Galaxy S25 Ultra vs Galaxy S23 Ultra: Two years' worth of evolution
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Intro
The Galaxy S25 Ultra was recently announced alongside the Galaxy S25 Plus and the Galaxy S25, and it's perfectly clear from the get-go––it's the best Galaxy S Ultra flagship so far!
It pushes the boundaries once again, featuring a refreshed design, the cutting-edge Snapdragon 8 Elite for Galaxy chip, many new AI features, and an overall polishing of pretty much all essential aspects that make Samsung's best flagships so good. On paper, it’s shaping up to be a tech enthusiast’s dream.
But what does this mean for the Galaxy S23 Ultra? Is it destined for obsolescence, overshadowed by its latest successor? Not so fast. While the S25 Ultra certainly brings enhancements, the leap doesn’t seem groundbreaking just yet.
For those holding on to the Galaxy S23 Ultra, there may be little reason to rush to upgrade—it remains a formidable device that could easily carry you through a few more years without missing a beat. Occasionally, the latest and greatest doesn’t have to mean letting go of what still works exceptionally well.
Could this be the case with the Galaxy S25 Ultra and Galaxy S23 Ultra? Let's explore!
Galaxy S25 Ultra vs Galaxy S23 Ultra differences explained:
| Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra | Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra |
|---|---|
| A fresh new design with rounded instead of straight edges | Stainless-steel design with slightly curved edges |
| Thinner and lighter (8.2mm and 218gr) | Slightly thicker and heavier (8.9mm, 234gr) |
| Larger 6.9-inch display | 6.8-inch screen |
| Higher maximum brightness, Corning Gorilla Armor 2 with anti-reflective coating | Lower peak brightness, Corning Gorilla Glass Victus 2 up front, no anti-reflective coating |
| The fastest Qualcomm chip –– the 3nm Snapdragon 8 Elite for Galaxy | Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 for Galaxy, two generations older |
| 50MP ultrawide | 12MP ultrawide |
| 12GB RAM in all storage versions (256GB, 512GB and 1TB) | 8GB RAM in the entry-level version, 12GB RAM in the 256GB, 512GB, 1TB |
| Wi-Fi 7 | Wi-Fi 6E |
| 45W wired, 25W Qi2 wireless charging | 45W wired, 15W Qi wireless charging |
| 7 years of software support (until 2032) | 4 years of software support (until Android 17 in 2027) |
Table of Contents:
- Design and Size
- Display Differences
- Performance
- Software & AI
- Camera
- Audio and haptics
- Battery and Charging
- Specs
- Summary
Read more:
Design and Size
Galaxy enters the modern era
The Galaxy S25 Ultra is one stunning phone (Image by PhoneArena)
Some notable design changes have arrived on the Galaxy S25 Ultra.
You know how all Galaxy S Ultra phones with an S Pen so far have boasted mostly flat and sharp edges at the bottom and top, giving it a posh and luxury business-like appearance? Those are no more, as the phone has scored slightly rounded edges, similar to the Galaxy S25 and Galaxy S25 Plus. The frame itself, as well as the front and back panels, are flat.
Aside from that, the Galaxy S25 Ultra employs a titanium frame with Gorilla Glass Armor 2 at the front and back. The flagship boasts IP68 water and dust resistance, as well as an S Pen stylus, the inseparable writing accessory that brings a ton of unique functionality in tow.
All those changes are pretty drastic when compared with the Galaxy S23 Ultra. That one still has the makings of a classic and a standard Galaxy S flagship, with sharp lines, a stainless-steel design, and the ubiquitous S Pen on deck again.
From a pure size perspective, the Galaxy S25 Ultra is noticeably thinner and lighter than the Galaxy S23 Ultra: the latest flagship is just 8.2mm thick and weigh 218gr, while the older Galaxy measured 8.9mm thick and tipped the scales at 234gr, which is a pretty substantial difference. Good job, Samsung!
Colors-wise, the Galaxy S25 Ultra is available in Titanium Silverblue, Titanium Whitesilver, Titanium Gray, and Titanium Black, while others might be exclusive on Samsung.com. The Galaxy S23 Ultra was available in Lavender, Cream, Phantom Black, and Green, as Lime, Sky Blue, Graphite, and Red exclusively available online. A little something for everyone!
Display Differences
The Galaxy S25 Ultra has a flat and slightly larger display (Image by PhoneArena)
In terms of display improvements and the core screen properties, there are many differences between the two phones.
