5 months of love… and 3 disappointments

After five months to test the Samsung Galaxy S25 plus on a daily basis, here is my feedback on what I still like in this smartphone, but also my few disappointments.

After testing the Samsung Galaxy S25 Plus, I decided to make it my daily smartphone. It was five months ago already, the opportunity for me to come back to certain points which confirm my initial impression, or which made me be disillusioned after a few weeks of use.

An exceptional weight / size ratio

I will not come back to the impeccable design of the Galaxy S25+ and its finishes worthy of the high -end smartphone that it is. With its 6.7 -inch screen diagonal for only 190 g on the scale, it benefits from a fairly exceptional weight / size ratio that particularly appealed to me.

It is really pleasant to use on a daily basis insofar as viewing comfort does not necessarily result in the obligation to hold it with two hands or to have bodybuilding with his little finger to keep it painfully. For comparison, I used just before a Pixel 9 which has a smaller screen (6.3 inches), but which weighs 8 grams more than this S25+.

Team “without protection”: serious error

Your servant is from the team “No extra shell or protective glass”. Yes, a glass film on the screen and a robust shell allow you to keep a phone in impeccable condition to be able to resell it at the best price, but when you like the design of your smartphone, as was my case with this model, we also want to be able to take advantage of it.

This did not prevent me from being careful in my use of the Galaxy S25+. His glass Gorilla Glass Victus 2 at the front and rear as well as his IP68 certification allowed him to withstand a few falls, which have never been fatal, as well as rainy days, without flinching. Understand by this that the device has always remained functional, but the aesthetics of the product, however, lived quite badly the test of “real life”.

Indeed, after five months of testing, the screen is full of micro scratches, some deeper than others. Brands due to other objects that I have been able to slip into my pockets or my bags. The aluminum frame also did not resist falls very well. The beautiful blue paint quickly scattered.

A superb screen, but very slippery

The screen is really very comfortable, both in size and its definition. After using a pixel 9 for a few weeks, the difference in the display comfort is notable. The large screen diagonal and the number of upper pixels of the Galaxy S25+, as well as the One UI interface, really make the difference. The average brightness of the screen (1524 cd/m² according to our 01LAB) makes the phone display perfectly readable in all situations, including by a great sun.

If the display is impeccable, the screen itself (perfectly flat, up to the edges of the smartphone) has the annoying tendency to slip inexorably to the floor if you do not place it on a perfectly flat surface. It happened to me several times to put it and hear it falls a few seconds later, gently, but surely …

Impeccable performance

I will go short here: after having an Exynos 2400 chip on the Galaxy S24 and S24+, the return to a Qualcomm chip is beneficial. The Snapdragon 8 Elite and the 12 GB of RAM which accompanies it are impossible to take in default. You can open as many applications you want, the Galaxy S25 Plus will juggles without problem with. I did not really have a gaming use of the phone, and the S25+ is not the best in this area, but there is no doubt that it is able to run all the games of the Play Store in good conditions.

One UI 7: the soufflé falls a little

In my initial test, I qualified one UI 7 as the “real star” of the Galaxy S25. Aesthetically, this new version of the Samsung interface is a real success. The ergonomics are also excellent and the enormous level of personalization allows everyone to navigate. For example, I like to be able to separate or not the notifications of the shortcuts or change the size of the files to properly store my applications on the different offices. On the component of features linked to artificial intelligence, I was buffulated by the possibilities of photo editing, superior to what competition can offer in this area.

But for the rest, the enthusiasm of the beginning has given way to a more “basic” use of the phone. For example, I have almost not used the “Now Bar” which is at the bottom of the locking screen, except to restart multimedia content or pause a stopwatch. Same thing for the “Now Brief” functionality which summarizes your day as well as the events to come, the fault of an imperfect integration with the applications that I use.

To read: Samsung would upset its calendar of Android updates for one ui

Nor did I have the reflex to ask the Google Gemini assistant to send a message to a contact by digging useful information from other applications. An interesting interoperability, but which is unfortunately too approximate to make it completely trust in everyday life. In short, one UI 7 remains one of my favorite interfaces, but certain features related to artificial intelligence still deserve some improvements to be perfectly operational. Maybe with one UI 8?

Comfortable autonomy and load

If the 4900 mAh battery is far from breaking endurance records, Samsung has sufficiently optimized the energy efficiency of its device to make the most of it. After several months of use, I was able to count on a day and a half of use on average. The two days are reachable, provided you do not seek the device too much.

The S25+ benefits from the same load speed as the ultra galaxy S25, that is to say 45 W maximum in wired. Not enough to beat records since it takes more than an hour for a complete recharge of 0 to 100 %. On the other hand, 30 minutes are enough to find around 60 % of autonomy, which is fast enough to recharge the device a little before having to leave quickly.

An excellent companion to take photos

The Galaxy S25+ is not as well equipped as the ultra galaxy S25, but the fact that it offers an X3 optical zoom makes the difference. This allows beautiful versatility in almost all situations. An excellent photophone, therefore, as I have already pointed out in my initial test. Here are some samples of shots taken in the past few months:

© 01net

5 months later, still a safe bet?

At the time of the balance sheet, I still highly recommend the Samsung Galaxy S25 Plus. In the test, I described the Galaxy S25+ as “perfect compromise”. But perfection is not of this world and I now have some criticisms to make it on the software level and that of sustainability. But let’s not spoil our pleasure.

Initially marketed at 1172.05 euros (yes, it’s very precise), it is found today for less than 800 euros at certain resellers. Enough to make an excellent value for money for 2025. More than a large Galaxy S25, the S25+ is an ultra Galaxy S25 to which we would have removed some refinements. A safe bet for those looking for a large, not too bulky smartphone and who are ready to make some compromise in the photo and on the absence of anti-reflective treatment of the slab, reserved for the ultra model. For the rest, the Galaxy S25+ makes the difference thanks to its balance and its versatility.

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