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Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra
Buy Galaxy S25 Ultra only well below its $1,299.99 launch price: it has the S Pen, a 200MP camera, 3x and 5x telephotos and seven years of updates.
Product images
Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra, from its Amazon listing.
Credit: Amazon.com (Associates Program). Amazon listing
Product image from the Amazon listing.
In short
Buy Galaxy S25 Ultra only well below its $1,299.99 launch price: it has the S Pen, a 200MP camera, 3x and 5x telephotos and seven years of updates. It pairs a 6.9-inch QHD+ screen with Snapdragon 8 Elite for Galaxy and a 5,000mAh battery that reaches 65% in 30 minutes on 45W. S26 Ultra is thinner at 7.9mm, charges to 75% in the same time on 60W and adds the Privacy Display.
Who it is for
- Ultra buyers who'd rather save than have the newest. A discounted S25 Ultra still has the S Pen, a 200MP main camera, 3x and 5x telephotos and a 6.9-inch QHD+ screen.
- People who keep a phone for years. Samsung promises seven Android upgrades and seven years of security updates from the January 2025 launch, so most of that support is still ahead.
- S24 Ultra owners after a cheaper step up. S25 Ultra brings Snapdragon 8 Elite for Galaxy, Gorilla Armor 2 and a 50MP ultrawide in place of the 12MP one.
Who should skip it
- Anyone paying close to full price. S26 Ultra is the current model, with Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 for Galaxy, a wider F1.4 main camera, 60W charging and the Privacy Display.
- Anyone who wants a smaller phone. S25 Ultra is 162.8mm tall and weighs 218 grams; for a compact phone, iPhone 16 Pro, 17 Pro and 18 Pro and Pixel 9 Pro and 11 Pro are all around 6.3 inches.
- Buyers who want 16GB of RAM. S25 Ultra has 12GB even with 1TB of storage; S26 Ultra's 1TB model has 16GB.
What sets it apart
- Two telephotos: a 10MP 3x (F2.4) and a 50MP 5x (F3.4), beside a 200MP F1.7 main camera with OIS.
- A 50MP ultrawide at F1.9 with a 120° view, one of Samsung's headline upgrades for 2025.
- Snapdragon 8 Elite for Galaxy, customized for Samsung, which claims gains of 40% for the NPU and 37% for the CPU over the previous generation.
- A 5,000mAh battery (4,855mAh rated) that reaches 65% in about 30 minutes with a 45W adapter.
- A titanium frame and Corning Gorilla Armor 2, an anti-reflective glass-ceramic that Samsung says is more durable than glass.
Caveats
- Samsung sells S26 Ultra as its current Ultra now, so new S25 Ultras are older stock, and used and refurbished prices vary widely.
- The 45W adapter needed for the 65%-in-30-minutes figure is sold separately.
- Water resistance isn't permanent. Samsung says IP68 protection, the S Pen's included, diminishes over time.
Key specs
In the same order on every phone page, so you can compare models.
| Spec | Value | Source and notes |
|---|---|---|
| Display size | 6.9-inch QHD+; 6.8 inches allowing for the rounded corners | Samsung US Newsroom S25 series specifications |
| Display type | Dynamic AMOLED 2X; Vision booster; Adaptive color tone; Corning Gorilla Armor 2 | Samsung US Newsroom |
| Display resolution | QHD+ | Samsung US Newsroom |
| Refresh rate | Super Smooth 120Hz (1–120Hz adaptive) | Samsung US Newsroom |
| Dimensions | 162.8 × 77.6 × 8.2 mm | Samsung US NewsroomS26 Ultra measures 163.6 × 78.1 × 7.9 mm. |
| Weight | 218 g | Samsung US NewsroomS26 Ultra weighs 214 g. |
| Build materials | Titanium frame; Corning Gorilla Armor 2, an anti-reflective glass-ceramic Samsung calls a first of its kind | Samsung US NewsroomS26 Ultra's frame is Armor Aluminum. |
| Colors | Titanium Silverblue, Titanium Whitesilver, Titanium Gray, Titanium Black; Titanium Pinkgold, Titanium Jetblack and Titanium Jadegreen only at Samsung.com | Samsung US NewsroomColors vary by country and carrier. |
| Water and dust resistance | IP68: up to 1.5 meters of fresh water for up to 30 minutes; dust-tight | Samsung US NewsroomSamsung's lab rating. Resistance diminishes over time, the S Pen's included. |
| Chip | Snapdragon 8 Elite for Galaxy, customized for Samsung | Samsung US NewsroomS26 Ultra moves to Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 for Galaxy. |
