Samsung Galaxy S25 Review: Barely an upgrade
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Samsung Galaxy S25 Intro
The Galaxy S25 retains the familiar 6.2-inch form factor of last year's model, but it boasts a significant performance boost thanks to the new Snapdragon 8 Elite chip, which also unlocks several new AI features. To better handle AI processing, the S25's RAM has been upgraded to 12GB, bringing it in line with the Plus and Ultra models.
While the camera hardware is unchanged, software tweaks promise improved color accuracy, and we have a couple of new camera features like Log video and Audio Eraser.
While this phone stands out as being incredibly light-weight, disappointingly, the battery size has not improved one bit. Well, at least the price has also stayed the same at $800, more affordable than the Pixel 9 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro.
*International buyers will also be happy to learn that while in previous years Samsung sold the same phone with a different chip for different markets, the Galaxy S25 will use the same Snadpragon chip for all markets.
The Galaxy S25 scores just slightly higher than the previous generation mostly thanks to the improvements in performance from the new chipset and we also found its battery life a bit better than before. All the rest, however, is mostly the same and our score shows a very modest improvement.
Table of Contents:
Samsung Galaxy S25 Specs
Let's start with the Galaxy S25 specs and how they differ from the previous model:
| Galaxy S25 | Galaxy S24 |
|---|---|
| Size and Weight 146.9 x 70.5 x 7.2 mm 162 g | Size and Weight 147 x 70.6 x 7.6mm 168 g |
| Display 6.2-inch 1-120Hz 2,600 nits peak | Display 6.2-inch 1-120Hz 2,600 nits peak |
| Processor Snapdragon 8 Elite (all markets) | Processor Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 (US) Exynos 2400 (RoW) |
| Software One UI 7 Android 15 | Software One UI 6.1 (will be updated to One UI 7) |
| Cameras 50MP main camera 12MP ultra-wide 10MP telephoto (3x optical zoom) 12MP selfie camera | Cameras 50MP main camera 12MP ultra-wide 10MP telephoto (3x optical zoom) 12MP selfie camera |
| Battery Size 4,000 mAh | Battery Size 4,000 mAh |
| Charging Speeds 25W wired 15W wireless | Charging Speeds 25W wired 15W wireless |
| Prices 128 GB for $800 256 GB for $860 | Prices 128GB for $800 256GB for $860 |
Galaxy S25 Design and Display
The S25 looks and feels a lot like the S24 (Image by PhoneArena)
The Galaxy S25 keeps the familiar Samsung design style with rounded corners, flat sides and three cameras arranged in a vertical line on the back.
Most importantly, the S25 remains nice and compact, even slightly smaller than the S24 from last year.
At sizes of 146.9 x 70.5 it is a tiny bit less tall and less wide, and with 7.25 mm in thickness it is a bit slimmer as well. The weight has also dropped slightly from 168 grams to 162 grams. Those are very small changes, but they do add up and those who love a compact phone will appreciate them.
This is the lightest compact phone around (Image by PhoneArena)
In terms of styling, you get a more accentuated camera lens barrel, so the camera stands out a bit more. It's all for appearances, though, there is no real change in the camera hardware.
The rest is unchanged – an aluminum frame, a glass back with tough Gorilla Glass Victus 2, power and volume keys on the right, and sadly, no "camera control" or "action button". We mention these because Samsung is usually quick to pick up trends from arch-rival Apple, and we would have loved these new hardware buttons, but alas, they are not here.
S25 colors - Mint, Icy Blue, Navy, Silver Shadow (from left to right)
The Galaxy S25 comes in four colors and all of them are kind of muted, but we really like the Silver Shadow model that we have for this review. Here are all the color options:
- Mint
- Icy Blue
- Navy
- Silver Shadow
It's a bit strange that Samsung is skipping a classic black model, but we guess the dark blue navy color option is your second best alternative.
Don't expect to find much in the box once you place your order. Samsung packs the phone, a charging cable and the required user manuals, but nothing else – no case, no charger.