Thanks to bezel slimming, the display on the Galaxy S25 Ultra has grown to 6.9 inches across, a small but notable increase over the 6.8-inch screens previously employed by most Galaxy S Ultra flagships.
Aside from this size change, the new display is once again a Dynamic AMOLED 2X screen, with a 1-120Hz dynamic refresh rate, QHD+ resolution, and 2600-nit peak brightness. New here is a ProScaler feature, which enables content upscaling at up to 40% with the help of AI. A more pleasant viewing experience will be provided by this, which will reduce artifacts when watching a blurry low-bitrate video, for example.
What's more, the passive anti-reflective coating on the Galaxy S25 Ultra means that legibility under bright lighting is much better on the newer device.
According to our in-house display benchmark tests, the Galaxy S24 Ultra boasts a significantly brighter display than the Galaxy S23 Ultra: nearly 2,400 nits for the Galaxy S25 Ultra versus a more modest 1600-nit reading for the Galaxy S23 Ultra.
The minimum brightness is below a single nit on both phones. The Galaxy S25 Ultra is also more color-accurate and with a nearly perfect color temperature of 6500K.
And, just like the Galaxy S23 Ultra, the Galaxy S25 Ultra scores an ultrasonic fingerprint scanner as well as the convenient but less secure face unlock.
Performance
A jump to 3nm for the Galaxy lineup
The Galaxy S25 Ultra trots along with the latest and greatest Qualcomm chipset, the 3nm Snapdragon 8 Elite for Galaxy. Just as its name hints at, it has been slightly tuned and overclocked similarly to previous Qualcomm chips intended for Samsung flagships. Interestingly, the Snapdragon 8 Elite for Galaxy will be featured in all Galaxy S25 Ultra models across the globe, ensuring similar features and performance.
With the Snapdragon 8 Elite, we expect big gains in both CPU and graphics-processing performance and efficiency that will hopefully translate to better battery life. Samsung says we will be getting 37% faster CPU processing and 30% better graphics-processing, including faster ray tracing and better Vulkan performance. A 40% faster NPU is also on deck.
The Galaxy S25 Ultra is a powerhouse (Image by PhoneArena)
Unfortunately, there's currently no way to achieve faster performance without generating more heat on mobile. That's why Samsung has put a lot of thought on the thermal management as well. We get a 40% larger vapor chamber on the Galaxy S25 Ultra, which will have to cope with the thermal stress generated by the Snapdragon chip.
The 4nm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 for Galaxy was featured on the Galaxy S23 Ultra, and while it was definitely a great chipset in its time, the newest chipset has certainly overshadowed it.
And according to the in-house benchmark tests we ran, the Galaxy S25 Ultra absolutely runs circles around the Galaxy S23 Ultra. The new phone achieves 3137 points in the single-core and 9769 points in the multi-core Geekbench 6 tests, which is a pretty significant difference between the two phones.
The Galaxy S25 Ultra also achieves 6200 points in the "high" 3DMark Extreme GPU stress test, which showcases the initial burst of raw performance, which is more than enough to best the Galaxy S23 Ultra. Moreover, in the "low" test, which shows the performance when the phone gets throttled, the Galaxy S25 Ultra once again delivers a substantially higher result.
Performance Benchmarks:
Performance Benchmarks:
In real-life, the difference is also palpable. The Galaxy S25 Ultra has endless reserves of power on deck, allowing the phone to fly, no matter what task you throw at it.
Memory-wise, the Galaxy S25 Ultra features 12GB of RAM as standard on all storage versions, which are once again 256GB, 512GB, and 1TB. Interestingly, that's the same memory and storage configuration as the one on the Galaxy S23 Ultra.
Software & AI
The Galaxy S25 Ultra comes with One UI 7 out of the box, which is based on Android 15. Our preview based on the beta version of the One UI 7 software is available here.
The Galaxy S25 Ultra boasts cool new Galaxy AI features, including the Gemini-powered Cross App Action functionality, which enables the on-device AI to access multiple applications and execute cross-app actions with a single natural prompt.
For instance, you can ask the device to check the schedule of your favorite sports team and add each game to your calendar so you can be informed in advance. All the apps you've installed on your phone are accessible to this feature, both native and third-party, which sounds similar to what Apple said the next generation of Siri will be able to do.
Circle to Search and the new Now Bar are here (Image by PhoneArena)
Google's Gemini is naturally aboard, and so is an enhanced Circle to Search feature, which comes with what's called Action Chips. Those are basically intelligent shortcuts to relevant features presented to you when you circle-to-search something on your screen. For instance, if you click on a phone number, Action Chips will help you call it quickly. If you click on an address, Google Maps will help you find it quickly.
