Android gaming greatness but few other improvements

Samsung’s flagship telephones have arrived for 2025, and as soon as once more, the model has educated its deal with AI smarts relatively than {hardware} upgrades. The brand new Extremely mannequin acquired the most important adjustments, together with a recent new look and a brand-new digicam, however at a look, the usual Samsung Galaxy S25 appears similar to its predecessor, and the one earlier than that, for that matter.

Fortunately, that’s not completely true. The state-of-the-art Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite now powers the Samsung Galaxy S25. The RAM has been upgraded to 12GB, and there’s an extra 512GB storage possibility. It’s all excellent news for avid gamers. The query is, is the Galaxy S25 value your hard-earned money? Or might you save somewhat and seize one of many older picks from our information to one of the best gaming telephones? I wished to search out out, and after dwelling with it for the previous week, listed below are my ideas.

Value and availability

The Samsung Galaxy S25 is now out there to order in most areas globally. There are three variants to select from, all include 12GB of RAM, however you may select between 128GB, 256GB, and 512GB of storage.

The bottom mannequin with 128GB storage retails for $799.99 / £799 / €900, and the 256GB model goes for $859.99 / £859 / €960. The 512GB doesn’t appear to have made its option to the States but, however within the UK and Europe, you may count on to pay £959 / €1080. There are many pre-order reductions and contract offers to maintain a watch out for, and so they differ considerably between areas, so it’s value trying round to make sure you get one of the best deal.

Specs

Listed here are the Samsung Galaxy S25’s specs:

Efficiency and gaming

The Samsung Galaxy S25 makes use of Qualcomm’s finest chip, the Snapdragon 8 Elite, and that’s the case globally, with no Exynos variations in sight. It additionally comes with 12GB of RAM, up from 8GB, which ought to assist with multitasking and gaming efficiency.

One other massive change is with the storage choices. Final yr, you could possibly solely get the S24 with both 128GB or 256GB of storage, no less than in Europe. Now, there’s an extra 512GB possibility for the S25, which is nice to see, as that’s greater than sufficient area for all one of the best Android video games. It appears Samsung has lastly realized that liking a smaller cellphone doesn’t imply you need any much less storage.

As you may count on, with the Snapdragon 8 Elite at its core, the Galaxy S25 is a critical performer. It’ll deal with any title you may throw at it with ease, and it had no hassle with my standard check, operating Genshin Affect at 60fps with most graphical settings for hours. That’s a fairly large deal, as efficiency of this high quality is normally reserved for specialist gaming telephones, not all-rounders just like the S25.

The body obtained hotter than I’d like throughout longer classes, however the efficiency didn’t appear to drop off an excessive amount of, which is spectacular contemplating the compact dimension of this handset. I probably solely observed as a result of I used to be utilizing it with no case; it’ll be rather more snug to carry with these aluminum aspect rails hid.

There’s a recreation overlay constructed into One UI 7, however it’s about as primary as they arrive. You may entry issues like efficiency modes, contact sensitivity, and brightness locking, and you can too open different apps as floating home windows. It’s helpful stuff, however it’s a good distance behind the likes of OnePlus, Honor, and Vivo.

Options and software program

Booting up the S25, the software program adjustments are instantly noticeable. Samsung has been laborious at work refining the design of One UI, and its seventh iteration appears to be like extra polished than ever. In my expertise, it’s essentially the most responsive and speedy-feeling Android-based OS by some margin. Swiping round this OS feels lightning fast.

As we noticed final yr, Samsung is all-in on Galaxy AI, and also you’ll now discover AI-powered parts in nearly each space of One UI. The worldwide search bar now helps natural-language enter, so relatively than having to know a particular time period or key phrase, you may simply kind a query. For instance, you may kind “it’s too dim,” and the brightness settings will come up. It’s the form of factor that might be very useful for much less tech-savvy customers.

Circle to Search debuted on final yr’s S24 fashions, and this yr, it’s again with additional capabilities. It could actually now seek for audio, similar to Shazam, so you may establish a music that’s enjoying and even simply hum a tune you’re looking for the title of. It’s actually useful to have this multi function place. Nevertheless, this replace isn’t unique to Samsung gadgets, and it has already appeared on my Vivo, too.

There’s additionally a brand new device known as AI Choose, which is unique to Samsung. This works equally in that you choose issues by circling them in your display screen, however it’s extra for creation than internet search. You should utilize it for easy issues, like making a GIF or a screenshot, however you can too take away objects from these screenshots, add to them utilizing Sketch to Picture, or reimagine them completely with Drawing Help. It’s a enjoyable novelty, however actually, I can’t think about utilizing all of them that a lot; Circle to Search will stay my go-to.

Now Transient is one other massive addition. It makes use of AI to summarize your day and offer you key data at a look. By default, Now Transient delivers updates to the notifications shade all through the day, and there’s additionally a house display screen widget for fast entry.

