Samsung Galaxy S25+ review

The Galaxy S25+ is easily one of the cleanest and most modest-looking Android flagships of 2025. While it has mostly retained the industrial design from its predecessor, minor enhancements like the black camera ring give this device a character of its own. Despite having a flat back and screen, the edges aren’t sharp, and the device sits well in the hand. The matte finish glass back panel, made out of Gorilla Glass Victus 2, also prevents smudging.

The Galaxy S25+ is also IP68-rated for water and dust resistance. However, it does feel like a bit of a letdown, considering most Chinese flagships now offer up to IP69 protection against dust and water.

Easily one of the best displays on a phone

The screen is sharp, fast, and colour-accurate. (Image credit: Vivek Umashankar/The Indian Express)

Although I tend to gravitate towards smaller phones from time to time, having a big phone is almost always advantageous. The Galaxy S25+, with its 6.7-inch 2K display, is easily one of the best screens I have ever used on a phone. It is sharp, color-accurate, bright, and protected by Gorilla Glass Victus 2. In my two weeks of usage without a screen protector or a case, the screen has held up well with no major scratches.

Small details like uniform bezels and the screen that sits flush with the frame make the device look and feel a bit lighter. I also liked how fast and responsive the optical in-display fingerprint sensor is, as well as its position, which makes it easy to access. The unlocking animation adds a bit more drama to the whole experience, which I just love.

From watching Instagram Reels to binge-watching the latest movies and TV shows on Prime Video, the screen on the Galaxy S25+ is just perfect. It is not only bright enough to be visible under sunlight, but it also gets adequately dim while using it at night. The auto brightness is also very well tuned, as the display automatically adjusts the brightness depending on the environment, with no additional tweaking required.

A versatile camera unit

The phone has a dedicated telephoto and an ultra-wide angle lens. (Image credit: Vivek Umashankar/The Indian Express)

The triple camera setup on the Galaxy S25+ consists of a 50 MP main wide-angle shooter with an f/1.8 aperture, a 10 MP 3x telephoto lens, and a 12 MP ultra-wide angle lens. Additionally, there is a 12 MP selfie shooter at the front, which can record up to 8K 30fps videos.

Among all the cameras, the primary 50 MP shooter and the 12 MP selfie camera are my favourites, as they take sharp and colour-accurate images. While the ultra-wide-angle lens and telephoto lens aren’t bad either, they definitely suffer due to their lower resolution, especially when compared to devices like the OnePlus 13. Whether in daylight or low light, the Galaxy S25+ is an excellent point-and-shoot camera with a versatile set of lenses that enables users to capture scenes from different perspectives.

During my usage, I really liked features like dual recording, a useful feature for vloggers. This is also one of the first Android phones that can shoot LOG footage with a lot of information, which can be colour-graded as required while processing.

Samsung Galaxy S25+ camera sample. (Image credit: Vivek Umashankar/The Indian Express) Samsung Galaxy S25+ camera sample. (Image credit: Vivek Umashankar/The Indian Express) Samsung Galaxy S25+ camera sample. (Image credit: Vivek Umashankar/The Indian Express) Samsung Galaxy S25+ camera sample. (Image credit: Vivek Umashankar/The Indian Express) Samsung Galaxy S25+ camera sample. (Image credit: Vivek Umashankar/The Indian Express) Samsung Galaxy S25+ camera sample. (Image credit: Vivek Umashankar/The Indian Express) Samsung Galaxy S25+ camera sample. (Image credit: Vivek Umashankar/The Indian Express) Samsung Galaxy S25+ camera sample. (Image credit: Vivek Umashankar/The Indian Express) Samsung Galaxy S25+ camera sample. (Image credit: Vivek Umashankar/The Indian Express) Samsung Galaxy S25+ camera sample. (Image credit: Vivek Umashankar/The Indian Express) Samsung Galaxy S25+ camera sample. (Image credit: Vivek Umashankar/The Indian Express) Samsung Galaxy S25+ camera sample. (Image credit: Vivek Umashankar/The Indian Express) Samsung Galaxy S25+ camera sample. (Image credit: Vivek Umashankar/The Indian Express)

Uncompromised performance

Galaxy S25+ is powered by Snapdragon 8 Elite. (Image credit: Vivek Umashankar/The Indian Express)

The biggest upgrade from the Galaxy S24+ to the Galaxy S25+ is the processor, the brain of the smartphone. Unlike last year, the Galaxy S25+ is powered by the same Snapdragon 8 Elite for Galaxy that also powers the Galaxy S25 Ultra, a mobile chip with the highest CPU clock speed of up to 4.47 GHz. Unlike the Galaxy S24+, this time around, you also get 12 GB of RAM, ensuring smooth multitasking and AI capabilities.

