Hands-on with the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra: Is it Worth Upgrading?
Last night, Samsung announced its latest Galaxy S25 smartphone series at its annual Unpacked event, and I was reporting live from the company’s London HQ to bring you all of the exciting updates. I spent some time after the event getting hands-on with the latest S25 Ultra flagship, and experiencing some very cool demos from Samsung’s experts – but while I had an amazing time at the event, I was still left wondering if the S25 Ultra is a worthwhile upgrade from my Samsung S24 Ultra.
New Audio Erasure AI Feature for Video
If you’re someone who shoots a lot of video content, then the S25 series’ new AI Audio Erasure feature could be a tempting tool. During Unpacked, we were all bombarded with maybe too much information about upcoming AI tools and features for content creators, and as a serious Samsung fan, even I was bored. But it wasn’t until trying out some of these reported features that I realised their true power and potential. Take the Audio Erasure tool for example – Samsung staff had me enter a soundproof booth at the event where a mixture of loud music and audio was being played. They then asked me to record a video with the S25 while speaking over the top, and then showed me how Audio Erasure works to completely isolate my voice in the video clip with no other background sound.
New Camera Upgrades
As a photographer, the number one smartphone feature for me will always be the camera quality. I recently put together a camera phone shootout testing my S24 Ultra against the new Honor Magic 7 Pro, and the quality difference was splitting hairs. Smartphone photography is levelling up fast, and to be honest, I was expecting a little more from Samsung this year in regard to camera upgrades.
With the S25 Ultra, we’re getting a 50MP ultra-wide camera, which is an impressive boost against the previous 12MP quality that I’m used to with my S24 Ultra. But what else is new? There are some fun AI film camera filters available to use, and better object-aware detection tools for enhancing your subject, plus nightography improvements too.
Hands-on Verdict – Should You Upgrade?
It was great to get a brief hands-on experience with the latest S25 series at Samsung last night, but I think to form a proper verdict and truly consider an upgrade to the S25 Ultra, I’d need at least a week of testing it to know how I feel and assess the general performance. In terms of design, these new handsets look stunning, feel very nice and premium to hold, and are more lightweight than their predecessors, so I have no complaints in this area.
As for the pricing, I like that the S25 series is priced exactly the same as Samsung’s S24 series was at launch, and I’ve calculated that with a trade-in discount combined with Samsung’s student discount, plus a coupon code, I’ll only be paying roughly £450 to upgrade to the S25 Ultra. This is a very good price but still has me thinking if the minimal camera upgrades and enhancements I saw during Unpacked are enough to justify the cost.
Conclusion
In my opinion, I think if you’re a Samsung S24 Ultra owner like me, it might be a good idea to sit this year out if you’re cautious of costs. Not everyone can afford to upgrade their flagship every year, but if money is no object then the benefits outweigh this greatly.
FAQs
Q: What are the main upgrades in the S25 Ultra compared to the S24 Ultra?
A: The S25 Ultra features a 50MP ultra-wide camera, AI Audio Erasure feature, and better object-aware detection tools for enhancing your subject, plus nightography improvements.
Q: Is the S25 Ultra worth upgrading from the S24 Ultra?
A: It depends on your individual needs and budget. If you’re a heavy user of video content creation and want the latest features, then the S25 Ultra might be worth upgrading to. However, if you’re on a budget or don’t need the latest and greatest, you might be better off sticking with your S24 Ultra.
Q: What is the price of the S25 Ultra?
A: The S25 Ultra is priced the same as the S24 series was at launch, and with a trade-in discount combined with Samsung’s student discount, plus a coupon code, you can get it for roughly £450.
