Samsung Galaxy S25

Samsung 's Galaxy S25 is the baby bear of the series, with the larger S25 Plus and S25 Ultra launching alongside to offer big phone fans something to wrap their hands around. With a drought of compact phones outside the Apple camp, though, the S25 will...

The Galaxy S25 is the last really good small Android phone standing. Where competitors have grown ever bigger, the Samsung feels refreshingly light, thin and narrow in the hand without having a tiny screen.

If you have a Galaxy S22 or older, switching to the S25 or S25 Plus could be a significant upgrade. If you have an S23, you can benefit from improved battery life and dip your toes into Samsung's newer AI waters. But if you're rocking an S24, there's no reason to pay for relatively modest upgrades.

The Galaxy S25 brings almost everything you want from a flagship Samsung phone to a more compact size and accessible price while maintaining the performance of its larger siblings.

After three years making essentially the same phone, you’d hope and expect that Samsung would really nail it this time around, and it has. The Galaxy S25 is better than its predecessors in almost every way, and it also beats the iPhone 16 in performance, battery life, and more. Even the Galaxy software and Galaxy AI have gotten better, though some promised features may take longer to develop. Older Galaxy owners take note – this one delivers without pushing the AI too far, and while that may change over time, right now this is the best Galaxy S that Samsung has made, and that makes it one of the best phones you can buy.

It's still one of very few compact flagship phones and it remains a solid performer, but Samsung has just not added many new exciting features. Who should get the Galaxy S25? It would be the best choice for those who want a truly compact and lightweight phone at a lower price as the other alternatives are noticeably heavier and cost more.

Arguably, the best part of the Galaxy S25 series is the Snapdragon 8 Elite chipset and the improved heat dissipation techniques. The rest are standard-fare features we've come to expect that do the job well but won't excite. Maybe I'm expecting too much, or maybe I know most people can get a great smartphone experience without spending as much. Shouldn't we expect more for $1,300?

The Samsung Galaxy S25 is a bit of a mixed bag, since it provides a few notable upgrades and just as many reused components from last year's Galaxy S24. Qualcomm's new Snapdragon 8 Elite for Galaxy is a powerhouse, there's now 12GB RAM on the base...