Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra versus Galaxy S24 Ultra: is it Worth the Upgrade?

With the Galaxy S25 series finally official, you might be wondering if it’s worth grabbing Samsung’s newest powerhouse smartphones, and in the case of the Galaxy S25 Ultra, it’s unsurprising that Samsung is pushing its new top-tier model as a significant upgrade over previous phones.

With that in mind, if you’re upgrading from a non-flagship phone or a different brand, then there’s a lot to discover and love about the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra. However, Galaxy S24 Ultra owners might want to think twice before committing to this year’s new release.

READ: Galaxy S25 series unveiled: Meet Samsung’s latest flagship phones

What’s New This Year?

Perhaps the most obvious change within the S25 Ultra is the newer chipset inside, which takes the form of Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8 Elite. While one could argue that there’s no massive performance difference when compared to the 8 Gen 3, it’s only natural for smartphone manufacturers to equip their latest models with the latest hardware (although this isn’t the full case with the phone, as we’ll see later).

Samsung has also refined the design of the S25 Ultra, introducing slightly softer corners as opposed to the boxier look of Ultra and Note models past, although its design leans towards an overall familiar look that doesn’t abandon the aesthetics of the S series, at least since the S22. We also get a newer Ultra-wide camera sensor, as well as a slightly-larger 6.9-inch display over last year’s 6.8-inch screen on the S24 Ultra. For software, there is of course the latest One UI with Android 15, alongside Google and Samsung’s AI features.

A Case of Déjà vu?

With that being said however, if you were hoping for a massive upgrade this year, then you might want to hold on a bit longer onto your S24 Ultra, especially considering how much Samsung has retained in terms of overall hardware. For one, despite the slight increase in screen size, we’re still getting pretty much the same resolution and the same peak brightness at 2600 nits.

Additionally, Samsung is sticking to “moderate” charging speeds at 45W (same as last year), and for a device that’s priced even more expensive than rival phones with faster charging capabilities, it’s a bit of a letdown. Not even Qi2 charging is available natively, with users needing to use specially-designed cases to access the feature, a strange omission on a flagship-level phone.

For a premium handset, the Galaxy S24 Ultra also comes with a somewhat-small 12GB of RAM, with even the most expensive variant stuck at 12GB and 1TB of storage. When you consider that other premium smartphones come equipped with 16GB and even 24GB of memory onboard, Samsung’s decision to stick with a lower memory configuration is another puzzling decision. The same goes for the rest of the phone’s camera setup, which aside from the new Ultra-wide sensor retains last year’s hardware.

So Should You Upgrade?

There’s nothing wrong with the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra per se, but at this point it just feels a bit too familiar. With that said, if you value high-end gaming performance or maybe you’re a first-time Samsung user who’s looking to explore Samsung’s premium offerings, or maybe you’re one of those buyers who simply must have the latest Samsung flagship phone, then by all means go out and get the S25 Ultra.

But for people who lean a bit more towards the practical side of things and are looking for meaningful upgrades this year, the Galaxy S24 Ultra remains a solid flagship phone, all things considered.

The post Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra versus Galaxy S24 Ultra: is it Worth the Upgrade? appeared first on Phandroid.