I used to be on this function, however the actuality was barely disappointing. My Transient would virtually at all times simply embrace climate data and no matter is in my calendar. It’s helpful data, however nothing notably new or thrilling. Often, there was a random Spotify playlist in there, however it wasn’t precisely personalised to my style. For instance, I at all times obtained issues like ‘Sunday Afternoon Combine’ simply because it was a Sunday afternoon. This function has potential, however in its present state, it’s very underwhelming.

The cellphone has all the identical AI-powered picture modifying instruments as final yr, and so they appear to have improved over time, too. They’re positively extra dependable than Apple’s options. This yr’s massive addition is Audio Eraser, which, because the title suggests, is similar to the equal function on iPhones and Pixel gadgets.

This function makes use of AI to establish totally different sound sources in your movies after which offers you digital sliders to regulate the amount of every one. If in case you have a video clip with an excessive amount of site visitors noise within the background, you may enhance the amount of your voice and switch down the extent of site visitors. It’s intelligent stuff, however the consequence sounds somewhat too synthetic for my liking, so I’d solely suggest utilizing it in excessive circumstances.

Design

It’s straightforward to mistake the Galaxy S25 for the S24, and even the S23, for that matter. The design has barely modified, and the one main distinction is the addition of some thicker black rings across the rear cameras. These rings don’t do something; they’re simply an aesthetic alternative, however I feel they give the impression of being fairly good. They’re similar to those on the Galaxy Z Fold 6, and so they match the remainder of the S25 lineup, too.

The S25 is slimmer than its predecessor, however it’s not one thing you’ll discover in the true world. Samsung has solely managed to shave off 0.4 mm, which is lower than the thickness of the common fingernail. It’s additionally lighter, however once more, we’re solely taking 6 grams, which isn’t sufficient to make a lot of an impression.

After all, we additionally get some new colour choices. I’ve the Silver Shadow model for testing, however you can too select from Navy, Mint, and Icyblue. I really feel like these colours have somewhat extra character than the monochromatic S25 Extremely choices, however they’re nonetheless on the stylish aspect.

In order for you one thing somewhat extra vibrant, you’ll want to purchase from Samsung.com and decide up the unique Coralred possibility. It’s positively the standout possibility for individuals who like to show heads. Additionally unique to Samsung.com are the Blueblack and Pinkgold choices. They’re not fairly as loud, however each look fairly fetching in their very own proper.

The Galaxy S25 continues to be IP68 rated for mud and water resistance, and it has the identical Gorilla Glass Victus 2 coating on the entrance. Neither the titanium-infused body nor the anti-reflective glass of the Extremely has made an look on the smaller fashions, sadly, so we’d suggest nonetheless choosing up a case.

Show and audio system

The show additionally has the very same specs as final yr’s S24. It’s definitely not thrilling, however it was already a really good show, and it appears to be like simply as spectacular a yr later.

It has slim, symmetrical bezels on all sides, and it’s fully flat, which makes it appear and feel a bit like an iPhone. The brightness peaks at 2,600 nits, which doesn’t sound like a lot, however it’s truly a really brilliant show. Producers have every kind of wacky methods to measure brightness, and I really feel like Samsung is being somewhat extra conservative with its figures. In any case, it’s greater than brilliant sufficient to permit for taking part in any of one of the best cell video games in direct daylight.

The one factor that’s new here’s a software program function developed with Qualcomm known as ProScaler. This function makes use of AI to upscale content material for a extra crisp and high-resolution look. My solely subject is that I can’t work out when or the way you activate this function, and if I’m being fully trustworthy, I haven’t observed a lot of a distinction.

The Galaxy S25 show at all times appears to be like nice, and whether or not we are able to attribute that to the ProScaler or not, count on gorgeous HDR content material, slick and easy gaming, and vibrant, correct colour copy. Samsung is aware of what it’s doing within the show division, and the S25 is as spectacular as ever.

It’s the identical story with the audio system. I’m not conscious of any upgrades, however they had been already nice, and so they sound simply nearly as good this time round. In truth, I feel they’re higher than the audio system on the S25 Extremely merely as a result of their positioning. I’m at all times muffling the audio system on the Extremely after I maintain the cellphone in panorama, and fortunately, that doesn’t occur on the S25.

Samsung Galaxy S25’s cameras

The digicam array can also be unchanged on this mannequin. This implies you get a 50MP f/1.8 predominant snapper, a 12MP f/2.2 ultrawide, and a 10MP f/2.4 3x telephoto. Across the entrance, there’s a 12MP f/2.2 selfie digicam.

These are fairly underwhelming specs in 2025; even mid-rangers are managing triple 50MP setups, if not greater. However, as we’ve seen many instances earlier than, the megapixel depend isn’t every thing, and low-resolution cameras can ship some astonishingly good outcomes.

