Two prominent brands, Apple and Samsung, have dominated the smartphone realm, and their rivalry has led to some of the best technological advancements in handheld devices. Like a ritual, Samsung releases a new flagship smartphone every calendar year in the Galaxy S lineup, and this year marks its 16th generation.
The two new smartphones released by Samsung are the Galaxy S25 and the S25 Ultra, which have two different screen sizes to cater to the different needs of the consumer. The Galaxy S25 Ultra is a refresh of their outgoing model, the S24 Ultra, and it improves upon the features that made last year’s model a significant success for the brand. The standout feature of the S25 Ultra is its 200-megapixel main sensor, which takes stunning stills and videos and competes with Apple’s iPhone 16 Pro Max and the Google Pixel 9 Pro XL.
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Right now, you can pick up the unlocked Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra with 256GB of storage from BestBuy for just under $1000. That’s a saving of $200, which can go towards a pair of Samsung Galaxy Buds3, which are also on sale for just $210.
Samsung Galaxy 25 Ultra: Inside The Specs
Based on Android 15, the S25 Ultra uses its in-house operating system, One UI 7, which has been improved over the years with optimization and has less bloatware. It has a 6.9-inch screen size with almost invisible bezels and a boxy design, in contrast to last year's rounded edges. The chassis is made of titanium, while the front and back glass feature Corning’s Gorilla Armor 2 and Gorilla Glass Victus 2, respectively.
The phone’s IP68 certification protects it from dust and splashes, but it’s advisable not to plunge it into the pool. The phone can charge the 5000mAh battery from 0% to 65% in thirty minutes, thanks to its 45W wired charging capability.
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Samsung makes some of the best smartphone displays and sells them to other companies as well but retains the best ones for its own devices. The extremely vibrant and contrasty AMOLED panel has become a signature component of the Galaxy lineup as it offers phenomenal visuals, perfect for content consumption and gaming.
Powering the device is the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite SoC, which is based on a 3nm architecture, has eight high-performance cores, and the Adreno 830 GPU. Modern chipsets are fast enough for daily tasks and gaming, and you won’t notice lagging and throttling with the latest and greatest from Qualcomm. Here is a breakdown of the variants available:
|
Storage (GB) |
RAM (GB) |
|---|---|
|
256 |
12 |
|
512 |
12 |
|
1024 |
12 |
|
1024 |
16 |
Samsung’s smartphones have garnered lots of accolades for their cameras, and this year, it’s about continuing the legacy. The back camera setup consists of a 200-megapixel main sensor with an f/1.7 aperture, a 10-megapixel telephoto sensor with an f/2.4 aperture, a 50-megapixel periscope telephoto sensor with an f/3.4 aperture, and a 50-megapixel ultrawide sensor with an f/1.9 aperture.
You also get a 12-megapixel selfie shooter on the front. All these sensors and lenses team up to produce breathtaking photos and videos, which justifies the hefty price tag. Whatever the scene may be and wherever you might be, you can blindly trust the camera to capture stunning shots without fail.
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