Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra Review: The Superphone with Overhyped AI Features

The Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra is a powerhouse with a stunning 6.9-inch display, top-tier Snapdragon 8 Elite chip, and an impressive 200MP camera system. While it offers long battery life and a sleek design, its AI features are often hit or miss, falling short of the expectations set by its marketing. Despite its shortcomings in AI, the phone remains a top choice for those seeking performance and versatility.

Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra Review: The Superphone with Overhyped AI Features

The Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra is a powerhouse, blending cutting-edge technology with sleek design. As Samsung’s flagship device, it offers top-tier features, including a super-fast Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite chip, a massive 6.9-inch QHD+ Dynamic AMOLED 2X display with a 120Hz refresh rate, and a long-lasting battery capable of powering through two days of use. It also delivers a fantastic camera setup with a 200MP main sensor, alongside 10x optical zoom capabilities through a 50MP telephoto lens. Despite these impressive specs, the S25 Ultra’s AI features leave much to be desired.

The design has been slightly refined, with the S25 Ultra now being 14g lighter than its predecessor, featuring flat sides and minimal bezels around its screen. The device’s exterior is a glass slab encased in a titanium band, adding to its premium feel. It’s a massive phone, but the large display and slim bezels make it visually striking, while the size ensures that there’s plenty of space for all the latest tech.

Inside, the S25 Ultra boasts the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite processor, which outperforms competitors like the OnePlus 13. This chipset ensures the phone handles heavy multitasking and gaming with ease. Its battery is equally impressive, lasting about two days of moderate use. With up to 7.5 hours of activity that includes photos, media, and browsing, this phone stands out for its endurance.

The S25 Ultra also features impressive camera technology. The 200MP main sensor is coupled with a 10MP 3x telephoto lens and a 50MP 5x telephoto lens, giving users unparalleled zoom capabilities. The new 50MP ultra-wide camera offers better low-light performance, enhancing overall image quality. Samsung’s camera app is user-friendly despite offering a wealth of features, including portrait modes, manual controls, and various advanced tools for photography enthusiasts. The phone’s adaptability with four cameras and multiple zoom options makes it one of the most versatile smartphones for photography.

However, the phone’s standout feature, its AI capabilities, fall short of expectations. Samsung has included numerous AI-driven tools, such as enhanced drawing features, image editing suggestions, and a new AI-powered assistant called Gemini. The AI tools work well in some cases, such as creating art from sketches or offering suggestions for photos and text. However, they also stumble on simple tasks, such as misinterpreting names or getting event dates wrong. While the Gemini assistant is promising, it often fails to deliver the accuracy required for a truly seamless experience. Some AI functions are more gimmicky than practical, and users should not rely on them entirely.

One standout software feature is the “Now” bar, which appears at the bottom of the lock screen, displaying live updates such as weather, sports scores, reminders, and music playing. This feature is similar to Google’s “At a Glance” and Apple’s “Dynamic Island,” offering useful real-time information at a glance. However, not all AI features are as useful, with the phone sometimes suggesting unnecessary actions, like warning users about excessive screen time while walking.

The Galaxy S25 Ultra is not a radical departure from previous iterations, but it refines the formula with improved performance and better AI integrations. Despite its strong specs and features, the phone feels like the peak of what can be achieved with current hardware, leaving little room for future hardware upgrades. While its camera system, battery life, and display are superb, the overhyped AI tools hold it back from being truly revolutionary.

In terms of pricing, the Galaxy S25 Ultra starts at £1,249, placing it in line with other flagship models like the iPhone 16 Pro Max, but making it significantly more expensive than the standard Galaxy S25 or even the Galaxy Z Fold 6. The phone is a solid investment for those looking for a high-performance Android device, but potential buyers should not be swayed by the exaggerated claims about its AI capabilities.

Ultimately, the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra is a fantastic phone with one of the best displays, cameras, and chipsets available. It’s a superphone that can handle everything from gaming to productivity tasks, but its AI features need more refinement. It’s a great device for those looking for power and flexibility, but for now, the hype around its AI is premature.