To be trustworthy, I used to be anticipating the Galaxy S25 photographs to look similar to the S24 photographs. It’s the identical {hardware}, in spite of everything. Fortunately, although, there are refined enhancements throughout the board. The principle factor I observed is that the colour accuracy appears higher, and pores and skin tones appear rather more lifelike than on earlier Samsung flagships. The extent of sharpening appears to be like rather more pure, too. It’s a small change, however it makes an impression.

I’m undecided if it is a software program change (which might imply it might additionally apply to the S24) or if it’s right down to the brand new ISP on the Snapdragon 8 Elite. In any case, photographs and movies look rather more spectacular on this gadget. After all, there’s solely a lot that picture processing can do, and the drawbacks of the earlier mannequin are nonetheless current right here. This cellphone didn’t get the upgraded ultrawide digicam, which implies there’s nonetheless no autofocus, and that makes it a a lot much less versatile lens.

Aside from the primary digicam, these comparatively small sensors endure in low gentle. You may count on very noisy and grainy pictures when the lighting situation isn’t very best. Though switching to the devoted evening mode does a good job of cleansing issues up.

There’s an enormous improve for budding filmmakers this yr, and that’s the addition of a correct LOG recording mode. This implies you may seize video that’s extra appropriate for colour grading, similar to you’d on an expert cinema digicam. It even works at 8K decision, which even the iPhone 16 Professional Max can’t match.

Battery

The battery and charging specs stay unchanged on the Galaxy S25. This implies you solely get a 4000 mAh cell and a sluggish 25W wired charging fee. These aren’t precisely flagship-grade figures in 2025, however regardless of that, I discovered the S25 straightforward to stay with.

A mixture of {hardware} and software program optimization signifies that the battery lasts greater than lengthy sufficient for most individuals. I’m a comparatively heavy consumer, and I nonetheless managed to get to bedtime with round 20% capability remaining most days.

The identical is true of the charging; 25W may sound woefully sluggish, however it was sufficient to take me from full-flat to 60% charged in about half an hour. It’s not a lot of a trouble. Simply remember that the ultimate 30% takes for much longer, and it’ll take effectively over an hour to get you from flat to 100% charged.

Samsung now provides official instances with Qi2-compatible magnets in-built, however there aren’t any magnets within the cellphone itself. This obtained my hopes up, as I anticipated quicker wi-fi charging speeds to come back together with it. Alas, we nonetheless solely get 15W wi-fi charging, however it’s nonetheless higher than nothing.

Do you have to purchase the Samsung Galaxy S25?

The Samsung Galaxy S25 is without doubt one of the most boring product launches in latest reminiscence. It’s mainly the identical cellphone we noticed final yr, simply with the brand new Qualcomm chip inside. There are just a few additional goodies, just like the elevated RAM capability and the 512GB possibility (in some areas), however in any other case, the {hardware} is precisely the identical.

That mentioned, in case you’re on the lookout for a flagship gadget with a smaller display screen, you’re not precisely swimming in choices. The S25 is without doubt one of the strongest gadgets on this dimension vary, and avid gamers with smaller palms are positive to adore it.

It’s spectacular elsewhere, too. The cameras appear to carry out barely higher than final yr, the software program is filled with novel AI options, and it’s only a delight to stay with. It could not have a head-turning spec sheet, however the each day expertise of utilizing it’s laborious to fault.

The largest subject is its similarity to final yr’s mannequin. If you will discover an S24 at an excellent value, it is likely to be the extra wise possibility. Each the Exynos and Snapdragon variations are nice for gaming, and many of the new AI options will arrive on the older mannequin through firmware updates.

Options

In case you’re undecided that the Samsung Galaxy S25 is best for you, listed below are a few different compact flagships value contemplating

Samsung Galaxy S24

As talked about, the S24 has basically the identical {hardware} because the S25; the one actual distinction is that it has an Exynos 2400 or Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 relatively than the brand new 8 Elite. These chips are nonetheless greater than quick sufficient for most individuals, and you may nonetheless discover the 2024 flagship through most retailers. So, you may take into account saving some money and grabbing the older model. For extra data, learn our Samsung Galaxy S24 overview.

iPhone 16 Professional

In case you’re not married to the concept of an Android cellphone, it’s value contemplating Apple’s iPhone 16 Professional. It’s virtually precisely the identical dimension because the S25, however it has extra spectacular cameras and sure benefits for gaming, together with the power to run Genshin Affect at 120Hz. Nevertheless, it’s additionally dearer, and Apple Intelligence continues to be a good distance behind Samsung’s AI options.

That’s our Samsung Galaxy S25 overview. For extra on the newest telephones, be sure you take a look at our RedMagic 10 Professional overview and Asus ROG Telephone 9 Professional overview. Or, if you wish to see what fellow tech big Apple has to supply, take a look at our information to one of the best gaming iPhones.