones like Apple’s latest iPhone, they can match it with official Samsung and third-party cases with magnetic connectors.

cONcluSiON

Samsung’s three-phone lineup is pretty much set in stone these days, with the lowest-priced S25 having the least impressive specs, the bigger-users S25 Plus wanting more battery, and the S25 Ultra offering the highest spec with S pen functionality.

But those lines are blurred a bit thanks to the onboard upgrade to 12GB of RAM, which leaves storage and screen resolution as the biggest differentiators between all the phones. The big gap between the S25 Plus and the S25 Ultra remains the latter’s more impressive cameras and stylus, though that’s becoming a steep climb for the $300 price tag.

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; 1-120Hz Adaptive refresh rate	6.7 inch amoled; 3,120×1,440 pixels; 1-120Hz Adaptive refresh rate	6.8-inch AMOLED; 3,120×1,440 pixels; 1-120Hz Adaptive refresh rate
Pixel density	416 PPI	509 PPI	501 PPI
Dimensions (inches)	5.78 x 2.78 x 0.28 in.	6.24 x 2.98 x 0.29 in.	6.41 x 3.06 x 0.32 in.
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-megapixel (wide), 12-megapixel (ultrawide), 10-megapixel (3x telephoto)	50-megapixel (wide), 12-megapixel (ultrawide), 10-megapixel (3x telephoto)	200-megapixel (wide), 50-megapixel (ultrawide), 10-megapixel (3x telephoto), 50-megapixel (5x telephoto)
Front camera	12-megapixel	12-megapixel	12-megapixel
Video capture	8 k	8 k	8 k
maker	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	12GB RAM + 256GB, 512GB	12GB RAM + 256GB, 512GB, 1TB
Expandable storage	ANY	ANY	ANY
BATTERIES	4,000 mAh	4,900 mAh	5,000 mAh
Fingerprint sensor	Under the show	Under the show	Under the show
connective	USB-C	USB-C	USB-C
Headphone shirt	ANY	ANY	ANY
Special features	Peak brightness of 2,600; 7 years of OS and security updates; 5g (mmwave); IP68 Water and dust resistance; Wireless PowerShare to charge other devices; 25W wired charging (charger not included); Galaxy AI; Wi-Fi 7	Peak brightness of 2,600; 7 years of OS and security updates; 5g (mmwave); IP68 Water and dust resistance; Wireless PowerShare to charge other devices; 25W wired charging (charger not included); Galaxy AI; Wi-Fi 7; buffet with ultrawide	Titanium frame, 2,600 nits peak brightness; 7 years of OS and security updates; 5g (mmwave); IP68 Water and dust resistance; Wireless PowerShare to charge other devices; Built-in pen; UWB for finding other devices; 45W wired charging (charger not included); Galaxy AI; Wi-Fi 7; Goblet glass with gorilla armor cover; buffet with ultrawide
American pricing starts at	$800 (128GB)	$1,000 (256GB)	$1,300 (256GB)
UK pricing starts at	TBD	TBD	TBD
Australia pricing starts at	TBD	TBD	TBD