The Galaxy S25 Ultra is right around the corner. Should Galaxy S22 Ultra users feel the need to upgrade?
Intro
If the rumors turn out to be true, then we’d see the Galaxy S25 Ultra in roughly a month’s time, in early January 2025.
Some intriguing upgrades are expected for the next Galaxy S25 Ultra, but nothing too extraordinary aside from a slight redesign, a fast 3nm chipset, and likely a multitude of AI features on deck. Don’t get this the wrong way––although minor, the potential upgrades are all very welcome and will most likely elevate the Galaxy S25 Ultra to the top spot on the phone market.
A spot that most of its predecessors have usually held.
That would make the Galaxy S25 Ultra one of the best potential upgrade paths for those who have held on to the older Galaxy S22 Ultra, the first high-end Galaxy Ultra phone with an S Pen integrated inside.
How would the Galaxy S25 Ultra and Galaxy S22 Ultra compare? Let’s measure them up against one another and see just how decent an upgrade the Galaxy S25 Ultra will be.
Galaxy S25 Ultra vs Galaxy S22 Ultra differences explained:
Samsung Galaxy S25 UltraSamsung Galaxy S22 Ultra
Titanium design with rounded corners, flat panels Aluminum frame, straight corners, curved panels
More compact (8.2mm and 219gr) Slightly thicker, taller, wider, and heavier (229gr)
6.8-inch AMOLED with QHD+ resolution and 120Hz refresh rate, higher display brightness Same 6.8-inch AMOLED with QHD+resolution and 120Hz refresh rate, but lower maximum brightness
200MP main camera, 50MP 5X telephoto, 12MP selfie 108MP main camera, 10MP 10X periscope, 40MP selfie camera
The fastest Qualcomm chip –– the 3nm Snapdragon 8 Elite Aging Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 (4nm) with inferior performance
12GB RAM in the 256GB version, 16GB of RAM in the 512GB and 1TB versions 8GB RAM in the entry-level version, 12GB RAM in the 256GB, 512GB, 1TB
Wi-Fi 7 Wi-Fi 6
45W wired, 25W Qi2 wireless charging 45W wired, 15W Qi wireless charging
Table of Contents:
Design and Size
Display Differences
Performance
Camera
Battery and Charging
Specs
Summary
Read more:
Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra release date expectations, price estimates, and upgrades
Samsung Galaxy S25 release date expectations, price estimates, and upgrades
Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra review: best features
Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra vs Galaxy S24 Ultra: do we need a refresh?
Samsung Galaxy S25 vs Galaxy S23: Two generations apart
Galaxy S25 colors: here are the expected hues so far
Design and SizeSurprisingly few changes
With the Galaxy S25 Ultra, Samsung will employ a slight redesign that will bring the flagship in tune with the rest of its flagship phones. Gone will be the straight edges at the bottom that form a nearly perfect right angle; instead, the Galaxy S25 Ultra will score curved corners, which will make it look just like an oversized Galaxy S24/S25 or Galaxy S24 Plus/Galaxy S25 Plus.
This change will eliminate one of the few design distinctions that most Galaxy Ultra phones have held above the regular flagships in the previous years. Not sure that we are ready to part ways with the bold appearance of the Galaxy S Ultra flagship, but Samsung seems dead-set on the new design.
Aside from the shape change, the Galaxy S25 Ultra will mostly retain the rest of the design cues: flat front and back Gorilla Glass panels, the beloved S Pen Stylus, IP68 water- and dust-resistance, as well as the titanium frame are here to stay.
Meanwhile, the Galaxy S22 Ultra was the first Galaxy Ultra phone with an S Pen. It also debuted the straight corners that are about to go mostly extinct, as well as the curved front and back display panels, an echo from a bygone smartphone era.
