I skip it plus and ultra – this is why the standard Galaxy S25 is my best choice

The Samsung Galaxy S25 may not be as flashy as the UltraBut it is still the best compact phone you can buy now. It refines a great formula with a slimmer, lighter design, better lifespan of the battery, and Smarter AI functions. But is it still worth $ 799 with minimal hardware upgrades above its predecessor?

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It helps that Samsung counts this year on an improved Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 elite processor, which not only entails speed improvements, but also a better picture of the image and a more efficient battery life – perhaps the three most important aspects for consumers. I spent the last week testing the device, and although the specification sheet may not excite you, the Real-World experience tells a different story.

The Galaxy S25 is slimmer and lighter than Galaxy S24 from last year. It is even one of the most comfortable phones I have kept and used. Unlike the larger Galaxy S25 Ultra, the flat sides do not feel awkward and the curved edges keep it handy. I would go so far to say that it offers a better feeling in hand than the Google Pixel 9 and iPhone 16.

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At the front there is a 6.2 -inch Amoled display with an FHD+ resolution, which is less sharp on paper than the QHD+ screens on the Galaxy S25 Plus and Galaxy S25 Ultra. But in practice it is still sharp and lively because of its size. From scrolling through Haspels on Instagram to browsing chrome to watching films on Netflix, the Galaxy S25 display provides a satisfactory experience of content consumption.

I only wish the anti-reflective coating of Gorilla Armor 2 of the Galaxy S25 Ultra for this model, because it makes the screen more usable in clear environments. It is an upgrade of quality of life that would have made the compact telephone experience really unique. That said, the screen is still reasonably readable in direct sunlight, as shown in the image above.

At Galaxy Uppacked I had the impression that Samsung was too much for the Snapdragon 8-elite processor to deliver a substantial upgrade over the Galaxy S24 this year. Maybe I rejected it too quickly because in my time I revised the Galaxy S25, notes improvements of the battery life that I have never seen of the smallest Samsung model.

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From my tests, the Galaxy S25 ME lasted at least an hour and a half longer than its predecessor under similar use. It is a one-day phone for moderate user-thinks who use browsing, social media and regularly use a message. Although the use of navigation and camera will drain the battery faster, most people here will be satisfied with the battery life.

Although I like that Samsung has succeeded in offering a better life of the battery in a slimmer and lighter design, this year I had given preference to a loading speed faster than 25W. At least keep it on the same footing with the Galaxy S25 Plus and Ultra’s 45W!

Just like charging, Samsung has not updated the cameras on the Galaxy S25 this year. It has the same optics as the Galaxy S24, which are the same as the Galaxy S23 of the year before. Instead, Samsung continues to lean on the latest processor to improve his camera hardware, which keeps the Marketrelevant devices, but nothing more.

For a refresher course, the camera system contains a 50MP primary camera with optical image stabilization, a 10MP telephone camera with 3x optical zoom and a 12MP ultrawide corner sensor.

Also: These useful one onion 7 functions come to the Galaxy S25 series -and older models too

The phone offers a good dynamic range and consistent colors about the sensors. I have discovered that my image samples are slightly more detailed than those of last year’s model. Samsung has also worked on supplying more accurate human skin tones, along with better results with little light in terms of clarity and less noise in challenging environments.

Compared to the iPhone 16 and Pixel 9, I prefer the Galaxy S25 camera because of its versatility. A special 3x -lending camera is essential for me. However, if the use of your camerabate entails to record toddlers or pets, the iPhone can be of better service to you, because these cameras are still struggling with fast -moving topics. Unless you use the expert RAW app to adjust the shutter speed for all photos, this is not the best camera system for capturing small people and hairy friends.

Some of the largest camera -upgrades come in video mode. You can now make log videos with Galaxy Log, with which cinematographers can apply Lut’s to be able to apply their 10-bit images in color.

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The Galaxy S25 also introduces a new function after processing called Audio Eraser, which uses AI to recognize and remove unwanted sounds such as wind, water or public babbling. A similar position is available on Apple and Google phones, so I am happy to be able to report that Samsung has finally overtaken – and it works well.

The Samsung Galaxy S25 runs on Android 15-based onion 7, which will soon roll out to the older Galaxy S24 series, which most, if not all, of the functions I am about to name, last year’s phones to take.

Starting with AI Select, my most used AI function in recent days. It works as a circle to search, so that you can emphasize content on the screen and emphasize based on the information on the screen.

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For example, if you receive an event invitation via text or e-mail with time, date and location data, you can tap AI Select. Tap on it and the time, date and location are automatically entered in your agenda app.

There is also a new Galaxy AI function called Now letter, an app-widget hybrid that consolidates important data in one place. In theory it can show updates again, suggesting that you have to take the day easily when Galaxy Health detects bad sleep, recommend Spotify playlists of your favorite artists, display news and agenda -Event and propose YouTube shorts.

In my experience, however, it has usually been a glorified weather. It could not detect my Google Fit data synchronized with Galaxy Health and showed me no news. The proposed Spotify playlists were also not based on my preferences. Samsung claims that the service will improve over time, so I will update this review if I notice changes.

One onion 7 introduces the now beam, a new way to display active app reports on the lock screen. If you have a timer, music player or navigation that are active, they will appear as stacked cards on the lock screen that you can sweep to and communicate with it.

It reminds me of Dynamic Island and live activities on iPhones and supports a limited number of apps with the launch in the same way. I expect it to be supported for more apps, because developers integrate it into their products. For now it feels like a nice position in the early stages.

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Other Galaxy AI party tricks are portrait studio for making 3D cartoons and sketches of portraits, sketch to image and generative AI for adding objects to photos. These functions are more refined and consistent, but tasks such as generative AI and background expansion in the Gallery app can still take more than 10 seconds to process.

The Galaxy S25 also contains Gemini Ai -Upgrades. The new, transformed version of Google Assistant can be activated by a long pressure on the side button. This allows you to ask for information, plan things and send WhatsApp reports to contacts. It is better in processing multiple assignments in one line and I look forward to wider app support from third parties.

ZDnet’s buying advice

Although it may seem like an overwhelming upgrade on paper Samsung Galaxy S25. My only complaint is the inability to properly catch moving topics without adjusting the shutter speed in expert RAW. If you can overlook that, this is a solid phone for $ 799 and an even better deal if you can crochet it with a trade-in offer or promotion.

Compared to Google and Apple, the Galaxy S25 offers a better display, the best feeling in its segment, a more versatile camera arrangement and a good battery life. It is better than the similar priced Pixel 9 and iPhone 16 – and my best choice for everyone looking for a compact flagship at the moment.