| RAM | 12GB with every storage size: 256GB, 512GB or 1TB | Samsung US NewsroomS26 Ultra's 1TB model has 16GB. |
| Storage | 256GB, 512GB or 1TB | Samsung US NewsroomAvailability varies by carrier and country. |
| Rear cameras | 200MP wide F1.7 with OIS, 85°; 50MP ultra-wide F1.9, 120°; 10MP telephoto F2.4, 3x optical, 36°; 50MP telephoto F3.4, 5x optical, 22° | Samsung US NewsroomS26 Ultra's main camera is F1.4. |
| Zoom | 3x and 5x optical | Samsung US Newsroom |
| Front camera | 12MP, F2.2, 80° field of view | Samsung US Newsroom |
| Video | 10-bit HDR recording by default | Samsung US NewsroomNo resolutions or frame rates from Samsung for this model. |
| Battery capacity | 5,000mAh typical; 4,855mAh rated (IEC 61960) | Samsung US NewsroomTypical is Samsung's estimated average under third-party lab conditions. |
| Wired charging | Up to 65% in about 30 minutes with a 45W adapter and USB-C cable (adapter sold separately); QC2.0 and AFCPD compatible | Samsung US NewsroomS26 Ultra reaches 75% in 30 minutes with a 60W adapter. |
| Wireless charging | Fast Wireless Charging 2.0; Wireless PowerShare | Samsung US NewsroomSamsung gives no wattage. |
| Operating system | Android 15 with One UI 7 at launch | Samsung US Newsroom |
| Updates | Seven Android upgrades and seven years of security updates from global launch (Samsung footnote 22) | Samsung US Newsroom |
| Cellular | 5G and LTE | Samsung US NewsroomNeeds a 5G network from your carrier. |
| Wi-Fi and Bluetooth | Wi-Fi 7, Wi-Fi Direct, Bluetooth 5.4 | Samsung US Newsroom |
| Ports | USB-C (45W adapter sold separately) | Samsung US Newsroom |
| SIM | SIM tray; eSIM and dual-SIM details not published | Samsung US Newsroom |
| US launch price | From $1,299.99 with 256GB (US), announced 22 January 2025 | Samsung US Newsroom, 2025-01-22The 2025 launch price, not what it sells for now. |
| Price band | Previous-generation Ultra (launched at $1,299.99; used and refurbished prices vary) | Based on Samsung's 2025 launch price |
| Announced | 22 January 2025, at Galaxy Unpacked | Samsung US Newsroom |
| Availability | Pre-orders from 22 January 2025; on sale from 7 February 2025; S26 Ultra had replaced it as Samsung's current Ultra by 19 September 2026 | Samsung US Newsroom, 2025-01-22 |
Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra extras
Specs only this model has.
| Spec | Value | Source and notes |
|---|---|---|
| S Pen | Included; Samsung's IP68 note covers the S Pen's water and dust resistance, and its recycled-materials list names the pen as a component | Samsung US Newsroom |
| Corning Gorilla Armor 2 | Glass-ceramic with an anti-reflective surface treatment; Samsung calls it a first of its kind and more durable than glass | Samsung US Newsroom |
| Titanium frame | Titanium frame, in Titanium Silverblue, Whitesilver, Gray and Black | Samsung US NewsroomS26 Ultra uses Armor Aluminum. |
| 50MP ultrawide | 50MP ultrawide, up from 12MP on the previous Ultra | Samsung US Newsroom |
| Seven years of updates | Seven generations of Android upgrades and seven years of security patches from global launch (footnote 22) | Samsung US Newsroom |
S25 Ultra or S26 Ultra?
S25 Ultra went on sale in February 2025, and S26 Ultra has since taken its place. Samsung’s own figures show what the newer phone changed:
| Spec | Galaxy S25 Ultra | Galaxy S26 Ultra |
|---|---|---|
| Chip | Snapdragon 8 Elite for Galaxy | Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 for Galaxy |
| Main camera | 200MP, F1.7 | F1.4 |
| Size | 162.8 × 77.6 × 8.2 mm | 163.6 × 78.1 × 7.9 mm |
| Weight | 218 g | 214 g |
| Wired charging | 65% in 30 minutes with 45W | 75% in 30 minutes with 60W |
| RAM with 1TB | 12GB | 16GB |
| Frame | Titanium | Armor Aluminum |
| Privacy Display | No | Yes |
S26 Ultra is thinner and lighter, charges faster, has a wider main-camera aperture and adds the Privacy Display. If none of that is worth paying for, a discounted S25 Ultra still gets you the S Pen, the 200MP camera, both telephotos and years of updates. S25 Ultra vs S26 Ultra lines up every spec side by side.
