Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra Titanium Silverblue 256GB

The S25 Ultra has a top-tier camera and display, plus excellent battery life. Performance is only average for a flagship, which is a bit of a letdown. At $726 to $767 USD, it's worth buying if you prioritize photography and screen quality.

The Snapdragon 8-core chip at 3.50GHz should feel snappy, and for everyday tasks it does. Apps open fast, scrolling is smooth, and the 12GB of RAM keeps things humming. But our performance score sits at the 43rd percentile, which is middle of the pack for a flagship. That's not a typo. The phone is fast, but it's not blowing past the competition the way the camera and display do. The 45W wired charging is fine, though not class-leading, and the 5000mAh battery is a genuine strength. You'll get through a full day easily, maybe two with lighter use. The 8K video at 30fps is a nice flex, but most people won't use it beyond testing it once and then forgetting it exists.

Against the iPhone 16 Pro Max, the S25 Ultra wins on camera versatility and display brightness, but Apple's chip still beats it on raw performance. The Google Pixel G4QUR is the smarter choice if you care about AI features and clean software, though its camera isn't quite as flexible. The OnePlus 15 undercuts it on price and offers faster charging, but the Samsung's display and camera are better. The Xiaomi 14 Ultra is a serious camera contender, but Samsung's software support and ecosystem are more polished. The Motorola Razr Ultra 2025 is a different beast entirely, a foldable that's more fun but less practical for heavy camera use.

Pricing is all over the place right now. US listings run $726 to $767, while Canadian listings sit at CAD 1,718 to CAD 1,770. That US price is actually pretty reasonable for what you're getting, especially compared to launch pricing. You're getting a top-tier camera, a gorgeous display, and excellent battery life. The performance score being average is the main thing holding this back from being an obvious slam dunk. If you can find it at the lower end of that US range, it's a solid deal. At the higher end, you're paying a premium for the camera and display, which may or may not be worth it to you.

The Galaxy S25 Ultra is Samsung doing what Samsung does best: throwing every spec it can find at a phone and hoping it sticks. This time, most of it does. You get a massive 6.9-inch Dynamic AMOLED display, a 200MP main camera, 12GB of RAM, and a 5000mAh battery. It's a spec sheet that reads like a wish list, and for the most part, the real-world experience backs it up.

Our database puts the camera, display, and connectivity all in the top 2% of phones we've tested. That's not marketing talk, that's measured data. The battery life is also a standout at the 95th percentile. But there's a catch: raw performance lands at just the 43rd percentile, which is weird for a phone with a Snapdragon chip running at 3.5GHz. More on that below.

Skip this if you want a compact phone. The 63.5 compactness score is one of the weakest areas, and the 6.9-inch display makes this a two-handed device for most people. Also skip it if you're a benchmark chaser or heavy mobile gamer who wants the absolute fastest chip. The performance is fine, but it's not leading the pack. And if you're deeply invested in the S Pen's older software features, the missing live message and unclear AI pricing might annoy you more than the camera impresses you.

Buy this if you want the best camera and display Samsung has ever put in a phone, and you don't mind carrying a big device. It's for people who take a lot of photos, watch a lot of video, and want battery life that doesn't make them anxious. The performance is fine for daily use, just don't expect it to top benchmark charts. If you're coming from an S23 or older, this is a meaningful upgrade. If you already have an S24 Ultra, the jump is smaller than you might hope.