Consensus of 4 reviews from 3 independent publishers. Android Central and Tom's Guide (both Future plc) count as one voice. How this is calculated.
consensus 85
CNET88
Tom's Guide86
Trusted Reviews84
Android Central79
7580859095
Each dot is one review, adjusted for how that publication usually scores; the line is our consensus. The closer the dots sit to the line, the more the reviewers agree.
Where the reviewers agree
The display is excellent, with praise for brightness, color and screen quality. — Tom's Guide, Android Central, CNET, Trusted Reviews
Performance from the Snapdragon 8 Elite is very strong. — Tom's Guide, Android Central, CNET, Trusted Reviews
The S Pen lost Bluetooth functions, such as remote gestures or connectivity. — Tom's Guide, Android Central, CNET, Trusted Reviews
The cameras are strong, with versatile lenses and good zoom and ultrawide performance. — Tom's Guide, Android Central, CNET, Trusted Reviews
Where they disagree
CNET calls the price of $1,300 hard to justify, while Android Central notes the price held steady at 256GB starting at $1,299. — CNET, Android Central
Tom's Guide and CNET praise the battery life as long or good, while Trusted Reviews says it does not last as long as 2025 rivals. — Tom's Guide, CNET, Trusted Reviews
CNET says AI features are hit-or-miss and sometimes wrong, while Android Central calls the on-device AI promising. — CNET, Android Central
Bottom line: Suits buyers who want a top-tier Samsung or Android flagship with a standout screen and camera system. The main trade-offs are a high price, AI features that are still developing, and the loss of S Pen Bluetooth features.
Summarised with AI from the 4 reviews below — each one is linked in full.
Photos belong to the publications credited; each links to the full review.
Key specs
Released
January 2025
Launch price (USD)
$1,299
Launch price (UK)
£1,249
Form factor
Standard
OS
Android
Display
6.9″
Main camera
200 MP
Telephoto lens
Yes
Battery
5,000 mAh
Wired charging
45 W
Chipset
Snapdragon 8 Elite for Galaxy
Base storage
256 GB
Weight
218 g
Water resistance
IP68
Software updates
7 years
Sold in
US, UK
What the reviewers said
CNET US
9.2/10CNET Editors' ChoiceNov 13, 2025
An excellent phone with the best screen and versatile cameras, but its price is steep and AI features are unreliable; the cheaper S25 and S25 Plus make more sense for…
One of the most well-rounded Android phones available, with a strong display, cameras and AI, though design is dull and PWM-sensitive users should be cautious.
Arguably the most powerful Android phone available
A strong flagship with smarter AI agent features, a brighter display, excellent cameras and long battery life, though Qi2 needs a case and the S Pen lost Bluetooth.
AI agent can perform multi-app actions by voice
Brighter, more colorful display with better color accuracy
Strong Snapdragon 8 Elite performance
Superb camera system
Very long battery life
Now Brief feature underwhelms
No built-in Qi2 magnets; requires a case
S Pen loses Bluetooth remote gestures
Screen scratch resistance slightly worse than S24 Ultra in torture test
Still one of the best Samsung phones available, with a redesign, excellent screen and strong cameras, though hardware changes are modest and AI features are limited.
Redesigned chassis feels good in the hand
Very strong performance from Snapdragon 8 Elite
Excellent camera performance, especially zoom and ultrawide
Gorgeous display with very slim bezels
Anti-reflective coating works well outdoors
Much of the camera hardware is unchanged from S24 Ultra
Verdicts, pros and cons are short summaries in our words of each publisher's review; scores are as the publisher gave them. Specs are taken from the reviews' spec boxes — where they differ, we show the value most of them give; price is the US launch price of the base model. Read the originals for the full picture.
