The smallest and least expensive of Samsung’s new Galaxy S25 line may be the one to purchase, providing high efficiency and the very newest AI options for much less and proving that smaller-sized Androids can nonetheless be nice.
Not like earlier generations of Samsung’s smaller fashions bought within the UK and Europe, the common S25 has the identical top-flight chip as the big and expensive Extremely mannequin, providing a variety of efficiency whereas costing £799 (€919/$800/A$1,399).
The remainder of the S25 hasn’t modified materially since final 12 months. It nonetheless has an excellent 6.2in display, three cameras on the again, flat aluminium sides and glass back and front. That makes it probably the most compact of high-end Android telephones out there, competing with Apple’s iPhone on measurement the place others together with Google’s Pixel 9 have grown steadily bigger.
With its small measurement comes a smaller battery than most fashionable Androids, though Samsung does effectively to squeeze a stable 37 hours out of the S25. Generally use on a mixture of 5G and wifi, and actively utilizing the display for greater than six hours, I needed to cost the cellphone each different day. The Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite chip makes the S25 one of many quickest telephones out there and is nice for video games, however taking part in them considerably dents the battery life.
AI upgrades
The large modifications for the S25 are all software program and AI-based. It runs the identical newest model of One UI 7 (Android 15) because the S25 Extremely, together with varied new AI instruments that increase on writing, summarisation and drawing instruments launched final 12 months.
Many of the new instruments are designed to both anticipate what you need to do to seek out info you would possibly want forward of time or to carry out a number of complicated duties in your cellphone through textual content or voice instructions.
Google’s next-generation Gemini assistant is the largest improve, in a position to work together with info from the online and apps in your cellphone to get issues achieved with out you having to manually faucet buttons. Ask it to place the date into your calendar from a celebration invitation flyer that has been texted to you and it may well accomplish that. It could discover restaurant suggestions and ship them to a good friend as a suggestion for dinner with a easy voice command. It could additionally perceive what’s in your display from textual content, images and movies to reply questions, discover out extra info or carry out actions.
It may be nearly magical when it really works. However it may well’t be relied on to get issues proper each time. Generally it journeys up on trivial issues comparable to totally different spellings of names, and it may well confidently hallucinate info that appears good on first look however is actually completely incorrect. Neither Google nor Samsung has solved these basic issues that plague all AI bots in the intervening time.
Samsung’s new “Now” bar on the backside of the lock display is extra profitable as a helpful place the place well timed info widgets, timers, media-playing controls and different helpful bits seem. You possibly can swipe via a stack of them to see what’s occurring or shortly change monitor.
Samsung will assist the S25 with software program and safety updates for seven years from launch, which matches the perfect from Google and Apple.
Specs
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Most important display: 6.2in FHD+ Dynamic Amoled 2X 120Hz
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Processor: Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite for Galaxy
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RAM: 12GB
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Storage: 128, 256 or 512GB
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Working system: One UI 7 (Android 15)
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Digicam: 50MP + 12MP 0.6x + 10MP 3x; 12MP front-facing
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Connectivity: 5G, USB-C, wifi 7, NFC, Bluetooth 5.4, UWB and GNSS
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Water resistance: IP68 (1.5m for 30 minutes)
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Dimensions: 146.9 x 70.5 x 7.2mm
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Weight: 162g
Sustainability
Samsung doesn’t present an anticipated lifespan for the battery but it surely ought to final in extra of 500 full cost cycles with at the least 80% of its unique capability.
The cellphone is mostly repairable. Display screen repairs price £149 by authorised service centres and embody a battery substitute. Samsung additionally affords a self-repair programme.
The cellphone incorporates a number of recycled supplies together with aluminium, cobalt, copper, glass, gold, plastic, uncommon earth parts and metal. Samsung affords trade-in and recycling schemes for outdated gadgets. The corporate publishes annual sustainability experiences and impression assessments for some particular person merchandise.
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Digicam
The S25 has a triple digicam setup on the again with a 50-megapixel fundamental, 12MP ultrawide and 10MP 3x telephoto, which is a mix that hasn’t actually modified because the S22 in 2022 and is precisely the identical as final 12 months’s mannequin.
Meaning it shoots usually excellent images throughout the three cameras. The principle is the perfect and may produce some nice pictures, though it tends to over-brighten some scenes, inflicting highlights to be blown out, comparable to vibrant direct gentle washing out pictures of individuals. The 2x zoom is improved on the S24 with barely extra element, whereas the 3x zoom is stable, though brief on attain in contrast with the 5x cameras widespread on barely dearer rivals. The ultrawide is equally stable and rounds out a very good however not groundbreaking package deal.
The S25 shoots equally good video, wonderful portraits and has loads of modes with one exception: no macrophotography mode, which is disappointing. Total, the S25 has a very good digicam system. It received’t hassle a Pixel 9 Professional or iPhone 16 Professional but it surely’s nice for the scale and cash.
Worth
The Samsung Galaxy S25 prices from £799 (€919/$799.99/A$1,399).
For comparability, the Galaxy S25 Extremely prices £1,249, the S25+ prices £999, the Google Pixel 9 prices £649, the OnePlus 13 prices £899 and the iPhone 16 prices £799.
Verdict
The Galaxy S25 is the final actually good small Android cellphone standing. The place rivals have grown ever larger, the Samsung feels refreshingly gentle, skinny and slender within the hand with out having a tiny display.
As with its supersized sibling, the design feels just like the endpoint for traditional high-end telephones, which suggests barely something has modified in the previous few years. The change to Qualcomm’s new high chip makes for a major efficiency enhance. However the remaining is all the way down to software program introducing extra superior AI instruments, which may be spectacular after they work however regularly can’t be trusted. They may also make their option to older Samsung S-series telephones over the following couple of months, which makes final 12 months’s S24 extra tempting.
However in case you’re after the smallest flagship Android going that’s really good, the S25 is it.
Execs: compact measurement, good 6.2in display, first rate digicam, good software program with seven years’ assist, high Android chip, entry to the newest AI options, least expensive Samsung flagship mannequin.
Cons: iterative design, no 5x zoom, battery life in need of bigger fashions, AI capabilities overhyped for now.
