Upgrading to the Galaxy S25: should you do it, if you own one of these Android flagships?

For many people, the first 2025 Android flagship has arrived as of now – the Galaxy S25 is official. Samsung's brand-new vanilla flagship is here to compete against the Pixel 10 and the iPhone 17.

These two won't be unveiled for months to come, so many people are naturally asking themselves whether they need to upgrade right now and get the Galaxy S25.

Or should they just stay with their current phone and save some money, while they wait for the right one to come along?

Let's delve deeper and compare the Galaxy S25 with seven extremely popular Android phones in the US.

Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra

It's been two years since you got your Galaxy S23 Ultra. That's an Ultra, so you're pretty satisfied with it these last 24 months. But… as time goes by, you're keen on experimenting with something new.

Naturally, the Galaxy S25 is your first choice if you don't feel like spending a little fortune on the Galaxy S25 Ultra, or you're no longer attracted to larger handsets like the Galaxy S25+.

The first major difference between the two is the display – not just the sheer size of it (6.2 inches vs. 6.9 inches), but the resolution as well (the S25 comes with a lower total pixel count). The good news is that the display on the new phone supports the super smooth 120Hz refresh rate.

The next important difference is the chipset – the brain of the phone, so to speak. The S23 Ultra packs the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2, which many will accuse of being archaic. The Galaxy S25 comes with the top-shelf Galaxy-optimized Snapdragon 8 Elite, the successor of the incredibly successful Snapdragon 8 Gen 3. That's two generations of silicon in advantage! The newer is faster, as you could've guessed.

The battery on the Galaxy S25 is noticeably smaller at 4,000 mAh than the 5,000 mAh of the Galaxy S23 Ultra, but there's a "but". The aforementioned chipset – the Snapdragon 8 Elite – is great at efficiency, so it doesn't drain as much power as the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2. Also, the smaller display panel on the S25 should be gentler on the cell as well.

Of course, the Galaxy S25's superiority truly shines when we're talking about software support and AI features. But Samsung could release many of the latter for older Galaxy phones via a software update in the near future.

My advice is to stick with the Galaxy S23 Ultra, if you don't care that much about gaming or getting AI features on the first day.

Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra

Here, I'll just start with my recommendation: do it. Get the Galaxy S25.

That is, if you have the money and you've been contemplating upgrading your phone for some time now. Most of the things we discussed above for the Galaxy S23 Ultra (the display size, the battery) are valid here as well, but the difference on the chipset front is far greater.

See, the Galaxy S22 Ultra packs the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1, which had its fair share of problems (cough, cough, overheating). Maybe you're among the lucky ones who are perfectly fine with the 8 Gen 1 chipset. But if you get to experience the top-shelf Snapdragon 8 Elite in the Galaxy S25, I'm pretty sure you won't look back.

The Snapdragon 8 Elite comes with a much higher frequency (4320MHz vs. 3000MHz) and that clearly shows in real life usage.

Samsung Galaxy S22

Similarly, if you rock the Galaxy S22, now is not a bad time to upgrade if you feel like it and that doesn't turn into a financial crisis for you.

Those who like to game on the Galaxy S22 will be particularly pleased to get the Galaxy S25. Boy, does it shine on that front!

The Galaxy S25's Snapdragon 8 Elite chipset enhances gaming via the Vulkan Engine and upgraded Ray Tracing for smoother, more realistic experiences. There's a redesigned heat dissipation system with a big vapor chamber and optimized thermal interface material – all of this ensures efficient cooling for intense usage, gaming, and AI processing!

Of course, the Galaxy S22 still has what it takes to make it throughout this and next year, for sure: don't upgrade if you don't feel like it. It's down to what type of user you are.

You shouldn't expect everything to be two, three times better on the Galaxy S25, but Samsung's recent optimizations should come in handy! In other words: if you're a real power-user that barely leaves their phone alone, you might not spot that big of a difference in anything other than performance (or gaming), but if you go lite on your smartphone, then you're bound to get more out of the upgrade in terms of battery life.

