Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra vs Google Pixel 9 Pro XL: A Comprehensive Comparison

Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra vs. Google Pixel 9 Pro XL: We tested both and it's a close one

Samsung's flagship phone of 2025 launched earlier this week. Here's how it stacks up with the Google Pixel 9 Pro XL. At Unpacked 2025 earlier this year, Samsung unveiled its big, bad flagship smartphone -- the Galaxy S25 Ultra. The mobile device brought several improvements, including a lighter design, a custom-made Snapdragon 8 Elite chipset, and a revamped camera system. With further testing, we found it to be the best Samsung phone money can buy, but one question remains: how does it stack up against the best Android phones? Also: I replaced my iPhone 16 Pro with the Galaxy S25 Ultra - and it's good news for Samsung Not every flagship Android model will be perfect for you, so it would behoove you to look at other options. Case in point: Google's Pixel 9 Pro XL. Both of these smartphones are at the top of their class and have similar specs. There are notable differences between them, allowing the devices to stand out above the rest. Read on if you're stuck between the Galaxy S25 Ultra and the Pixel 9 Pro XL to learn which is best for you. Both smartphones have top-of-the-line cameras, but the Galaxy S25 Ultra has the better set. Much of the system shares similarities with the Galaxy S24 Ultra's camera array, such as the 200MP main lens. But this time around, the device has a brand new 50MP ultrawide camera. I tested the camera earlier this year and found the upgraded lens to make a meaningful impact in capturing details and macro shots. Also: Samsung now sells refurbished Galaxy S24 Ultra, S24+, and S24 at discounted prices There is more to the S25 Ultra's cameras than just the lenses, as Samsung has made several software changes, too. For example, 10-bit HDR recording is now the default, delivering rich "color expression". Virtual Aperture, a new inclusion, enables depth-of-field control. Other tweaks include improved low-light photography and noise reduction. Google's Tensor G4 deserves its accolades, but the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite is the superior processor. Compared to the previous model, the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3, this chipset delivers a 37% increase in processing power and a 30% increase in GPU performance. The neural processing unit (NPU) is gaining a 40% performance boost. Each model in the Galaxy S25 series houses this chip, but the hardware in the S25 Ultra possesses unique features. ProScaler utilizes artificial intelligence (AI) to boost image quality. The mobile Digital Natural Image engine (or mDNIe) inside the processor enables better "display power efficiency." For gaming, the Vulkan Engine, alongside "improved Ray Tracing", ensures smooth, realistic play. I hope you're a fan of artificial intelligence because the Galaxy S25 Ultra is packed with generative AI features. Google's Circle to Search is returning with multiple upgrades. It's faster than before and can recognize phone numbers, email addresses, and URLs that appear on screen. Scanning the aforementioned content lets you make calls, send emails, or visit websites directly. Also: I changed 10 Samsung phone settings to instantly improve the user experience To help users with their busy schedules, the Galaxy S25 Ultra has some useful AI tools. Call Transcript records call conversations so you never forget important details. The Personal Data Engine will actively customize the Galaxy S25 Ultra to "deliver highly tailored experiences" that reflect how you use the phone. It goes without saying, but flagship phones aren't cheap. Prices for the Galaxy S25 Ultra start at $1,299.99, so be prepared to pay a premium. If money is an issue, Google's Pixel 9 Pro XL retails for $949. The model has been on the market since August 2024, so there's a good chance that you'll be able to find it on sale at Amazon. Remember that you are buying one of the best smartphones out there, well-suited for various tasks. Also: Best cheap phones of 2025: Budget models with high performance When I say a "lightweight phone," I'm not talking about design. The Galaxy S25 Ultra weighs the same as the Pixel 9 Pro XL at 218 grams. I'm referring to software because the number of features a smartphone houses impacts its usability. As pointed out in our past comparison, the Pixel 9 Pro XL takes a "cleaner approach to software". Google's smartphone wasn't as bloated as the Galaxy S24 Ultra. That fact remains true with S25 Ultra; if anything, the problem has worsened. While the Circle to Search upgrade and improved gaming performance are welcome additions, they may be underutilized by the average user. Also: I switched from my Pixel 9 Pro to the 9a for three weeks - here's my buying advice now If you prefer simpler smartphones, the Pixel 9 Pro XL is up your alley. Its features feel less intrusive, giving users some tools to enhance the UI without being overwhelming. It feels more approachable, and people who aren't tech-savvy might find its interface easier to understand. Make no mistake: the Galaxy S25 Ultra is powerful. The Snapdragon 8 Elite SoC (system on a chip) indicates the device has robust rendering capabilities. All the AI tools will surely affect people's productivity. But all this tech is supported with just 12GB of RAM, which I would argue is a huge misstep on Samsung's part. Review: Google Pixel 9 Pro XL AI software is quite demanding on smartphone hardware, and the relatively low memory could result in slow performance. Google must have recognized this fact when it was developing the Pixel 9 Pro XL, so it gave the phone 16GB of RAM to support its AI tech. This RAM boost is one of the reasons why the smartphone is highly regarded. Granted, our trepidations towards the S25 Ultra's limited memory may disappear once we get our hands on the device. Until then, the memory remains a concern. This article was originally published on January 21, 2025, and was updated on April 25, 2025.

