Detailed Samsung galaxy S25 ultra vs S24 ultra reveal interesting results.
The S25 ultra that Samsung released on 7 February 2025 is an upgrade from galaxy S24 ultra from the previous year.
There are many differences between the two devices which will be mentioned in this article.
Most of the upgrades are minor, some features have been removed while others have been added.
Build Quality and Design
The Samsung Galaxy S25 ultra comes with smooth corners similar to iPhone 16 pro max and many devices.
This is a big design change from S24 ultra which has sharp corners that are problematic when it comes to carrying the device.
Both devices are made up titanium but S25 ultra has grade 5 titanium frame while S24 ultra has grade 2 Titanium frame.
This does not add lot of difference durability wise since S24 ultra from last year is already a tough phone. It’s just marketing gimmick
The table below illustrate some of the differences
| Galaxy S25 Ultra | Feature | Galaxy S24 Ultra |
|---|---|---|
| Corning Gorilla Glass Armor 2 | Front | Corning Gorilla Glass Armor |
| Corning Gorilla Glass Victus 2 | Back | Corning Gorilla Glass Armor |
| 218 g (7.69 oz) | Weight | 232 g (8.18 oz) |
| 162.8 x 77.6 x 8.2 mm | Dimensions | 162.3 x 79 x 8.6 mm |
From the above mentioned features we can easily conclude that Samsung galaxy S25 ultra is lighter, longer and thinner than Samsung galaxy S24 Ultra.
Both phones are IP68 dust and water resistant up to 1.5m for 30 min.
Galaxy S-Pen Disappointment in S25 Ultra
The new S25 ultra does have Samsung Galaxy S-pen but a major backward change has been made.
The S-pen no longer has Bluetooth connectivity feature that allows it to perform many gestures away from the phone.
Samsung has also removed the rechargeable capacitor inside the pen, it’s now just a regular touch screen and writing pen.
You cannot control things like music and camera anymore.
The last nail in the coffin is the fact that S-pen from Galaxy S24 Ultra does not fit inside S25 Ultra.
All this makes Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra a better phone to own if you love S-pen functionality from previous phones.
Processors and Software Comparison
Samsung S25 Ultra vs S24 Ultra Processors
The S24 Ultra has Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 chipset that is 4 nm in size as its brains while S25 Ultra has a smaller, more powerful latest chipset, Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite that’s only 3 nm.
According to nanoreviw, Snapdragon 8 Elite generally performs more than 30% better than the previous generation Snapdragon 8 Gen 3.
The GPU on Samsung S25 Ultra is Adreno 830 while S24 Ultra uses Adreno 750 (1GH).
All this generally means S25 ultra has better efficiency, smoother and slightly more powerful than its predecessor.
Software and UI
| Feature | Galaxy S25 Ultra | Galaxy S24 Ultra |
|---|---|---|
| Android Version | Android 15 | Android 14 |
| User Interface (UI)/Skin | One UI 7 | One UI 6.1.1 |
Both phones offer up to 7 major android upgrades, this translate to 7 years of software updates.
S25 Ultra vs S24 Ultra Camera
There is generally no hardware upgrade of the Samsung cameras in the S25 Ultra.
It uses the same camera set up as S24 Ultra with only one difference being the replacement of 12 MP ultrawide camera with 50 MP dual pixel PDAF camera.
The other 3 back cameras are the 200 MP muilti-directional PDAF main camera, the 10 MP 3x telephoto, and the 50 MP 5x periscope telephoto lens camera.
All back cameras except the ultrawide lens have optical image stabilization (OIS).
The front camera is also the same as S24 Ultra, being the 12 MP dual pixel PDAF camera.
Although the camera hardware is the same as last year, Samsung claim that image processing software has some improvements resulting in better image quality.
Battery Comparison
Both phones have 5000 mAh battery that supports 45W wired fast charging and 15W wireless charge.
Reverse wireless charging is capped at 4.5W.
Verdict
Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra is not really better than S24 Ultra.
The only major difference anyone can notice is the design shape.
If you own S24 ultra, it’s better to keep it since you will still get security updates and software updates for seven years.
Both phones connect well with Samsung’s latest wearable device, the Galaxy Smart Ring.
