If you have a Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra, the S25 Ultra isn’t the upgrade you might think – Android Police

Samsung was clear in its pitch for the Galaxy S25 Ultra. This phone is aimed at people upgrading from older generations of Samsung hardware. At this price point, it doesn’t feature upgrades enthusiasts would want and doesn’t compare favorably to some notable improvements made by competitors like OnePlus. Still, Samsung claims that you’ll be happy if you’re coming from an S22 or S23 series device.Unfortunately, there’s a problem with that. If you’re targeting casual users for updates, you must consider their less demanding requirements. I have both phones, and I’m not immune to the obvious upgrades on the Galaxy S25 Ultra, but for most users, the Galaxy S22 Ultra is still more than up to the task.This isn’t the path, Samsung People love to throw out Samsung’s enhanced trade-in offers as a reason to upgrade, and yes, $600 in trade for your Galaxy S22 Ultra sounds like a good deal at first. However, you didn’t get that Galaxy S22 Ultra for free, and an example in respectable condition is selling for at least $330, so you’re still paying over $1,000 for the Galaxy S25 Ultra out of pocket. I want to make sure I’m getting the most value for that kind of money, and the Galaxy S22 Ultra still provides enough of a premium experience to make me wait another year to upgrade.The Galaxy S22 Ultra easily handles daily tasks, and I don’t experience any lag when using apps like Instagram or Facebook. Sure, the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 powering the S22 Ultra will show its age when playing AAA mobile games or editing video, but beyond that, you won’t feel the squeeze just yet. It’s also important to remember the Galaxy S22 Ultra is still in support, with at least one more major One UI upgrade promised and two more years of security updates. This means you can use your banking and financial apps confidently without using solutions like LineageOS for security patches. One UI 7 is coming to your Galaxy S22 Ultra, and while I can’t promise which features of Galaxy AI will be supported, Samsung has stated that whatever features it can bring to older hardware, it will. It may mean more AI magic is handled in the cloud than on your device, but I don’t think you’ll be starving for AI features on your S22 Ultra, especially since Galaxy AI and Google Gemini are already on your device with One UI 6.1. My Galaxy S22 Ultra’s polished aluminum frame still looks fantastic, and Gorilla Glass Victus+ protects the front and back. The phone has an IP68 rating, a 5,000mAh battery, 12GB of RAM, and a gorgeous QHD display — stop me if you’ve heard these specs before on another device. You pick up a couple of features on your S22 Ultra that you’d lose by upgrading. The older model still has a 10x optical periscope zoom, making the camera system more versatile. I know Samsung claims that the 5x the current models have can provide the same results as the 10x, but I like having the option of the additional optical zoom.Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra camera samplesPhotos from my Galaxy S22 Ultra still look impressive in good lighting. While you’ll notice a difference once the lumens become sparse, I’m happy with the output. The S22 Ultra features the much-discussed Bluetooth S Pen, so Air Command is available for swiping and controlling media from a distance. You can also trigger the shutter remotely with the button on your S Pen, but you lose all these features when upgrading to the Galaxy S25 Ultra.I agree with the people saying that this might be the beginning of the end for the Ultra as we know it.Despite its age, the Galaxy S22 Ultra looks and plays the part of a flagship from 2025. It has a premium design with high-quality materials and a stunning display with vibrant saturation that Samsung is just now returning to on the Galaxy S25 Ultra. If you’re the casual user Samsung targets for upgrades, you may want to hold out another year. When you hold the Galaxy S25 Ultra and S22 Ultra, it’s plain to see the Galaxy Note styling is gone. While the S22 Ultra takes design cues from the Note 20 Ultra and previous Notes, the Galaxy S25 Ultra seems like a beefed-up S25+. If you exhaled with relief when the S Pen returned on the S22 Ultra, you may be disappointed with the new design, as I feel it is a sign of things to come.I agree with the people saying that this might be the beginning of the end for the Ultra as we know it. I think the endgame is that Samsung wants to remove the S Pen entirely from the Galaxy Ultra lineup and place it in the Galaxy Z Fold series. The Galaxy Z Fold becomes the enthusiast device, and the Galaxy Ultra can become the top-of-the-line consumer phone. It’s disappointing because it means we’ll have to pay almost $2,000 for an S Pen in the future, but it wouldn’t surprise me.Even if pining for the long-lost days of the Galaxy Note isn’t enough for you to keep your S22 Ultra, there are still plenty of valid reasons why waiting another year makes sense. Yes, you’ll notice plenty of upgrades, from better battery life to slightly snappier performance. Still, if you’re honest with yourself, the Galaxy S22 Ultra is doing well enough to hang onto. It allows you to wait and see what Samsung has in store. If you like the changes on the S26 Ultra, you can upgrade then or find a fantastic deal on an older