Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra vs Galaxy S25 Plus: The bigger, the better?

We can easily consider 2024 as good as over when it comes to major device releases. Everyone is already looking towards 2025, and among the first that will test the waters is Samsung, which will release its Galaxy S25 lineup first thing next year. 

The lineup will consist of the gargantuan Galaxy S25 Ultra, the mid-sized Galaxy S25 Plus, and the compact Galaxy S25. The two larger phones are definitely the more intriguing, though it's pretty natural that the Galaxy S25 Ultra is the more lauded flagship. 

How will it measure up against the Galaxy S25 Plus?

It's completely normal not to expect any major changes with the Galaxy S25 Ultra design, but all rumors point out that we might actually be getting a slight design refresh. While the most recent Galaxy S Ultra phones so far have used mostly straight edges with 90-degree corners, the Galaxy S25 Ultra could score rounded edges at the top and the bottom of the frame (like the Galaxy S20 Ultra, for example). 

This will make it fall in line with the other two flagships in the lineup, which will also employ such a rounded appearance. That's not necessarily a great thing, as the edgy style of older Galaxy S Ultra devices certainly gave off that signature business look that stood out. 

The titanium-clad Galaxy S25 Ultra might employ slimmer bezels in comparison with the Galaxy S25 Plus, which will give that super appealing overall style. The Galaxy S25 Plus might skip that design change and come with standard screen bezels. 

It's safe to say that the Galaxy S25 Plus will look like the Galaxy S24 Plus. The rumor mill agrees we should not expect any major changes, except for a slightly thinner 7.3mm body (in contrast to the 7.7mm one on the Galaxy S24 Plus). A more compact device is always welcome, especially when it doesn't come at the expense of battery downgrade (and it seems Samsung is keeping the battery size unchanged).

We also expect the Galaxy S25 Plus cameras to use a ring design that reminds us of the Galaxy Z Fold 6, which could give it a sophisticated look but won't change the overall experience too much. 

The ubiquitous S Pen will be available on the Galaxy S25 Ultra as well, while the Galaxy S25 Plus won't get this extra.

Both the Galaxy S25 Ultra and Galaxy S25 Plus will employ the same flat design style with a single display punch hole for the camera. IP68 water and dust resistance will be available on both the Galaxy S25 Plus and Galaxy S25 Ultra. No extra buttons here, these are not iPhones! 

The Galaxy S25 Ultra will come with the same 6.8-inch Dynamic AMOLED 2X screen like its predecessor. It will surely get that smooth 1-120Hz refresh rate, as well as the useful anti-reflective coating which minimizes glare. We suppose that one area in which the Galaxy S25 Ultra might score a bump is the peak display brightness, where most flagships these days compete. 

There won't be any changes to the Galaxy S25 Plus display specs' sheet as well: it will come with a 6.7-inch Dynamic AMOLED 2X display at the front with HDR support, QHD+ resolution, and super-smooth 1-120Hz refresh rate. We hope that Samsung extends the anti-reflective coating to this one as well, as it will boost the screen legibility a lot. 

Biometrics-wise, the Galaxy S25 Ultra will surely come with an ultrasonic fingerprint scanner built right into the display.

Despite the rumors that Samsung might turn to MediaTek for its next flagships, we still expect the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 4 to tick and click inside both of these Samusng flagships. Interestingly, Samsung has already done that with the Galaxy Tab S10, which comes with MediaTek Dimensity chips on deck.

One of the reasons for Samsung considering MediaTek's wares is a trivial but important one: cost-cutting. Apparently, Qualcomm has been increasing the cost of its flagship chips, so Samsung is definitely in the right to explore its options. 

Yet, there's a sort of "proof" that Qualcomm's next chip will be found inside the Galaxy S25 family: A Galaxy S25 Plus with the Snapdragon 8 Gen 4 for Galaxy has been allegedly been benchmarked with pretty impressive performance, hinting at a performance that might rival the iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max flagships. 

Both phones will likely arrive with 12GB of RAM, and 256 and 512GB storage options. The Galaxy S25 Ultra will get a 1TB version as well. 

We anticipate significant enhancements to Galaxy AI. Samsung is among the largest phone manufacturers with AI solutions that are currently out on devices and available to regular users (ahem, Apple). We are pretty sure that Samsung will expand the capabilities of Galaxy AI with the Galaxy 25 series, and we can't wait to see what direction it takes.

Seeing that the Galaxy S24 Ultra is currently basking near the top of the PhoneArena Camera Score test, holding its own pretty well against both the iPhone 16 Pro Max and Pixel 9 Pro XL rivals, we are very pleased with Samsung's camera performance lately. 

With that in mind, we don't expect major shifts in the hardware or software setups of either the Galaxy 25 Ultra or the Galaxy S25 Plus. 

What does this mean?

Expect the same 200MP main camera, 50MP telephoto with 5X zoom, 10MP 3X telephoto, and 12MP ultra-wide to make the rounds. Yes, thanks to software enhancements they might take slightly better photos and videos, but you are unlikely to notice a significant difference if you're coming from a Galaxy S24 Ultra (or even an older Galaxy S Ultra flagship, to be honest).

There are some rumors that Samsung might ditch the dedicated 3X telephoto camera and solely rely on sensor-cropping to emulate the 3X zoom, but those aren't very believable. 

Meanwhile, the Galaxy S25 Plus will surely come with a 50MP main camera, a 12MP ultrawide, and a 10MP 3X telephoto, just like its predecessor. Software and algorithm improvements are likely to grace the mid-sized device as well. 

We will definitely run the new phone through the paces of our new Camera Test, where it will clash it its most prominent rivals. 

The rumor mill has it that the batteries on both the Galaxy S25 Ultra and Galaxy S25 Plus will not be changed in comparison with their predecessors. Thus, we are getting a 5,000mAh ad 4,900mAh in the Galaxy S25 Ultra and Galaxy S25 Plus, respectively. 

That's not a bad thing: if the Snapdragon 8 Gen 4 chip proves to be more efficient, those batteries will deliver better battery life, all things considered. 

When it comes to charging, both will get 45W wired charging and Samsung's 15W fast wireless charging. There is no mention of a possible Qi2 upgrade, which would bring MagSafe-like properties to the Galaxy flagship, allowing you to snap charging accessories to the back thanks to the magic of magnets. 

Here's how the Galaxy S25 Ultra and the Galaxy S25 Plus specs will measure up:

Samsung will be giving us "more of the same" with the Galaxy S25 Ultra and the Galaxy S25 Plus… and that's not bad. 

After all, Samsung has been figuratively killing it with its flagship in the past few years and seemingly feels quite comfortable releasing consistently great phones, arguably the best Android ones you can get your hands on. 

As to which one should you get, that's entirely up to your size and feature needs: the Galaxy S25 Ultra will be the more feature-rich phone, with more head-turning aspects to it that will make it that much more premium than the Galaxy S25 Plus, but will also be pricier in comparison.