New year and new phones, Samsung just unveiled its newest lineup of smartphones during its galaxy unpacked event and I’ve got early hands-on access with the devices. So we're going to tell you everything we know about them and what new updates they bring.
Ok, so as always, you’ve got three options: the S25, S25 Plus, and the showstopper, the S25 Ultra. All three pack 12GB of RAM, smooth 120Hz AMOLED 2X displays, and 12MP selfie shooters. But the biggest difference between the three models is the cameras.
The S25 and S25 Plus stick to a familiar triple-camera setup with a 50MP main, 12MP ultrawide, and 10MP telephoto lenses. The S25 Ultra, though, features a new 50MP ultrawide camera, upgraded from last year’s 12MP, for sharper group shots and enhanced landscapes. It retains the 200MP main camera and adds a 50MP periscope telephoto lens and a 10MP telephoto. Samsung even showed off its AI zoom features, and they looked seriously impressive.
The Ultra also stands out with its size. It has a slightly bigger 6.9-inch screen, making it the largest in the lineup. It keeps the same 5,000mAh battery as last year but introduces a new flat-frame design with rounded edges, a departure from the sharper corners of the S24 Ultra. The titanium frame with the improved Corning Gorilla Armor 2 adds extra durability, and it’s lighter and thinner this time.
As expected, the Ultra comes with the iconic S Pen, but there aren’t any noticeable upgrades there. The color options for the Ultra include Titanium Silver Blue, Titanium Black, Titanium White Silver, and Titanium Gray, while the S25 and S25 Plus offer shades like Navy, Silver Shadow, Icy Blue, and Mint.
Now all three phones will be running on the Snapdragon 8 Elite and guess what India is getting the same variant and of course we already tested the Snapdragon 8 Elite in phones like iQOO 13 on the OnePlus 13 and also of course the Realme GT 7 Pro, so you can expect some killer performance from the S25 Ultra and the other S25 phones running the same chipset.
Performance-wise, all three phones run Android 15 with One UI 7. Samsung’s Galaxy AI integration adds some cool features, like the Audio Eraser that can automatically isolate sounds from different sources in a video. It’s a neat touch, especially for content creators.
Overall, the new lineup looks great, but the hardware upgrades feel more like small tweaks than major leaps. Also, Samsung announced the Indian prices; the lineup starts at ₹80,999, with the S25 Plus priced at ₹99,999, and the S25 Ultra reaching ₹1,29,999, showing a price drop from last year.