Galaxy Ultra model that better fits your needs.Samsung’s Galaxy S25 Ultra leaves the Note-like design behind for the very first time. With flat edges, curved corners, and a massive 6.9-inch display, this is a modern flagship through and through — and yes, that S Pen is still here too.We want to hear from you! Share your opinions in the thread below and remember to keep it respectful.Your comment has not been savedI’m still rocking my S22U and see no reason to upgrade. I’m not a power user and still get a day and a half of battery life out of it. Didn’t read the article, becuase the title was absolutely ridiculous. The 25 is a slight upgrade over the 24 which is a major upgrade over the 22. I’ve been using my 25u for over a week now and it’s a definite upgrade over the 24u. I also was running the one ui 7 beta on my 24 so it’s not just the UI that makes it better. I traded in my S22 ultra for the S25 ultra. With the great Samsung deals just pay 700 for the new phone. My S22 battery was very bad. So far loving the S25 ultra.Meh, I went from s22u to fold 6 during black friday and I’ll never go back. While I’m sure the s25u is sweet, it looks too boring now. Very iphone looking. Also sucks they upgraded the RAM for countries other than my own, so we have a crippled variant of the s25u available. I miss the curved glass, it was sexy. Wife went s25u from s22u and loves all the AI. Both the fold 6 and s25u run for 2 days on a charge. Fold is just more interesting to me, having a tablet in my pocket. I think many people misunderstood Samsung. They don’t want or expect everyone to upgrade, they are happy offering support on older models for non power hungry users, what they want is to offer a reliable device that can keep up with the demands of new tech. Samsung has been a pillar in the holding back advancements for a long time. If you don’t want to upgrade why did you buy such a top device only to rarely use it. Anyone using a s22 or newer device likely bought it as a power user, and by keeping that phone they are inadvertently forcing developers to make their apps compatible and able to run on potatoes. If you don’t want power they offer a who range of galaxy A devices. Like the A16 for a budget , to the A56 fully metal and glass almost identical to the s25 but with a budget chipset. Yes I know your s23u can still run most AAA games but that’s because Devs are forced to dumb down the games because people are resistant to upgrading. If they didn’t have these limitations the gaming world would be a better place. It’s not the people that don’t want to upgrade yet or want to get their money’s worth and don’t game that are causing the issue , it’s having older devices handed down to a gamer likely a child and then they need the device supported. I’m a father , I understand this. honestly trade in offers are currently fantastic. They are literally offering over half the value of the phone back if you trade in. Do you really think it’s gonna last twice as long? Then it dies , it’s now worth 0 . It’s actually more cost effective to trade it in .If you want to have the best of the best it’s definitely worth the upgrade. I used my old Note 10 for a $1000 discount and kept my S22 Ulta, after 3yrs the battery life is getting a bit poor is one reason for the update…I’m upgrading soon from the S22 Ultra to the S25 Ultra. The main reason is my battery life. I cannot make it through a day on one charge (this used never to be an issue). I’d hold out one more year if it weren’t for the battery life. I LOVE the S25U. The new UI style is amazing, and the Ai features are great, battery has been lasting me 2 days on one charge, and the fast 45w charging is super good as well. I refuse to buy any Samsung S phones after the S20, which I just purchased brand new in August due to the micro sd slot removal. I have way too much storage on my 500gb card to transfer phone to phone. Also, Samsung claims they got rid of the microsd slots on the galaxy S phones to save money. Really, then explain to me why in the world they have micro sd card slots on their mid range and low range priced phones? Supposedly the next A56 that comes out will be 45 watt charging. If that’s true, that means a mid range phone will have a faster charger than the galaxy S25. I have been buying the galaxy phone since the galaxy epic slide, 2010. Only once, I purchased a droid RAZR max, other than that, it’s been galaxy S phones for me and my wife, but no more after this S20 dies in 2 to 4 years.Still rocking my Galay S20 FE 5G with expandable storage up to 1 TB SD card (currently with 512GB which is fine) and headphone jack. Still getting 2 1/2 to 3+ days of battery life. No desire to do any gaming at all with my phone. Don’t use it for streaming services (that is what my TV is for or my laptop if necessary). It does what I need it to do and no upgrade in my near future. AI, what’s AI? Not even on my list of wants in a future phone. $1300 for an S25 Ultra phone? Whatever floats your boat, it’s your money. Buy what you want. It can’t be all about AIAfter a week of using this S25 Ultra, I think it’s one of the most misunderstood phones I’ve used latelyI don’t care about improved efficiencyS25 Ultra captures 60–70% of orders in KoreaWe expected more from Samsung’s newest flagshipAre you an early upgrader, or are you holding out?

Source: https://www.androidpolice.com/samsung-galaxy-s25-ultra-isnt-big-upgrade-s22-ultra-owners/