Samsung Galaxy S25 review

Design, build quality, handling

The Galaxy S25 trio this year has identical designs - flat frames with rounded corners and flat glass panels. Which is something we hoped to see in the Ultra model and we were happy to get. But from a Galaxy S25 or S25+ standpoint, there is nothing new across the exterior except for a 0.4mm reduction in thickness and the new paintjobs.

The Galaxy S25 trio

The Galaxy S25 uses Gorilla Glass Victus 2 panels and second-generation Armor Aluminum frame. Samsung is not delivering Gorilla Armor glass while the S25 Ultra is already using Gen 2.

Both the frame and the back panel feature a matte finish, while the whole phone is fingerprint-resistant (to an extent).

The Galaxy S25 trio

As we mentioned, the Galaxy S25 is some 0.4mm thinner than the S24, and it weighs 5 grams less. It's a compact phone that's very easy to forget it's in your jeans pocket.

This year, the Galaxy S25 is available in Icy Blue, Mint, Navy (ours) and Silver Shadow colorways - all muted colors, quite similar to the Z Flip6 models except for yellow. Samsung.com exclusive colors are Pink Gold, Coral Red, and Blue Black.

The Galaxy S25 is IP68-rated for dust and water resistance. There are no further enhancements beyond what the rating suggests (1.5m-deep water immersion for 30 mins).

The 6.2-inch Dynamic AMOLED is at the front with impressively thin and even bezels. It uses a 1080p panel with up to 120Hz refresh rate. There is a small perforation to make way for the 12MP selfie camera.

The Galaxy S25 also comes with an under-display ultrasonic fingerprint sensor, a premium piece of hardware that does not need illumination to scan your tips. And while it works pretty much flawlessly, it gets finicky if you use a glass screen protector.

There is a super thin earpiece outlet above the screen, almost invisible to the naked eye. It also doubles as a stereo speaker.

The other, larger speaker is at the bottom of the phone, together with the USB-C port, the mouthpiece and the dual-SIM tray (EU model).

The Galaxy S25 supports two nano-SIMs and two eSIMs, and you can use a maximum of two SIM cards, no matter their type. The American version accepts only one physical SIM card (plus two eSIMs).

Galaxy S25

Another microphone, or maybe a pair of microphones, sits at the top of the Galaxy S25.

One of our favorite design traits across the Galaxy phones is the camera housing, the lack of it to be specific. All three cameras on the S25 are surrounded by metal rings with no shared big black blots or similar monstrosities. The three standalone rings are unintrusive (even if they are really glued on top like the S25 Ultra's) and make for a seamless and simplistic design, timeless if you will.

The Galaxy S25 is a well-built smartphone with a likable design and the right shape for a secure grip. The S25 fits incredibly well in your hand and pocket, it is easily operated with just one hand, and it provides great experience whether it's being used for day-to-day operations, gaming or multimedia.