Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra vs S24 Ultra: What are the upgrades?

Samsung has officially announced its next-generation Galaxy phones: The S25 series. Sitting at the top of that lineup is the company’s most premium model of Android smartphone, the Galaxy S25 Ultra.

If you already own the previous generation, the S24 Ultra, you may have some questions about whether it’s worth it to upgrade. Or, maybe you’re looking to get your first Ultra model of Samsung’s Galaxy phone and trying to decide if you should spend the $1,299 for the S25 Ultra 256GB model or save a few hundred bucks and get the previous model, the Galaxy S24 Ultra model.

Mashable’s got you covered. We reported on Samsung Unpacked, we meticulously researched both the S25 Ultra and S24 Ultra models, and now we have a breakdown of what the S25 Ultra has that the S24 doesn’t so you can decide which model is worth getting for your own personal needs.

Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra vs S24 Ultra: Processing Power

This is the biggest upgrade: The Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite for Galaxy that powers the new S25 line, including the S25 Ultra. 

According to Samsung, this new powerful chipset provides a 40 percent boost from its predecessor. The chip was designed to seamlessly power the intense Galaxy AI processes that the Samsung S25 line was made for.

On the gaming front, Samsung says that the Snapdragon 8 Elite integrates ray tracing and Vulkan optimization for a better, smoother gaming experience.

If you’re planning on fully utilizing Galaxy AI on a daily basis or if you’re a mobile gamer, you’re going to want the power that comes with the S25 Ultra’s Snapdragon 8 Elite over the S24 Ultra’s Snapdragon 8 Gen 3.

Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra vs S24 Ultra: Galaxy AI

While we’re talking about AI, lets get into the specific AI features on the S25 and S24 Ultra.

In terms of the AI features available on both smartphones, the Galaxy S25 Ultra and S24 Ultra are nearly identical. Circle to Search, Note Assist, Call Assist, Transcript Assist, Photo Assist, and more more Galaxy AI features can be used on both devices. But, the Galaxy S25 Ultra will be able to process your requests faster thanks to its chipset.

In addition, not all AI features are available on both phones. According to Samsung, the new Now Brief feature is exclusively available on the Galaxy S25 line, including the S25 Ultra. This was Samsung’s highlighted feature during the Galaxy S25 announcement, which provides users with automatic, personally tailored notifications, reminders, and more on a homepage-like lock screen on the Galaxy S25.

Again, if you’re looking to fully immerse yourself in Galaxy AI capabilities on a daily basis, you’ll want to go with the S25 Ultra over the S24 Ultra.

Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra vs S24 Ultra: Battery

Speaking of processing power, the efficiency of the Galaxy S25 Ultra’s Snapdragon 8 Elite also plays a role in its battery life.

Both the S25 Ultra and the S24 Ultra have a 5000mAh battery, but Samsung says the S25 Ultra has 31 hours of battery life when playing video compared to the 30 hours of life being the S24 Ultra needs a charge.

That one hour might not seem like a deal breaker, but when your smartphone is about to die, that extra 60 minutes will feel like a big difference in the moment.

Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra vs S24 Ultra: Design and Display

The S24 Ultra was the first premium Galaxy smartphone built with titanium and Samsung stuck with it for the S25 Ultra.

The S25 Ultra is lighter at 218g compared to the 233g that the S24 Ultra weighs. In addition, the S25 Ultra has a more rounded, flat design when compared to the S24 Ultra. Samsung says that the S25 Ultra is 0.4 mm thinner than the Galaxy S24 Ultra.

However, even with the sleeker and lighter design, the S25 Ultra manages to have a slightly larger display at 6.9″ in comparison with the S24 Ultra’s 6.8″ display.

The Galaxy S25 Ultra also received an updated screen with a more scratch resistant Corning Gorilla Armor 2 glass. According to Samsung, its 29 percent more resistant to scratches and cracks than its predecessor.

Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra vs S24 Ultra: Camera

Both the Galaxy S25 Ultra and the S24 Ultra have a 200mp wide-angle and 50 / 10mp telephoto camera.

Where they differentiate is the ultra wide camera. The S25 Ultra gets an upgrade to a 50mp ultra wide camera compared to the 12mp ultra wide camera in the S24 Ultra. Megapixels aren’t everything when it comes to photography, but they are something. The image resolution using the ultra wide camera on a S25 Ultra should be much better than its predecessor.

Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra vs S24 Ultra: Verdict

The Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra and S24 Ultra were both the same price on each’s respective release date. Now that the S25 Ultra is out though, you should be able to find some pretty good deals on the S24 Ultra if you don’t mind missing out on some of the aforementioned upgrades and features.

But, if those upgrades are a must-have for you, the S25 Ultra certainly seems to be the way to go.