Galaxy S24 vs. Galaxy S25: Samsung's smartphones compared
Can't decide whether to get your hands on Samsung's newest smartphone invention or just stick to an older model?
The tech giant recently unveiled four variants of its Galaxy S25 series—Galaxy S25, Galaxy S25+, and Galaxy S25 Ultra—at its Unpacked event last Jan 23.
Now that the Galaxy S25 has arrived, those considering an upgrade are left with a crucial question: Is it a significant leap forward from the already impressive S24 line?
Here's an extensive comparison between the two Samsung models to help you decide:
Appearance
To kick the gadget showdown off, let us first start with the phones' appearance.
The base model and Plus variations of the S25 are made in Navy, Silver Shadow, Icyblue, and Mint finishes, while the Ultra will have Titanium Silverblue, Titanium Black, Titanium Whitesilver, and Titanium Gray colorways.
The S24 and Plus, meanwhile, are available in Onyx Black, Marble Gray, Cobalt Violet, and Amber Yellow colors. The S24 Ultra has Titanium Gray, Titanium Black, Titanium Violet, and Titanium Yellow finishes. However, the older line is superior in that it has more additional colors to choose from.
Design-wise, both phones share a similar screen size and feel equally comfortable in the hand.
The S25 features a slim chassis with rounded edges for a comfortable grip. The Ultra is also made with a flat design but its corners are squared off. Its body was crafted using durable titanium and Corning Gorilla Armor 2, which Samsung touts as more durable than glass.
The base model comes with a 6.2-inch Dynamic AMOLED 2X display, while the S25+ features a bigger 6.7-inch display. The biggest phone in the line is the 6.9-inch S25 Ultra.
In comparison, the S24's unified design and satin finish allow for an easy and satisfying grip, with slimmer and even bezels on the S24+’s 6.7-inch and S24’s 6.2-inch displays. The Ultra meanwhile has a 6.8-inch flatter display, optimized not just for viewing but also for productivity. All in all, their unified design and satin finish allows for an easy and satisfying grip.
Camera
Enhancement on the camera of Samsung's Galaxy phones is one of the more prominent features that users are looking forward to.
Compared to the base and Plus models of the S24 (featuring a 50MP Wide camera, 12MP ultrawide, and a 10MP Telephoto with 3X optical zoom and 30X Space Zoom), the S25 boasts an impressive 200MP main camera with 2x optical zoom, a 50MP Telephoto lens with 10X optical zoom, and another 50MP Telephoto lens with 5X optical zoom.
While the S25 Ultra enhances its predecessor's ultrawide camera by incorporating a new 50MP sensor and a brighter f/1.9 lens, other key camera specifications appear to remain largely unchanged. Both models feature a 50MP ultrawide shooter, a 200MP main camera, a combination of 50MP and 10MP telephoto lenses, and a 12MP selfie camera.
More than taking pictures, the newer model added improvements to its editing tools like better Generative Edit. Instead of circling an object you want to remove from the photo, you only need to tap on it and the phone will highlight the object entirely.
There's also a new feature called Audio Eraser, where you can remove unwanted noise in videos.
AI features
The S24 series introduced a significant leap in mobile AI, integrating on-device and cloud-based intelligence to streamline tasks like photo editing, note organization, and language translation.
Building upon this foundation, the S25 series now leverages personalized AI experiences and dedicated AI agents to enhance user interactions. These advancements allow the phone to more accurately interpret text, speech, images, and videos, resulting in a more natural and intuitive user experience.
For instance, the Circle to Search has been upgraded to understand the context of the device, allowing it to recognize phone numbers, email, and URLs so you can call, email, or visit a website with one tap.
As the phone interprets context, usage, and patterns, it will compile them in a feature called Now Brief. In this tab, you'll get a summary of your day with information on the weather forecast, your calendar events for the day, and even photos taken a year ago from that day.
With all that personalized data, Samsung promises they are kept private and secure by Knox Vault and on-device processing.
Battery
While the S25 offers several upgrades, battery life, and charging speeds remain largely unchanged from the S24 series.
The Ultra variations still have a 5,000 mAh battery that can reach up to 65% charge in around 30 minutes, while the Plus models are equipped with a 4,900 mAh battery with the same charging speed. The model has a much lower 4,000 mAh battery that can charge up to 50% in around 30 minutes.
However, the S25 has boosted its heat management and chipset optimizations so it could better preserve battery health.
Price
Ultimately, everything still depends on your budget and use case. Here's how much the starting price is for each model:
Galaxy S24
- 256GB- P53,990
- 512GB- P61,990
Galaxy S24+
- 256GB- P68,990
- 512GB- P76,990
Galaxy S24 Ultra
- 256GB- P84,990
- 512GB- P92,990
- 1TB- P106,990
Galaxy S25
- 12GB+256GB - P51,990
- 12GB+512GB - P60,990
Galaxy S25+
- 12GB+256GB - P67,990
- 12GB+512GB - P76,990
Galaxy S25 UItra
- 12GB+256GB - P84,990
- 12GB+512GB - P93,990
- 12GB+1TB - P110,990
