If you are eyeing the new Galaxy S25 family for your next upgrade and the big-screen experience is a must, then you are probably wondering whether the Samsung Galaxy S25+ is good enough or the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra‘s higher price tag justifies the extra few features and the camera prowess.

With the previous generation, Samsung was able to partially bridge the gap between the Plus and Ultra models while keeping the Ultra distinct enough. This year, the gap widened once again as there are quite a few Ultra-exclusive features, the S Pen included, and it offers a sensibly bigger display. However, there are plenty of users who would much rather save a few bucks and get the Plus model if it gets them roughly the same user experience.

So, without further ado, let’s dive into the details and help you decide for yourself.

Table of Contents:

For starters, you can compare the complete specs sheets or directly continue with our editor’s assessment in the following text.

Size comparison

Even though both smartphones are fairly big, there’s a noticeable difference in size and feel. The Galaxy S25 Ultra is taller, slightly wider, thicker and heftier. The corners are now slightly rounded but still sharper compared to the S25+. All of this means that the Ultra is harder to handle.

There’s also a difference in the build. The Galaxy S25 Ultra has a more premium chassis comprised of Corning Gorilla Armor 2 protection on the front and a titanium frame. The S25+, on the other hand, settles for Gorilla Glass Victus 2 sheets and an aluminum frame.

Display comparison

Aside from the obvious size difference, the phones’ displays are nearly identical. They both have the same resolution, panel technology, refresh rate, etc. The only subtle difference is the anti-reflective coating. The Ultra uses a DX anti-reflective coating for better sunlight legibility and it really does make a difference.

The Galaxy S25+ and the S25 Ultra’s displays peak at a little above 1,400 nits, but the S25 Ultra’s screen is easier to see under direct sunlight.

Battery life

Given that the two devices share roughly the same battery capacities, displays and identical chipsets, it’s not surprising that battery life is comparable. In both cases, you will get excellent battery life, with the S25 Ultra edging out the S25+ by a tiny margin.

We struggle to find any meaningful difference in the standalone battery scores, with the biggest but still insignificant difference being the video runtime.

Charging speed

When fully utilizing the 45W charging rate over Power Delivery + Samsung’s PPS, the two devices can charge in about an hour from 0%. There’s absolutely no difference in charging speed, so whichever model you pick up.

Speaker test

The two phones utilize standard hybrid stereo speakers with comparable loudness. Both scored “Very Good” on our loudness test, but there’s a notable difference in how they sound.

The Galaxy S25 Ultra definitely has warmer and fuller-sounding tracks with more pronounced bass, whereas the Galaxy S25+ sounds flat in comparison. It’s not that the Plus’ speakers are bad, but the S25 Ultra wins this round with ease.

Performance

There’s absolutely zero difference in performance this year, no matter the market. While in the past, we’ve seen the Ultra ship with Qualcomm’s flagship SoC and the vanilla and the Plus ship with Samsung’s in-house SoC, this year, all markets and models get the same Snapdragon 8 Elite for Galaxy. Basically, it is a slightly overclocked version of the original Snapdragon 8 Elite.

There is no difference in the memory configurations available for the two phones. The S25 Ultra has one variant with extra large storage – 12GB/1TB, but that’s only available in China for the time being.

Benchmark performance

Whatever small difference you see in the benchmark scores is mostly due to statistical error, so raw performance will be the same regardless of your choice.

Camera comparison

By this point in our comparison, you might already be thinking that the gap between the S25+ and the S25 Ultra is somewhat trivial, but the difference in camera capabilities might make you reconsider.

The Galaxy S25 Ultra has a clear advantage by having a bigger 200MP main sensor, a better ultrawide camera with 50MP resolution and not one, but two telephoto units – one matching the S25+’s 3x camera and one that has a 5x optical reach.

The Galaxy S25+, on the other hand, settles for a 50MP main camera, 12MP ultrawide camera and a 10MP telephoto unit with 3x zoom. On the front, both handsets get a 12MP selfie cam with autofocus.

Let’s hop right into the actual camera comparison and see how much better the Ultra actually is.

Image quality

To be honest, we expected a bigger difference between the Galaxy S25+ and the Ultra. Looking at the daylight photos, we see very minimal difference between the main cameras. The Ultra resolves more details in the shadows, but the S25+’s rendering uses a bit more artificial sharpness, making the scenes more well-defined. .

S25+ vs. S25U: 0.6x • 0.6x • 1x • 1x • 2x • 2x

Moreover, the ultrawide S25+’s ultrawide camera is arguably better, likely for the same reason. Pictures generally have better definition. These differences are rather subtle, though.

S25+ vs. S25U: 3x • 3x • 5x • 5x • 10x • 10x

The Galaxy S25 Ultra gains superiority as you go up the zoom levels. The 2x crop zoom on the S25 Ultra is slightly better, which is to be expected since it’s a crop from a notably bigger sensor. The 3x zoom camera on the Ultra exhibits better sharpness and detail and the same goes for the 5x photos. After all, the Ultra has a dedicated 5x zoom camera.

As far as the 10x zoom photos are concerned, the difference is night and day. The Ultra delivers far superior stills.

S25+ vs. S25U: 0.6x • 0.6x • 1x • 1x • 2x • 2x

When it comes to nighttime shooting, the Galaxy S25 Ultra edges out the S25+ once again only due to its more competent zoom photography. As the zoom level grows, the S25 Ultra offers increasingly better quality. However, we struggle to find any meaningful difference in the main and ultrawide cameras. The photos literally look the same.

S25+ vs S25U: 3x • 3x • 5x • 5x • 10x • 10x

Video quality

Below we have a few framegrabs from the videos taken by the two phones at each focal length so it’s easier to compare to one another.

We were surprised to see no real difference in the video recording capabilities. In fact, the S25+’s ultrawide video is somewhat better, while the main cameras produce pretty much identical footage. The Ultra pulls ahead only in the 5x zoom comparison since it has a dedicated cam, but that’s just about it.

S25+ vs. S25U: 0.6x • 0.6x • 1x • 1x • 2x • 2x

S25+ vs. S25U: 3x • 3x • 5x • 5x

Verdict

The Ultra naming and the price gap suggest that the device has notable advantages over its more affordable sibling, the Galaxy S25+. However, upon closer look, we found out that the Ultra doesn’t give that many reasons to pay about $200 bucks more in the US or €170 more in Europe.

Some of you will appreciate the better zoom capabilities of the Ultra but will also be surprised to see how closely the S25+ gets to the Ultra in terms of overall image quality. There are no meaningful differences in the display, charging, battery life and performance. The Ultra has noticeably better speakers and an S Pen, but that’s about it.

All in all, if you are not in it for the zoom capabilities and the S Pen, you are better off saving a few bucks and opting for the Plus model. Samsung brings all the AI smarts and software features to the Plus as well, so there is another reason to get the more expensive model.