![\"Someone](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/samsung-galaxy-s25-ultra-joe-revisit-7-scaled.jpg\"\/ "\\"samsung")
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Joe Maring \/ Android Authority<\/p>\n
The Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra<\/a> is an excellent Android phone. Its specs are as high-end as they come, its hardware\/build quality couldn\u2019t be more premium if you wanted, and its level of software support is one of the best in the industry. By all objective accounts, it\u2019s one of the best smartphones<\/a> \u2014 Android or not \u2014 on the market today.<\/p>\n Despite all of that, I hate using the Galaxy S25 Ultra.<\/p>\n I\u2019ve been testing the S25 Ultra on and off for over a month now, and while I can see and appreciate everything it does well, there\u2019s something about it that doesn\u2019t click with me. I know it\u2019s technically a great phone, but the more I use it, the more I want to put it down for something else.<\/p>\n The Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra is …<\/p>\n 59 votes<\/p>\n One of the best Android phones of 2025<\/p>\n 46%<\/p>\n A fine smartphone, but nothing special<\/p>\n 22%<\/p>\n A boring, disappointing upgrade<\/p>\n 29%<\/p>\n Other (let us know in the comments)<\/p>\n 3%<\/p>\n Top-tier hardware and software, with one (very big) issue<\/p>\n Joe Maring \/ Android Authority<\/p>\n If you think that sounds crazy, I\u2019m right there with you. I went into the Galaxy S25 Ultra wanting to like it, and truth be told, there\u2019s a lot about the phone I thoroughly enjoy. So, what\u2019s the issue?<\/p>\n Is it performance? No. The Snapdragon 8 Elite, paired with up to 16GB of RAM, results in the S25 Ultra being one of the snappiest and smoothest Android phones you can get your hands on. Is it the display? No way. Samsung\u2019s AMOLED 2X panel is outrageously good, while Corning\u2019s Gorilla Armor 2 glass suppresses reflections unbelievably well.<\/p>\n Is it battery life? The cameras? The downgraded S Pen we got this year? No, no, and no. It\u2019s not even the software, which is usually a sticking point for me with Samsung phones. Between the new app drawer, redesigned Quick Settings layout, and improved animations, One UI 7 looks and feels better than any previous version<\/a>.<\/p>\n Ultimately, my one tangible issue with the Galaxy S25 Ultra is its design. It\u2019s not that the S25 Ultra is poorly built; build quality-wise, it\u2019s about as good as it gets. The problem is the phone\u2019s ergonomics.<\/p>\n Joe Maring \/ Android Authority<\/p>\n It\u2019s no surprise that the S25 Ultra is a big phone, especially since it has the same general design Samsung has used for the last several years. But in practice, that doesn\u2019t change the fact that the phone is bulky, cumbersome, and not enjoyable to hold.<\/p>\n The Galaxy S25 Ultra is bulky, cumbersome, and not enjoyable to hold.<\/p>\n Phones like the OnePlus 13 prove that you can make a large phone that\u2019s comfortable to hold and use, but Samsung apparently missed that memo when it designed the S25 Ultra. The flat sides combined with the sharp edges are supremely uncomfortable. The 218-gram body feels like an actual brick in my hand. The camera placement on the back means there\u2019s no good spot to rest your finger under. More so than any other phone I\u2019ve used recently, the S25 Ultra doesn\u2019t fit well in my jeans pockets.<\/p>\n These may not sound like deal-breakers, and on their own, they aren\u2019t. But they all contribute to making the S25 Ultra a phone I actively dislike holding and interacting with. And that\u2019s a problem! I want to appreciate how fast the Galaxy S25 Ultra is, how much I like the software, and how fun the S Pen can be. But when I dislike the hardware this much, it\u2019s hard to do.<\/p>\n A phone that feels a little too familiar<\/p>\n C. Scott Brown \/ Android Authority<\/p>\n Galaxy S25 Ultra (left) and Galaxy S24 Ultra<\/p>\n My other problem with the Galaxy S25 Ultra is less tangible, but it\u2019s just as much of an issue for me, if not more so.<\/p>\n The Galaxy S25 Ultra is a very familiar phone to me. It shares the same overall design language as the Galaxy S24 Ultra before it, which also looked just like the S23 Ultra \u2026 and the S22 Ultra. As someone who covers mobile tech for a living, it\u2019s a design I\u2019ve seen, written about, and used for the past 3+ years. When I pick up the S25 Ultra, it feels like I\u2019m using a phone from 2023 or 2022, and that\u2019s not a feeling I want to have, especially not from a phone that starts at $1,300.<\/p>\n Joe Maring \/ Android Authority<\/p>\n Is this a pain point everyone will experience? Absolutely not. If you don\u2019t regularly follow mobile tech news or upgrade your phone every year, the Galaxy S25 Ultra probably looks and feels as modern as any other phone out there. But if you do stay on top of the mobile tech world and\/or regularly upgrade your phone \u2014 two strong possibilities if you\u2019re reading this article \u2014 I imagine you\u2019ll end up in the same boat as me.<\/p>\n The Galaxy S25 Ultra has the specs, software, and AI features of a 2025 smartphone, but its identity is old and outdated. It makes the phone feel like it\u2019s living in the past, and as a result, I\u2019m not drawn to the S25 Ultra or excited to use it.<\/p>\n When I use the S25 Ultra, I feel like I\u2019m missing out<\/p>\n Joe Maring \/ Android Authority<\/p>\n If the Galaxy S25 Ultra were in a bubble, these complaints of mine wouldn\u2019t matter. But unfortunately for Samsung, the S25 Ultra is surrounded by incredibly fierce competition. And whenever I grab the Galaxy S25 Ultra, I can\u2019t help but think of other phones I\u2019d rather use instead.<\/p>\n The OnePlus 13<\/a> has been sitting on my desk during my month with the S25 Ultra, and each time I see the phone, I miss it. It shares some of the same specs as Samsung\u2019s phone, but between its much more eye-catching design, more ergonomic hardware, and unique touches like its fast charging and alert slider, I\u2019m drawn to it in a way I\u2019m not to the S25 Ultra.<\/p>\n The Galaxy S25 Ultra just doesn’t excite the phone nerd in me.<\/p>\n I\u2019ve even felt that way about the Google Pixel 9a<\/a> that recently appeared on my doorstep. It\u2019s far less capable than the Galaxy S25 Ultra, but what it lacks in CPU performance or camera prowess, it makes up for by feeling like a proper new smartphone. It looks unlike any Pixel I\u2019ve seen before, and as a result, it\u2019s a phone I want to spend time with and get to know.<\/p>\n![\"The](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/samsung-galaxy-s25-ultra-joe-revisit-6-scaled.jpg\"\/ "\\"samsung")
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<\/p>\n![\"Someone](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/samsung-galaxy-s25-ultra-joe-revisit-4-scaled.jpg\"\/ "\\"samsung")
<\/p>\n![\"The](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/samsung-galaxy-s25-ultra-oneplus-13-google-pixel-9a-hero-scaled.jpg\"\/ "\\"samsung")
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![\"The](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/samsung-galaxy-s25-ultra-joe-revisit-10-scaled.jpg\"\/ "\\"samsung")
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