Samsung’s premium smartphone refresh landed on Indian shelves pretty early on in the year. If you’ve been expecting a radical redesign with the flagship Galaxy S25+, you might want to temper those expectations. Yes, logic dictates that this year’s device should be an upgraded version of its predecessor, but in what ways is this version more refined? Let’s find out.
Samsung Galaxy S25 plus
| Photo Credit: Bijoy Ghosh
Samsung Galaxy S25 plus
| Photo Credit: Bijoy Ghosh
First impressions
Design-wise, not much is new with the Samsung Galaxy S25+, compared to last year’s Galaxy S24+. It’s marginally thinner by 0.4 mm, and about 7 grams lighter. I’ve got the striking Navy colour variant for review, and there are a few more appealing options such as Coralred, Pinkgold, and Mint. The matte finish rear panel looks great but also holds on to smudge and fingerprints quite a bit. The tri-lens camera module stays the same with the LED flash resting alongside.
A moving car snapped at night at 3x zoom
Display
The 6.7-inch Dynamic AMOLED 2X display is definitely one of the USPs on the smartphone. The display offers variable refresh rates of up to 120 Hz, which kicks in when you have the ‘Adaptive’ option chosen in settings. I watched a few episodes of Black Warrant, a bleak but gripping adaptation of a book, written by a jailor, based on his experiences in Tihar Jail, India. The visuals convey the doom and gloom atmosphere of the country’s most high-profile prison. The dialogues sound crisp on the speakers, with the device’s support for Dolby Atmos with Movie, Music, Voice, and Auto presets as well. If you’re into gaming there’s a separate preset for that as well.
Well-saturated colours across scenarios.
Camera
The primary camera setup on the Samsung Galaxy S25+ has remained unchanged since last year. The rear camera module includes a 50 MP primary, a 10 MP telephoto lens, and a 12 MP ultrawide lens. Daylight photos are typically rich, well-saturated, and have a lot of details when not zoomed in beyond 2x. Even at 2x, some of the best shots I took were when the frame was just a bit underexposed. There’s a new feature where after setting a particular explore level, it stays set in that mode even when I switch modes and come back. The night photos are also decent, again at 1x zoom. When zoomed in, anywhere between 3x and up to 10x, there can be a fair amount of noise the more I zoom in. The 12 MP selfie camera is the same as well, delivering some decently sharp selfies and portraits.
A building captured with clarity at 2x zoom while it rains.
Tech Specs
The Samsung Galaxy S25+ runs on top-end Snapdragon 8 Elite chipset, customised for this series. Multitasking, gaming, and any other function on this smartphone felt snappy and seamless. The unit I reviewed has 12 GB RAM and 256 GB storage. It runs on the new One UI 7, and Android 15. Now, the device has split the swipe-down menu from the top to show notifications (left) and tweak settings (right).
There’s a new ‘Now’ briefing bar that shows me my events, weather, battery levels, music streaming, and more. New AI-based features include AI Summary, transcribe recorded calls, look through your gallery for specific photos based on a search command, and improved Circle to Search features. I’ve mentioned the AI features in my review of the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra, in more detail. The brand has also promised an impressive seven years of software and security upgrades in the future. The Samsung Galaxy S25+ packs in a 4,900mAh battery which keeps me company for a whole working day and a little more. It’s compatible with 45 W wired chargers and 15 W wireless chargers.
A waiting room snapped with the ultrawide camera.
Verdict
What I really like about the Samsung Galaxy S 25+ is strikes a beautiful balance between form and function, especially if you like big-screen smartphones. What I’m not enthusiastic about is the lack of real upgrades in the design and camera this year. Having said that would I recommend this as your primary smartphone? Absolutely, yes. It packs in a super functional interface with a lot of meaningful new features and layouts that make accessing information easier. The battery life is great, and the camera while still the same as last year’s still delivers some eye-catching snaps. The only gripe is the steep price tag on this, so it would be worthwhile to wait for a sale or consider an exchange of an older device.
Snapshot
Price: ₹99,999 (12 GB + 256 GB)
₹1,11,999 (12 GB + 512 GB)
Pros: Vivid AMOLED display, immersive multimedia experience, reliable battery life, 7 years of software support
Cons: No design refinements, no camera hardware upgrades, slow charging times