Samsung Galaxy S25 / S25+ / S25 Ultra / S25 Slim

Supersnake

[H]ard|Gawd
Joined
Dec 23, 2007
Messages
1,188
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While I certainly wouldn’t turn down an S25U, I think the Pixel 9 family ruined it for me. I just like the unintrusive UI and thoughtful features, plus Google has finally nailed the aesthetics.

And who’d have thought Google would have the better foldable phone?

With that said, I’m very curious to see the OnePlus 13 as well. Sounds like OyxgenOS 15 has some nice touches.
 
While I certainly wouldn’t turn down an S25U, I think the Pixel 9 family ruined it for me. I just like the unintrusive UI and thoughtful features, plus Google has finally nailed the aesthetics.

And who’d have thought Google would have the better foldable phone?

With that said, I’m very curious to see the OnePlus 13 as well. Sounds like OyxgenOS 15 has some nice touches.
Yeah, basically the same for my whole family; all Pixels and no issues or complaints really from the software/UI perspective. Their underwhelming hardware has tempted me to switch to Samsung though. It seems they have mostly fixed that with the Pixel 9s though with their new FP sensor and finally some noticeably improved power efficiency over the first 3 gens of Tensor.
 
what do you need that much specs in a phone? 😜
Video capture. 4K60 HDR10+ at high bitrate chews through storage like no other. The ram is icing on the cake. If they offer it at the highest storage tier, I'll take it!
I will be curious if the Snapdragon 8 Elite will have dedicated video encoding like the A18 pro does.
 
They shouldn’t change any triple camera design. We need bigger sensors for quality videos and photos, not rearrangement of them


 
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Video capture. 4K60 HDR10+ at high bitrate chews through storage like no other. The ram is icing on the cake. If they offer it at the highest storage tier, I'll take it!
I will be curious if the Snapdragon 8 Elite will have dedicated video encoding like the A18 pro does.
As someone who has shot 4K120 HDR video on an iPhone, I feel your pain.
 
Official
Samsung will hold its Unpacked Event on Jan. 22, at 10 a.m. PT (1 p.m. ET)

The Galaxy S25, along with the Galaxy S25+ and Galaxy S25 Ultra, will go on sale on Friday, Feb. 7.

Preorders can be purchased now with exclusive offers ending at the start of the unpacked event
👉 Link




Details

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kI46VswJZkY
 
Got invited to the unpacked but cannot be in San Jose on the 22nd. Bummer.
But I will have one of these (Ultras) in hand to put through the wringer. The OnePlus 13 is going to be a tough one to unseat.
 
If some of the rumors are true (no 16GB RAM in USA, no remote control functions of S-pen), then a LOT of people are going to be pissed or keeping their older devices. It's certainly a great way to boost OnePlus 13 sales for sure.
 
So I’ve tried the S25 family, and… yeah, it’s the definition of a spec bump, hardware-wise. The S25U is dandy, but it makes the iPhone 16 Pro line feel like a major update in comparison.

The software is where it’s at. The multi-task Gemini, Now Bar, and Now Brief are nice, as is the fresher overall look. But you may get a lot of that on older phones through updates.

The S25 Edge honestly looks like the most exciting phone of the bunch, but there’s so much we don’t know about it yet. Are there any compromises in battery life? Are the two remaining rear cameras good? Is it reasonably sturdy? If it’s still a good phone that happens to be slimmer, that’s fine. But if it struggles to last a day or risks bending in your pocket, then it doesn’t have much of a future.
 
Same panel as last year.
UFS 4.0.
12GB RAM.
No wireless s-pen.
Same cameras except UW.
Same battery and charging speeds.

Lots of $$$ to pay for software. Now it's obvious why the Android 15 / OneUI 7.0 update has been dragged out for so long!
If the Fold 7 is similar, especially with 12GB RAM I suspect most will go for the OnePlus Open II.

Don't give a F about Ai. And, too, the fact that they plan on charging a subscription for it!
Do they think people are that stupid? Nevermind, I think that has already been answered!
 
Don't give a F about Ai. And, too, the fact that they plan on charging a subscription for it!
Do they think people are that stupid? Nevermind, I think that has already been answered!
👍

I take it that you are also not going to be a fan of Google inviting you to enjoy the convenience of their subscription Ai?

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👍

I take it that you are also not going to be a fan of Google inviting you to enjoy the convenience of their subscription Ai?

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Nope. I can easily remove the ai framework via ADB or just install cdroid. That's one thing I do enjoy about OnePlus and Pixel devices. Unlocked devices with OEM unlocking allowed gives freedom to enjoy it as my device. Samsung USA models have not allowed this for years. Granted, they have improved customizations and UI experience enough to where it's not necessary to go savage on them, but it would be nice if it were allowed as development would open up so many options for better user experience to those that seek it.
 
Don't give a F about Ai. And, too, the fact that they plan on charging a subscription for it!
Do they think people are that stupid? Nevermind, I think that has already been answered!
That Samsung still characterizes this as a "we might charge for AI, maybe, eventually" suggests it knows there's a lot of hesitation around this. My guess is that Samsung either finds some premium feature to justify a sub (video generation, for example) or just drops mentions of charging for access.
 
I have the S24 Ultra and can upgrade for free, but I think I'm gonna pass with the hassle of actually having to do it. I do wish they made better updates to Samsung DEX.
 
I have the S24 Ultra and can upgrade for free, but I think I'm gonna pass with the hassle of actually having to do it. I do wish they made better updates to Samsung DEX.
There's honestly not much incentive here. It's faster, has a slightly larger screen (if rounded) and a 50MP ultra-wide cam. Having used it, it'd be great for me if I were switching wholesale to Android and didn't already have a good device handy; for you I'd wait until the S26 at a minimum.
 
