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The Galaxy S25 Ultra: More “S25”, less “Ultra”

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4 weeks ago

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The Galaxy S25 Ultra: More “S25”, less “Ultra”

Without a shadow of a doubt, the Galaxy S25 Ultra is not just one of the most anticipated smartphones of 2025, but also one of the three or four devices that are going to dominate the flagship realm next year… and probably the year after.

Things couldn’t be different, as Samsung is still the go-to brand for millions and millions of people out there, tech-savvy or not. I’m a big promoter of the Far East brands like Xiaomi, Huawei, Oppo, OnePlus (and the rest of them) – they make mind-blowing flagships with killer specs – but people en masse favor Samsung. That’s the power of the brand.

That being said, I want to point out that while the Galaxy S25 Ultra is going to be really capable, it’s also headed in the wrong direction in a key area. I mean, the phone itself will be fast, reliable, powerful, and more, but when it comes to its exteriors… it doesn’t take me to cloud nine.

Generally, I don’t care that much about a phone’s looks: flat or curved screen, ultra-thin bezels or not, wasp waist or a thicker frame… it’s all irrelevant. What I want from a phone is to be reasonably fast (by my standards, that means flagship-level speeds), to offer a nice battery life (with fast charging), and to have a superb camera (possibly five superb cameras, thank you very much).

However, with the Galaxy S25 Ultra, I look at things a bit differently. I’m perfectly willing to accept flagship specs and flagship performance in a non-flagship body from any other phone, but Samsung’s “Ultra” line – at least its last three iterations – were amazing on the outside. That’s why I hate to see it go on the Galaxy S25 Ultra:

I like to think out of the box… and I like boxes

As you probably know, the Ultra model in the Galaxy S22, Galaxy S23, and – of course – Galaxy S24 families was the distinct one. While the “vanilla” and the Plus-sized models were being nice, safe, and round, the three Ultra(s) were these rectangular, boxy, sharp-edged badass champions. These were handsets to cut your fingers on – or at least they looked like that.

Now, things are very much headed in the opposite direction. As pointed out in the aforementioned report, the Galaxy S25 Ultra is now getting closer and closer to its lesser siblings in terms of appearance. Gone are the sharp, aggressive lines and the edges that almost scream “kid-unfriendly”.

As I’ve said before, Samsung is having an identity crisis and the Galaxy S25 Ultra is yet another proof of that. The Galaxy S25 Ultra now resembles something that is heavily inspired by the iPhone. Which iPhone? Well, every darn iPhone in recent years, because (the following should be read in Caps Lock) they’re all the same on the outside.

Even the Pixel 9 models gave in and now resemble the Apple phone. Oh, well…

The rest of it seems great

Expected to launch early next year, the Galaxy S25 Ultra will come in the usual sleek titanium design and will pack durable Corning glass. The device is likely to have a 6.8-inch Dynamic AMOLED 2X display with a smooth refresh rate ranging from 1 to 120Hz.

The Galaxy S24 Ultra packed an amazing non-reflective display that’s easily one of the best things about the phone itself.

The S24 Ultra is the first smartphone to feature Gorilla Glass Armor, a new toughened glass designed primarily to reduce screen reflections. While previous versions of Gorilla Glass have focused on enhancing drop and scratch resistance, this latest generation significantly minimizes reflections, giving the screen an almost matte appearance.

I expect things to stay the same on the Galaxy S25 Ultra.

Under the hood, it’s to be powered by Qualcomm’s upcoming Snapdragon 8 Gen 4 chip for robust performance.

One of the most exciting rumored features is the 1-inch 200MP ISOCELL image sensor for the main camera, which could greatly enhance low-light photography and provide exceptional detail in photos. However, it seems that no new camera hardware will be introduced, as current rumors suggest otherwise.

In addition to camera improvements, the S25 Ultra is expected to introduce new AI-powered features to enhance image processing, video capabilities, and other non-camera functions.

The starting price is likely to remain at $1,299, consistent with its predecessor.

Where’s the diversity?

It’s kind of ironic that once upon a time, when technology wasn’t as advanced, we had so many more design options to pick from. Phones came in all shapes, colors, and sizes. There was something for everyone, as you probably remember.

Today, we can do unimaginable things and essentially put the computer, the camera, the video camera, the music player, the GPS navigation, the game console, the book reader, the alarm clock, and whatnot in a single omnipotent smartphone.

From a distance far enough (or not that far, actually), today’s smartphones all look the same, though. I’m not talking just about the rectangular candy bar phones. Even the foldables – the next Cultural Revolution that’s already knocking on the door – yes, even the foldables look very much the same.

At least the Galaxy S24 Ultra, alongside its two predecessors, was something different, bold, and… recognizable in a heartbeat.

Where is the Galaxy S25 Ultra‘s heartbeat?

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