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This year, the Samsung Galaxy S25 series in Malaysia will not be offered with an Exynos chip like the S24 and S24+ last year. Samsung’s decision to only offer the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 in the United States has received negative reactions from fans who see it as an underpowered chip. All three S25 models this year come with the Snapdragon 8 Elite for Galaxy. Is this enough to allow the S25 series to compete with increasingly aggressive competitors from China?
Specifications
Samsung Galaxy S25/
Samsung Galaxy S25+ Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra
6.7″ Dynamic AMOLED 2X screen, LTPO
QHD+, 120Hz, HDR10+
6.2″ Dynamic AMOLED 2X, LTPO
FHD+, 120Hz, HDR10+
Corning Gorilla Glass Victus 2 6.9″ Dynamic AMOLED 2X, LTPO
WQHD+, 120Hz, HDR10+
Corning Gorilla Armor 2
Processor Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite for Galaxy (3nm) Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite for Galaxy (3nm)
2x Oryon V2 Phoenix L 4.47 GHz chips
6 xOryon V2 Phoenix M 3.53 GHz 2x Oryon V2 Phoenix L 4.47 GHz
6 x Oryon V2 Phoenix M 3.53 GHz
Adreno 830 Adreno 830 GPU
RAM 12GB LPDDR5x 12GB LPDDR5x
Storage 256/512GB UFS 4.0 256/512/1000 GB UFS 4.0
Main Camera 50MP f/1.8, OIS (Wide Angle)
12MP f/2.2 (Ultra Wide Angle)
10MP f/2.4, OIS (3X Telephoto) 200MP f/1.7, OIS (Wide Angle)
50MP f/1.9 (Ultra Wide Angle)
10MP f/2.4, OIS (3X Telephoto)
50MP f/3.4, OIS (5X Telephoto)
Front Camera 12 MP f/2.2 12 MP f/2.2
Battery 4900/4000 mAh
Wired charging 45W/25W
Wireless charging 15W 5000 mAh
Wired charging 45W
Wireless charging 15W
SIM/Telephony Dual SIM/5G Dual SIM/5G
NFC Yes Yes
Audio jack None None
Waterproof IP68 IP68
Scanning system Under-screen fingerprint
Face scanning Under-screen fingerprint
Face scanning
Samsung Galaxy S25 price
RM 3999 (12/256GB)
RM 4599 (12/512GB)
Samsung Galaxy S25+
RM 4999 (12/1256GB)
RM 5599 (12/512GB) Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra
RM 5999 (12/256GB)
RM 6599 (12/512GB)
RM 7799 (12/512GB)
Screen
The screen on all three devices is still of the Dynamic AMOLED 2X type with a 120Hz LTPO refresh rate. I understand that there are no changes to the screens used this year compared to last year except that in all three models it is 0.1″ larger due to the use of thinner bezels.
So the screen size is 6.2″ on the S25, 6.7″ on the S25+ and 6.9″ on the S25 Ultra. On the S25 Ultra is the anti-glare coating that was introduced last year. The big changes made can only be seen on the S25 Ultra where the corners of the screen are now rounded. Goodbye to the era of boxy screens on the Ultra series this year.
This screen also supports HDR10+ displays only unlike other Android manufacturers who also provide Dolby Vision support. Another thing I can say is that the haptic system also feels the same as last year. I can say that at the moment the best Android screen is the one used on the Oppo Find X8 series which feels more realistic than that enjoyed on the iPhone.
Biometrics
An ultrasonic fingerprint scanner is also maintained under the screen. Its position is still the same and is still easy to access with the finger you want to scan. A facial recognition system is also provided but I didn't have time to test it. Because the same screen technology is recycled, it can be assumed that the experience of using the S25 series' biometric system is also the same as last year.
Similar Triple Camera Design
I'll start with the S25 and S25+ because both are similar, the only difference is the screen. The sides are flat like last year and are made of aluminum. The audio and power buttons are located on the right side while the audio jack, audio grille and USB-C charging port are located at the bottom.
There are no major changes to be seen in both models. This reminds me of the iPhone 15 and iPhone 14 two years ago which also had similar dual cameras. Differentiating this year's model from last year's model is easier to do if you look at the camera lenses. All three camera lenses of the S25 series take the design from the Z Fold6. The metal ring surrounding the camera lens is now larger and black. Last year it still had a metallic finish.
The rear cameras on both devices combine a 50MP wide-angle lens, a 12MP ultra-wide lens and a 10MP telephoto lens while the front uses a 12MP sensor. This is the same configuration as last year's model with Samsung saying that no changes have been made to the sensor.
The body of the device also passes the IP68 dust and water resistance standard. It is awkward to see Samsung only offering IP68 while Oppo, Vivo and Honor have been offering IP69 devices since the end of last year. Like the screen and camera, the batteries on the S25 and S25+ are still the same at 4000 mAh and 4000 mAh. Unsurprisingly, charging is also still 45W on the S25+ and 25W on the S25.
The only major change is the S25 Ultra which now has a flat surface on all four sides. This makes it similar to the RedMagic device and makes the S25 Ultra more comfortable in the hand than the S24 Ultra. The frame is still made of durable titanium material with the same configuration of volume buttons, audio knob, UBS-C and audio grille.
