You either fall into the “it's just a phone” camp, or you're someone who meticulously pores over all the new features of a smartphone, stays up to date on all the top devices every year, and feels a sense of pride when you look at your shiny, pricey investment.
This is my 10th year of reviewing smartphones for a living, and I still get excited. I saved up cash working at my college library to buy my first phone, and I'm just as delighted a decade later when a new phone lands on my doorstep and I get to puzzle over its new capabilities, even if it only has minor changes over its predecessor.
Except, I didn't get any tingly feelings when the Galaxy S25 series arrived. Samsung had one of the most lackluster smartphone launches I've seen of late—not because these are bad phones, but because there's not much new. The hardware is barely different—it's all AI, AI, AI, some of which is useful, some of which is not. I also struggle to find any character in this phone's design—the launch colors are boring.
All this to say the Galaxy S25 ($800), Galaxy S25+ ($1,000), and Galaxy S25 Ultra ($1,300) are powerful, reliable, and well-equipped smartphones. They're excellent upgrades if you're coming from a three or four-year-old device. They're just not otherwise interesting or exciting.