Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra vs Galaxy S24 Ultra: The 5 Key Differences to Know

Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra vs Galaxy S24 Ultra: The 5 Key Differences to Know
16 min read
1 week ago

This year, Samsung is introducing the Galaxy S25 series, with the flagship being the Galaxy S25 Ultra. The top model of the lineup brings several interesting new features.

The "king" of Android smartphones is back! Following the highly acclaimed Galaxy S24 Ultra, Samsung is renewing its flagship with the unveiling of the Galaxy S25 Ultra. The new flagship smartphone doesn’t rest on its laurels and brings changes while maintaining continuity. Building on its predecessor, it introduces several modifications to retain its crown in the face of fierce competition.

Feature Comparison

Feature Galaxy S25 Ultra Galaxy S24 Ultra
Display - 6.9-inch Infinity-O Display
- Dynamic AMOLED 2X
- Flat 20:9 aspect ratio
- QHD+ resolution (3120x1440, 500 ppi)
- HDR10+
- LTPO 1-120Hz
- 240Hz Touch Sensor
- Gorilla Glass Armor 2
- Center punch-hole
- 6.8-inch Infinity-O Display
- Dynamic AMOLED 2X
- Flat 20:9 aspect ratio
- QHD+ resolution (3120x1440, 505 ppi)
- HDR10+
- LTPO 1-120Hz
- 240Hz Touch Sensor
- Gorilla Glass Armor
- Center punch-hole
Design - Titanium frame
- Gorilla Glass Victus 2 back
- IP68 rating
- S Pen storage slot
- Titanium frame
- Gorilla Glass Victus 2 back
- IP68 rating
- S Pen storage slot
SoC & GPU - Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite
- Adreno 830 GPU
- Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 3
- Adreno 750 GPU
Memory - 12GB RAM
- 256GB, 512GB, or 1TB storage
- No microSD slot
- 12GB RAM
- 256GB, 512GB, or 1TB storage
- No microSD slot
Colors - Silver Blue
- White Silver
- Gray
- Black
- Pink Gold (Samsung.com exclusive)
- Jet Black (Samsung.com exclusive)
- Jade Green (Samsung.com exclusive)
- Black
- Gray
- Violet
- Amber
Camera - 200MP main sensor
- Output in 12MP, 50MP, or 200MP
- 23mm, f/1.7 aperture, Quad Pixel, OIS, PDAF
- 10MP 3x telephoto sensor
- 69mm, 36°, f/2.4 aperture, OIS, Dual Pixel AF
- 50MP 5x telephoto sensor
- 115mm, 22°, f/3.4 aperture, OIS, Dual Pixel AF
- 50MP ultra-wide sensor
- 13mm, 120°, f/1.9 aperture, Dual Pixel AF
- Auto HDR
- Night Mode
- 10x optical zoom
- 100x Space Zoom (digital)
- 8K video at 30fps
- 4K video at 60fps on all sensors
- Slow-motion up to 960fps at 1080p
- OIS up to 4K
- Digital stabilization in 8K
- Super-stabilized Action Cam mode at 1080p
- Night Hyperlapse
- Single Shot mode (AI Best Moment, Ultra Wide Shot, Live Focus, AI Filter, Smart Crop)
- Forward and Backward Videos, Original Video
- 12MP front camera
- 25mm, 80°, f/2.2 aperture, Dual Pixel AF, 2D face recognition, Auto HDR, 4K video at 60fps
- 200MP main sensor
- Output in 12MP, 50MP, or 200MP
- 23mm, f/1.7 aperture, OIS, PDAF
- 10MP 3x telephoto sensor
- 69mm, 36°, f/2.4 aperture, OIS, Dual Pixel AF
- 50MP 5x telephoto sensor
- 115mm, 22°, f/3.4 aperture, OIS, Dual Pixel AF
- 12MP ultra-wide sensor
- 13mm, 120°, f/2.2 aperture, Dual Pixel AF
- Auto HDR
- Night Mode
- 10x optical zoom
- 100x Space Zoom (digital)
- 8K video at 30fps
- 4K video at 60fps on all sensors
- Slow-motion up to 960fps at 1080p
- OIS up to 4K
- Digital stabilization in 8K
- Super-stabilized Action Cam mode at 1080p
- Night Hyperlapse
- Single Shot mode (AI Best Moment, Ultra Wide Shot, Live Focus, AI Filter, Smart Crop)
- Forward and Backward Videos, Original Video
- 12MP front camera
- 25mm, 80°, f/2.2 aperture, Dual Pixel AF, 2D face recognition, Auto HDR, 4K video at 60fps
Audio - Stereo AKG speakers
- Dolby Atmos
- No 3.5mm jack
- Stereo AKG speakers
- Dolby Atmos
- No 3.5mm jack
Battery - 5000mAh
- 45W Super Fast Charging
- USB-C port
- 10W Fast Wireless Charging 2.0
- Wireless PowerShare
- 5000mAh
- 45W Super Fast Charging
- USB-C port
- 10W Fast Wireless Charging 2.0
- Wireless PowerShare
Connectivity - Ultrasonic under-display fingerprint sensor
- Bluetooth 5.4
- Wi-Fi 7
- Ultra Wide Band
- Dual nano-SIM
- Sub-6 5G
- S Pen support
- Ultrasonic under-display fingerprint sensor
- Bluetooth 5.3
- Wi-Fi 7
- Ultra Wide Band
- Dual nano-SIM
- Sub-6 5G
- S Pen support
Software - Android 15
- One UI 7
- Samsung DeX
- Android 14
- One UI 6.1
- Samsung DeX

A Flatter Design… and a Slightly Larger Screen

The most notable change is in the design, with Samsung giving it a refresh. The Galaxy S flagship retains its signature style, easily recognizable thanks to the arrangement of the camera sensors on the back. The Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra opts for a flatter design compared to its predecessor, with flat edges instead of rounded ones, as seen on the S24 Ultra. The brand also aims to maximize the display area at the front, with barely rounded corners.