Speaking of AI features, the Galaxy S23 Ultra has all the modern Galaxy AI features, making it as capable as the Galaxy S24 Ultra, and we are hoping that many of the new Galaxy S25 Ultra AI features will cross the border to the older flagship, too.
In terms of software support, the Galaxy S25 Ultra is set to receive seven years of major Android updates and security updates, or until 2032. Conversely, the Galaxy S23 Ultra will be only supported until Android 17, or early 2027.
Camera
New ultrawide and software changes inbound
Some major changes between the two devices (Image by PhoneArena)
The Galaxy S25 Ultra comes with a camera setup that's similar to its predecessors, with a single major change. We get the standard 200MP wide, a 10MP short telephoto with 3X optical zoom, and a 50MP periscope with 5X optical zoom, but the ultrawide camera has jumped from 12MP to 50MP. While it definitely uses pixel-binning to still output 12MP shots, those will likely be more detailed and with significantly better dynamics.
Samsung has also introduced a new ProVisual Engine that's tightly integrated with the Snapdragon 8 Elite chipset and will deliver updated image-processing algorithms. These will reportedly produce photos with less noise and motion blur, as well as better sharpness.
Samsung also says macro videos and low-lights videos have been greatly improved. Additionally, the Galaxy S25 Ultra scores 10-bit HDR video capture (up from 8-but HDR), which will greatly boost dynamics and colors. The phone can now also capture LOG video, allowing you to edit and color-grade with more flexibility in post.
On-device AI has also been employed for a new Audio Eraser feature, which lets you boost or remove up to six different types of audio. Finally, generative edits and the object eraser have also been improved, and will no longer generate any undesirable artifacts.
On-device AI has also been employed for a new Audio Eraser feature, which lets you boost or remove up to six different types of audio. Finally, generative edits and the object eraser have also been improved, and will no longer generate any undesirable artifacts.
Meanwhile, the Galaxy S23 Ultra came with a 200MP wide camera, a 10MP 3X telephoto, a 10MP periscope with a 10X optical zoom, and a 12MP ultrawide camera. Pretty decent setup even today, and also the last Galaxy to have a proper long 10X periscope.
PhoneArena Camera Score:
In our custom camera test, the Galaxy S25 Ultra naturally beats the Galaxy S23 Ultra with a very high score of 158, while the Galaxy S23 Ultra achieves just 147 points. The latter is still more than adequate in the current cameraphone landscape, which essentially means that the Galaxy S25 Ultra is a cut above the rest. Read more about the Galaxy S25 Ultra camera here.
Here are camera samples demonstrating the quality of the new phone.
Main Camera
Both phones deliver great photos with good dynamic range and lovely colors, but the main difference can be easily spotted when you inspect detail a little closer. With the Galaxy S25 Ultra, Samsung has eliminated the excessive oversharpening of the Galaxy S23 Ultra. This results in a much more natural-looking detail on the newer Galaxy thanks to the new image-processing algorithms.
In low-light conditions, the Galaxy S25 Ultra once again gives off a more natural non-oversharpened detail, as well as a slightly more realistic color temperature.
Zoom Quality
At 3X, the Galaxy S25 Ultra mops the floor with the Galaxy S23 Ultra. The new device delivers a photo with vastly improved dynamic range and exposure, whereas the Galaxy S23 Ultra image is overexposed. The colors are also too vivid and somewhat off with the older device.
The same differences can be observed with the periscope camera. To top it off, the Galaxy S25 Ultra delivers significantly better detail here as the camera has a native 5X zoom.
At 10X, the difference in detail and exposure is even more evident. With the Galaxy S23 Ultra, we get an overexposed scene with oversharpened detail that doesn't look very appealing. Meanwhile, the new Galaxy S25 Ultra triumphs with a much better detail, significantly improved dynamics and exposure, as well as more natural detail. Interestingly, the 5X periscope beats the 10X periscope of the older phone, with significantly sharper detail.
Ultrawide Camera
The new 50MP ultrawide on the Galaxy S25 Ultra is noticeably softer than the Galaxy S23 Ultra, but that makes for a more natural-looking photo in comparison with the overprocessed and oversharpened mess that is the Galaxy S23 Ultra. The colors are also toned-down a bit, which makes for a significantly more appealing image.
