The Galaxy S25 and Galaxy S25+ are Samsung’s all-new premium S-series smartphones in India. If you followed the Unpacked 2025 launch, you already know the biggest upgrade is under the hood. But does that mean the S25 and S25+ aren’t worth upgrading for S24 and S23 users? Well, that question doesn’t have a straightforward answer!
The Galaxy S25 and S25+ are perfect examples of why you should never judge a book by its cover. That’s because you should consider these because of how good the overall package is. And this is not the conclusion, and this is not the end of the review. You will have to stay tuned to this review to know why I just gave it all away.
Before jumping into our review, here’s a breakdown of the prices. The Samsung Galaxy S25 starts at Rs. 80,999 for the 12+256GB model, while the S25+ begins at Rs. 99,999 for the exact RAM and storage option. Both the models also get 512GB storage trim priced at Rs. 92,999 (S25) and Rs. 1,11,999 (S25+). Now that we are done with the prices let’s dive into design first.
Samsung Galaxy S25 and S25+ sport a sleek design
Samsung Galaxy S25 and Galaxy S25+ Design: Familiar with some refinements
- Dimensions – 146.9×70.5×7.2mm (Galaxy S25), 158.4×75.8×7.3mm (Galaxy S25+)
- Weight – 162 grams (Galaxy S25), 190 grams (Galaxy S25+)
- Colours – Icyblue, Navy, Silver Shadow, Mint, Blueblack, Coralred, and Pinkgold (S25), Navy, Silver Shadow, Blueblack, Coralred, and Pinkgold (S25+)
The Samsung Galaxy S25 brings back the familiar compact design. It sports a flat frame design with rounded corners that work perfectly for aesthetics. On the other hand, the Galaxy S25+ sits between the most compact and the biggest model (S25 Ultra). Like the little sibling, the S25+ also has flat panels. While Galaxy S25 is way more comfortable to use with just one hand and is lightweight at under 170 grams. The Galaxy S25+ sports a bigger screen but is mostly remarkable for one-hand usage, weighing under 200 grams. Both the phones sport second-generation Armor Aluminum frame.
The Galaxy S25 weighs 162 grams while S25+ weighs 190 grams
Samsung has kept the anti-reflective Gorilla Armor Glass exclusive for the Ultra model, which is fine considering the Samsung Ultra is still the top-of-the-line model. The Galaxy S25 and S25+ are thinner and weigh less than their predecessors – something you might not even notice right away. Both models also get an IP68 rating for dust and water resistance. Interesting to see Samsung not opting for the IP69 rating, which lately has become part of the spec lists of most recent Android flagships.
The Galaxy S25 sports Gorilla Glass Victus 2 at the front and back
This year, Samsung has gone with rather muted colour choices like Icyblue, Navy, Silver Shadow, Mint, Blueblack, Coralred, and Pinkgold for the S25. For S25+, Navy, Silver Shadow, Blueblack, Coralred, and Pinkgold colours are available. It’s worth noting that Blueblack, Coralred, and Pinkgold colours are available only on Samsung.com. I got the S25 in Icyblue and the S25+ in Navy colour for the review.
The Galaxy S25+ sports an Armor aluminium 2 frame
Overall, the Galaxy S25 and Galaxy S25+ feel almost identical to the S24 and S24+ in the design department. Both phones feature a matte design, which makes them fingerprint-resistant to a lot of extent. Samsung’s move not to use a huge camera island to house rear cameras at the back helps make the Galaxy S25 series less flashy, and it works for me. The flat design and minimalist approach work well. And there’s nothing wrong with that, considering the S-series phones have a distinct look and stand out in the sea of similar-looking phones.
Galaxy S25 and S25+ run Android 15-based One UI 7 out of the box
Samsung Galaxy S25 and Galaxy S25+ Display: Best out there
- Display size: 6.2-inch Dynamic LTPO AMOLED (S25) and 6.7-inch Dynamic LTPO AMOLED 2X (S25+)
- Highlights: (S25) 120Hz refresh rate, 1080×2340 pixels screen resolution, HDR10+, 2600nits peak brightness, and 416PPI pixel density (S25+) 120Hz refresh rate, 1440×3120 pixels screen resolution, HDR10+, 2600nits peak brightness, and 513PPI pixel density
The display specs are identical to the predecessors – S24 and S24+. This includes the maximum peak brightness of 2600nits, as well. Samsung has smartly followed the popular strategy – if something is excellent, why change it? And I’m not complaining. The display on both models is fantastic. They are bright and crisp. The texts appear sharp and sunlight legibility is fantastic.
