Galaxy S25 Review: Perfectly Proportioned, But Priced Poorly [Video]

The smallest phone in the Samsung Galaxy S25 lineup is one of the weirdest. It has lots to like and some things to loathe, but it’s doing so with very little new. Does that make it a bad buy? Well, maybe.

Small, flagship-level phones are a dying breed. The smartphone has ballooned year over year so getting something that doesn’t destroy a pocket or require multiple hands to maneuver is now a tough ask. You can sort of see why people are opting to go for the base model in many flagship lineups.

Enter the Galaxy S25. The base-level model in the S25 lineup has lots of familiar portions, but a few things that make it arguably the only option for anyone who wants a small flagship phone. Here’s what you need to know.

Hardware

On paper, the only major upgrade to the Galaxy S25 over the base S24 is the chipset. Some other things have changed, but maybe not as much as they should have. For all intents and purposes, this is the same phone that we’ve seen for the past 3 years. My hypercritical side says this isn’t good enough, but at its core, the S25 isn’t bad. It’s just an indictment of where Samsung finds itself almost 15 years into the smartphone industry.

Small changes are almost the expectation. From top to bottom, the entire Galaxy S25 lineup feels like a social experiment. Give people the smallest changes and see how fans, buyers, and media react. Are we fools for liking a 3-year-old design? Or do we accept that Samsung is doubling down on a distinct design language and see the core experience improve?

You’ll have to decide which camp you fall into. I’m of the opinion that constantly refining makes more sense as R&D efforts can be focused elsewhere – hopefully into the ailing Fold series. As my colleague Andrew states in his review of the Galaxy S25+, Samsung is probably done improving and in some ways maybe that isn’t a bad thing.

It’s just boxy phone with sharp corners, minimum bezels, a beautiful screen, and some vibrant colors to choose from. The formula remains untouched save some new camera lens hubcaps and the improved Snapdragon chip.

The hand-friendly size is very attractive having flip-flopped between massive foldable phones in recent months. It’s devilishly thin and, at the same time, feels expertly crafted. Even with a case you have a super small package that doesn’t compromise – too much.

In many ways, it is refreshing to have a phone that has all the power of its bigger siblings without compromising on size. It’s also something to be lauded for as it gives you an option of something less pocket-bulging without the associated downsides.

Software

The biggest and boldest change you’ll notice right away on the entire Galaxy S25 series is in the Android 15 update. It still isn’t available for previous-generation Galaxy devices, so this is the only stable build available. It’s a triumph in many ways. It eliminates lots of little irksome issues with consistency and animations, and it does it all with aplomb. While the design is staid, the software has seen lots of attention and greater iteration.

To that end, One UI 7 has quickly become one of my favorite ways to enjoy Android – something I never thought I’d say after using Pixel phones for such a long time. Samsung fans will love little touches like improved app opening and closing animations. The enhanced Quick Settings section, plus the Now Bar.

This is effectively a thought experiment. What would Samsung’s take on Apple’s Live Activities look like? Well, it looks great despite feeling a little cheeky. It’s a lock screen widget that will pull pertinent information and controls in a reachable place. I mostly love it for audio controls, which is about the extent of my usage, but live sports scores are something lifted straight from iOS.

This is just scratching the surface of the aesthetic and under-the-hood changes, but everywhere, little flourishes are enhanced with the deeper Galaxy AI integration. To be honest, most people are unlikely to use most of these. Whether we like it or not, AI is getting shoehorned in. There is probably a zero chance I would use voice controls to send messages or get my phone to take care of sensitive tasks, no matter what Samsung might think. I do like the AI-enhanced search function, which is far better now at picking out wayward searches or queries.

All of this is underpinned by the sheer power of the Snapdragon 8 Elite chip. Slick is an easy adjective to describe the experience. You are getting true top-of-the-line performance no matter which phone you choose. Ditching the Exynos chip is a big boon for global buyers, as you’re not looking in envy at North American owners of the Galaxy S25 this time around. For now, this is the most powerful small phone on the market. That is likely a major reason some of you are interested in what it offers. Period.

Battery

One major concern is just how well the Galaxy S25, with its relatively small 4,000mAh, can compete with other phones at a similar price point. There are some efficiency gains with a new chip, but it doesn’t quite alleviate the small battery woes.

Most people will have a great experience with the Galaxy S25 as it will handle just about everything they ordinarily do. Veer into huge gaming sessions and lots of GPS navigation, and I think you might have difficulties, but this is par for a course with any phone today.

A midday charge might be required to get through the busiest days, and that might become a common occurrence as your phone ages. I have been able to kill the phone in a day, but most of the time, it lasts until bedtime with just a little bit of stress as you reach the mid-teens of battery percentage. I wouldn’t have a problem if Samsung increased the phone thickness if that meant a bigger battery.

Camera

What can we say about the camera that hasn’t really been said over the past couple of years? In reality, not much.

The biggest compliment I can pay is that the Galaxy S25 has a good spread of lenses that will cover you in lots of situations. The 3x optical is something you might not find in other base-model Android phones. I treat an optical zoom lens as essential on any phone today, so this is one of the better examples of a system catering to people who want a good camera, even at the lower end of a lineup. To stymie that a little, we probably need some upgrades here to really entice people looking to upgrade.

Images look great, processing has changed slightly this year, but overall it’s a good time with the Galaxy S25 camera in practically every situation.

Final thoughts

The hypercritical person has every right to be disappointed that Samsung has wheeled out yet another tiny incremental iteration over the entry-level Galaxy phone for 2025. The Korean tech giant has practically done the bare minimum and wheeled out the Galaxy S25 with a new chip, expecting people to be happy with it.

To put it lightly, this isn’t good enough.

Frustration aside, Samsung deserves some credit for banishing the poorly performing and universally hated Exynos chips from the Galaxy S25 and S25+ this year in all global regions. In the US, that wasn’t a problem. For everyone else, this is a big enough change to earn at least some plaudits. The efficiency and performance uptick is excellent, which is going to help because a $799 phone with a 4000mAh battery ain’t it.

To simplify this review: if you liked the S22, S23, or S24, you’ll probably like this one. Is it enough, though? I’d say yes from a core system perspective. From a value proposition perspective? No. If you want a smaller phone that has a lot of nice functions, this is a great package.

We need to see Samsung spend more time working on the base model. It’s likely the phone that most people will consider as there are fewer and fewer people willing to tie themselves into exorbitant cell plans or pay over $1,000 upfront to get the best in the lineup. The fundamentals are good, but the recipe needs some extra seasoning next year.

The Galaxy S25 is available right now from Amazon (with $100 gift card), Samsung.com (with $50 gift card), Best Buy, plus carriers including AT&T, Verizon, T-Mobile, and more.

Add 9to5Google to your Google News feed.