Living With the Galaxy S25 Ultra: Samsung's AI Shines in This Year's Model

I've spent a lot of time lately using Samsung's Galaxy S25 Ultra, the high-end version of Samsung's latest flagship line. The phone comes packed with a lot of positives, but what stands out to me are the AI features. Not only are they often handy and helpful, but Samsung has managed to add those enhancements while keeping the old Galaxy feel. Like last year's Galaxy S24 Ultra, the S25 Ultra has basically every high-end feature you can think of, including an S Pen stylus, a holdover from the Galaxy Note years. The screen -- a 6.9-inch AMOLED display (3,120 by 1,440 pixels) -- is slightly larger than last year's, even though the handset overall is smaller. At 6.40 by 3.11 by 0.34 inches (HWD) and 7.69 ounces, the S25 Ultra is still a large phone, but it's a bit thinner and lighter than the S24 Ultra. The new model also has a titanium frame and more rounded corners, which I like more than the very square corners on the earlier one. The cover glass also got a rethink: It's now Corning Gorilla Armor 2, which Samsung says is even better at resisting fractures. The phone can also resist a quick dip: Like other premium phones, it has an IP68 rating, meaning, in theory, it can handle up to 30 minutes in water as deep as about 5 feet. Finishing up our tour of the exterior, the S25 Ultra provides a volume key and a power button on the right side, with microphones on the top of the phone. The bottom of the phone has a dock for the S Pen stylus (more on this later), along with speakers, a USB-C port for the charger, and a SIM card tray. Like most current phones, it lacks expandable storage or a headphone jack, features I would like but don't expect these days. Under the hood, the processor has been upgraded to Qualcomm's Snapdragon 8 Elite for Galaxy, the better to support the AI features. In PCMag's tests, the phone handily beat others in most benchmarks, although the iPhone 15 Pro Max did a little bit better in single-core performance. Moving on to the battery, the S25 Ultra has a 5,000mAh unit capable of charging at 45W via cable or 15W wirelessly, just like the S24 Ultra. In PCMag's tests, it lasted about as long as the one in the S24 Ultra; it was notably better than the Pixel 9 Pro XL, but not nearly as good as the iPhone 16 Pro Max. Samsung continues to set the default screen to FHD+ (2,340 by 1,080 pixels) to preserve battery life. As for the rest of the hardware, the S25 Ultra follows its forerunner with the integrated S Pen stylus that docks into the bottom of the unit. I know people who have been fans of styli in phones going back to the early days of the Galaxy Note, and the S25 Ultra remains the top choice in this arena. The new pen is good for sketching or taking notes. It doesn't seem to have changed much from the previous version, except for one nuance: The device no longer supports Bluetooth, which enabled "Air Actions" tasks, like remote control of the camera. But as far as I'm concerned, this is a relatively minor feature. The camera setup hasn't changed much from last year's model, either. The main camera is a 200-megapixel (MP) camera sensor with an aperture of f/1.7, optical image stabilization, and an 85-degree field of view. The setup also has what Samsung calls "adaptive pixel," which supports multiple layers of binning. In most situations, when you use the main camera, the system will combine 16 pixels into one, creating a 12MP image. In the Pro mode, you can switch to capturing 50MP photos, where four pixels are combined into one. If you download the Expert Raw control, you can also set it for 24MP or even 200MP photos, which take up a lot more storage. My guess is that almost everyone will be happy with the 12MP option. Like the S24 Ultra, the S25 Ultra includes a 50-megapixel f/3.4 telephoto camera with OIS, 5x optical zoom, and a 22-degree field of view; on the back, you'll find a 10-megapixel f/2.4 telephoto camera with OIS, 3x optical zoom, and a 36-degree field of view. Like last year, there's a 12-megapixel f/2.2 front-facing camera with an 80-degree field of view; that also worked well. The ultra-wide camera on the S25 Ultra is a 50-megapixel f/1.9 with a 120-degree field of view, a significant improvement over the S24 Ultra's 12-megapixel ultra-wide camera. Not only do you get higher-resolution shots, but also a high-resolution macro mode for detailed close-ups that look quite good. In general, I've found the high-end Galaxy phones to take terrific