Galaxy S25 vs Galaxy S25 Plus vs Galaxy S25 Ultra: How do Samsung’s new smartphones compare?

Samsung's next set of Galaxy S devices are just around the corner and you've got three options to choose from if you're looking to upgrade from an older Android device or jump the fence from the iOS ecosystem. Even if this year's shiny new Samsung smartphones are as iterative as ever, there are plenty of key differences and similarities between each of the three devices that you'll want to keep in mind before you pull out your credit card.

While we haven't had the chance to go hands-on and review each device to work out which is the best just yet, but we already know more than enough to talk through the biggest differences between the Galaxy S25, Galaxy S25 Plus and Galaxy S25 Ultra.

Good news - two of this year's new flagship Galaxy devices won't cost you a cent more than last years did.

In Australia, the Galaxy S25 will start at $1,399 while the Galaxy S25 Plus starts at $1,699. Meanwhile, the Galaxy S25 Ultra is actually arriving at a cheaper price-point than the one that last year's Galaxy S24 Ultra launched at. $2,149 is still a lot of money, but it's definitely less than $2,199.

For a full pricing breakdown of how the three devices compare, check out the table below.

So far as the hardware on the back of new Galaxy S25, S25 Plus and S25 Ultra are concerned, there's only really one major detail worth talking about. The ultra-wide lens on the Galaxy S25 Ultra has been traded out for a new 50MP one. Working in combination with the more powerful processor inside each handset, this should translate into more detailed macro shots and better low-light performance.

Videographers are now also be able to shoot in 10-bit HDR color by default. Meanwhile, more everyday users have access to two new AI-powered editing tools in the form of Audio Eraser and Best Face. Based on our brief hands-on with the new devices ahead of launch, these features are more-or-less identical in form and function to the Google Pixel 9 XL's Audio Magic Eraser and Best Take, respectively.

To sum things up, the Galaxy S25 and Galaxy S25 Plus rely on a 50MP wide angle lens, a 12MP ultrawide angle lens and a 10MP telephoto one. There's also a 12MP selfie shooter on the front. As usual, the Galaxy S25 Ultra raises the stakes with a larger 200MP main sensor, that new 50MP ultrawide lens and a fourth 50MP telephoto lens.

Samsung's latest lot of premium smartphones come with more (and more ambitious) AI features than ever. It's easy to get overwhelmed but we've gone to the trouble of simplifying it all into a single list, seen below.

The Galaxy S25, Galaxy S25 Plus and Galaxy S25 Ultra will all have access to all of the features above, except for those that involve the S-Pen which are exclusive to the most expensive of the three.

In line with the last few generations of Samsung smartphones, the company's latest lot of high-end handsets look very much like its last.

Like the S24 before it, the Galaxy S25 is built around a 6.2-inch Dynamic AMOLED 2X display with FHD resolution and a 120Hz refresh rate. The Galaxy S24 Plus is a little larger with at 6.7-inches and the Galaxy S24 Ultra rounds things out with at 6.9-inches. These larger handsets also up the ante to QHD in terms of resolution.

This distribution of displays isn't all that much of a departure from last year's Galaxy S24 Series, but the newer devices do boast reduced bezels and sleeker curved edges. All told, the Galaxy S25 is about 5g lighter than its 2024 counterpart. The Galaxy S25 Plus and S25 Ultra boast similar subtractions of 7g and 15g respectively.

In addition to the usual IP ratings, the Galaxy S25 and Galaxy S25 Plus come coated in Gorilla Glass Victus 2 while the Galaxy S25 Ultra comes with the new Gorilla Armor 2. The heaviest handset of the three also featured an improved titanium design that offers improved drop protection and scratch resistance.

Under the hood, all three devices are powered by 12GB of RAM and a version of the Snapdragon 8 Elite chipset that's been tuned to take advantage of the larger vapor chamber inside Samsung's new smartphones. According to Samsung, this silicon setup will offer a 40% improvement in NPU performance, a 37% improvement in CPU performance and a 30% improvement in GPU performance over what you could expect from the Galaxy S24 Ultra.

The Galaxy S25, Galaxy S25 Plus and Galaxy S25 Ultra will ship on the latest version of Android and Samsung's new One UI 7 interface. If you get in at launch, you're looking at looking at seven years of OS updates and seven years of security updates.

To round things out, the Galaxy S25 has a 4000mAh battery. The Galaxy S25 Plus can go a little further thanks to a larger 4900mAh battery while the Galaxy S25 Ultra tops out the range with a 5000mAh battery.