Selfies
The Galaxy S25 Ultra triumphs in terms of selfies as well. Sharpness and colors are noticeably better on the new phone, while the Galaxy S23 Ultra gives off a yellowish/greenish tint that doesn't deliver pleasing results. The subjects are also exposed better on the new Galaxy.
More Camera Samples
Audio and haptics
When it comes to audio, it's the Galaxy S25 Ultra that has the upper hand. The bass is a little stronger in the lower mid-frequencies instead of being really deep, which is a small but important upgrade. The sound still has a bit of a “nasal” tone, and it loses some quality when you turn up the volume, but is great overall. The Galaxy S23 Ultra has slightly inferior bass response and is also excellent, but the Galaxy S25 Ultra is better in the audio department.
Haptics-wise, both deliver rich and precise vibration feedback, which enriches the user experience.
Battery Life and Charging
5,000mAh for the win?
Similar battery size and charging speeds (Image by PhoneArena)
Well, Samsung's top flagships have been using 5,000mAh batteries for years now, and sadly, the Galaxy S25 Ultra doesn't break this tradition. Don't get us wrong, nothing wrong with a 5,000mAh battery, but some of Samsung's rivals on the Android scene are already pushing further than that thanks to the silicon-carbon battery tech, which enabled larger batteries to be put inside thin phones. For example, there's a massive 6,000mAh silicone battery inside the OnePlus 13.
As per our in-house battery tests, the Galaxy S25 Ultra achieves a better battery life in comparison with its significantly older predecessor, with a battery life estimate of eight versus seven hours and 17 minutes. Both tests were conducted with the displays manually set at 200 nits of brightness.
This result is made up of three different tests. In our browsing test, which simulates a regular browsing session, the Galaxy S25 Ultra achieves nearly 21 hours of usage, while the Galaxy S23 Ultra achieves 19 hours.
An even larger difference can be observed in the gaming test, where the Galaxy S25 Ultra achieves 14 hours and 21 minutes, a commendable score that ekes past the 11-hour result of the Galaxy S23 Ultra.
Finally, in our video playback test, the Galaxy S25 Ultra and Galaxy S23 Ultra achieve the same result of nearly 9 hours.
PhoneArena Battery and Charging Test Results:
On the charging front, Samsung has upgraded neither the wired nor the wireless charging, so we still have 45W wired and 15W wireless charging. That's just as fast (or as slow) as the Galaxy S23 Ultra, which supports the same charging speeds. No changes here, with the Galaxy S25 Ultra taking a couple extra minutes to juice up both wired and wirelessly to 100% but nothing too major.
Specs Comparison
Here's how the Galaxy S25 Ultra versus Galaxy S23 Ultra specs compare:
| Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra | Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra |
|---|---|
| Size, weight 162.8 × 77.6 × 8.2mm, 218gr | Size, weight 163.3 x 78 x 8.9 mm, 234gr |
| Screen 6.9" Dynamic 2X AMOLED 2600 nits peak brightness 1-120Hz Anti-reflective coating | Screen 6.8" Dynamic 2X AMOLED 1-120Hz dynamic 1,750 nits |
| Chipset Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite for Galaxy, 3nm | Chipset Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 for Galaxy, 4nm |
| RAM & Storage 12GB/256GB 12GB/256GB 12GB/1TB LPDDR5 | RAM & Storage 8GB/256GB 12GB/256GB 12GB/512GB 12GB/1TB LPDDR5 |
| Cameras 200MP main 50MP ultrawide 10MP 3X telephoto 50MP 5X periscope 12MP front | Cameras 200MP main 12MP ultra 10MP 3X telephoto 10MP 10X periscope 12MP front |
| Battery 5,000mAh | Battery 5,000mAh |
| Charging USB-C 45W wired 15W wireless | Charging USB-C 45W wired 15W wireless |
Summary
Should you upgrade? (Image by PhoneArena)
With the Galaxy S25 Ultra, Samsung has definitely perfected the formula and enhanced many of the key aspects that usually make a phone great: performance, design, camera, and functionality.
So far, it seems that while the Galaxy S23 Ultra is still a viable phone, it is slowly getting a bit too long in the tooth, and the potential end-of-the-line for the Galaxy S23 Ultra in 2026 doesn't really bode well for the future-proofness of the phone.
Should you upgrade to the Galaxy S25 Ultra if you own a Galaxy S23 Ultra? Well, our reviews are pending, so nothing is certain just yet, but there's no two opinions about it: the Galaxy S25 Ultra is undoubtedly looking like an appealing stepping stone for upgrading from the Galaxy S23 Ultra.
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