I have the S22 Ultra and I did order the S25 Ultra. I am hoping my battery life is better because I typically cannot go all day.
 
I have the S22 Ultra and I did order the S25 Ultra. I am hoping my battery life is better because I typically cannot go all day.
The battery life on the S23U and S24U are so much better than the S22U. I would guess the S25U will be good as well. My S22U would die in a couple of hours. Haven’t had that issue with the S23U or S24U.
 
The battery life on the S23U and S24U are so much better than the S22U. I would guess the S25U will be good as well. My S22U would die in a couple of hours. Haven’t had that issue with the S23U or S24U.
That is awesome to read. I am so tired of my battery life on this S22. So pumped to get the S25 Ultra. :)
 
I'm going back to Samsung with the S25U. My worst mistake was trading in my S23U for a OnePlus Open.

The Open was cool to experiment with for a while but OnePlus cannot do software. Period. There's multiple fatal flaws in their software that make it the most annoying phone I've ever used.

Hardware was excellent BUT... you have the most massive camera bump in smart phone history and there's no way to hold the damn thing without your fingers uncomfortably resting against the camera island.

Then there's trade in. Despite being one of the most expensive phones out there, nobody takes a OnePlus Open as a trade in. Or if they do, it falls under the "other" category of phones where they give you like $50 for it.

/rant

Never again. I'm sticking with mainstream brands that actually have trade in value.
 
Then there's trade in. Despite being one of the most expensive phones out there, nobody takes a OnePlus Open as a trade in. Or if they do, it falls under the "other" category of phones where they give you like $50 for it.

/rant

Never again. I'm sticking with mainstream brands that actually have trade in value.
Have you gone to the OnePlus.com/us website?

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Got mine yesterday. With a full charge each morning, on my S22 U, I would be at 80% already by now. Now on the S25 U, at the same time frame, I am at 93%. Massive difference. Plus, I like the feel of it a lot better as well. Very happy with this phone.
 
Got mine yesterday. With a full charge each morning, on my S22 U, I would be at 80% already by now. Now on the S25 U, at the same time frame, I am at 93%. Massive difference. Plus, I like the feel of it a lot better as well. Very happy with this phone.
That's great to hear. This reinforces my view that Samsung is aiming more at people who are upgrading from phones that are three, four, or even five years old; they'd love it if you upgraded from an S23 or S24, but they're not realistically expecting it.
 
That's great to hear. This reinforces my view that Samsung is aiming more at people who are upgrading from phones that are three, four, or even five years old; they'd love it if you upgraded from an S23 or S24, but they're not realistically expecting it.

I generally upgrade every year. After trade-in, it's like $300/yr. for the newest phone (unlocked directly from Samsung).

My wife on the other hand...someone (me) is going to have to pry her Pixel 7 out of her cold, dead hand. Or just replace it in the middle of the night when the security updates run out.
 
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I generally upgrade every year. After trade-in, it's like $300/yr. for the newest phone (unlocked directly from Samsung).

My wife on the other hand...someone's (me) is going to have to pry her Pixel 7 out of her cold, dead hand. Or just replace it in the middle of the night when the security updates run out.
I used to be like you, and I don't think there's anything wrong if you can get trade-ins and handle the cost. For me, it's partly due to the sense of ownership — upgrading every year feels like I'm just renting, and it can get expensive when cases and accessories are factored in.

I can understand your wife's view, in part because the Pixel 7 is still a pretty solid phone. It's going to be a while before that device feels truly behind the curve. I'm curious to see if the Pixel 10 moves the needle for people like her.
 
Just went from S20U to S25U. 1440p/120hz and battery life are the biggest differences so far. Speakers sound better than expected.
 
Speakers are really good on the S25 ultra. Finally, something that gets the lower midrange covered on the level Apple has been doing for the past few years.
The form factor. Love the feel. Unfortunately, it's best experienced in the nude. As soon as any case, no matter how thin (and I've tried the thinnest there is, basically paper LOL) that goes away. OK the thinnest is fine BUT when swiping off screen the slightly raised edge catches and pulls away a bit which is annoying. I have a few Samsung freebies and their faux leather (similar to Apple's legacy leather case) kind of has a slimy feel and makes the phone feel WAY bigger/thicker than its dimensions are. It's really weird. I'm starting to use this along with the OP13 and even my Fold 6 caseless. I use a pouch with a belt loop to carry them so not too worried about dropping. I miss the original Samsung rugged case of the S10 days. It had ridges on the back and reminded me of a ruggedized access point with a heatsink. The new rugged case has much finer ridges and is OK I guess. Not complaining as it was essentially free.

But my house gets crazy (cattle dogs and cats!) and the thought of leaving an expensive phone caseless on a table is frightening indeed.
 
cpufrost,
You may want to consider this OnePlus 13 carbon fiber patterned PU, TPU hybrid case sold by a company called Ftonglogy. I found the red and blue striped cases to be beautiful in appearance, having a textured feel, and non rigid edges that do not move when you are swiping toward them. The camera island in particular deserves attention for its perfect fit and protective rise, along with a textured surface not visible in the photos. I purchased both the blue and red striped cases, intending one for use and backup.

Three nights ago while sitting at my desk, I stubbornly stayed awake when I should have instead went to bed. I fell asleep twice and dropped the phone from my hand onto a solid glass office chair mat, neither the case or the phone had damage.
Note: The cases do not have an embedded magnetic circle, that absence was a requisite for me.
 
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Yes, that's the case that I have. Ali's $0.99 new member (?) price is right too.
When you mentioned cases with a slimy feeling and edges that pull away, silicone cases also came to mind...ugh.
Your making use of a pouch sounds the most reliable if unable to locate a thin case to your liking - but you gotta remember to keep it in that pouch if you set it down unattended :)
 
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