The Samsung Galaxy S25+ is the Android for everyone

I’ve been using the Galaxy S25+ alongside the Galaxy Watch 7, Galaxy Ring, Galaxy Tab S10 Ultra, and Galaxy Book 360 as part of a story about Samsung’s device ecosystem. However,  I would love to single out the S25+ because it might be the best Samsung smartphone this year.

Of course, I’m saying this before the company releases its S25 Edge, the expected S25 FE, and the upcoming Galaxy foldable smartphones, but even looking ahead, the S25+ is a solid handset.

In 2025, the Samsung Galaxy S25+ feels like the placeholder handset. When you think about an Android phone without the bells and whistles, the S25+ comes to mind. It doesn’t have that 200-megapixel camera or a periscope lens, it doesn’t have any special lights on the back, it’s not foldable, and it isn’t uniquely thin.

The S25+ doesn’t feel special, lacks gimmicks, and is not the best at anything, but you’re not paying that special premium price. While this might be an insult, I’ve been having a great time with the S25+ and its conventionality.

A brilliant navy 
When people think of the standard smartphone, the iPhone comes to mind nowadays, especially in Canada. Close your eyes, and in your mind, think of a standard iPhone with Android elements. Get rid of the Dynamic Island, replace it with a hole-punch camera, and place three lenses vertically in the top right corner instead of that square-like camera module. There you have it, the S25+.

While I typically love a phone with individuality, like the Nothing Phone 3a’s Glyph Interface or the Z Fold 6’s folding display, I find the Z Fold 6 quite refined for a device with nothing special about its design.

The Galaxy S25+ measures 146.9 x 70.5 x 7.2 mm, making it thinner than many other smartphones, especially those considered flagships. The handset weighs 162g, significantly lighter than many other flagship phones. I didn’t think I would care about a phone being lighter. Generally, I think phones are light enough.

However, getting a handset that is about 30g lighter than the Pixel 9 Pro XL is shockingly nice. I would have never imagined that having a light and thin phone feels so nice to hold. I usually gravitate towards big, hulkin’ devices like the 9 Pro XL or the Z Fold 6, so it’s nice to experience a premium-feeling handset that’s also thin.

The S25+ comes in several different colours; I’m using the ‘navy’ colour variant, which sounds boring but looks pretty nice, especially when it shines in the light. Other design elements include the thin aluminum frame that’s nice to hold and a matte back. I like how the phone looks; it’s stylish for a standard device. However, I’ve also found the handset incredibly slippery. I haven’t dropped a phone this many times in several years, but on the bright side, it only has a few scratches and no cracks.

Drawbacks

Samsung’s Galaxy S25+ isn’t the top-of-the-line flagship, and it shows up every once in a while. This is probably most noticeable when it comes to performance. I’m not saying the handset is bad by any means, but after using the S25 Ultra, you can tell there are some differences. Notably, benchmarks don’t show concerns, as the handset performs better than the S25 Ultra in Geekbench 6. The S25+ scored a single-core score of 2435 and a multi-core score of 8807, a bit better than the S25 Ultra single-core score of 2101 and multi-core score of 8100. Still, as we always say, benchmarks don’t equate to real-life experience.

In terms of that experience, I used the S25+ for several weeks before writing this review, which is longer than I usually spend with devices. I’ve used the handset to check emails, respond to texts, write articles on the fly, scroll through social media, play music, and watch YouTube videos. All these tasks work perfectly fine, but sometimes, when gaming, the phone can heat up. This doesn’t happen when playing smaller titles like Marvel Snap (even during longer, 30+ minute sessions), or when streaming with Game Pass or PlayStation Remote Play. However, some downloaded titles can cause the handset to warm up. Notably, Cassette Beasts caused the device to get pretty warm in less than 10 minutes. It was not too warm to hold, but it was noticeable. If you’re not a mobile gamer, this probably isn’t a concern for you, and if you are, it didn’t impact the actual title, but it’s worth it.

The S25+ also sports a 4,90mAh battery with 45W wired charging. The combination makes for a battery that can make it to the end of the day and charges quickly. Some people say they’re squeezing more battery life out of it than the S25 Ultra, but I haven’t had this luck. The S25 Ultra made it to the next day around noon, but I haven’t had it that good with the S25+. It could be what I’m doing with the device; maybe I’m playing more games than before, but regardless, I expected a better battery situation.

Additionally, the S25+ offers AI features similar to those of the S25 Ultra. Now Bar takes the iPhone’s Dynamic Island or OnePlus Live Alerts and works on your lock screen and your status bar. Now Brief is supposed to learn your schedule and give you a summary of your day. Now Brief works with Samsung Routines, Digital Wellbeing, Travel, Music and Podcasts, YouTube Shorts, and even traffic updates; however, I didn’t find it worked that well. I noted this similar experience when I reviewed the S25 Ultra.

The S25+ cameras remain the same as last year’s model. They take good pictures, with nice details and accurate colours. With the S25+, you don’t get the 200-megapixel camera that you see in the Ultra smartphones; instead, it has a 50-megapixel primary, a 10-megapixel telephoto with 3x optical zoom, and a 12-megapixel ultrawide shooter.

I’m incredibly surprised by how much I like the S25+. I wouldn’t have been concerned about using this device, but with the S25 Ultra having such a high price tag, I wanted to look at the handset that’s probably more likely for some to purchase.

Regularly, the S25+ costs $1,439, which might be a bit too expensive for this handset. This device should cost around $1,250 compared to handsets like the OnePlus 13. That phone offers a better battery experience and is more powerful than the S25+, but the S25 is lighter, thinner and feels better to hold. In March, the S25+ cost $999 for the 256GB and $1,179 for the 512GB variant. This was a great deal, and the handset is worth this price tag. However, it might be worth waiting until the S25 Edge if you’re all about light and thin.

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