SOLVED: VIDEO: Real World Samsung S25 Review

The Samsung Galaxy S25, released on February 7, 2025, offers several notable improvements over previous Samsung Galaxy products, like the S22, S23 and S24. The question isn’t, “is the S25 better” but “is the S25 worth the money”?

Here’s a breakdown of the key upgrades:

Performance:

• Processor: The S25 run on the amazing Snapdragon 8 Elite for Galaxy chipset, a significant upgrade from the S22’s Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 (or Exynos 2200 in some regions). This newer chip offers substantial improvements in CPU (around 37%), GPU (around 30%), and NPU (around 40%) performance, leading to faster processing, smoother graphics, and enhanced AI capabilities
• RAM: The base S25 model comes with 12GB of RAM, compared to the S22’s 8GB. This increase allows for better multitasking and smoother operation, especially with demanding applications

Display:

• Glass: The S25 features Gorilla Glass Ceramic 2 (from Corning) for enhanced durability against scratches and drops
• Weight: It weighs a very normal 162 grams
• Size: The S25 features a slightly larger 6.2-inch display compared to the S22’s 6.1-inch display
• Technology: Both the S25 and S22 utilize vibrant AMOLED screen technology, known for its excellent contrast and color accuracy. However, the S25 uses a very nice Dynamic AMOLED 2X panel
• Brightness: The S25’s AMOLED display can reach a significantly higher maximum brightness of 2600 nits, double the S22’s 1300 nits. This results in dramatically better visibility when you are outdoors in bright sun light
• Dynamic Refresh Rates: The S25 features a dynamic refresh rate that can adapt between 1Hz and 120Hz depending on the content, providing smoother scrolling and optimized battery efficiency
• Screen-to-body Ratio: The S25 has a higher screen-to-body ratio due to smaller bezels, providing a more immersive viewing experience

Cameras:

• Cameras: While the rear camera hardware (50MP wide, 12MP ultrawide, 10MP telephoto with 3x optical zoom) remains similar on the base models, the S25 benefits from improved image processing and new AI camera features introduced with Galaxy AI. These features enhance photo editing and overall image quality
• The S25 series incorporates features like AI Select for intelligent image actions and potentially other AI-powered enhancements to the camera experience

Battery:

• Battery: The S25 has a larger 4,000mAh battery compared to the S22’s 3,700mAh battery. Combined with the more efficient Snapdragon 8 Elite chipset, this should translate to improved battery life
• Charging Speeds (Wired & Wireless): The S25 supports wired charging speeds of up to 25W. For wireless charging, the S25 supports the Qi2 standard with speeds up to 15W

Software and AI:

• The Galaxy S25 comes with Android 15 and One UI 7 out of the box, offering the latest software features and a refreshed user interface. The S22, while receiving updates (currently on Android 15 with One UI 7), will have fewer major OS updates remaining
• The S25 heavily integrates Galaxy AI, a suite of artificial intelligence features. These include:
  • Conversational Search: Using natural language to find things within the phone’s settings.
  • Math Helper: Solving equations in Samsung Notes
  • Handwriting Assist: Improving legibility of handwritten notes
  • Call Recording with Conversation Search: Transcribing and summarizing calls
  • AI Select: Recommending actions based on selected screen content
  • Cross-app actions: Using Google Gemini to perform tasks across multiple apps
  • Now brief: Personalized daily summaries of weather, news, health, and calendar information

Design and Durability:

• The design of the S25 is a further refinement of Samsung’s recent aesthetic, with the camera lenses seamlessly integrated into the back panel, a departure from the S22’s camera bump
• Both phones maintain an IP68 water and dust resistance rating

Software Updates:

• The Galaxy S25 series will receive 7 years of OS updates, a significant increase over the S22’s promise of 4 major OS updates. This ensures the S25 will remain up-to-date for a much longer period

Putting all of this together, its fair to say the Samsung Galaxy S25 offers notable improvements over the S22 in performance, display (featuring a more durable glass, higher brightness, and dynamic refresh rate), battery life, AI capabilities, modest camera improvements, and long-term software support. But is all that worth the upgrade cost? We don’t think so. The S21 S22 S23 and S24 are all very solid and very similar phones. Unless you need to upgrade, we don’t recommend it.