Samsung Galaxy S25 vs S25+ vs S25 Ultra (Don't Waste $500)

Samsung's latest flagship lineup ranges in price by $500 but on paper, look almost identical. So what are the compromises and is the S25 better than the S25+ or S25 Ultra?

CORRECTION: at 8:46 that is 5X, not 30x. Just a typo I made in the edit. Sorry! But still, I am shocked at how much better the Ultra looks at 5x. The bokeh is so much better.

CORRECTION: The S25+ display is 6.7" not 6.8" and the S25+ has 45W charging to!

Follow me on social media! (it's always just @mikeobrienn)

Please comment below with any questions you might have. Thank you all for watching! I appreciate you!

Disclaimer: This video is purely based on my experiences, research, and opinions. You and only you are responsible for your actions. I made this channel to advise viewers and I truly hope to help you all out. I love making these videos and connecting with my viewers!
One or more of the products shown in this video may have been sent to me at no cost. This does not influence my opinions; I always cover both pros and cons.
This channel is monetized via YouTube ads as well as some affiliate links. If a purchase is made after clicking the link, I will receive a small commission at no extra charge to the buyer. Thank you all for watching!

Additional review notes:
So the new Galaxy S25 lineup is impressive, but now more than any previous generation, Samsung blurred the lines between the premium Galaxy S25 Ultra and S25 Plus and the S25 regular making it a lot more difficult to decide which is actually the best one to get. They now have the same processor, the same RAM, the same new AI features, and the differences are more subtle, but there are still some that were not actually mentioned in the launch keynote or even on the spec sheets. So should you save $500 on the smaller S25 is there still enough reason to splurge on the Ultra? Or is the middle child the best to buy? After having tested all three extensively for about a week now, I wanted to dig into these differences and help you decide which is actually the best Galaxy S25 to buy.

So let’s start off with the most obvious difference. The size.

6.9” vs 6.8” vs 6.2” display - but boxy corner gives Ultra more real estate

And with that, we get a difference in display resolution
Display - out of the box, they have the same resolution
FHD+ vs QHD

Ultra has QHD as well and all are flat

Technically the s25+ has better pixel density

Same 120Hz and same peak brightness 2600 nits
Bezels look different

One hand test
boxy edges make reaching easier

Weight 7.7oz vs 6.7oz vs 5.7oz
218g vs 190g vs 162g

Same 4 colors + online exclusive colors linked below - I have a link below that will give you an enhanced trade in credit and double the storage for free

Titanium vs Aluminum
Glass = Victus 2 vs Victus 2 on back and Gorilla Armor on front (75% reflection reduction)
Smudges

Wobble test

All have the same Snapdragon 8 Elite for Galaxy processor globally finally

Same AI features on all

45W charging vs 25W charging

12GB RAM on all three models now
More storage - 128/256 vs 256/512 vs 256/512/1tb

Camera test
All have 12MP front and 10MP 3x
12MP vs 50MP ultrawide
200MP vs 50MP wide angle
Bonus - 50MP 5x
Macro?

Battery test (5000 vs 4900 vs 4000mAh)

Portrait mode test

Laser autofocus

Wifi 7 on all three now
S25 lacks UWB

All have 7 years of updates
All have the same AI software features like real time call translation, circle to search, photo editing, chat enhancement, and summarizing

Price = $799 vs $999 vs $1299

Power users will want the s-pen and superior cameras. I certainly do.
S-pen no longer has bluetooth though - I never used that anyway

Between the + and regular models
I think most users will not notice the increase in resolution
Faster charging is great, but I typically charge on a wireless stand overnight, so these are identical in that regard
I would personally prefer a more one handed phone, so I love the S25 base model. I think if they made the telephoto lens a 5x periscope instead of this 10MP 3x garbage, I would hands-down go for it. Instead, I guess I’m going with the Ultra

TIMESTAMPS:
0:00 Should you spend the extra $500?
1:00 Size matters?
2:55 Colors & Pricing
3:20 Durability & Materials
4:27 S-Pen & wobble
5:12 Internal specs, speed, and charging
7:22 Camera comparison
8:46 CORRECTION, that is 5X, not 30x
8:55 Camera comparison
12:20 Features
12:45 Why is nobody talking about this?