On AnTuTu, the Galaxy S25+ almost touches the two million mark. While this isn’t the highest score we have seen on AnTuTu, it clearly belongs in the top-performing Android smartphone chart.

There isn’t a game or an app that the Galaxy S25+ cannot handle, and it is easily as powerful as any other flagship smartphone. My COD: Mobile, Asphalt Legends, and Into The Dead 2 gaming sessions on the Galaxy S25+ were fast, smooth, and seamless. Even with continued gaming sessions lasting over an hour, the phone barely got hot. I also liked in-game controls like touch booster, block auto-brightness, and the ability to screen record gaming sessions, a helpful feature for video game streamers.

An AI playground

Gemini Advanced can be accessed by long pressing the power button. (Image credit: Vivek Umashankar/The Indian Express)

The Galaxy S25+ easily has the most AI features I have ever tested on a smartphone, and most of these features come in handy on a daily basis. Ever since I first used the object eraser on the Galaxy S25+, it has become my go-to image editing tool. The object eraser not only removes unwanted subjects but also uses a generative fill technique to fix the image and adds a watermark to indicate that the image has been manipulated using Galaxy AI.

Object eraser works the best on this device. (Image credit: Vivek Umashankar/The Indian Express)

AI audio eraser is another feature that came in handy to remove background noise from a video I shot in public. While the results aren’t perfect, it definitely suppresses background noise and makes a noticeable difference.

The Galaxy S25+ also offers six months of free Gemini Advanced subscription, a service that costs over Rs 11,000, enabling users to access the latest AI experiences from Google.

A-grade Android experience

OneUI 7 offers top-tier AI features with customisation support. (Image credit: Vivek Umashankar/The Indian Express)

OneUI 7 delivers the best possible Android 15 experience with limitless customization options. OneUI 7 on the Galaxy S25+ looks fresh, offers plenty of new features, and is easily the most refined Android experience out there. Compared to OneUI 6, the animations feel smoother, and the new quick settings menu makes it easy to access commonly used settings. While I am not a fan of a separate notification panel, it definitely looks less cluttered.

A phone that lasts all day

The 4,900 mAh battery can last all day long. (Image credit: Vivek Umashankar/The Indian Express)

While I was initially sceptical about the battery life of the Galaxy S25+, considering it just has a 4,900 mAh battery, I am happy to report that the phone can easily offer up to 6.5 to 7 hours of screen-on time even with heavy usage. While 45W fast charging takes slightly over an hour to fully charge the phone, it still feels slower than something like the OnePlus 13 (review), which takes less than half the time to charge.

A streamlined Android flagship

An all-rounder flagship. (Image credit: Vivek Umashankar/The Indian Express)

Despite the lack of any major unique selling point, the Samsung Galaxy S25+ has everything one can expect from a modern flagship smartphone. The choice of top-tier hardware, the latest software, AI experiences, and Samsung’s promise of seven years of software updates make the Galaxy S25+ a compelling Android flagship in 2025.

If you are looking for the latest Android smartphone under one lakh rupees that is fast, reliable, and secure, the Galaxy S25+ is an easy pick in 2025.

Samsung Galaxy S25+ review
Pros	Cons
Excellent Display: Sharp, color-accurate, bright 6.7-inch 2K screen.	Battery Life: Decent, but 45W charging feels slower compared to competitors.
Powerful Performance: Snapdragon 8 Elite for Galaxy ensures smooth performance for any task.	IP Rating: IP68 rating, while good, is slightly lower than some competitors’ IP69.
Versatile Cameras: Primary and selfie cameras excel, offering sharp and color-accurate images. Dual recording and LOG footage support are a bonus.	Ultra-wide & Telephoto: Lower resolution compared to some competitors.
Refined Design: Clean, modest look with a premium build and comfortable in-hand feel.	Price: At Rs 99,999, it’s a premium device and faces stiff competition.
AI Features: Offers a range of useful AI-powered tools like object eraser and AI audio eraser.
Excellent Software: OneUI 7 based on Android 15 provides a polished and customizable experience.
Long-Term Support: Samsung promises seven years of software updates.
Included Subscription: Six months of free Gemini Advanced access.