The screen has rounded corners so the body also has more rounded corners. From a design perspective, the S25 Ultra looks more sturdy. The camera bump design is also the same as the S25 and S25+ which makes it the same as the Z Fold6. Samsung seems to be standardizing the camera bump design on their flagship devices this year. The battery is still 5000 mAh with 45W charging support.
The rear camera consists of a 200MP wide-angle lens, a 50MP ultra-wide angle, a 50MP periscope telephoto and a 3X 10MP telephoto. On the front, a 12MP sensor is used again. Improvements are only made to the ultra-wide lens which is only 12MP on the S24 Ultra. As with the S25 and S25+, Samsung did not say whether new sensors were used.
One change that I feel will be a source of heated debate is that the S Pen no longer supports Bluetooth tethering. A feature introduced almost 7 years ago on the Note9 is no longer being continued.
There is no longer the ability to use the S Pen as a camera remote or control zoom from a distance. The S Pen also does not receive any pressure-sensing upgrades or any other new features this year. The S Pen storage is still located in the lower left corner. Finally, the S25 Ultra body passes the IP68 standard.
Usage and Software
The One UI 7 operating system is used and it is based on Android 15. The launch of One UI 7 last year was delayed so that the S25 series could receive it first. Changes can be seen in the icons given a new touch, a more modern-looking notification tray, a new multitasking screen and the ability to scroll the app tray vertically.
The focus this year is once again on the software and in particular the improvement of Galaxy AI capabilities and long-term update support. Samsung is increasingly resembling Apple where hardware is no longer given priority compared to five years ago. If you want hardware innovation you will be disappointed with the Korean giant this year. So what is interesting about One UI 7.0?
The short answer is the increasingly “pand.A.I” ability of AI to perform daily tasks without any instructions. This can be seen on the front screen which now has a “balloon” at the bottom called Now Brief.
Now Brief provides a daily summary in the morning and evening. For example, it can show your agenda in the morning, provide route suggestions to destinations according to current traffic conditions, provide a news summary and also a health summary after looking at the user's sleep tracking. Another summary will be given at night as a reminder for the next day's agenda. All of this is displayed simultaneously from within the Now Brief application. Users can set what topics they want to be displayed in Now Brief.
There is also a Now Bar which displays real-time information such as football results directly from the lock screen. It can be seen as a Dynamic Island but with an oval balloon at the bottom of the screen. The virtual assistant is now based on Google Gemini, which operates like an agent that is more capable of controlling applications.
In my Pixel 9 Pro review last year, I criticized Gemini for still not being able to do tasks like telling daily agendas. Through the S25 series, I understand that Gemini support will be expanded to several Google, Meta and Spotify apps to resolve issues that exist on the Pixel 9 Pro.
Samsung continues its promise of offering 7 Android version updates and 7 years of security patches on the S24 Ultra. This is the same as last year. At the moment, only Google and Samsung provide seven years of long-term support for their devices.
New features are noteworthy, but old features introduced last year are back with some improvements. There is also Call Assist, which performs real-time language translation during phone calls.
Chat Assist can still automatically convert typed essays into the selected language before they are sent via WhatsApp and Messages. Note Assist can automatically summarize documents for those who don't have enough time to read.
AI-powered photo and video editing has also been improved. The images generated in Photo Studio look more realistic than last year with a wider selection of styles. In video recording, AI Eraser can automatically remove background noise. This is especially useful if you're recording outdoors and don't want the video to be deleted by the platform for violating the copyright of a song that's playing.
All of the Galaxy AI features mentioned above are free until December 31, 2025. Samsung has yet to share information about what will happen on January 1, 2026 and what features will continue to be available after this date.
In the Box
Here's what you'll receive in the box with your purchase.
1x Samsung Galaxy S25, S25+ and S25 Ultra
1x USB-C to USB-C charging cable.
1x Manual.
1x SIM Pin.
Conclusion
My honest opinion about the S25 series this year is that it's a bit of a disappointment. Vivo, Realme, Oppo and Honor have launched their flagship devices with more interesting specifications and dared to offer something new. The S25 series is simply the S23 series with a new engine, more up-to-date software, and a slightly tweaked design.
As the world's number one smartphone manufacturer throughout 2024, Samsung's increasingly afraid to innovate at the hardware level is different from Samsung's fierce emergence 15 years ago with the Galaxy S series. The focus on software is good, but hardware should be given the same focus.
In Malaysia, the Samsung Galaxy S25 sales opened today with a starting price of RM3099 for 12/256GB. The Samsung Galaxy S25+ is sold at a starting price of RM4999 for 12/256GB. Finally, the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra is sold at a starting price of RM5999 for 12/256GB.
Pros
All models use the Snapdragon 8 Elite for Galaxy.
The AI features have been further enhanced.
IP68
Support for seven Android version updates and seven years of security patches.
The S24 Ultra's design now looks more robust.
Cons
Minimal specification changes.
The S Pen no longer supports Bluetooth.
The battery capacity is now small and charging is also slow compared to competitors.
Galaxy AI is only free until December 31, 2025.