Cameras: two telephotos and a 50MP ultrawide
S25 Ultra has four rear cameras. The 200MP main camera has an F1.7 lens with OIS and an 85-degree view. The ultrawide went from 12MP on S24 Ultra to 50MP (F1.9, 120 degrees), and there are two telephotos with OIS: a 10MP 3x at F2.4 and a 50MP 5x at F3.4, so optical zoom comes in two steps. Up front is a 12MP F2.2 camera with an 80-degree view, and video records in 10-bit HDR by default.
Battery and charging
Samsung fits a 5,000mAh battery (4,855mAh rated) and quotes 65% in about 30 minutes from a 45W adapter, which you buy separately; S26 Ultra gets to 75% with 60W. Fast Wireless Charging 2.0 handles pads, and Wireless PowerShare lets the phone charge other devices. Samsung rates the battery by capacity only, with no video-playback hours for S25 Ultra.
Screen, S Pen and build
The 6.9-inch Dynamic AMOLED 2X screen (6.8 inches allowing for the rounded corners) refreshes at 1 to 120Hz and has Vision booster and Adaptive color tone. Samsung calls it QHD+ but doesn’t give a pixel count or a peak brightness.
The S Pen is part of the package: Samsung’s IP68 note covers its water and dust resistance, and its recycled-materials list names it as a component. The frame is titanium, with Corning Gorilla Armor 2 on the screen, an anti-reflective glass-ceramic Samsung says is more durable than glass; S26 Ultra switched to Armor Aluminum. The phone is IP68-rated for up to 30 minutes in 1.5 meters of fresh water and comes in Titanium Silverblue, Whitesilver, Gray and Black, with Pinkgold, Jetblack and Jadegreen sold only at Samsung.com.
Chip, memory and updates
Samsung built its 2025 pitch around Galaxy AI, calling it a “true AI companion”. Underneath is Snapdragon 8 Elite for Galaxy, a version of Qualcomm’s chip customized for Samsung, which claims gains of 40% for the NPU and 37% for the CPU over the previous generation. Every S25 Ultra has 12GB of RAM, with 256GB, 512GB or 1TB of storage, and connects over Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth 5.4.
It launched with Android 15 and One UI 7, and Samsung promises seven generations of Android upgrades and seven years of security updates from the January 2025 global launch.
Price
S25 Ultra launched at $1,299.99 with 256GB on 22 January 2025 and went on sale on 7 February 2025. By 19 September 2026 Samsung was selling S26 Ultra as its current Ultra, so S25 Ultra is now an older-stock, used or refurbished buy. What it’s worth depends on the discount, so price it against a new Galaxy S26 Ultra before you decide.
Compare this phone1
Each one puts it against a single rival.
Sources
- Amazon product listing — accessed 2026-09-20
- Samsung US Newsroom — Galaxy S25 series at Unpacked 2025, with specifications — accessed 2026-09-19
- Samsung US — About Samsung (brand and intellectual property) — accessed 2026-09-19
Frequently asked questions
Should I buy Galaxy S25 Ultra or S26 Ultra?
S26 Ultra if you're paying close to full price; S25 Ultra if it's clearly cheaper. S26 Ultra is thinner at 7.9mm and 214 grams, charges to 75% in 30 minutes on 60W, has a wider F1.4 main camera, adds the Privacy Display and offers 16GB of RAM with 1TB. S25 Ultra still gives you the S Pen, a 200MP camera, 3x and 5x telephotos and seven years of updates.
Does Galaxy S25 Ultra come with an S Pen?
Yes. Samsung names the S Pen as one of S25 Ultra's components, and its IP68 note covers the pen too, though Samsung says that resistance diminishes over time.
Is Galaxy S25 Ultra bigger than S26 Ultra?
No. It's a little shorter and narrower but thicker and heavier: 162.8 × 77.6 × 8.2mm and 218 grams, against 163.6 × 78.1 × 7.9mm and 214 grams for S26 Ultra.
How much RAM does Galaxy S25 Ultra have?
12GB, whichever storage you choose, including 1TB. S26 Ultra's 1TB model has 16GB.
Does S25 Ultra charge as fast as S26 Ultra?
No. S25 Ultra reaches 65% in about 30 minutes with a 45W adapter, which you buy separately; S26 Ultra gets to 75% in the same time with 60W. For cable-free top-ups there's Fast Wireless Charging 2.0.
How long will Galaxy S25 Ultra get updates?
Seven generations of Android upgrades and seven years of security updates from its global launch in January 2025, Samsung says.
Is $1,299.99 still the price?
No. That was Samsung's US launch price for the 256GB model on 22 January 2025. S25 Ultra now sells as older stock, used or refurbished, so prices vary a lot from seller to seller.
Official product page: Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra. Tech specs: Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra specs.