Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra Vs Galaxy S24 Ultra: Here’s Why I Wouldn’t Upgrade This Year

The industry puts a lot of pressure on consumers to upgrade their devices annually, and I’m here to tell you that it’s often unnecessary. Samsung’s flagships haven’t seen any breakthrough features in many cycles, and the Galaxy S25 series is another example of this trend. Looking at the pinnacle of this line, the Galaxy S25 Ultra does offer improvements in some aspects and downgrades in others, but is it worth upgrading if you own last year’s Ultra? Below, I weigh in with my thoughts on the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultrs vs Galaxy S24 Ultra upgrade debate.

Before I begin, I want to be clear that my opinion isn’t based on hands-on experience with the new device. We have plenty of preview content with the flagships here for that insight. Instead, I’m taking a step back, looking at the Galaxy S25 and S24 Ultra’s specs and feature sheets and adding a splash of my informed opinion.

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Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra

Powerful, flexible cameras
Excellent update commitment
Brilliant flat display

A more comfortable flagship

Hadlee Simons / Android Authority

Fundamentally, there aren’t many differences between the Galaxy S25 Ultra and the S24 Ultra. The latest phone still packs a 6.9-inch 120Hz AMOLED screen, a 200MP primary and 12MP selfie cameras, a 5,000mAh battery, and an ultrasonic fingerprint scanner. However, Samsung has markedly improved the S25 Ultra’s ergonomics.

Thanks to its rounded corners, the Galaxy S25 Ultra should be far more comfortable to hold for extended periods. This will go a long way to alleviate the palm-ache many users have experienced when holding the pointy Galaxy S24 Ultra. It should also mean a more secure hold, decreasing the chance of the phone falling from your grasp.

I appreciate the weight savings made by the Galaxy S25 Ultra. At 218 grams, it shaves nearly 15 grams off the Galaxy S24 Ultra’s total. For another inter-Samsung comparison, that’s only slightly heavier than the Galaxy S24 FE I lug around daily.

More performance in theory, but what about practice?

As the new year demands, this lighter body houses an upgraded Qualcomm chipset, this time with the Snapdragon 8 Elite for Galaxy. It’s an overclocked variant of the American company’s current flagship silicon.

We’ve had our fair share of problems with phones running the standard version of this chip, and considering that “for Galaxy” versions are usually souped up with higher peak clocks, I wouldn’t be surprised if the Galaxy S25 Ultra struggles to cool itself, too. However, if the quoted “improved cooling system” keeps the chip in check, we should see impressive gaming and emulation performance on the new flagship. That should be enough to tempt these performance-craving enthusiasts to upgrade, and I’d consider that eminently reasonable.

The Snapdragon 8 Elite has had problems in several flagships thus far; can the Galaxy S25 Ultra overcome these?

As a filthy casual mobile gamer, that potential leap in performance is no longer as tempting as it would’ve been a few years ago. Rather, the efficiency gains made by the Snapdragon 8 Elite vs the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 is the truly exciting development. I wouldn’t be surprised if the Galaxy S25 Ultra lasts a little longer between charges than its predecessor. How long remains an exciting unanswered question.

Finally, a new ultrawide sensor

Zac Kew-Denniss / Android Authority

Another clear Galaxy S25 Ultra win is in the imaging column. While the Galaxy S25 Ultra and its predecessor pack the same 200MP primary and 50MP 5x/10MP 3x zoom lens pair, the ultrawide camera gets a sizeable upgrade. It now packs a 50MP sensor instead of the 12MP used for several generations.

Samsung claims this new sensor offers 4x more detail in macro shots, which will appeal to a select portion of mobile photographers. I value a good ultrawide camera, especially as a nature photography enthusiast. Beyond the physical upgrades, it appears that Samsung may have fixed the shutter lag issues that plagued the Galaxy S24 Ultra.

The upgraded ultrawide camera will be a major temptation for scene and nature photographers, with the promise of better macro shots.

It’s also worth noting that the Galaxy S25 Ultra (in addition to its siblings) introduces LOG video support, putting it on par with the iPhone 15 series and newer. While many casual users won’t see benefits from this professional format addition, LOG support is huge for videographers serious about extracting details during the editing process.

The silliest Galaxy S25 Ultra downgrade

Hadlee Simons / Android Authority

If you look past the Galaxy S25 Ultra’s refined design, upgraded chipset, and new photography goodies, the Galaxy S24 Ultra isn’t too far behind. It remains far ahead in one aspect, too.

While the Galaxy S25 Ultra’s S Pen now sits flush within its lighter body, this year’s edition of the stylus lacks Bluetooth support. Bluetooth fueled several core S Pen features, including its remote shutter functionality, so it’ll be a dear miss for those who used their phones on tripods to snap hands-free scenes.

The S Pen is still there, but it’s no longer a priority.

It’s worth noting that this nerf won’t affect those who only use the stylus to draw, notate, and select items on the screen. If anything, ditching Bluetooth means that the Galaxy S25 Ultra’s S Pen can be used as long as desired without requiring a charge. As a long-time Galaxy Note 9 user, I couldn’t imagine using a traditional Note-inspired Samsung flagship without a Bluetooth S Pen.

Would I upgrade from the Galaxy S24 Ultra to the Galaxy S25 Ultra?

Adamya Sharma / Android Authority

After addressing the pros and cons of the Galaxy S25 Ultra, would I leap for it and drop its predecessor? Factoring in everything I know about both devices, I’d stick with the Galaxy S24 Ultra for another cycle. The design, performance, and camera upgrades presented by the Galaxy S25 Ultra make it an appealing handset for new Samsung flagship buyers, but I don’t believe the phone offers enough for existing users to upgrade.

The Galaxy S24 Ultra remains a great package, with six years left on its extensive software support plan, a chipset that still breezes through tasks, and a fully-featured S Pen that still honors the Galaxy Note series. Many of the software features will likely arrive in due course, too. Unless your device is aging beyond its years, I’d hold on to it for now.