Reviews Camera Reviews Computing Reviews Home and Outdoor Reviews Phone Reviews Tablet Reviews TV & Audio Reviews Gaming Reviews Wearable Reviews Computing Reviews Home and Outdoor Reviews TV & Audio Reviews Wearable Reviews Best Lists Audio Bests Camera Bests Computing Bests Entertainment Bests Gaming Bests Health and Fitness Bests Home Bests Phone Bests Tablet Bests TV Bests Other Bests Computing Bests Entertainment Bests Health and Fitness Bests News AI News Audio News Camera News Computing News Entertainment News Gaming News Health and Fitness News Home and Outdoors News Phone News Tablet News TV News Other News Entertainment News Health and Fitness News Home and Outdoors News How To AI How Tos Audio How Tos Camera How Tos Computing How Tos Entertainment How Tos Gaming How Tos Health and Fitness How Tos Home How Tos Phone How Tos Tablet How Tos TV How Tos Other How Tos Computing How Tos Entertainment How Tos Health and Fitness How Tos Opinions Fast Charge Sound and Vision Smarter Life Feature Sound and Vision Explainers AI Explainers Audio Explainers Camera Explainers Computing Explainers Entertainment Explainers Gaming Explainers Health and Fitness Explainers Home Explainers Phone Explainers Tablet Explainers TV Explainers Other Explainers Audio Explainers Camera Explainers Computing Explainers Entertainment Explainers Gaming Explainers Health and Fitness Explainers Home Explainers Phone Explainers Tablet Explainers Other Explainers Versus AI Versus Audio Versus Camera Versus Computing Versus Entertainment Versus Gaming Versus Health and Fitness Versus Home Versus Phone Versus Tablets Versus TV Versus Other Versus Computing Versus Entertainment Versus Health and Fitness Versus More Computing Cameras Gaming Health and Fitness Homes and Outdoors Phones Tablets Sound Bars Television Win Health and Fitness Homes and Outdoors Trusted Reviews is supported by its audience. If you purchase through links on our site, we may earn a commission. Learn more. A year for refinement The Samsung Galaxy S25 Plus is a good phone that will suit many buyers. It offers a great display, great design, a good camera and it’s really powerful. Not much has changed from the Galaxy S24 Plus, however, so while the experience is good, it’s hard to recommend as an upgrade if you have a recent device. Great design that’s lighter and slimmer Great display performance Great software update promise AI is oversold and not that interesting 3x optical telephoto now feels old Not much has really changed Review Price: £999 Snapdragon 8 Elite for Galaxy performance The new bespoke Snapdragon 8 Elite hardware promises performance to outstrip rivals for better performance. New Galaxy AI features AI is the focus, as Samsung aims to give you a phone that’s smarter and more personalised. Refinement Samsung has refined what it offers in this sub-Ultra position, with tweaks rather than a complete reinvention. Samsung’s flagship family comprises three devices: the Galaxy S25 Ultra sitting in the flagship position, the Galaxy S25 the compact powerhouse, and this phone, the Galaxy S25 Plus. To some, it’s the awkward middle child, to others it’s the meeting point of performance and function. The Galaxy S25 Plus has the advantage of a large display, which is what smartphone buyers want, while it comes in cheaper than the Ultra – under £1000 –also something that buyers want. The challenge for Samsung in 2025 is making this phone different previous years. The Galaxy S25 Plus looks a lot like the Galaxy S24 Plus – and there’s not a lot of difference on the spec sheet either, as is the case with the non-Plus version . The result is that it might leave upgraders a little non-plussed. So what, exactly, does the Samsung Galaxy S25 Plus have to offer? Super slim 7.3mm design Seven colours, four online exclusives IP68 elemental protection The Samsung Galaxy S25 Plus looks a lot like the Galaxy S24 Plus, but rather than reinventing this device, Samsung has made minor tweaks. That this phone slims down to 7.3mm shouldn’t go unnoticed. Comparing to the OnePlus 13 – which is already looking like one of the best phones for 2025 – and the Pixel 9 Pro XL , the Galaxy S25 Plus definitely feels like the slimmest device. It’s also light, with the weight dropping to 190g. I have found the Galaxy S25 Plus to be a little slippery however. This often happens in winter when your hands are drier, but the number of times I’ve pulled the phone out of my pocket and nearly sent it skittering across the floor … get a case is all I can say. The frame of the Galaxy S25 Plus is Samsung’s Armor Aluminium, while the front and back are Gorilla Glass Victus 2. Unlike the Galaxy S25 Ultra , there’s no titanium finish or the fancy Gorilla Armor 2 glass – but again, that’s the same as the Galaxy S24 Plus. The Galaxy S25 Plus retains its IP68 dust and water protection, as you’d expect from a flagship device. There is a great range of colours for this phone. Some of the bolder colours are online exclusives when you buy directly from Samsung – but if you’re considering doing that, you might also be able to take advantage of generous trade-in offers. The only real change to the design of this phone is around the cameras. It’s a minor point, but Samsung has lifted the lens barrels off the rear of the phone a little and made them more distinctive – and I think it’s a much more modern look than the metal rings of the previous phones. The Galaxy S25 Plus retains its IP68 dust and water protection , as you’d expect from a flagship device. Looking to boost its eco credentials, the Galaxy S25 Plus is a little more sustainable too. That includes recycled cobalt in the batteries and the aluminium frames now include recycled materials too. As has been the case for some time, the box is a simple cardboard affair, with just a cable. There is no charger. 6.7-inch AMOLED display 2700 nits peak brightness Stereo speakers with Dolby Atmos Samsung’s displays have a great reputation, so much so that other brands often make a point of saying that they’re using a Samsung-sourced display. The 6.7-inch AMOLED display on the Galaxy S25 Plus is everything you expect it to be: it’s bright, it’s vibrant and it makes all your content look great. That’s not just an off-the-cuff remark. Samsung has introduced ProScaler tech which has migrated over from the AI upscaling found on its televisions. The aim is to upscale lower-quality photo and video content to look better when you’re using the display at its highest resolution. This is exclusive to the Galaxy S25 Plus and S25 Ultra, as the regular S25 doesn’t have that higher-res screen. That all sounds great, but it’s hard to see whether there’s anything going on, without having the old device and the new side-by-side. The result is, despite Samsung highlighting a new feature, that the display looks very much like it did on the Galaxy S24 Plus . The resolution still comes in at 3120 x 1440 pixels, with the option to step down to 2340 x 1080 pixels or lower to reduce battery demands. The refresh rate is adaptive, switching between 1-120Hz, just as before and the brightness sticks at 2700 nits. It’s not the brightest phone out there, but remember that peak brightness isn’t the same as you’ll get when you turn the screen brightness up.

Importantly, the Galaxy S25 Plus can deliver those brighter HDR moments, so when you’re watching a movie on Netflix you’ll get a more dramatic and immersive experience, but it’s really the impact of HDR in photos that uses this brightness. That’s something you’ll also notice on social media, with photos carrying HDR data looking so much better than those without. Backing up the great display experience is the speakers. These stereo speakers are boosted by Dolby Atmos (if you toggle it on) and it’s surprising just how loud this phone can be. The Atmos effect is subtle but noticeable, rounding out speaker performance that’s great. 50MP main, 12MP ultra-wide, 10MP 3x telephoto 12MP front camera AI editing tools Many manufacturers dedicate long parts of any new phone launch to talking about how great the new camera features are. It’s pertinent that Samsung spent so long talking about AI rather than harping on about the camera. If you’re looking for new camera hardware, you won’t find it here. That was also the case for the Galaxy S24 Plus, which is a roundabout way of saying that the Samsung Galaxy S25 Plus camera hasn’t changed for a couple of generations. That’s what you might see on the surface, but it’s not strictly true. The biggest changes in photography are happening behind the lens these days, using AI or computational photography to boost the results and the experience for users. That experience, however, is very similar to the Galaxy S24 Plus and so are the results. It’s a familiar place and in truth, Samsung wasn’t in a position where it had a critical failure to correct – it was a good camera before and it remains a good camera now. While the S25 Ultra switched to a new ultra-wide camera giving it better macro skills, the S25 Plus continues much as it was. There are a couple of changes on the software side, with LOG video now offered, as well as a virtual aperture feature so you can see depth of field changes on the display – but these are both advanced features, residing deep in the menus. What’s perhaps surprising, is that the Galaxy S25 Plus is sticking to a 3x optical lens when rivals are offering 5x optical. This makes a real difference: the Pixel 9 Pro XL I tested alongside the Galaxy S25 Plus is noticeably better at longer zooms. I snapped the warning sign on a weir with each phone and there’s a substantial difference in quality. That’s reflected throughout the zoom range. Samsung’s night mode engages automatically in low light and that normally results in a decent photo. Samsung doesn’t lighten the entire image in the way that Pixel often does, so those darker shots can be a little more atmospheric. For most people, I think that they will be perfectly happy with what the Samsung Galaxy S25 offers, but with phones like the OnePlus 13 and Pixel 9 Pro around the same price and both offering cameras that are a little more exciting, there’s plenty of competition. Samsung’s front camera is good, with great edge detection for portrait blurring and producing good selfies, even with the apparent lack of resolution compared to some competitors. Don’t write off the Galaxy S25 Plus because it has a 12-megapixel front camera – it’s still a good performer. Snapdragon 8 Elite for Galaxy Fast and fluid performance Can get warm under load Sitting at the heart of the Samsung Galaxy S25 Plus is the new Snapdragon 8 Elite for Galaxy. The appendage of “for Galaxy” means that it’s slightly overclocked, giving a mite more performance compared to other brands using this hardware. Is it enough of a difference to declare Samsung the only viable option in this space? No, it isn’t. But that’s only part of the story, because the Samsung Galaxy S25 Plus feels fast and smooth. It’s a pleasure to use from day to day. That comes from great hardware and software and it makes a difference in the pleasure you get from using the phone. Unlike the Galaxy S25 Ultra, which gets a 40% larger vapour chamber, the Galaxy S25 Plus only sees a 15% increase in its cooling performance. I found the phone to get a little warm when playing long sessions of Call of Duty Mobile, but not uncomfortably so. If you really load the phone it will get hot, with a drop off in performance as the temperature rises. The Samsung Galaxy S25 Plus comes with 12GB RAM, with options for 256 or 512GB storage – there’s no 128GB option for the larger Plus model. I found the connectivity of the phone to be good, with generally strong reception on Wi-Fi and 5G. I noticed that where some phones will struggle with the hand-off from Wi-Fi to 5G on leaving my home, Samsung didn’t. It’s a smooth operator, with good connectivity. With so much of this Samsung phone closely related to the previous device, it’s really the lift in performance that stands it apart. It’s here that the Galaxy S25 Plus is better than its predecessor, by quite some margin. One UI 7, Android 15 7 OS updates, 7 years security Galaxy AI and Samsung app duplication The Galaxy S25 Plus offers something of a Jekyll and Hyde experience. On one hand, you have that commitment to 7 years of software updates, meaning you’re going to be getting new Android versions and security patches for as long as you keep the phone. Samsung is a market leader here, matched only by Google. Then you have One UI 7, which debuts on the Galaxy S25. The Samsung Android experience has been consistently good for many years, offering a complete reskinning of Android, but without destroying it like some rivals do. Of all the Android skins, I think it’s the most refined, the most consistent and the easiest to get along with. That’s the Doctor Jekyll half of the experience, because then you come to Samsung’s own apps and services. These have been reducing in recent years, with some Google apps stepping as the default service, but there are still a number of applications that Samsung thinks will enhance your experience – and I’m not so convinced. That leads to duplication: there’s Samsung Internet, Samsung Gallery, Samsung Keyboard and a collection of other apps that, for a number of years, didn’t offer anything that Google didn’t already do. Things are more complex now, Mr Hyde, and this is where I mix my metaphors, as Samsung’s apps are a Trojan Horse for Galaxy AI. Most of the AI functions that Samsung promotes in the Galaxy S25 Plus run off the back of Samsung’s own apps. Samsung Internet has Galaxy AI built in, Samsung Keyboard opens access to the writing assistance, Samsung Gallery gains you access to all the photo editing elements. The good news is that if you choose not to use any of those Samsung apps, the layering of Galaxy AI into this phone is less obvious. Having used Galaxy AI on the S24 and now on the S25, I don’t see that it brings any real enhancement and there’s nothing that’s different to other manufacturers. Of course, you get access to Google AI too, with Gemini available as a voice assistant, but Bixby is still lurking in the background. Then you have Google AI in Google’s apps, in many cases offering the same options to summarise information, or translate it. The highlight of the AI comes in photo editing. Whether you use Samsung’s options or Google’s, the ability to make generative edits to your images is great. Samsung offers the ability to sketch to image – first seen on the Z Fold 6 and Z Flip 6 – and it remains a fun feature. The option to create cartoons of yourself from selfies, or a sketch image, is a passing novelty, which I suspect people will only use once. Samsung introduced Now Briefing and the Now Bar on the Galaxy S25 family and the Now Briefing is, generally speaking, a waste of space, offering information about the weather and your appointments as though notifications no longer exist. The Now Bar is a little more useful, offering live sports results (sourced from Google), Spotify controls and controls over some live Samsung apps, like the Voice Recorder. Again, it’s a reinvention of lock screen widgets and comparing it to the larger music controls you get on other devices, it’s a bit of a step backwards, especially for Spotify. This sounds very negative, so I want to qualify it by saying that the software experience of the Samsung Galaxy S25 Plus is great. The short-lived novelty of AI doesn’t define the day-to-day experience of this phone, even if Samsung thinks it does. The Galaxy S25 Plus is good despite the AI, not because of it. 4900mAh battery 45W wired, 15W wireless charging Good all-day battery life There’s no change to the capacity of Samsung’s battery or to the charging speeds that it supports, with 45W wired and 15W wireless charging. Samsung has stuck to these slower speeds – like Apple and Google – because of battery health. Regular, repeated, fast charging is bad for long-term battery health. While rivals will make headlines for the faster speeds, in four years’ time, that could have consequences. Regardless, the Galaxy S25 Plus is still a fast-charging phone. I connected to a 65W charger and found that after 15 minutes I was nearly at 45%. After 30 minutes, I was 72% charged from a flat battery. Then the big change comes, as charging over 80% slows right down, leaving you fully charged in about 75 minutes. This is faster than the Galaxy S24 Plus, because the charge is being managed in a different way. The great thing about this arrangement is that if you’re caught with only a short period of time to charge, then Samsung won’t leave you hanging. A 20-minute blast will see you at 50%, so you can go out for the evening without worrying about your phone dying. The Galaxy S25 Plus will also last about a day and a half in normal use. Of course this will vary from user to user and what you do with your phone, but making calls, browsing, using Google Maps or navigation and some hotspotting, followed by some evening gaming left me with enough juice still in the phone to not bother charging overnight. Should you buy it? You want a powerful phone that’ll last you years This is a powerful and smooth phone that’s great in daily use. Its nod to more restrained charging speeds and that long software support means this phone could last you many happy years. This is a powerful and smooth phone that’s great in daily use. Its nod to more restrained charging speeds and that long software support means this phone could last you many happy years. You want the best camera experience There’s little new in the camera and it can be bettered by rivals for a similar price. Samsung’s camera is good, but there’s more excitement elsewhere. There’s little new in the camera and it can be bettered by rivals for a similar price. Samsung’s camera is good, but there’s more excitement elsewhere. The Samsung Galaxy S25 Plus is an interesting phone. It lacks the flagship appeal of the S25 Ultra with its larger display, S Pen and enhanced camera options, and it lacks the affordability of its smaller S25 sibling. But for many people, this is probably the phone to choose. There’s plenty of power on offer for a premium experience, the display is fantastic, the battery life is great and even if the charging sounds slow on paper, the reality is quite different. The daily user experience that you get from Samsung is still one of the best that you’ll find in the Android space. It’s all packed into a phone that looks and feels great and even though it looks like the last phone, in many ways, it still feels better in your hand and better in your pocket than some of its rivals. Yes, the camera isn’t the best in class, but it could be good enough for your needs. Yes, the AI is a bit of a damp squib, but it’s easy to avoid. Sure, you could get a lot of this from the Galaxy S24 Plus. That’s the argument against upgrading if you have a recent Samsung phone – but if your device is a little older, then it has a lot to offer you. For more inspiration, take a look at our selection of the best smartphones . We test every mobile phone we review thoroughly. We use industry-standard tests to compare features properly and we use the phone as our main device over the review period. We’ll always tell you what we find and we never, ever, accept money to review a product. Find out more about how we test in our ethics policy . Used as a main phone for over a week Thorough camera testing in a variety of conditions Tested and benchmarked using respected industry tests and real-world data The Samsung Galaxy S25 Plus offers IP68 protection, meaning it will withstand dust and water ingress. Some phones are now offering IP69 protection – meaning a slightly higher level of water protection, but Samsung will withstand complete immersion. The Galaxy S25 Plus is rated at 45W for wired charging, but this is well-managed, so you’ll be able to reach a 50% charge in 20 minutes. The last 20% is much slower – designed to preserve long-term battery health. There are no changes to the camera hardware on the Galaxy S25 Plus compared to the Galaxy S24 Plus. There are some software changes, but the experience is much the same. Why Trust our journalism? Founded in 2003, Trusted Reviews exists to give our readers thorough, unbiased and independent advice on what to buy. Today, we have millions of users a month from around the world, and assess more than 1,000 products a year. Editorial independence Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct. Professional conduct We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards. Bluetti FridgePower Review Dreame AirPursue PM20 Purifier Review Noble Fokus Amadeus Review