As I prepared for a long weekend break, I wanted to take a capable Android phone with a good camera with me, ready to capture my adventures. I put my SIM card into a fresh Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra and set the phone up purely for entertainment, as I wanted to ignore work emails and messages as much as possible. I spent four days with the phone, and hereâs what I discovered revisiting the Galaxy S25 Ultra.
The shape is still a problem
The Galaxy S25 Ultra is flat. Very flat. The sides are flat, the screen is flat, and the corners are far less curved than previous models. Itâs a big, slab-like block, and far from attractive. Not everyone will care if itâs a good-looking phone, but everyone should care if itâs comfortable to hold, and after revisiting the Galaxy S25 Ultra I am sad to say itâs not.Â
I returned to the S25 Ultra after a string of other phones, ranging from the OnePlus 13, the Google Pixel 9a, and the Xiaomi 15 Ultra, and all are more comfortable to hold. The problem is the phone digs into your palm, the sharp edges are noticeable when you grip it, and as itâs also a bit of a slippery thing, you really do have to keep hold out of it.Â
I was using the phone for fun, passing some free time browsing Reddit and Threads or playing Magic: The Gathering Arena, but the S25 Ultra didnât encourage me to pick it up because of the comfort problems. My Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max is far more ergonomic, and much more pleasing to hold for longer periods of time. I found Iâd force myself to use the S25 Ultra, and it shouldnât be that way.Â
The screen is the best youâll see

Itâs a shame I didnât feel happy about holding the S25 Ultra for a long time, as the screen is the best Iâve used on a smartphone. Amazingly for the U.K., it was very bright and sunny on my break, and the S25 Ultraâs anti-reflective screen really came into its own. Itâs hard to photograph to demonstrate just how effective it is, but it removes the harsh reflections which stop you seeing whatâs going on, and crucially, it works really well at different angles.
This matters most when you want to take photographs. Rarely do the best photos come when you hold the camera directly in front of your face, which is why strong viewing angles are important on a smartphone. I could always see the cameraâs viewfinder, regardless of the angle I held the phone at or the lighting conditions. Itâs a superb screen, and eclipses every other smartphone you can buy at the moment.Â

The intense brightness also helped in these conditions, but this wasnât what made it work so well. Instead, itâs the automatic brightness adjustment. I only once reached for the manual brightness control, as the phone did such a good job of balancing the screenâs brightness to the conditions. The only time I remember using the manual control was after using the phone outside, and it was a beat to slow to adapt when I went back inside. But Iâd rather it be too bright than too dim.Â
What about the camera?Â

Before I chose the Galaxy S25 Ultra I was close to picking up the Xiaomi 15 Ultra, but my own words were in my mind before I made the final decision. I fell for the Xiaomi 15 Ultraâs camera when I used it somewhere I didnât know very well, after being a tiny bit disappointed with it when I reviewed the phone taking photos locally. I havenât been that excited by the Galaxy S25 Ultraâs camera, and have been surprised at how the main camera in particular hasnât met expectations. Going on a trip with it may change my mind about it.Â
The landscape meant I used the main and the wide-angle camera the most, and the consistency between the two is impressive, sharing balanced colors and contrast, even in challenging light. Photos straight from the camera are a little too natural-looking for my personal taste, and itâs here where One UI 7âs excellent photo editing suite was put to good use.








I applied one of Samsungâs new filters to most photos â the Chill, Amber, and Sunbeam usually gave the best effect â and subsequently tweaked the photos further, before it looked the way I wanted it. Cleverly, you can save the edits made to one photo as a new filter of your own, and then apply it to other photos. It works so well on photos taken on the same day and in the same conditions. Samsungâs AI-powered eraser tool remains excellent too, neatly removing unwanted elements like power lines and telegraph poles.Â
Looking back at the photos Iâm pleased with the results, but I am conscious almost all of them needed editing. This suggests Samsungâs own tuning isnât quite right, and means enthusiasts hoping to use the camera and never touch the images before sharing them may be disappointed. However, Samsungâs powerful and versatile editing suite makes it simple and enjoyable to change the way your photos look, so itâs less of a downside than it first sounds.Â
Was I happy I chose the Galaxy S25 Ultra?Â

The Galaxy S25 Ultra screen, performance, and battery life â which was more than enough for two days use â made it a reliable partner for my time away, but I was frustrated by the shape of the phone. If it was my only phone, Iâd quickly choose a case for it, in a effort to make it more pleasant to hold. The unfortunate thing is, itâs robust and strong enough not to really need a case.Â
I like the photos I took with it, and feel it captured my break really well, so Iâll be happy to look back on them in the future. The Galaxy S25 Ultra is an excellent smartphone and despite being one of the most expensive models you can buy, itâs a safe purchase for the future. However, I didnât fall in love with it, and do think Iâd have been just as happy (or perhaps, even happier) with the OnePlus 13.
The Galaxy S25 Ultra is a cold, yet extremely capable high performance smartphone. I doubt Iâll ever feel much for it, no matter how long I use it, but its all-round ability and superb screen make it hard to beat. Itâs still a phone youâll buy with your head, not your heart, just as I thought when I first reviewed it.
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