Thinking of Buying the Galaxy S25? How It Compares to Older Samsung Phones

Samsung’s Galaxy S25, S25 Plus and S25 Ultra share many similarities, in both their appearance and what’s on the inside. So deciding which of the new phones to get – or whether to even get a new Galaxy phone at all – can be tricky. I’m here to help. 

This year’s upgrades to the Galaxy S series are relatively minor. There’s a little more AI, a new processor and the devices weigh a bit less. But if you’ve got an older phone, upgrading to the S25 series can feel like a big step.

One thing that hasn’t changed since last year: the prices. The S25 still starts at $800, the S25 Plus starts at $1,000 and the S25 Ultra starts at $1,300. Still, none of those amounts is pocket change, and settling on your next device is a big decision. 

So, here’s how the S25, S25 Plus and S25 Ultra stack up, and how they compare to other Galaxy devices, including the S24 FE, to make your purchasing decision a little easier. 

Galaxy S25 vs. Galaxy S25 Plus vs. Galaxy S25 Ultra

The Galaxy S25 and S25 Plus are two peas in a pod. The biggest difference, of course, is their size; the S25 features a 6.2-inch AMOLED display, while the S25 Plus rocks a 6.7-inch one. Both phones have a 120Hz adaptive refresh rate. 

This is where personal preference kicks in. As someone with bigger hands, I tend to like phones that are on the slightly larger side because they feel nicer to hold. But the size difference between the baseline S25 and S25 Plus isn’t startling, so if you’d like to save yourself $200 by going with a more standard-size phone, I doubt you’ll really notice the difference.

The Plus’ larger real estate also means it packs a higher battery capacity: 4,900-mAh, versus the baseline’s 4,000-mAh. In my tests, there weren’t any major gaps between how much battery life you’ll get out of the S25 compared to the S25 Plus. They’ll both last you about a day and a half with regular use. In a 45-minute battery endurance test, the S25’s battery dropped from full to 93%, while the S25 Plus’ dropped to 94%. Similarly, in a longer, three-hour YouTube streaming test, the S25 dropped from 100% to 85%, while the S25 Plus dropped to 86%. So, no major discrepancies there.

See also: Galaxy S25 and S25 Plus Review: The Best Thing About AI Is I Hardly Notice It

The most notable difference came when charging both phones. The S25 supports 25-watt charging, while the S25 Plus supports 45-watt charging. The S25 went from 0% to 47% in 30 minutes, and reached 100% in 80 minutes. Meanwhile, the S25 Plus went from 0% to 63% in 30 minutes, and reached a full charge in 70 minutes. So, that super-fast charging on the S25 Plus can come in clutch, but again, nothing earth-shattering. 

Personally, I’m not sure a slightly bigger screen and marginally faster charging with the S25 Plus is worth the extra money (especially if you can get the Pixel 9 Pro for the same price). For that reason, the baseline S25 could be the way to go for most folks. 

Where does that place the S25 Ultra? 

Well, Samsung’s most premium device also flexes its most premium features, including a new 50-megapixel ultrawide camera. It sports a titanium frame (versus the S25 and S25 Plus’ aluminum one) and, of course, includes an S Pen. It’s also got what CNET’s Patrick Holland calls the “greatest phone screen ever,” with 6.9-inch dimensions, thinner bezels and an antireflective coating.

But if you’d rather not spend $500 more, you’ll be happy to know the Ultra shares many characteristics with its cheaper S25 counterparts. They all pack a Snapdragon 8 Elite chip, 12GB of RAM, run the same version of OneUI/Android and have the same AI capabilities. So if those factors matter most to you, enjoy pocketing that extra cash. 

See also: Galaxy S25 Ultra Review: Greatest Phone Screen Ever, but Let’s Not Talk About the AI

Galaxy S25 vs. Galaxy S24

What if you’ve got an older device? Well, if you have last year’s Galaxy S24, the good news is there’s really no reason to upgrade this year. The S25 not only closely resembles its predecessor, but it also shares many of the same attributes, from Galaxy AI features to the exact same camera specs (and even the same $800 price tag). In fact, both the S24 and S25 had the same results in CNET’s 45-minute battery endurance test, going from full to 93% after a combination of streaming, scrolling through social media, joining a video call and playing games.

The entire S25 lineup rocks a new custom-built Snapdragon 8 Elite chip, and there are a handful of new features like AI Select, which looks at your phone’s screen and suggests actions like summarizing or translating text, and Audio Eraser, which removes distracting background noises in your videos. But apart from these minor added perks (which could eventually come to older Galaxy devices as part of future software updates), there’s not much of a draw to ditch last year’s flagship device for this year’s. 

Both the S25 and S24 lineups come with seven years of OS and security upgrades, so hopefully you can really get your money’s worth out of them. 

Galaxy S25 vs. Galaxy S23 

The S23 also shares many similarities with Samsung’s latest flagship phones. Most notably, the S23’s cameras are pretty comparable to what you’ll find on the S25, and you can still tap into Galaxy AI (albeit not the latest features that have just landed on the S25).

The S23 is eligible for four years of software and security updates (compared to seven years on the S24 and S25), so you’ve still got a couple years of Android and One UI updates in the pipeline. Perhaps the biggest factor with a phone that’s around two years old is how well your battery is holding up; if you’re still not having issues on that front, you’re probably good to hold onto it for a bit longer.

Galaxy S25 vs. Galaxy S22

This jump might be more alluring, especially given the fact that Galaxy S22 phones haven’t been able to tap into Galaxy AI – and are now about three years old. Still, camera improvements with the S25 are relatively modest, and you’ve still got time to reap all the benefits of four years of software and security updates on the S22 series. 

That said, if you’re feeling like the battery life on your S22 device is tempering (especially since that phone’s battery didn’t fare too well in CNET’s tests at the time), and you’d like an AI-powered refresh, the S25 may be a tempting upgrade. Don’t expect an earth-shattering look and feel with Samsung’s latest devices, but those more modest upgrades could still go a long way.

Galaxy S25 vs. Galaxy S24 FE

How does Samsung’s latest flagship compare to its lower-priced counterpart, the Galaxy S24 FE? Well, like the S25 Plus, this $650 phone has a 6.7-inch 120Hz refresh-rate display, an aluminum frame and Galaxy AI features on board.

Still, the S25 certainly offers a step up in terms of camera quality, processor and battery life (including charging speed). But if you’d rather not sacrifice several hundred dollars for a top-of-the-line device, the S24 FE should continue to serve you well for at least a bit longer.