Google Pixel 7 Pro

With its 6.7-inch OLED display with a resolution of 3120 x 1440 px, Google's Pixel 7 Pro is not going down without a fight even in 2025. Of course, its Tensor G2 chipset gets obliterated when put next to the Galaxy S25's Snapdragon 8 Elite, but the Tensor wasn't made to deliver raw power in the first place.

The Pixel 7 Pro, as any Pixel, is outstanding when it comes to camera capabilities: and, to be precise, software camera optimizations.

The Galaxy S25 makes serious camera promises. Low-light videos are clearer thanks to improved noise reduction powered by advanced processing.

Editing tools once exclusive to professionals are now built-in, including Audio Eraser to remove unwanted sounds and Virtual Aperture for DSLR-like depth control. Galaxy Log enables professional color grading for videos, while Portrait Studio offers realistic avatar creation. New analog-style filters bring a classic film look to photos and videos.

My advice is to stick with the Pixel 7 Pro, unless you push it to the limits every other day and you need some of that Snapdragon power.

Google Pixel 6 Pro

This phone came in 2021 – yes, at the end of the year (it was October), but that's a long time ago.

However, it comes with a 5,003 mAh capacity battery (vs. 4,000 on the Galaxy S25), a big screen, 12 GB of RAM (on par with the Galaxy S25), and… the first generation of the Tensor chipset. What we said above when we discussed the Pixel 7 Pro, can be said here, but even louder: the Galaxy S25's Snapdragon 8 Elite should beat the living daylights out of the Tensor G1 in testing and real life scenarios.

Here, I'll have to recommend getting the Galaxy S25 if you also feel like the Pixel 6 Pro's time is up.

OnePlus 11

True, the OnePlus 12 is downright amazing, but it just might be the case that the OnePlus 11 is more popular in the US.

This one is a proper large-sized flagship from 2023 with the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 under the hood: like we pointed out above, not the greatest Snapdragon silicon out there.

But the OnePlus 11 competes pretty well on the camera front. There are three cameras on its back: a 50 MP main one, a 32 MP telephoto, and a 48 MP ultra-wide. The Galaxy S25 is lagging behind in terms of total megapixel count with its 12 MP ultra-wide snapper and its 10 MP telephoto. The main camera on the Galaxy S25 is backed by a 50 MP sensor.

The Galaxy S25, however, offers personalized AI features powered by on-device data analysis, ensuring tailored experiences while maintaining privacy through Samsung's Knox Vault. It introduces post-quantum cryptography for advanced data protection and enhanced security with One UI 7, featuring improved Theft Protection, Maximum Restrictions, and a Knox Matrix dashboard for device safety.

The OnePlus 11 arrived back in 2023 with the promise of four software updates, so those who don't drop their phones down erupting volcanoes should get Android 17. The Galaxy S25, however, promises seven years of software updates. Which is a lot!

I'm torn between the two, so you'll need to make up your mind: do you want to go with the latest piece of tech, or would you rather stay with the maturing OnePlus 11? If you don't feel like getting the OnePlus 13, the Galaxy S25 might be your go-to option.

Motorola Edge 30 Pro

This one is also known as the Motorola Edge+ (2022) and it'll soon celebrate its third birthday. Many would consider three to be the limit when it comes to years of phone usage, but I disagree in general. Unless you have some pretty specific needs for the latest cutting-edge tech, many three-year-old phones can serve you flawlessly.

Is that valid for the Edge 30 Pro, though?

Even though they offer similar numbers in terms of battery and charging speeds, screen resolution, and main camera megapixel count, the Galaxy S25 offers top-shelf AI features, longer software support, a telephoto camera, and an amazing IP68 water and dust resistance.

This one is easy: time to upgrade!

Well, that's it! 

But in case you're rocking an iPhone: don't worry, we've thought about that too: