Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra vs. Galaxy S24 Ultra

It might seem odd to compare Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra vs. Galaxy S24 Ultra at this point in time, considering that the former isn’t even official yet. However, thanks to a steady stream of leaks and rumors, we have a fairly good idea as to what to expect from the S25 line-up. As the next standard-bearer of Samsung’s slab-style flagship family, the Galaxy S25 Ultra is expected to pack a number of noticeable design improvements over the soon-to-be previous-gen model. And, of course, you can expect the latest and greatest in terms of hardware, cameras, and software as well.

But just how significant are all these speculative upgrades? Are they really worth waiting until January 2025? Or should you simply go ahead and get the Galaxy S24 Ultra, which is—and is likely to remain, at least for a few years—one of the most feature-packed Android smartphones out there? Let’s find out.

Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra vs. Galaxy S24 Ultra: Design and display

Over the last few years, the design language of all three members of the Galaxy S series has remained quite consistent. Furthermore, the ‘Ultra’ model has always been easily distinguishable from its two younger siblings, primarily because of those right-angled corners and a slightly curved frame. However, things could finally change in 2025 with the Galaxy S25 series.

If the recently leaked renders are to be believed, the Galaxy S25 Ultra will come with more rounded corners, even though they won’t be nearly as rounded as the corners of the Galaxy S25 and the Galaxy S25 Plus. Add a fully flat frame to the mix, and the Galaxy S25 trio could finally have a unified design language across the board. The renders also highlight changes to the rear camera array, with the individual lenses now being surrounded by thicker, ribbed rings similar to the ones on the Galaxy Z Fold 6. However, according to another leaker, the design of the primary camera setup could see some tweaks.

Samsung’s Ultra phones have always been big (at least when compared to the other two members of the line-up) , and the Galaxy S25 Ultra will be no different. That said, another rumor says that the phone will be not only be slightly taller, but also a little narrower and thinner, as well as lighter in comparison to its predecessor.

The display is likely to remain unchanged, but considering that the 6.8-inch LTPO Dynamic AMOLED screen of the Galaxy S24 Ultra is one of the most gorgeous-looking panels on any smartphone in the market, that’s not a bad thing. All other goodies such as Corning’s Gorilla Armor protection and an anti-reflective coating are expected to be carried forward as well, albeit with minor improvements.

Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra vs. Galaxy S24 Ultra: Hardware and cameras

A smartphone this ‘Ultra’ needs equally ‘Elite’ innards, which is why it’s all but certain that the Galaxy S25 Ultra will be driven by the Snapdragon 8 Elite, Qualcomm’s newest top-of-the-line chipset. The company could also use its own Exynos 2500 SoC for some regional models, as has been the case in the past. That said, there are a lot of conflicting reports going around regarding this, so we’ll only know for sure once Samsung makes things official.

Even though the Exynos 2500 is likely going to be quite a capable chipset when it launches, we’re not sure if it’ll be any match for Snapdragon 8 Elite, which is a whole different beast altogether. Undeniably the most powerful mobile SoC ever made for Android smartphones, the platform uses a custom Oryon CPU with prime cores that can hit up to 4.32GHz of clock speeds.