One day later with Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra – I’m gradually becoming an AI phone fanatic

Samsung’s “Bad Galaxy” phone has arrived, and it’s almost everything I expected. The Galaxy S25 Ultrastarting at the same bold price as last year, $1,299, is still the company’s do-everything phone, with a more durable display, an upgraded camera system with some handy editing tricks, and The latest Qualcomm processor keeps everything running. Oh, and yes, Who is everything, everywhere, all at once.

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While last year’s Galaxy S24 series ushered in Samsung’s Galaxy AI era, this year feels more like the company solidifying itself as the leader in the space, besting Apple and Apple and Even Google (for now) about features and capabilities. Of course, how decorated that honor ultimately depends on how invested you are in using AI.

I’ve spent the past day and a half testing the S25 Ultra and wasn’t too surprised to find myself both fascinated and bored. After all, this is Samsung’s fifth iteration of the S-Series Ultra model, and the annual changes are modest, very generous. But if you’re currently using a three- to four-year-old phone and considering an upgrade, take this review—I wouldn’t call it a full review—to heart. (And if you’re a geek, that will matter to you.)

The Galaxy S Ultra has always been a big, ambidextrous, and organized phone this year. When I first unboxed the S25 Ultra, it felt like the fanciest computer ever (and I mean that in a good way), with its rounded edges and tall stature. Comes from The OnePlus 13 I recently reviewed – which on paper, are relatively similar in size – the S25 Ultra has a stronger and more prominent presence.

Luckily, the device isn’t as top-heavy as I remember previous models, although Samsung has covered the four rear cameras with thicker rings this time around. In fact, the S25 Ultra is lighter than its predecessor by 16 grams, earning the title of thinnest Galaxy S Ultra ever. You’ll probably hear more about it “Thinnization” of the phone Later this year.

Also: I went hands-on with the Samsung Galaxy S25 – and the AI ​​features are surprisingly polished

The other notable design upgrade with the S25 Ultra is the layered Corning Gorilla Armor 2 on the front display. It does not take away from the anti-reflective surface treatment performed Title on last year’s S24 Ultrabut promises improved scratch and scratch resistance. I believe it. My S24 Ultra last year had numerous micro-scratches after just days of testing, while my S25 Ultra review unit remained pristine.

Now if only Samsung could bring back those glory days Psychedelic Aura glows The end, because of these things S25 Super color is not terrifying. Perhaps it is the nature of the titanium finish or the harsh reality that consumers are more likely to choose more secure Colors with black, white and silver are more poppy and bright. Regardless, you’ll want to slap on a case if you want to give the S25 Ultra even a little personality.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jFDSWL5Pavu

Under the hood is a new Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite chip, the same processor that powers the competition Android phone like OnePlus 13 and Honor Magic 7 Pro. The most notable benefit of the chipset comes in the form of AI experiences – specifically, a 40% increase in NPU performance compared to last year’s Snapdragon 8 Gen 3.

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In Layman’s terms, on-device AI features will take less bandwidth and power to operate while also working quickly. Do I see direct results, placebo effect or not, as my S25 Ultra can quickly remove objects (along with their shadows) from the background of a photo through general editing and pulling the results Search for Gemini in seconds.

You can also create enhanced Gemini app performance, which can now be triggered with a long button press. Previously, Samsung phones were limited to Bixby – or Google Assistant, if you do some sketchy, backend modifications – so this change is a breath of fresh air. It makes the transition from any other Android phone that uses Gemini as its default assistant much more difficult.

Speaking of which, the new Gemini-Bixby hybrid AI agent, as Samsung baffled, can handle natural-sounding action sequences, like looking up your favorite sports team’s upcoming schedule and add days to your Calendar. While the agent-like capabilities primarily work on Google and Samsung apps, some third-party services like Spotify are also supported.

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It’s important to know how to word your commands. For example, when I request AI agent create A Spotify playlist for road trips and sent it to my wife, who replied that it couldn’t do so. Instead, when, I asked for it find Good songs for road trips, it has list management and composes a editable text message. Ladies and gentlemen, AI.

Consider last year’s S24 series that introduced Google’s Circle to search This year’s S25 series is doing the same for the enhanced Gemini-Bixby experience, so it’s safe to say that Samsung, not Google, makes the best AI phones on the market. right now.

Some other new Galaxy AI tools like AI Select and Now just briefly reinforce that claim, with the former being an adaptive, cognitive screen selection tool, and the latter giving you a daily summary of weather, calendar events and news.

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I just wish Concise now showed me more than just political news; Even with my subject preferences in my Samsung News app set to tech and sports, the app still woke me up with a “morning-ready” Spotify playlist and the latest news in executive orders of the President of the United States.

One of the main reasons to buy a Galaxy Ultra phone continues to be the camera, even though Samsung hasn’t improved the specs this year – at least on paper. The only hardware change is the 50-megapixel superlens (up from 12MP), which from my original photos delivers greater detail and vibrancy, especially when taking macro photos. The rest of the lenses, such as the 200MP wide, 5x 5X telephoto and 3x 3X telephoto, are identical to last year’s S24 Ultra.

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There’s a bigger focus on the software side of things, with Samsung introducing useful photo and video features like 10-bit HDR video recording by default to capture a wider dynamic range, a new eraser feature for allows you to adjust the volume of different frequencies (Classified as sound objects such as voice, wind and noise) and the ability to record in Galaxy Log mode.

The latter feature allows you to better detect overexposed areas and adjust dynamic range as you record video, while also applying LUTS in post for better color and lighting control. I will test the shooting mode more in the coming days.

ZDNet’s Buying Tips (for now)

My first day of testing Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra Confirmed something for me. While most aspects of the phone, such as the vibrant, glare-free display and versatility on the cameras and AI features, are easy to appreciate, this year’s upgrades feels repetitive and safe.

In a way, Samsung has even taken a few steps back, with the S PEN no longer supported Bluetooth controls and gesturesand the company chooses Qi2 ready cases Instead of embedding the actual technology in its phone.

It’s understandable that early adopters and tech enthusiasts might feel underwhelmed by the S25 Ultra. But when I consider consumers coming from the S21 series, Pixel 6 or 7 or even older iPhones, Samsung’s new flagship handset checks almost every box you can think of. And you might even score one Generous trading agreement through your carrier or local retailer.