photos, and the S25 Ultra is no exception. I got very detailed images with good colors, though the Samsung pictures are sometimes more saturated than those from other phones. Zooming In Zoom is one area where I've always appreciated the top-of-the-line Galaxy phones, and the S25 is no exception. When zooming in on an image, you can easily increase the zoom either by picking a preset or moving your fingers. Samsung also keeps the 100x "Space Zoom" that combines optical and digital zoom. At that level, images aren't always as clear as you would like, but I've been pretty impressed with images up to 30x. Of course, the S25 offers a variety of video capture options, up to 8K30. Generally, the video looked quite good, though the quality of the image stabilization can vary, particularly if you are zooming. Galaxy AI Features The big change this year is the inclusion of a lot more AI features, grouped under the heading of Galaxy AI. The changes start with the user interface: Samsung has redesigned its One UI 7 on top of Android 15 to take advantage of the AI options. (Samsung says it will provide seven generations of OS updates and seven years of security patches, which is a nice improvement.) As with the Google Pixel phones, you get to Google's Gemini AI by holding the power button, then talking or typing. Gemini seems to be working better every month and does a good job responding to requests, like changing a setting. (Samsung's own assistant, Bixby, is still included on the phone; in practice, I rarely saw it.) One nice new feature is "Cross App Actions," which allows you to ask Gemini AI to handle jobs that take multiple steps and use multiple applications. For instance, you can ask Gemini AI to look something up on the web and then email or message the results to someone. Among other tasks, Gemini AI offers a Browsing Assist that summarizes or translates web pages, a Call Assist that offers real-time translation during voice calls (though I wasn't able to test that), and a Note Assist that helps you organize your notes (as well as transcribe and summarize voice recordings). Sometimes I found these assistants to be helpful, sometimes less so, but they've certainly come a long way in the past year. Another new feature is the "Now Brief" widget, which appears on the home screen by default and suggests things it thinks you'll want, like weather, basic news, and a wake-up routine. It seemed to work well, but I can't say I've found it that important. As with the S24, the S25 supports "Circle to Search," through which you can identify text and images on the screen. For images, a Photo Assist feature lets you edit or reimagine images by moving or removing people and objects, or by restyling your images. Within Samsung's Gallery app, you can now erase things from an image that you don't want, just as you have been able to with Magic Eraser in Google Photos for some time, and this worked pretty well. The new image options don't end there: You can also sketch an item to add to a photo, while a portrait studio will apply a style such as comic, 3D image, watercolor, or sketch (see the photos above). The various effects are fun, but I suspect business users will get more practical use out of the editing tools. And though we've all seen AI-assisted drawing tools before, Samsung has integrated these quite nicely. For videos, in addition to the usual editing features, there's a new audio eraser that lets you eliminate or at least minimize distracting noises, such as crowd sounds or wind. This didn't work perfectly for me, but on noisy videos, the results were certainly improved. I can imagine these being quite useful in some business tasks, as well as for personal photos and videos. I still look at the AI features as a work in progress, and they come with the umbrella caveat for generative AI: You should double-check the accuracy of anything important the system gives you. But overall, Galaxy AI has come a long way, and the S25 Ultra really impressed me with the breadth and quality of its features. The S25 Ultra's list price is $1,299.99, so it's clearly targeted at the highest end of the market. Samsung offers smaller versions with similar features in the $799.99 S25 and the $999.99 S25+, but these models lack the S Pen and the 200-megapixel main camera. If you want an Android phone that does just about everything -- a great camera, S Pen capabilities, and a host of AI features -- the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra is clearly the top choice.

I Swapped my Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra for the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra for a few weeks, and almost forgot it was a different phone

Why you can trust Creative Bloq Our expert reviewers spend hours testing and comparing products and services so you can choose the best for you. Find out more about how we test. The Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra is considered to be one of the top smartphone choices right now for creative professionals, and is certified as one of the best camera phones on the market too (I'm a photographer and recently tested it against the iPhone 16 Pro Max in a camera phone shootout). I've really enjoyed my time testing out the S25 Ultra over the last few weeks, and it certainly came in handy for content creation and speedy CapCut video editing. But as a current owner of last year's Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra model, admittedly, there are a lot of similarities between these devices to the point that I almost forgot I was using a different phone. That's not necessarily a bad thing, as I absolutely love my S24 Ultra, but I was hoping for a few more performance boosts to justify an upgrade. What makes the S25 Ultra such a strong Apple rival is not only its powerful hardware, with a Snapdragon Elite CPU, but also the innovative and genuinely useful Galaxy AI tools, as well as its AI ProVisual Engine - comprising a suite of AI-powered imaging tools to enhance photography and video quality. While I did immediately notice an improvement in image quality compared with my S24 Ultra, it wasn't drastic. And the only upgrade of note really is the 50MP wide-angle lens (previously 12MP) and AI Audio Erasure feature for shooting video. If you're coming from an older Samsung smartphone model, or a different manufacturer entirely, then you'll love what the Galaxy S25 Ultra has to offer. If you're an S23 or S24 user, then I'd advise holding off a little longer for the Samsung Galaxy S26 series (unconfirmed) for a more noticeable upgrade. With that said, I've been aiming to review the Galaxy S25 Ultra from a completely unbiased perspective, and while it's certainly not one of the best budget camera phones, I still think there's a lot to offer here. Let's dive into it. * 200MP camera is the best on the market (despite pixel binning) * Advanced editing suite of AI tools * Option to shoot RAW Samsung's S series smartphones have been my camera phones of choice all the way back to the S21 Ultra - and I love them because I've found that they offer the best possible canvas (with everything as sharp as possible) for creatives to build from and enhance as they please. A lot of camera phones with AI imaging modes these days will capture a completely enhanced shot with the vibrancy dialled all the way up, and sometimes with HDR a little too heavy. While this method of AI smartphone assistance is great for those with little editing knowledge who simply want to share images immediately with friends or on social media, when you zoom into the details, they can often be over-smoothed, blurred, or incorrectly filled by rushed AI. This isn't practical for anyone who wants to crop images or expand them to a larger size. But with the S25 Ultra, not only can you control how much AI has an input on your images, but you can even shoot in RAW format too, which captures all of the image data to help you make the best of it. The S25 Ultra camera, as before, is exceptional, and I highly recommend it. Although I have found since using the iPhone 16 Pro Max's camera control button, that Samsung really needs to up its game in the Macro department. There's not even a Macro setting for shooting with the S25 Ultra, so I found it best to use 'food' mode instead to tweak the aperture and play with the depth of field accordingly. That's my only complaint, and in every other scenario, I was deeply impressed by its camera quality. The S25 series has been priced exactly the same as Samsung's S24 series was at launch, so there's no price hike here for the extra AI features that you get, which I think is great. The S25 Ultra is, of course, more expensive than its siblings in the S25 lineup, being the flagship star of the show. It retails for $1,299.99 / £1,249 at the time of writing, for the minimum 256GB storage option. Take a look at our guide to the best Samsung S25 series prices if you want to keep tabs on any discounts and price drops that we may see throughout the year. The Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra has been given a very subtle makeover with a flatter overall frame, slimmer bezels, and rounded corners. Despite the premium titanium frame and strong Corning Gorilla Armor 2 glass, the device is much lighter than before and a lot less bulky than the S24 series. It's available in an array of colours, including Samsung KX exclusives like Jade Green, Pink Gold, and Jet Black. Or there's Titanium colours - including Silver Blue, Grey, Black, and White Silver. The included S pen has been given a slight design tweak too, with a thicker clicky pit at the top, but otherwise it performs the same. Take a look at the video below for a quick unboxing of the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra. The overall design of the Galaxy S25 Ultra is sleek, and I love the look of the bold new camera rings on the back of the phone that are not only stylish but also add a bit more cushion and can assist in keeping your lenses scratch-free, too. Samsung fans were spoiled last year with the very first introduction of Galaxy AI features available on S series handsets. These included never-before-seen features like Google's Circle to Search (using the S Pen), as well as Sketch-to-Image for transforming your doodles, AI note assist, and live translations and transcriptions for phone calls, to name a few. This year, with the new S25 Ultra, you get all of these Galaxy AI features plus a few extras too. When I went to Samsung HQ back in January, I was given a demo of the new Audio Erasure feature, which is admittedly pretty cool, but I can't say that I've used it all that much. The AI features that I rely on as a journalist are more text-based and search optimised, for example, like the new webpage summaries feature that helps me to find the essential info I need much faster, and the AI transcription tool built into the Samsung Notes app has been a game-changer for interviews. There's also a new Now Bar, which sits at the bottom of the phone's lockscreen and gives you a personalised briefing of suggested content and actions. It changes throughout the day, and you can fine-tune the kind of content you want it to include, from digital wellbeing to traffic updates and your events and tasks. As someone with a busy schedule, this organisational feature is a must-use for me, but I don't think it would have the same appeal to everyday users. For content creation, the S25 Ultra offers enhanced image quality thanks to upgrades to the AI ProVisual Engine, including the option to record in log format for advanced control over video editing. For photographers, you get the same AI editing suite introduced with the S24 series, but with new AI filters tailored to your photos and the option to sketch something to be generative edited into your existing photo. One other new feature with the S25 is the ability to speak with Google Gemini casually by holding down the side button (the power button) without needing to unlock your phone. This can be useful for asking quick questions when you're out and about, and for setting yourself reminders that you don't want to forget later. Having an AI personal assistant built into your phone won't be to everyone's tastes, so keep this in mind if you're considering an S25 Ultra purchase but haven't warmed up to AI yet. Feature score: 5/5 * Extremely smooth day-to-day experience * Performance is optimised to prioritise current tasks When it comes to using the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra in day-to-day life, it excels in almost every area. The CPU and GPU performance are excellent, and it barely breaks a sweat when running multiple apps, social media platforms, and listening to a Spotify podcast in the background. The only time I did notice the S25 Ultra struggle a little was while I was putting together a 20GB video using CapCut, and it crashed the app on more than one occasion. Thankfully, I didn't lose any editing progress since it autosaves, but it was a little unusual. This phone was handling a lot at the time in its defence, with multiple apps running and AI working to optimise performance. The S25 Ultra can seamlessly connect to other devices (especially Samsung ecosystem tech) and played nicely with my Samsung Galaxy Watch 6, while being able to connect to my S24 Ultra hotspot in a matter of seconds without even needing the password since both devices were logged into my Samsung account. Using Quick Share (another feature I was demoed at Samsung HQ) allowed me to transfer photos and videos to my S24 Ultra super fast and without any lag. Gaming is an area where this phone also thrives, and while I wasn't playing anything even remotely strenuous (only Pokémon TCGP), it handled everything well, with minimal dips in battery life, and the Gaming Hub is a great feature that optimises performance to keep you focused on playing without lag or distraction. Speaking of battery life, I had very low epectations in this area, especially since the S25 Ultra shares the same battery as my S24 Ultra (which sucks). But surprisingly, I noticed a big improvement in this area, so maybe there's some kind of battery boost under the hood. Performance score: 4/5 * Serious smartphone photographers and content creators The Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra is the ultimate smartphone for creatives. The amazing camera quality and 8K video capabilities aside, the exclusive Galaxy AI tools and features that you get with this phone are next-level, and I honestly couldn't function without them now that I rely on them so heavily in day-to-day life. I realise how dramatic that sounds, but even something as simple as sending an email, browsing for info, or making notes is 5x easier on this Samsung phone.

I tested the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra against my current S24 Ultra - and there's a big difference

I pitted the latest Samsung S25 Ultra against my current S24 Ultra model, and I was pretty shocked at the difference. I'm a proud owner of the Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra, one of the best camera phones that you can buy right now, and I'm always talking about how it can capture a pretty sharp shot without much effort. I also tend to use my phone camera a lot more than my Sony mirrorless camera for daily snaps. But what about Samsung's new S25 Ultra model? Before getting my hands on the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra for review, I was convinced that an upgrade from my S24 Ultra wasn't necessary. After all, the only major upgrade is the leap from a 12MP wide-angle lens to a 50MP lens, right? Oh boy, was I wrong. On paper, the difference in camera specs between the S24 Ultra and S25 Ultra models is very minimal, but it's not until you use both camera phones that you can really notice the boost in image quality, and I'm pretty sure this is thanks to the AI ProVisual Engine. Take a look at the image sliders below to see how last year's Galaxy flagship holds up against the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra. If you're more of an Apple fan, you might prefer our guide to the best iPhones for photography, or you can also check out my recent camera phone shootout using the iPhone 16 Pro Max Vs the S25 Ultra. The Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra boasts the exact same 200MP main camera (f/1.7) as the S24 Ultra model, with the same 10MP telephoto (f/2.4), ans 50MP periscope telephoto (f/3.4) lenses. The main difference is that the S25 Ultra is sporting, a new 50MP ultrawide (f/1.9) lens, which was previously 12MP on the S24 Ultra. In terms of video quality, both Samsung models can shoot 8K at 30fps as a maximum. As I've said already, my current smartphone is the S24 Ultra, and since buying it back in February 2024, I've been extremely happy with its performance and image quality. Samsung's S24 series launch was ambitious and incredibly innovative, with major upgrades plus the introduction of Galaxy AI features for the very first time. I think this made it harder for Samsung to impress with the announcement of the S25 series this year, as it had already set the bar so high that there wasn't much room for improvement (at least in my opinion). In my recent Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra review, I've noted that there have been a lot more upgrades to this phone than I initially thought, mostly software and AI-based, which makes the phone a top choice for content creators. But does it justify an upgrade for current S24 users? To keep things fair, I stood in the exact same spot when shooting with these phones, used the same aspect ratio (16 by 9), the same lens, and shot using the highest possible quality setting (excluding RAW modes) that both camera phones could muster, which is 200MP for both models. While Samsung and Apple are definitely key players in the camera phone industry, remember that it's not all about owning the most expensive device to get great shots, and some of the best budget camera phones have pleasantly surprised us too. The main focus of this camera phone shootout has been landscape imagery, but check out Rankin's 8 steps to Smartphone Photography Success if you're seeking some excellent tips on shooting portraiture with a smartphone. It might be tricky to see the details in this article, but when viewing the photos captured by the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra in Photoshop and on my OLED tablet screen, the sharpness and level of detail from the unedited photos is remarkable (and much sharper with a better contrast than images captured with my S24 Ultra). The overall image quality with the Samsung S25 Ultra is leaps ahead of the S24 Ultra, despite both devices sharing a lot of the same hardware and camera specs. So, where has the quality boost come from? With the Galaxy S24 and S25 series, all media captured is enhanced by what Samsung calls its AI ProVisual Engine. This is a suite of AI-powered tools that comprises an AI engine designed to optimise image quality. Features of the engine, like ProScaler for AI upscaling, are processed on the phone's hardware (not the cloud) and are used to enhance image quality for a crisper viewing experience. It's likely that Samsung has made some improvements to the AI ProVisual Engine which has impacted the image quality of the smartphone, without any major hardware advancements. Interested in more camera phone comparisons? Take a look at my shootout between the Honor Magic 7 Pro and my S24 Ultra to see how these models tackled stunning Slovenian landscapes. More recently, I also pitted the Nothing Phone 3a Pro against my Samsung, and the results were impressive.