72 hours later with Galaxy S25 Ultra – the AI hype is getting real for me

Samsung’s Big Bad Galaxy phone has arrived. It was just about everything I expected. of galaxy s25 ultrastarts at $1,299, the same bold price as last year, and packs all the bells and whistles with a more durable display, an upgraded camera system with some useful editing techniques, and the latest Qualcomm processor. It continues to be the company’s terminal. Ah, yes, AI can be anything, anywhere, and at the same time.

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Last year’s Galaxy S24 series ushered in Samsung’s Galaxy AI era, but this year it feels like Samsung has solidified its position as a leader in this space, surpassing Apple and (for now) even Google in features and performance. It will be done. Of course, how cosmetic that accolade will be will ultimately depend on how invested you are in using AI.

I’ve been testing the S25 Ultra for three days now, and I wasn’t too surprised to find it both captivating and boring. This is, after all, the fifth iteration of Samsung’s S-series Ultra models, and to say the year-over-year changes are generous would be an understatement. However, if you’re currently using a 3-4 year old device and are considering an upgrade, keep this first-hand experience (and I’m not calling it a full review yet) in mind. (And if you’re a hobbyist, it probably matters to you as well.)

The Galaxy S Ultra has always been a large smartphone and one that can be operated with two hands, and that continues to be the case this year. When I first opened the S25 Ultra’s box, it felt like the flashiest calculator ever (in a good way), with its rounded edges and tall height. Compared to the OnePlus 13 I recently reviewed (which is relatively similar in size in theory), the S25 Ultra had a bolder, more imposing presence.

Fortunately, this time the device is not as heavy as previous models, even though Samsung has surrounded the four rear cameras with a thicker ring. In fact, the S25 Ultra is 16 grams lighter than its predecessor, earning it the title of the thinnest Galaxy S Ultra yet. We’ll likely hear more about “thinner” cell phones later this year.

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Another notable design upgrade on the S25 Ultra is the Corning Gorilla Armor 2 layered on the front display. It doesn’t take away from the anti-reflective surface treatment featured on last year’s S24 Ultra, but it promises improved drop protection and scratch resistance. I believe it. My S24 Ultra from last year had a number of minor scratches after just a few days of testing, but my S25 Ultra review unit has remained in good condition so far.

Now if only Samsung could get back to its glory days. psychedelic aura glow Exit. S25 Ultra Color Not inspiring. Perhaps it’s the nature of titanium finishes, or the harsh reality that consumers are more likely to choose them. safer Brighter in color than poppies with black, white and silver shades. Either way, if you want to add a little personality to your S25 Ultra, you’ll probably want to add a case.

Under the hood is the new Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite chip, the same processor found in competing Android smartphones like the OnePlus 13 and Honor Magic 7 Pro. The most notable benefit of this chipset comes in the form of the AI ​​experience. Specifically, NPU performance has improved by 40% compared to last year’s Snapdragon 8 Gen 3.

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In layman’s terms, on-device AI capabilities need to operate quickly while requiring less bandwidth and power. My S25 Ultra can quickly remove a subject from the background of a photo (along with its shadow) through generative editing and display Gemini search results in seconds, so you can see the results first-hand, whether it’s a placebo effect or not. I did.

You can also improve performance with the enhanced Gemini app, which can now be launched with a long press of the power button. Until now, Samsung phones have been limited to Bixby (or Google Assistant, with some cursory backend changes), so this change is a breath of fresh air. This makes the transition from other Android smartphones that use Gemini as their default assistant much easier.

Speaking of which, the new Gemini-Bixby hybrid AI agent, as Samsung confusingly claims, can perform a series of natural conversation-like actions, such as looking up your favorite sports team’s upcoming schedule and adding dates. It can be processed. your calendar. Features like the agent primarily work with Google and Samsung apps, but some third-party services like Spotify are also supported.

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The important thing is to know how to express the command. For example, when you ask an AI agent to: create I created a Spotify playlist for my trip and tried to send it to my wife, but she said it couldn’t be sent. Instead when I asked it, search We’ve hand-picked a list of road trip-friendly songs and created a text message that you can change. Ladies and gentlemen, this is AI.

Considering last year’s S24 series introduced Google’s Circle to Search feature, and this year’s S25 series does the same for an enhanced Gemini-Bixby experience, Samsung, not Google, has the world’s best AI. It would be no exaggeration to say that they make smartphones. current market.

Other new Galaxy AI tools such as AI Select and Now Brief only strengthen that claim, with the former an adaptive, context-aware screen selection tool and the latter a daily selection tool for weather, calendar events, and news. provides an overview of

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I wish Now Brief had shown me more than just political news. Despite setting my topic preferences within the Samsung News app to Technology and Sports, the app still features Spotify’s “Mood Boosting Morning Preparation” playlist and the latest scoop on the US President’s executive order signing. wakes me up

One of the main reasons to buy a Galaxy Ultra phone remains the camera, but Samsung hasn’t significantly improved the specs this year, at least on paper. The only hardware change is the 50-megapixel ultra-wide-angle lens (up from 12MP), which gives you more detail and sharper images from the first shot, especially when taking macro photos. The rest of the lenses are the same as last year’s S24 Ultra, including the 200MP wide-angle, 50MP 5x telephoto, and 10MP 3x telephoto.

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Samsung has focused more on the software side, introducing useful photo and video features such as default 10-bit HDR video recording to capture a wider dynamic range and a new Audio Eraser feature that lets you adjust the volume of different frequencies. (categorized as audio subjects such as voice, wind, noise, etc., and also has the ability to record in Galaxy Log mode.

The latter feature allows you to better identify overexposed areas and adjust dynamic range while recording video, while applying LUTs in post for better color and light control. . We plan to further test the shooting modes over the next few days.

ZDNET purchase advice (currently)

The first few days I tested it, samsung galaxy s25 ultra It confirms a few things for me. While most aspects of the phone are easy to appreciate, including the bright, glare-free display and the versatility of the camera and AI features, this year’s upgrades feel repetitive and safe.

In some ways, Samsung has taken a few steps back with the S Pen stylus no longer supporting Bluetooth controls and gestures. Qi2 compatible case Rather than building the actual technology into the phone.

It’s no wonder early adopters and technology enthusiasts find the S25 Ultra underwhelming. But when you think about consumers using the S21 series, Pixel 6 or 7, or even older iPhones, Samsung’s new flagship device checks just about every box imaginable. You can also get generous trade-in deals through local carriers and retailers.