Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra S25 Ultra Titanium Black 1000GB

The Galaxy S25 Ultra delivers the best smartphone camera and display we've tested, plus epic 1TB storage and battery life that crushes. It's expensive at $1,560 and skips the headphone jack, but for Android fans who want everything, it's the phone to beat. If your wallet can handle it, buy with confidence.

Our benchmark suite puts the Snapdragon 8 Elite for Galaxy in the absolute top tier, 98th percentile overall, and real-world use backs that up. Apps open instantly, multitasking with a dozen things running doesn't stutter, and the 12GB of RAM keeps everything in memory. The display is a standout too, hitting 96th percentile, with buttery 120Hz scrolling and ProScaler making images look crisp. The only weak spot is connectivity, which lands at 64th percentile; it's fast enough with 5G and Wi-Fi, but if you were hoping for the latest Wi-Fi 7 or niche 5G bands, you might be a little let down.

Stacked against the iPhone 16 Pro Max, the S25 Ultra gives you a better zoom camera, the S Pen, and a more open OS, but you lose iMessage and that sweet Apple Watch integration. The Google Pixel 10a likely undercuts it on price and nails the AI assistant game, but it won't touch the storage or raw telephoto reach. The new Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra is the obvious next step if you want the latest and greatest, though it'll cost you even more. And if you're eyeing a foldable like the Motorola Razr Ultra 2025, know that you're trading the best camera system for pocketability. The S25 Ultra is the do-everything slab, and while each competitor beats it in one area, none matches its all-around dominance.

Yes, the price tag is steep. But if you're the type who actually uses 1TB of storage, shoots a lot of telephoto video, or just wants the most capable Android phone money can buy, you're getting what you pay for. The camera alone rivals dedicated point-and-shoots, and the battery and display are best-in-class. For many, the downgrade to a 256GB version at a lower price might make more sense, but this specific 1TB model is for those who refuse to compromise on storage and don't blink at the cost.

The Galaxy S25 Ultra is Samsung's everything-and-the-kitchen-sink flagship, and it absolutely delivers on the core stuff. You get a 6.9-inch AMOLED that hits 2600 nits, a Snapdragon 8 Elite chip that feels ludicrously fast, and a 200MP camera system that lands in the 99th percentile in our database. The 1TB storage model we tested is the star here, so if you shoot a ton of 8K video or hoard games, this phone just laughs at your data needs.

But this is also a $1,560 phone that drops the headphone jack and microSD slot. If you can live with that, you're getting the best camera we've ever tested on a slab phone, an S Pen that's genuinely useful for quick notes, and battery life that'll outlast your longest workday. It's not for minimalists or anyone who wants a compact device, but for power users, it's pretty much the Android ceiling right now.

If you absolutely need a headphone jack or expandable storage, look elsewhere—the ASUS ROG Phone 9 Pro or a mid-range Samsung A series might fit better. If you find massive phones uncomfortable, this 6.9-inch, 218g slab is a handful and the compact score in our tests was just 66.1 out of 100. And if you're not planning to use the S Pen or telephoto camera, the OnePlus 15 gives you similar core specs for less cash.

This is for the power user who wants the ultimate camera, the biggest built-in storage, and an S Pen that actually gets used. If you're upgrading from an older Galaxy Note or S Ultra, the leap in camera quality and battery life alone will feel massive. It's also a phenomenal choice for mobile photographers who need 10x optical zoom and 8K video in a pocketable form.