I cannot willingly recommend the Galaxy S25 Ultra. Although I upgraded from the Note 9 and recognize the obvious improvements, the simple fact is that this phone has been consciously downgraded in several key areas.
Let me start with the lack of a Bluetooth S Pen. That feature was standard even on my old Note 9. How does an "upgrade" lose features?
Next, there’s no MagSafe-style capability. Despite all the advancements in fast charging, Samsung has now chosen not to include a charging brick, and the included charging cable with the S25 Ultra is incredibly short. It no longer reaches from the wall to my chair, whereas all previous cables did.
Also—though this has been the case for a few releases—it still baffles me: with over 95% of the population being right-handed, why on earth is the S Pen stored on the left side of the phone? It’s an incredibly poor design choice from a usability standpoint.
There’s no memory card slot, and the earlier removal of the LED notification indicator remains a downgrade in my opinion.
Samsung has not listened to its customer base, and it shows.
I will be returning this phone immediately. While I purchased it through my carrier, I wanted Samsung to see this review as well. I highly doubt I’ll return to this manufacturer.
No, I would not recommend this to a friend.
Features
1
Performance
4
Design
1
Value
2
Response from Samsung USBy R&R Team, June 2, 2025
Hi Scruff, thank you for sharing your experience of your Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra with us. We understand that it can be frustrating when your new device does not align to your expectations. We have provided a link to an article to help you with the redesigned features of your S Pen. We have also provided a link to the full device manual that will highlight the voice commands and hand gestures you can use with your phone. This manual will also highlight the edge lighting settings that can be used as a replacement for the LED notification indicator you mention. The removal of the slot for the micro SD card is to help further enhance the durability and water resistance of your device, and the additional of cloud storage will also allow access to your media across your ecosystem of devices. Lastly, we have provided a link to the Samsung Support Team if you have questions about any of your Samsung products. We appreciate you being a Samsung customer. -Elizabeth Use the Galaxy S25 Ultra’s S Pen https://www.samsung.com/us/support/answer/ANS10004602/ Product Manuals https://www.samsung.com/us/support/downloads/ Samsung Support smsng.us/Samsung-Support Samsung Community smsng.us/Samsung-Community Facebook smsng.us/Facebook-Messenger X https://smsng.us/X-Messages
Written by a customer while visiting Samsung US
Customer Rating
5
Super fast and superb quality photos and video!!
on June 2, 2025
Posted by: Shortsweetsassy
[This review was collected as part of a promotion.] I recently switched from the galaxy A16 to the galaxy s 25 ultra cause I really love the s series galaxy phones. Very reliable and durable. I have to say the A16 is a very nice phone for the price. If I had to go bak to any other phone it would be the A16. Nice job Samsung!!!
Lightening fast & super sleek with excellent photo quality and makes my life easier! My favorite Galaxy thus far!
Features
5
Performance
5
Design
5
Value
4
Written by a customer while visiting Samsung US
Customer Rating
5
Samsung s25 Ultra is light and quick!
on June 7, 2025
Posted by: Brum68
[This review was collected as part of a promotion.] My Ultra device serves both my personal and professional needs. It excels at managing emails, attachments, and notes, and its convenient phone storage is a plus. The AI features are enjoyable; the photo capabilities are impressive, but I especially value the email writing assistance.
Value
5
Written by a customer while visiting Samsung US
Customer Rating
5
Easily the best phone I've ever had!
on June 7, 2025
Posted by: BabySlick
[This review was collected as part of a promotion.] This thing's camera is insane. It is so much faster than any of my friends' phones when there is bad service area. I love the Galaxy AI Feature, which helps me solve complicated problems and helps me navigate life and in a smoother fashion. No need to purchase chat GBT or any other AI software subscriptions when your phone comes with such great capabilities like my S25 Ultra
Value
5
Written by a customer while visiting Samsung US
Customer Rating
5
The graphics and functionality are superb.
on June 10, 2025
Posted by: Unstoppable22
[This review was collected as part of a promotion.] Movies excellent streaming quality. Sports are up close and personal. Work sending emails ,messgung locked in for sure. Gaming experience is phenomenal 🙌. Media interaction and overall quality is phenominal.
Value
5
Written by a customer while visiting Samsung US
Customer Rating
5
Love the camera, easy to navigate
on June 11, 2025
Posted by: Said11
[This review was collected as part of a promotion.] I love this S25 ultra, it feels good in your hands also has lots of features