Samsungsotherphone, theGalaxy S25+, is not as extraordinary as its ultimate sibling, theUltra.
Its hard to get excited about another smartphone, even if it is a solid buy.
With seven years of software support, its promising that Samsung wants this equipment to endure.
The Galaxy S25+ is great. But wouldn’t it be better being Ultra?© Florence Ion / Gizmodo
Still, I wish the company would package this model more like it does theGalaxy S25 Ultra.
I dont even care about the S Pen.
I dont understand why this cant be marketed as a smaller Ultra at its price point.
© Florence Ion / Gizmodo
Samsung made all versions of the Galaxy S25 this year lighter than itsGalaxy S24 predecessorsby quite a few grams.
It shaves some weight since it doesnt have an S Pen or the extra camera glass.
Samsung hasnt changed the design of this smartphone model in three generations.
© Florence Ion / Gizmodo
Youre not missing anything by sitting this one out except a lighter chassis.
My biggest complaint was always that the smaller Samsung flagship felt underpowered.
The processor has been upgraded to the QualcommSnapdragon 8 Elite, tuned for Samsung devices.
© Florence Ion / Gizmodo
The Galaxy S25+ and Galaxy S25 have the same batteries as last year.
The screen size has increased on both Galaxy S25 variants.
Samsung increased the display of the Galaxy S25 to 6.2 inches, up from last years 6.1-inch display.
© Florence Ion / Gizmodo
The display of the Galaxy S25+ also increased slightly to 6.7 inches from 6.6 inches last year.
Essentially, the larger unit has a higher resolution with a bit more sharpness.
I will give Samsung credit for its algorithms.
© Florence Ion / Gizmodo
Im also still a fan of Googles nighttime algorithms compared to Samsungs.
And Im not saying you should buy a smartphone based on its nighttime camera capabilities.
Something to think about.
© Florence Ion / Gizmodo
I still think the Galaxy S25+ is a little barebones compared to other devices at this price point.
Apples iPhone 16 Pro and Googles Pixel 9 Pro start at the same price with 5x optical zoom.
If Samsung will price it the same way, why not offer parity between spec offerings?
© Florence Ion / Gizmodo
Its Samsungs One UI 7 on top of Android 15.
You cannot escape Samsungs promises of AI here.
Its a winning moment for Samsung to show itself as a willing partner in Googles all-platform AI shift.
© Florence Ion / Gizmodo
Samsung also offers its own AI magic in the form of the Now Brief and things like generative imaging.
Im struggling to understand Samsungs value-add here.
At least there isnt a silo between what Google offers and what Samsung does.
© Florence Ion / Gizmodo
AI is simply part of the Android package now.
I still think the Galaxy S25+ should be an Ultra mini or something similar.
It could even keep the RAM stack at 12 GB instead of 16 GB.
© Florence Ion / Gizmodo
The phone is slightly lighter than the Ultra, making daily carry easier.
Just dont zoom too far with your photos!
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