As rumored, the corners are more rounded than on the previous model. This change should provide a better grip compared to the S24 Ultra, which was often criticized for its overly angular corners.

Observant users will also notice that the camera module is closer in style to the Galaxy Z Fold6, with black-ringed modules. As expected for an Ultra model, the S Pen slot remains, integrated into the smartphone's frame.

Bigger, Yet Lighter

In terms of the display, the technology doesn’t change much from one year to the next. The Galaxy S25 Ultra retains a 6.9-inch Dynamic AMOLED 2X Infinity-O display, compared to 6.8 inches on the S24 Ultra. It features LTPO technology for an adaptive refresh rate of 1-120Hz. This year, the screen is protected by Gorilla Glass Armor 2, replacing the Corning Gorilla Armor on the S24 Ultra. The smartphone maintains a titanium frame, Gorilla Glass Victus 2 on the back, and an IP68 rating.

Finally, the Galaxy S25 Ultra measures 162.8 x 77.6 x 8.2 mm. It is slightly larger than the Galaxy S24 Ultra (162.3 mm), but also narrower (79 mm for the S24 Ultra) and thinner (8.6 mm for the S24 Ultra). The new model is also lighter, weighing 218g compared to 232g for its predecessor.

Even More Power

The change was expected, and Samsung doesn’t surprise by integrating the Snapdragon 8 Elite into the Galaxy S25 Ultra. It succeeds the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 and arrives this year in a version optimized for the South Korean giant’s smartphones. The presence of Qualcomm’s SoC reassures users of the flagship’s ability to deliver excellent performance in daily tasks and run the new One UI 7 interface, as well as in more demanding uses like gaming.

The good news for users is that the Snapdragon 8 Elite marks a real break from the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3. This year, it features powerful Oryon CPU cores derived from Snapdragon PC chips for even greater efficiency. Qualcomm took advantage of this major change to overhaul all key components (GPU, ISP, NPU) to reclaim supremacy in high-end mobile chips. At the chip's announcement, Qualcomm claimed up to 45% more performance and up to 44% lower power consumption (at equal power). The GPU also sees a 40% gain in efficiency at equal power consumption and is 40% more energy-efficient. Another good news is that ray-tracing performance increases by 35% compared to the previous generation, and the chip is even more efficient with AI.

A Snapdragon 8 Elite Optimized by Samsung

The Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra has all the cards to be a reference in the field, especially since the manufacturer can make its own adjustments. The Snapdragon 8 Elite in the Galaxy S25 features two high-performance Oryon cores (up to 4.47 GHz) and six high-efficiency cores (up to 3.53 GHz). Compared to a standard Snapdragon 8 Elite, the two Oryon cores run at a higher frequency (+0.15 GHz).

Feature Snapdragon 8 Elite for Galaxy Snapdragon 8 Elite
CPU - 2 × 4.47 GHz (Oryon V2 Phoenix L) - 2 × 4.32 GHz (Oryon V2 Phoenix L)
- 6 × 3.53 GHz (Oryon V2 Phoenix M) - 6 × 3.53 GHz (Oryon V2 Phoenix M)
GPU Adreno 830 Adreno 830

An Even More Versatile Camera

Unlike its smaller siblings, the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra gets notable upgrades in photography. The 200MP main sensor remains, as does the 50MP periscope telephoto lens with 5x optical zoom. The latter was the big new feature of the Galaxy S24 Ultra with its new f/3.4 aperture, and the Galaxy S25 Ultra adds a new ultra-wide-angle lens with a 50MP sensor (f/1.9). This is a significant upgrade from its predecessor, which only had a 12MP ultra-wide-angle lens. We can expect much more detailed photos than last year with this higher resolution, as well as even more versatility.

Samsung remains one of the few manufacturers to offer four camera modules on its flagship. However, contrary to some rumors, the 10MP 3x telephoto lens remains unchanged on the Galaxy S25 Ultra.

Of course, we must not forget that the smartphone battle is largely fought in AI-assisted processing. The Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra promises to widen the gap with its predecessor in this area, especially at night. A new Macro mode, offered via the 50MP telephoto lens, is also available on this model.

More Comfortable in Video

Samsung doesn’t stop at photography and brings improvements in video. Like its predecessor, the Galaxy S25 Ultra can record 8K video at 30fps or 4K at 60fps. But now it can do so from any camera.

Another major new feature is the ability to shoot videos in Galaxy LOG, offering more flexibility in post-production. Additionally, Samsung takes inspiration from Google Pixel by allowing users to eliminate ambient noise to focus on the voice. This works locally, and there’s no need to rely on the cloud. The tool can also remove voices, ambient noise, wind, music, or crowd noise.

Even More AI

Galaxy AI was the big new feature last year on the Galaxy S24. The South Korean manufacturer has taken a lead over its competitors, benefiting from its partnership with Google to highlight some AI-powered features. Artificial intelligence remains a key element this year, and Samsung promises more efficiency in daily use. As we’ve seen in our hands-on experience, the big new feature for 2025 is Cross-App. With the help of AI, the Galaxy S25 can recognize what the user is doing on the screen and suggest certain actions. For example, if you scan a concert ticket, Samsung’s AI will suggest showing the concert location in Maps and providing directions.

These practical features might be exclusive, at least initially, to the Galaxy S25. At the time of writing, it’s still unclear what Samsung has planned for its lineup, and we’ll update this comparison as soon as we know more.

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Kelly 3K
I'm your source for the latest in tech news and updates. Stay informed with my articles on the most exciting developments in the tech world
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