The best Galaxy S25 Ultra change is something I have to feel in believing

The leaks leading up to the launch of Galaxy S25 series Had me excited. It looked like Samsung would publish four Galaxy S25 models at the same time, with the fourth model as a “slim” device that would be thinner and lighter than ultra while retaining some of their upgraded cameras.

So after buying each ultra from the Galaxy S20 Ultra to S24 Ultra, and for the first time since the start of Samsung’s Ultra lineup, I had decided not to buy the Galaxy S25 Ultra. Instead, my heart was put on a lighter and more comfortable phone and I was sure it would be the new slim – now known as Galaxy S25 Edge.

I changed my mind in a second, and all that needed was for me to keep the galaxy S25 ultra in my hand.

I generally like my galaxy S24 Ultra. The sharp corner design has always looked good, but combined with a frame that has a smaller curve radius than the Galaxy S23 Ultra, it was even less comfortable than its predecessor. I have a callus in my palm from using this phone all day, and the weight doesn’t help the case either. Despite similar size, the Galaxy S24 Ultra is 11g heavier than a Pixel 9 Pro XL, something my wife discovered when I dropped it on her face as I tried to show her a meme. I was hesitantly losing the s pen, but now that I own a Galaxy Tab S10 Plus, I could download the s -pens for it, as I have it in my backpack when I go out or within the reach of my arm when I’m home.

Of course, the Galaxy S25 Plus would have been an option – it would be smaller, lighter and less difficult to shape – but it lacks the camera machine that is found in the Ultra models. I couldn’t “downgrade” from the Galaxy S24 Ultra to an S25 Plus and live without the zoom lens I have become accustomed to. That’s what had made the rumor slender so attractive to me. It should have the same 200MP primary sensor and 50MP Ultrawide lens as Ultra, topped with a 3.5x 50MP tele. Although it is not an identical layout with Ultra, it would be more than enough for me.

Imagine my disappointment, when the Galaxy S25 edge was actually announced. I like the name, but the phone itself doesn’t seem to be nearby in the UK. Of course, it is still up in the air since nothing if the phone is officially besides the name, but I would have been destroyed everywhere if not because I had already changed my mind about Ultra.

I was one of the few journalists who got the most important Galaxy S25 lineup a week before the Galaxy unpacked. To begin with, I went and looked in the corners of the promised “slim” model and found nothing of that type. Disappointed, I turned to the phones that were actually there and held the Galaxy S25 Ultra in hand for the first time. And OOF!

The Galaxy S25 Ultra can occupy the same footprint as my S24 Ultra, but it feels significantly different in hand. What I noticed first was the weight. To use the Pixel 9 Pro XL examination again, the new ultra three grams is lighter than that phone and a huge 14G lighter than my old ultra. A 6% weight reduction does not sound like much, but it all comes up when considering the other ergonomic changes Samsung has made.

The Galaxy S24 Ultra feels top tongue, probably because of all the camera goods in the top half of the phone. The Galaxy S25 Ultra is still heavier up, but feels more balanced than the old phone. Finally, Samsung has rounded the corners of the Ultra phone to make it more comfortable and (hopefully) avoid Kallus. When the rumors first suggested that Samsung should do this, I was not on board. I’ve always loved the Boxy design of the Galaxy Note series and S Ultra models, which made them visually different from other smartphones. I had visions that the phone was as rounded as the two regular S25 models. Fortunately, Samsung found a happy medium. The Galaxy S25 Ultra is boxier than almost any other phones I can think of, but the corners are rounded enough to nest comfortably into my hand.

In one session with the Galaxy S25 Ultra, I was convinced that I did not need to switch to a slim model, and that was before I found out all the stars about the Galaxy S25 edge.

Of course, there is more with the Galaxy S25 ultra than how heavy it is. Samsung will tell you to focus on Galaxy Aithe cameras, or Snapdragon 8 Elite for Galaxy Chip Running the show. These are all positive – but they are not the kind of improvements that I and others like me get excited about anymore, not when the specific benefits they provide are so step -by -step and are likely to come to older models through software updates. Making a phone easier and more comfortable to keep may not be headlines in the same way as fancy AI features are doing these days, but it’s the kind of change that matters to me. I think the ergonomics are the best part of the Galaxy S25 Ultra, and you really have to feel it to believe it. I was lucky to do it weeks ago, and it helped me to make up my mind.

Now that the Galaxy S25 Ultra is officially on sale, I encourage you to go to a store and try to keep it for a second. If you come from an older ultra, the difference will be night and day.