You both fall into the “it is only a telephone” camp, otherwise you’re somebody who meticulously pores over all the brand new options of a smartphone, stays updated on all the highest units yearly, and feels a way of delight while you have a look at your shiny, expensive funding.
That is my tenth yr of reviewing smartphones for a residing, and I nonetheless get excited. I saved up money working at my faculty library to purchase my first telephone, and I am simply as delighted a decade later when a brand new telephone lands on my doorstep and I get to puzzle over its new capabilities, even when it solely has minor modifications over its predecessor.
Besides, I did not get any tingly emotions when the Galaxy S25 sequence arrived. Samsung had one of the vital lackluster smartphone launches I’ve seen of late—not as a result of these are dangerous telephones, however as a result of there’s not a lot new. The {hardware} is barely totally different—it is all AI, AI, AI, a few of which is beneficial, a few of which isn’t. I additionally wrestle to search out any character on this telephone’s design—the launch colours are boring.
All this to say the Galaxy S25 ($800), Galaxy S25+ ($1,000), and Galaxy S25 Extremely ($1,300) are highly effective, dependable, and well-equipped smartphones. They’re wonderful upgrades in case you’re coming from a 3 or four-year-old system. They’re simply not in any other case attention-grabbing or thrilling.
Static Shock
I am going over spec particulars and the like right here, however I need to spotlight that I just like the tiny {hardware} modifications within the Galaxy S25 Extremely. The edges have flat edges now, the corners are rounded, and even the S Pen stylus would not stick out a lot from the underside housing. The bezels (the black bars across the display screen) are slimmer, which makes the display screen larger with minimal modifications to the telephone’s dimensions. The flatter edges make the telephone comfier to make use of one-handed, although nothing beats the compact design of the 6.2-inch Galaxy S25.
The Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite chipset delivers easy efficiency, however cell avid gamers might recognize the thermal enhancements in these telephones. Final yr, after I performed Genshin Affect for an prolonged time on the S24 sequence, I encountered stutters and the telephone bought sizzling in a selected space. I did not discover this after almost an hour of gameplay on the Galaxy S25 sequence, and that is with maxed-out graphics at 60 Hz. The improved cooling options appear to work.
I steadily ended a day with round 40 to 30 % battery left on all three units with roughly 5 to 6 hours of screen-on time. These outcomes are ok however nothing extraordinary for a modern-day top-end telephone. The wi-fi charging story, nevertheless, is irritating.