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I have been using Samsung new Galaxy S25 Ultra For a few days, I have a confession. For many years, my favorite ultra-wide camera on any phone has been on the Samsung Galaxy S models, and the new version is on S25 Ultra It is even better. when Galaxy S10 series In 2019, I couldn’t take enough photos with Samsung’s first ultra-wide camera. Was it perfect? No, but the lens has an amazing way of distorting reality to make ultra-wide images look dramatic without becoming a fisheye complete with distorted edges.
over the years, Samsung It has updated the lens and sensor on the ultra-wide camera. The Galaxy S25 Ultra introduces a new version with a 50-megapixel sensor – and it’s amazing. Judging from my first 48 hours with the S25 Ultra, the ultra-wide range seems to attract attention a lot of detail, with respectable dynamic range, especially for high-contrast shots with varied light and shadow-like sunrises. Obviously I still have to do more testing, but so far I like the images I get from the new ultra-wide camera.
The S25 Ultra Wide Camera gives Pebbles the cat a dramatic look as he moves to look out the window.
Take a look at the ultra-high-resolution details captured by the S25 Ultra in this photo of Pebbles the cat. Even though Peebles scrambled to his bed next to the window, the phone picked up a large amount of webbing in his fur and whiskers. This photo has some difficult lighting, with sunlight streaming through the window on the left into a dark room. Notice the blurring of the image in the shadows on the right side. excellent? No, but in my book, the detail and dramatic distortion of the lens makes up for it.
Although the ultra-wide camera isn’t clinically perfect (and still less so compared to the main camera), it can produce stunning shots like this of water flowing down stone steps.
Here’s an early morning shot of a water sculpture captured on a wide-angle camera. Flowing water looks like glass compared to stone. This image has been sharpened, but I like the look of the sunburst glow in the upper right corner.
Macro photography gets a nice boost thanks to the new 50MP sensor.
The S25 Ultra’s ultra-wide camera acts as a macro lens, allowing it to get much closer to its subject while still keeping things in focus. In this photo of a toy Godzilla on a windowsill, the plastic texture of the monster shows off well. Notice the detailing of the turquoise eyes and cream-colored teeth – Godzilla might need to visit the dentist. The S25 Ultra also balances the exposure of the Godzilla image while avoiding blowing out highlights of the sky and cityscape outside the window.
This photo was taken with the S25 Ultra’s main camera.
This is the same scene captured with the ultra-wide camera.
The ultra-wide camera isn’t without its flaws, and is still a step back in terms of overall image quality compared to the main camera. Notice in the images above that the image from the main camera has better detail in the shadows (trees on the right) and wider dynamic range, and that the main camera uses less noise reduction (look at the bricks on the buildings). But even with these downsides, images from the ultra-wide range are often eye-catching.
Here are some ultra-wide shots from the S25 Ultra.
This ultra-wide photo was taken indoors with a mix of overhead light and daylight coming through the windows.
I’m a fan of the dynamic range, which isn’t as wide as that of the main camera but is respectable for a phone’s ultra-wide camera.
Maisie the cat’s downward gaze is even more dramatic through an ultra-wide lens. Of course, while this picture is perfect, it’s not perfect, as the shadows in her coat have turned black.
Artificial intelligence and rounded corners
The S Pen comes out of the Galaxy S25 Ultra. Notice the new rounded corners of the phone.
But wait, there’s more! Although the word Ultra in the phone’s name does not refer to the ultra-wide lens, it symbolizes the ambitions of this phone. The Galaxy S25 Ultra is superior in every way in terms of specs: Snapdragon 8 Elite chipAnd 12GB of RAM, a 5,000 mAh battery, two telephoto cameras, a stylus, and the real star of the phone, that display. But the same can be said about last year S24 Ultraif you replace the new chip with last year’s chip that is still burning quickly Snapdragon 8 3rd generation.
In terms of physical design, the S25 Ultra now has rounded corners instead of the Galaxy Note-ish right angles found in previous Ultra phones. Just like normal Galaxy S25 and S25 PlusThe edges of the phone are now flat, which I find makes the phone easier to hold. The S25 Ultra weighs less than last year’s model. Watching videos, playing games, or just browsing social feeds feels more immersive, thanks to the thin screen bezels. None of these improvements are major, but they add up to make the S25 Ultra feel more polished and less like I’m carrying a tech-dense brick with me.
Then there is artificial intelligence. Oh, AI. While unveiling the S25 Ultra phone at the Galaxy Unpacked event, Samsung highlighted its relationship and partnership with Google. This may be the best way to think about it All these features AI. You need to have a Google account for the Gemini side of things and a Samsung account for the on-device and Bixby side of things.
Watch this: Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra hands-on: Bigger screen, more AI
As advertised, a long press of the power button allows me to pull up the Gemini interface to ask things like when the next Warriors game is out and to add it to my calendar. Having a digital assistant perform multiple steps of a single command is great. Unfortunately, it added the game to the Samsung Calendar app and not to the Google Calendar app I’ve used for years — an assumption that meant I’d have to manually add the event to the latter calendar anyway.
This may sound funny, but aside from my preference for Google’s apps over Samsung’s, having a digital assistant capable of more complex queries will take some getting used to. Like most phone owners, I mastered the step-by-step reality that our current smartphones have had for years. In the short time I’ve had the phone, I’ve been trying to think of additional ways I can take advantage of this more advanced assistant.
My final thoughts at the moment are that I really like the idea of a Now bar on the lock screen that shows live updates to background apps. But unlike the iPhone and live activities on the lock screen, they are very limited at the moment. I see the potential and hope this is something Samsung can attract more third-party developers to take advantage of.
I have more testing to do, but after two days, I’m still feeling pretty good about the new S25 Ultra.
Does artificial intelligence have color? Samsung claims a wonderful blue color for the Galaxy S25 phones
