Samsung’s Galaxy S25 Ultra Sports a Mighty Camera Upgrade

Samsung’s Galaxy S25 Ultra has just been announced at Galaxy Unpacked in San Jose. Alongside the base Galaxy S25 and mid-tier Galaxy S25+, the Galaxy S25 Ultra makes up the latest flagship series from Samsung. The Galaxy S25 Ultra touts one particular upgrade that should delight photography enthusiasts quite a bit.

This year, Samsung is making a few applauded changes for the Ultra series. Galaxy S25 Ultra now has an altered design, a major camera improvement and is leveraging an updated processor to help field Galaxy AI functions. Spending some hands-on time with the Galaxy S25 Ultra in San Jose prior to Galaxy Unpacked, I’m most excited about this device out of the newly revealed family. Galaxy S25 Ultra launches on February 7th, starting at $1,918 in Canada.

Design and Specs

Samsung has pulled the curtain back on its Galaxy S25 Ultra. This year’s high-end Galaxy device features a 6.9-inch AMOLED 2X display with a 3120 x 1440 QHD+ resolution. It also supports a variable refresh rate of 120Hz, which is great for scrolling through content or playing a game. The Galaxy S25 Ultra is a stunning phone, especially across the lineup of new flagship devices. This display was super punchy and large when I held it in my hands. Navigation is fluid and seamless when flipping between apps. Thanks to the upgrade to use of Corning Gorilla Glass Armor 2, The Galaxy S25 Ultra also feels very sturdy.

The design of the Ultra model is slightly different this year. With a total size of 6.41 x 3.05 x 0.32 inches, the Galaxy S25 Ultra is only a hair larger than last year’s model, to compensate for the 0.1-inch display increase. However, Samsung has altered the design to give the Ultra rounded edges, ditching the stark angular look of the Galaxy S24 Ultra. I really like this change, the Ultra now looks less aggressive and is now more inline with the design of its Galaxy S25 and Galaxy S25+ counterparts. At launch, Galaxy S25 Ultra is available in ‘Titanium Black’, ‘Titanium Grey’, Titanium Whitesilver’, and ‘Titanium Silverblue’ colourways.

As mentioned, the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra utilizes Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8 Elite processor. Together, with the use of One UI 7, the device can operate an array of Galaxy AI features. Many of which are available now. However, it’s the introduction of the One Brief that really caught my attention. While also available on Galaxy S25 and Galaxy S25+, One Brief give you a curated summary and briefing each day. These summaries include app functions and widget acess based around your routine. While only getting a taste of this feature myself, it’s one that stuck out particlarily well from my hands-on time.

The Galaxy S25 Ultra comes with 12GB of RAM. There are also 256GB and 512GB storage options. The device also features a 5,000mAh battery, which unfounately remains unchanged from last year’s model. Though, Samsung does confirm that it support 45W fast charging. It also supports a IP68 rating, protecting it from potential water or dust damage.

In comes a new camera lens

This year, the Ultra model is sporting an upgrade to its camera array. Upgrading from the 12-megapixel ultra-wide camera lens of its predecessor, the Galaxy S25 Ultra now has a 50-megapixel ultra-wide shooter. Based on my own brief use of the device and demos shown to me, Galaxy S25 Ultra will be able to use the lens to take gorgeous larger-scale shots if outdoors or in larger venues.

However, the new lens is also able to capture high-quality close up shots. I tested this in a hands-on setting under great lighting. And the amount of detail shown in the photos taken was pretty impressive. There’s a large amount of clarity to garner from photos taken up close. What I unfortunately haven’t veen able to test is how the new 50-megapixel ultra-wide lens handles in low light settings. Whether its in a darker room or during a sunset, I’m interested to see how many of those crisp details are still able to come through.

Beyond the new 50-megapixel lens, the camera array still touts the same 200-megapixel wide lens as last year’s model. This is paired with the 10-megapixel camera with 3x optical zoom, and the 50-megapixel shooter capable of 5x optical zoom. I still stand to contest that the camera capabilities of the Ultra is the best Samsung offers and I think this trend continues this year. Though, it’s the new ultra-wide camera that has my attention and is hopefully something I can test more in the future.