The Samsung Galaxy S25 features a Dynamic LTPO AMOLED display
The adaptive refresh rate works perfectly and drops to 1Hz when reading e-books or just browsing the Internet. Both the S25 and S25+ miss out on Dolby Vision video support. The panels are Widevine L1 compliant, which means you can enjoy HDR content on the go. If you love binge-watching shows or movies on the go, then you will love the S25 and S25+. Even for gamers, the S25 and S25+ can run compatible games at 120Hz; more on that in a bit.
The Galaxy S25+ features 91.8 percent screen-to-body ratio and sports 513PPI pixel density
Samsung Galaxy S25 and Galaxy S25+ Performance: You get the absolute best
- Chipset: Snapdragon 8 Elite for Galaxy (custom)
- RAM and storage: 12GB + 256GB and 12GB + 512GB
- OS: One UI 7 based on Android 15
The Galaxy S25 and S25+ are powered by the Snapdragon 8 Elite for Galaxy, a custom chip designed for the all-new S25 series. It is said to deliver a performance boost of 40 percent in NPU, 37 percent in CPU, and 30 percent in GPU compared to its predecessor. Apart from everyday tasks, the biggest purpose of using this chip is to handle on-device AI capabilities smoothly. Samsung claims the new Galaxy duo packs a 40 percent larger vapour chamber for better thermal performance.
This year, all Galaxy S25 models are powered by Snapdragon 8 Elite for Galaxy
Talking purely about everyday performance, the Galaxy S25 and S25+ can easily handle multitasking. Even gaming is dealt with as calmly as a millpond. AI features work smoothly, be it the eraser feature in the Gallery or the Note Assist feature for summarising notes or transcribing recordings. Long thing short, the S25 and S25+ are fast and fluid when it comes to performance credentials.
The Galaxy S25 and Galaxy S25+ score some fantastic results in our synthetic benchmark results, and you can check out below:
| Benchmark | Samsung Galaxy S25 | Samsung Galaxy S24+ | Pixel 9 Pro XL | Oppo Find X8 Pro |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chipset | Snapdragon 8 Elite (3nm) | Snapdragon 8 Elite (3nm) | Tensor G4 (4nm) | Dimensity 9400 (3nm) |
| AnTuTu v10 | 21,13,343 | 21,83,570 | 10,67,971 | 23,38,411 |
| PCMark Work 3.0 | 20,833 | 19,978 | 12,922 | 12,868 |
| Geekbench Single | 3,034 | 3,141 | 1,944 | 2,787 |
| Geekbench Multi | 9,211 | 10,021 | 4,667 | 8,391 |
| GFXB T-rex | 120 | 120 | 120 | 60 |
| GFXB Manhattan 3.1 | 120 | 120 | 105 | 60 |
| GFXB Car Chase | 113 | 108 | 54 | 60 |
| 3DM Slingshot Extreme OpenGL | Maxed Out | Maxed Out | FTR | Maxed Out |
| 3DM Slingshot | Maxed Out | Maxed Out | FTR | Maxed Out |
| 3DM Wild Life | Maxed Out | Maxed Out | 8,902 | Maxed Out |
| 3DM Wild Life Unlimited | 24,983 | 24,893 | 9,294 | 23,225 |
A lot of fluid response has to be credited to One UI 7 based on Android 15. The all-new One UI is visually more appealing and feels cleaner than previous versions. It packs tons of improved animations, new icons, better widget integration, lock screen layout, and new quick settings, which is more or less inspired by iOS as it is now split into two ways – one for notifications and the other for quick toggles.