[MikeOBrienMedia]

CORRECTION: at 8:46 that is 5X, not 30x. Just a typo I made in the edit. Sorry! But still, I am shocked at how much better the Ultra looks at 5x. The bokeh is so much better

CORRECTION: The S25+ is 6.7" not 6.8"

[msgeen]

People used to buy the base model because it was affordable. Now, they get it because they're over huge phones and want something smaller.

[VISimpact]

After 2 hours of watching YouTube videos for a comparison of the video capabilities between the 25/+ and the Ultra, yours is the ONLY video that thoroughly and clearly covers it. It's tough to know which phone to get when the specs are so close these days. Thanks for the help!

[Lukevas]

S25 plus has 45w charging, not 25. Same like s24 plus

[gilly]

I returned the plus for the regular S25. It sucks I have to sacrifice things to have a phone which is actually comfortable to hold, but I'll take it. The bigger phones hurt my hands and are hard to use one-handed. Hope smaller phones get more love in the future.

[heLLoLouis_]

I jumped the gun on the regular S25 after using the same LG G7 thinQ for the past 7-8 years. This is definitely an upgrade for me lol. My G7 is in mint condition still and works very well but it was time for an upgrade.

[frederickdenina]

I’m tired of using big smartphones. Gonna try this small s25 this time. Happy and excited of my pre-ordered😊

[grllaspeak]

Samsung is in the Ultra phone selling business. They have kept the base and middle phones the same in 3 generations. They didn't even bother giving base and + the updated 50mp like the ultra. Thanks for the review

[frzen]

I bought the S25+ after an S22 and in general over a decade of bad batteries with Samsung. I'm happy to report that after a full working day at the office I make it home with 70%+ battery which I've never had before. That being said - I feel like it's too big. I would have preferred the S25 if the battery was as good.

[ljacobs]

I had the S24 and upgraded to the S25 Plus. I think it's the sweet spot. Better display resolution, more screen real estate, faster charging, and still relatively light. A bit of an adjustment going back to a bigger phone, but for me worth the tradeoffs. It seems easier on my aging eyes.

[JamesRussoMillas]

The plus phones are a great sweet spot and I'm glad they still make them. You get 95% of the battery life of the ultra but in a better size and lighter. I went from a previous Note to a Plus and getting a bigger screen while getting a smaller phone was awesome.

[chefkdowg]

Love our s25.
We are not techy people in my house. So the s25 is a great improvement from our s9, minus a few things I miss.
But the dependability, is awesome. Fell out of my truck on ice the other morning, phone went flying and landed face down on the ice. No scratches, no glass shattering, nothing, ... was perfect. ( no case or screen protector, was in the mail) no issues.
Hate all the junk ware on it and the fingerprint scanner doesn't work correctly.

[valberlin]

It's time we admit that the only reason we "upgrade" to the latest stuff is:

1) Fearing of missing out.
2) Consumerism.

In reality, we don't need or use any of the upgrades 😂. Our current phones work fine, and we all know it.

[SBTRIS]

I switched from an S10 to S25 Ultra, and was worried about the size difference, but they've done a great job of reducing weight of ultra range and not make it feel awkward. And performance jump is significant. Heck the S25 Ultra beats my i7 laptop in benchmarks lol

[hamzaissa]

I love the way you analyzed all so quickly with more details and a lot of information than others I was able to watch the whole video.

[Paulrus]

I upgraded to the S25 from the S22 mainly to get the Snapdragon processor again finally, 12gb of ram and with double storage and discounts Samsung was offering. It was a no brainer getting a 256gb version for less than £500 with Samsungs trade-in and discount deals.

[survivalman]

I knew you were cooking when I saw no videos for 12 days...
nicely done man, was eagerly waiting for this review

[Sumit_Bhise]

Mike, don't normalise not having a Bluetooth S Pen. It's really sad to see even consumers have become complacent of brands removing features.

[Sorongotrema]

thanks. tired of big phones like notes and ultra. changed to S24 an year ago and i dont regret it

[garedpangilinan]

Receiving my pre order tomorrow. Going from a note 10 to s25. Huge upgrade