#Galaxy S25 Ultra review

Samsung’s Galaxy S26 Ultra picks up right where last year’s S25 Ultra left off as the 2026 Ultra flagship, embracing an “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” philosophy, polishing the proven formula with steady, year-over-year improvements since the S22 Ultra era. The materials differ though: the S25 Ultra uses a titanium frame and Gorilla Glass Armor 2, while the S26 Ultra switches to Armor Aluminum with Gorilla Glass Victus 2 and a more rounded body design. The Galaxy S25 Ultra runs on a Snapdragon 8 Elite for Galaxy that is more than capable for gaming, content creation, and heavy multitasking. The Galaxy S26 Ultra upgrades this to a Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 "again for Galaxy", bringing better efficiency, stronger GPU performance, and a more powerful NPU that’s designed to handle on‑device AI workloads. Battery capacity is unchanged at 5,000mAh on both the S25 Ultra and S26 Ultra, but charging speeds and thermals are where the newer model pulls ahead. The Galaxy S25 Ultra supports up to 45W wired Super Fast Charging, while the Galaxy S26 Ultra bumps this to 60W Super Fast Charging 3.0, cutting down charging times when you need a quick top‑up before heading out. The Galaxy S25 Ultra is now running Android 16 with One UI 8, after its update from the original Android 15 and One UI 7 it came with. Read more in our articles including "Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra vs S25 Ultra: What Changed?" and "Watch: Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra Review".