The One UI 7 brings a familiar UI look with tons of refinements, including a limited number of pre-installed apps
Samsung packs some apps like My Files, Health, Calculator and others, while the suite of Google and Microsoft apps is also preinstalled on the Galaxy S25 and S25+. I’m not surprised that Google Gemini is baked deep into the main scheme of things. I can comfortably say that One UI 7 is my favourite Android UI now.
Both the Galaxy S25 and S25+ come in 256GB and 512GB storage options
The Galaxy S25 packs a decent speaker setup, which is loud for a small room. The S25+ packs a slightly better speaker setup that is loud and can fill a medium-sized room easily. Both the phones pack an excellent haptic motor, and the typing feedback is satisfying. Call quality on both the Galaxy S25 and S25+ is excellent and can latch on to the 5G network even in dark zones where other phones struggle.
Talking about biometrics, the Galaxy S25 and S25+ offer face and fingerprint unlocks. The fingerprint sensor was my go-to option for screen lock as it was quicker throughout the day. That doesn’t mean the face unlock doesn’t work as intended, but the fingerprint sensor is the more reliable of the two.
Samsung’s seven years of promise for software and security updates is currently a benchmark for other manufacturers globally.
Both the Galaxy S25 and S25+ come with seven years of software and security update promise
Samsung Galaxy S25 and Galaxy S25+ AI Features
With a voice command, you can ask Gemini to block your calendar and recommend places to eat. Even better is once you finalise a place to hang out, Gemini can keep it saved in your calendar. However, it’s worth noting that this functionality is limited to Samsung and Google apps, with support for more third-party apps expected to be added soon. The overall package includes features like Circle to Search that are now improved further and can do much more than analyse content on screen. Samsung has two new features – Now Brief and Now Bar. The Now Brief stays on your home screen and recommends events saved in your calendar, including weather alerts. The Now Bar, on the other hand, stays on your lock screen and offers info from Google Maps, your favourite sports team via Google, Samsung Health, Clock, and Samsung Notes.
The original image (on the left) and image reimagined (on the right) using the Eraser feature in the Gallery app
The most helpful use of AI you can try is in the Gallery app, where you can reimagine the images. Be it to move, remove, and resize people or objects, you can also use AI to fill empty areas in the background, transform images of people into artistic styles, draw on an image and then use AI to make the drawing look like part of the picture. Samsung gets brownie points to add a small watermark in every image edited or created with the help of AI that says ‘AI-generated content’.
The Galaxy AI has the usual long list of features, including Call Assist, Writing Assist, Interpreter, Note Assist, Transcript Assist, Browsing Assist, Photo Assist, Drawing Assist, Audio Eraser, Photo Ambient Wallpaper, Health Assist, and Now Brief.
Galaxy S25+ sports a triple-camera setup
Samsung Galaxy S25 and Galaxy S25+ Camera: Same old formula
- Camera setup: (S25 and S25+) 50-megapixel primary sensor, 10-megapixel telephoto sensor, and 12-megapixel ultrawide
- Selfie: (S25 and S25+) 12-megapixel sensor
- Video recording: 4320p@30fps and 2160p@60fps
Before jumping to real-world performance, let me point out that Samsung hasn’t changed the camera setup on the S25, which means that it still packs the S24-like setup, the same as the S23. I hope you get the point.
Out of the Galaxy S25 and S25+, I wish that Samsung shipped the 50-megapixel ultrawide sensor on the S25+ this year, which is now part of the Ultra. But, this could be an attempt to keep the prices in check.
The Galaxy S25 sports a triple camera setup featuring a 50-megapixel primary sensor
Talking about camera performance, the S25 and 25+ pack a capable camera setup, which means you can expect accurate exposure and contrast in most of your images. After extensively testing the cameras on the Galaxy S25 and S25+, I found out that the pictures are bright with accurate details, and colours usually pop – something Samsung is known for. The noise is controlled in low-light situations, which is a strength. Images come out sharp and
Samsung Galaxy S25 camera samples (tap image to expand)
Samsung Galaxy S25+ camera samples (tap image to expand)
Bokeh shots come out well with excellent subject isolation and blur effect. In different light conditions, the S25 and S25+ showed good depth processing on the objects in the background.