The 6.2-inch display is nice and all, but we wish it had Gorilla Armor anti-reflective coating (Image by PhoneArena)
The Galaxy S25 carries over the excellent 6.2-inch AMOLED display from its predecessor, complete with a 1080p resolution, a 120Hz refresh rate, and a peak brightness of 2,600 nits.
Display Measurements:
Sadly, our hopes that the Gorilla Armor anti-reflective screen from the Ultra will come to this more compact model did not materialize.
No changes to the biometrics too. You've got the familiar ultrasonic fingerprint reader embedded in the screen and image-based face recognition. We do wish for a 3D face ID technology to arrive one day to a Galaxy phone, but Samsung does not seem to share those wishes.
Galaxy S25 Camera
Improved software, same hardware (Image by PhoneArena)
- Same camera hardware
- AI for better images
- Log video support, New Audio Eraser feature
At first glance, the Galaxy S25's camera specs might seem underwhelming—it features the same 50MP main, 3X telephoto, and ultra-wide lenses as its predecessor. However, don't let that fool you there are no changes at all. Thanks to a new ISP and AI enhancements, the S25 delivers photos and videos that look a bit different.
And if you love using Expert RAW, you'll be happy to hear the Galaxy S25 now adds depth-of-field control with a "Virtual Aperture" feature, giving you even more creative control.
On our PhoneArena Camera Score, an extensive camera testing protocol, we found the Galaxy S25 scoring a bit lower than the S24. We noticed slightly softer detail and slightly more issues with over sharpening that you notice when you look up close. Otherwise, color and exposure accuracy scores were similar.
In terms of features, Portrait Studio is now better at making avatars, with more realistic facial expressions.
There are also new analog-style filters in Filters that give your photos and videos a cool, film-like aesthetic.
Galaxy S25 vs Galaxy S24 Sample Photos
So what about the real-world sample photos?
The Galaxy S25 dials down the saturation and that's a good thing in our view. Colors appear less punchy and more realistic, dynamic range has also improved a tiny bit.
The zoomed photos also appear improved in some areas, as the previous model often had way too much contrast.
Video Quality
We do not see a big difference in video recording quality and video stabilization is about the same as last year.
The Galaxy S25, however, now records in 10-bit HDR by default, capturing four times the color detail of 8-bit for richer, more vibrant videos. This, combined with a powerful Spatio Temporal Filter (STF) that analyzes movement and time to more effectively reduce noise, ensures cleaner footage in any lighting—especially low light.
You also now get LOG video recording. This is something the professionals use and that iPhones first implemented a few years back. The benefit of LOG is you get the full dynamic range of the sensor, but it comes with a downside – it looks washed out and needs to be color graded, so this is definitely something for the pros and enthusiasts.
The other more approachable new feature is Audio Eraser. This helps get rid of ambient noise in your recordings. Again, Samsung seems "inspired" by the Audio Mix feature on the iPhone 16 series here, but we cannot blame them for that.
Galaxy S25 Performance & Benchmarks
- Snapdragon 8 Elite for all markets
- Bump to 12GB RAM for base model
- Sadly, no upgrade in storage – 128GB remains the starting point
The most exciting Galaxy S25 upgrade is something that customers in the United States take for granted – the latest Snapdragon chip.
In the past few years in the UK and Europe, Samsung has sold its Galaxy flagships with a different chip, a Samsung Exynos one, and it was slower and not as advanced, which irked customers. This changes with the Galaxy S25, as all models across the globe now run the same outstanding Snapdragon 8 Elite processor.
In terms of numbers, the Snapdragon 8 Elite gives you the following improvements: 40% faster NPU, 37% faster CPU and 30% better GPU. Those are big numbers.
The base Galaxy S25 model also comes with 12GB of RAM, up from a pedestrian 8GB RAM allotment in previous years. Hooray to that.
