After reviewing the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra, I went straight into using the Galaxy S25 Plus. I welcomed the chance to use the phone I singled out as the pick of the bunch after my hands-on time, and wanted to see if my instincts had been correct. I’m glad to say they were, but I wasn’t expecting to find the phone a bit dull. But this isn’t going to be a hit piece. I like it because it’s boring.
Boring doesn’t have to mean bad
My review Galaxy S25 Plus is in the attractive navy color, which isn’t too bright, but more attractive than the simple black model. Understated, I’ll call it. As I thought, the edge of the chassis is less sharp than the Galaxy S25 Ultra, and suits the way I hold and use the phone better, making it less fatiguing. It’s slim and light, so I haven’t had any problem carrying it around in my pocket either.
It has the same level of performance as the Galaxy S25 Ultra too, and it absolutely flies. One UI 7 is a brilliant operating system, and both it and all my usual apps have reacted immediately, and always been reliable. I was a little concerned about the durability of the finish after seeing what happened to our review phone, where the rear panel was heavily scratched by a smart ring, but even though I wear an Oura Ring 4, the back of my Galaxy S25 Plus is still in pristine condition after nearly two weeks of use.
I wasn’t convinced Samsung’s AI-powered Now Brief tool was going to be useful when I reviewed the Galaxy S25 Ultra, but it’s worse than that. I haven’t been wearing a Samsung smartwatch with the S25 Plus, and my calendar hasn’t been very busy either, so Now Brief has sadly been entirely useless. It resorted to saying, “Have a nice day” on the lock screen because it had nothing better to do, and assumed I was handling everything fine without it. It’s right, I was.
A fantastic all-rounder
On the surface the Galaxy S25 Plus is a bit boring. It doesn’t have the Galaxy S25 Ultra’s more versatile camera, there’s no S Pen stylus, the screen is smaller, and it doesn’t have the cache of the Ultra name. It’s also more expensive than the basic Galaxy S25, so if value is what you’re after, the basic S25 will probably grab your attention. But look a little more closely, and the S25 Plus is really the one to get, despite all I’ve said.
I’ve mostly forgotten about using the Galaxy S25 Plus, in the best possible way. Its due to the effortless performance and lovely screen, rather than a lack of features or appeal. It has taken on my current obsession with Magic The Gathering Arena, with the game’s monster download size and many in-game animations proving no issue, and the screen making the most of the graphics. The shape of the phone makes it comfortable to hold for long periods of time, and it has the Ultra’s 45W wired charging feature too.
Then there’s the camera. No, it’s not quite as versatile as the S25 Ultra’s, but I’ve been perfectly happy with its everyday performance, plus it still has all the AI-powered features you find on its more expensive sibling. This is where Samsung’s AI has really stepped up. Its AI object removal is uncannily accurate, and manages to quickly fill in complex shapes without resorting to heavy blurring, or just refusing to even try.
Take a look at the two examples above. The first photo removes a car and a gate from the background, and fills the space in with a realistic alternative. It didn’t even struggle to identify the objects for removal either, and it did so on the first try every time. The photo of the church with the flagpole seemed even more complicated, as the flagpole covered the ground, a tree, and the sky. Yet, Samsung’s AI swiftly removed it and filled in the blanks, where at first glance you’d never know anything had changed.
It’s the one to buy
This is the Galaxy AI feature I’ve used the most, and would expect to continue using it, unlike the many other tools. It’s not a reason to buy the phone, and I don’t think the Now Brief is either, but they’re nice-to-haves and will likely prove useful to some people, some of the time. However, if Samsung’s top AI features aren’t compelling enough to splash out on the Ultra, what about the S25 Plus?
I’ve enjoyed the Galaxy S25 Plus as much as the S25 Ultra, and if I was spending my own money, I’d probably enjoy it more than the S25 Ultra because I’d have saved $300 getting it instead. Using the S25 Plus reminded me I don’t care about the S Pen now it doesn’t have Bluetooth remote shutter feature, and how the new shape was a step backwards for Samsung’s biggest phone. The S25 Plus is more manageable and equally as powerful.
What it hasn’t been is exciting, and I don’t think I’d ever warm to owning it, or be sad to see it go when the time came to upgrade. I know there will be people who want a reliable, multi-functional, truly accomplished smartphone, and the Galaxy S25 Plus will be a fantastic buy, more so than the more expensive, but not really that much better Galaxy S25 Ultra.
If you also think you’d like a phone you’d warm to, then turn your attention to the OnePlus 13. The Hasselblad camera gives it the character missing from the S25 Plus, and the device’s colors are so much more inspiring. It’s the one I’d personally buy, but if you aren’t worried about colors or characterful flair, the S25 Plus is this year’s Galaxy phone to get.