Bokeh shot: Samsung Galaxy S25 (on the left) and Samsung Galaxy S25+ (on the right)
In my testing, I noticed that 2x and 3x zoom photos come out well, though not as good as from the primary sensor. The ultrawide cameras on both are excellent and have good dynamic range. However, the lack of autofocus on the ultrawide camera is a missed opportunity, considering the S25 and S25+ are premium-priced devices. The low-light photos come out well, and the automatic processing on both the S25s is great and not over the top.
Samsung Galaxy S25 low-light camera samples (tap image to expand)
Samsung Galaxy S25+ night camera samples (tap image to expand)
Both phones support up to 8K@60fps video recording, and the quality is top-notch. The selfie cameras on S25 and S25+ do a great job, and I had no complaints throughout the review period. The skin tones captured are natural, and the colours are accurate, with a good amount of detail.
Overall, the Samsung Galaxy S25 and S25+ cameras don’t pack generational upgrades over the predecessor and instead stick to a tried and tested formula. For your everyday camera usage, the Galaxy S25 and S25+ are more than sufficient and won’t let you down in the most challenging situations.
It’s worth mentioning that on-device AI edits have become much more fluid and quick on the S25 and S25+. Of course, the feature debuted last year, but thanks to the refinements, operations are practically faster than ever this year.
Samsung Galaxy S25 and Galaxy S25+ Battery: Meets expectations
- Battery size: 4000mAh (S25) and 4900mAh (S25+)
- Fast-charging support: 25W wired and 45W (wired)
- S25 can charge up to 50% in 30 minutes, and S25+ can charge up to 65% in 30 minutes
Much like the battery figures, not much has changed in the performance credentials compared to the S24 series. The S25 can offer a full day’s battery life with a screen-on time of about 5 hours and 30 minutes. The battery output may drop if you mix more gaming or online streaming. The S25+, on the other hand, can easily last over a day with a screen-on time of about 6 hours and 20 minutes based on our internal tests. Of course, this can vary depending on different usage scenarios.
The Galaxy S25 packs a 4000mAh battery
One significant positive change I noticed this time was that the battery drain was in check thanks to optimisations of One UI 7.0 and Snapdragon 8 Elite for Galaxy SoC. Overnight battery drain was much more improved on Galaxy S25 and S25+ than their predecessors.
With 25W fast charging, the Galaxy S25 still takes over 100 minutes to fully charge, which is slow, in my opinion. But it’s slightly better than what I saw on the S24 last year. Similarly, the Galaxy S25+ charged fully in under an hour with a Samsung 45W charger, which is way better than what the iPhone 16 Plus offers (which takes about two hours to charge fully).
Samsung Galaxy S25 and Galaxy S25+ Verdict
The Galaxy S25 and Galaxy S25+ are the best S-series flagships from Samsung. They are far better than their predecessors, and everything seems to be an upgrade, especially for people still holding on to their Galaxy S21, S22 and S23 models. The Galaxy S25 series is a significant upgrade and should be considered. For Galaxy S24 users, the upgrades are not that great, and they can skip this year.
The AI integrations on the Galaxy S25 are superior and better than ever. I can comfortably say that the Galaxy AI is years ahead of the competition, which is still busy pushing updates for its gallery app and claiming AI can do it for you. Thankfully, Samsung has gone past that era and with Gemini deep integrations, you can get much more done with your voice than ever.
Samsung’s new Galaxy S25 models are a solid package supercharged with AI
However, that brings me to the point that AI is still not the feature that can turn the tables for companies. Yes, the AI features keep me updated and help me stay ahead of the curve. But I still don’t think that consumers will like to spend upwards of Rs. 50,000 on devices to add some AI tricks.
Talking about basics, the Galaxy S25 and S25+ have some solid foundation and nail mostly every aspect of what makes a phone earn that ‘flagship’ title. At the same time, the Samsung Galaxy S25 is my favourite compact phone and is a better overall package than the Google Pixel 9 (Review). The Galaxy S25+, on the other hand, is comparable to the likes of Google Pixel 9 Pro (Review) and iPhone 16 Plus (Review). For alternatives, there are phones like the Vivo X200 Pro (Review) and Find X8 Pro (Review).