Performance Benchmarks - CPU
The Galaxy S25 is a massive jump in CPU performance compared to previous models. In Geekbench 6, we see a nearly 50% improvement from the Galaxy S24 model, and the new S25 is even further ahead of the Pixel 9 Pro.
The Galaxy S25 also beats the iPhone 16 Pro in multi-core CPU performance, and smokes earlier models and the Tensor G4-based Pixel competition.
Performance Benchmarks - GPU
When it comes to GPU performance, though, we see quite a bit of throttling.
In 3D Mark, the Galaxy starts at a very high score of nearly 6,000 points, but then after a few minutes drops sharply to 2,500 points, less than half the initial score. This is a much steeper decline than what we usually see and it tells us that Samsung had to be very aggressive to keep the temperature of this beastly new Snapdragon chip down.
Base storage on the S25 is sadly still 128GB, with an upgrade to 256GB possible (but we really wish 256GB was the default in 2025).
There is no microSD card storage support, in case you were wondering.
The one new connectivity feature here is support for satellite connectivity, which is possible thanks to the new Snapdragon 8 Elite processor on board.
Galaxy S25 Software
The Galaxy S25 series arrives with the latest One UI 7 interface, which brings a big change to the familiar Samsung UI design.
It's more modern, there is more transparency, icons look better, you have new widgets, and other improvements.
You can find more about this in our One UI 7 review.
Of course, a big part of the Galaxy S25 story is Galaxy AI.
Here is a quick summary of the changes:
- Long pressing the power button now starts Gemini instead of Bixby (you can switch back to Bixby, though)
- Seamless interaction across Samsung and Google apps, plus third-party apps like Spotify
- Circle to Search now recognizes phone numbers, email and URLs on your screen
- Ask and find a specific photo in Samsung Gallery using natural language
- Adjust the size of display fonts in Settings with your voice
The most profound change comes from the deeper integration of Google Gemini, which now has access to Samsung and Google apps, as well as third-party apps like Whatsapp and Spotify. This allows you to ask your Galaxy things like: "Find the Lakers schedule for the next three months and save it to my Calendar". The Galaxy AI will know to look online for the team's schedule and save it to your Samsung Calendar. Impressive.
A more powerful to Circle to Search also allows you to easily select things on screen and get more contextual suggestions.
Galaxy S25 Battery
No change in battery size (Image by PhoneArena)
- Same 4,000 mAh battery size
- Still stuck at 25W charging speed (even cheap Galaxy A36 model now rumored to support 45W)
- No MagSafe alternative in sight
While everything so far has been promising, we are sad to see no real changes to the battery size on the Galaxy S25.
It's the same 4,000mAh battery capacity, but even stranger is that Samsung is sticking with 25W charging speeds, when even the upcoming Galaxy A36 (a phone half the price) will support 45W charging.
PhoneArena Battery Test Results:
Another feature many users have wished for is MagSafe, or at least some alternative. It's just so convenient to place your phone on a magnetic stand, be it in your car or office. Unfortunately, there is no MagSafe or Qi 2 on the Galaxy S25. You can use a Qi 2-enabled case, though, so that's one workaround.
Regular wireless charging is supported at 15W speeds, far from the fastest around.
Should you buy it?
The new chip is nice and all, but not much else has changed (Image by PhoneArena)
By now, you must have gotten our drift: the Galaxy S25 is barely an upgrade.
It's still one of very few compact flagship phones and it remains a solid performer, but Samsung has just not added many new exciting features.
Who should get the Galaxy S25? It would be the best choice for those who want a truly compact and lightweight phone at a lower price as the other alternatives are noticeably heavier and cost more.
The Pixel 9 Pro, for example, is more expensive, it has a slower processor and it is a bit heavier, but it offers a much bigger battery.
You can also consider the iPhone 16 Pro, but that also costs $1,000 and, again, is not quite as compact or lightweight.
And that's it. There are literally no other small flagship phones right now, so Samsung can kind of get away with these incremental upgrades.
Follow our best compact phones selection for the latest in that space.
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