This week, Samsung launched its long-awaited Galaxy S25 series. The prices in mainland Europe are the same as last year and, as usual, there are pre-order perks for early adopters.
The Samsung Galaxy S25 trio comes with a free storage upgrade, meaning that you will be getting a 256GB Galaxy S25 and 512GB Galaxy S25+ or S25 Ultra for the same price as their base models. In the case of the vanilla and Ultra phones, there is an extra storage tier (512GB for the S25 and 1TB for the S25 Ultra), which costs what the medium tier normally does.
Did you check out our hands-on review and our two-part camera shootout between the Galaxy S25 Ultra and S24 Ultra? If not, have a look. Okay then – before making a yes/no decision on the S25 series, you should consider the alternatives.
The Google Pixel 9 Pro XL will be one of the main rivals of the S25 Ultra. It currently costs less for a unit with 512GB storage – even with the free storage upgrade on the Galaxy! The Tensor G4 can’t match the performance of the Snapdragon 8 Elite, but the phone has a 48MP ultra-wide camera (countering the one camera upgrade Samsung brought this year), along with a 48MP 113mm periscope and a 50MP main.
The small Google Pixel 9 Pro is €50 more than the small Galaxy S25 when looking at 256GB models. The Pixel is a bit larger and what we said about the Tensor chip remains true. However, this phone has the same cameras as the Pro XL and the 48MP 113mm module wipes the floor with the 10MP 67mm module on the Galaxy, the same goes for the 48MP ultra-wide vs. 12MP. Even the selfie camera is better at 42MP 17mm ultra-wide vs. 12MP 26mm on the Galaxy.
The OnePlus 13 uses the Snapdragon 8 Elite chip (with slightly lower clocks) and boasts triple 50MP Hasselblad cameras: 50MP main, 50MP 73mm periscope and 50MP ultra-wide. And it breaks the mould with a large 6,000mAh battery that supports 100W wired and 50W wireless fast charging. None of that 45W charging here!
The Realme GT 7 Pro is available in a 12/256GB configuration with that same Snapdragon 8 Elite. It’s a large phone with a 6.78” LTPO display and it puts almost as much emphasis on its cameras as the OnePlus: it has a 50MP main, a 50MP 73mm telephoto and only an 8MP ultra wide. The battery is even bigger at 6,500mAh and it supports fast 120W charging (wired only, though).
The Red Magic 10 Pro is another Snapdragon 8 Elite option at €800 or so. This one has more RAM (16GB) and storage (512GB) than the Realme and is a gaming phone with an active cooling fan. The 6.85” display (144Hz, non-LTPO) has an under-display camera to keep the front unblemished. The rear cameras include a 50MP main and 50MP ultra wide, but no telephoto. Are you ready for this? The phone has a 7,050mAh battery with 100W charging (again, wired only). Note that the fan means there’s no water resistance rating.
There’s also Samsung’s own Galaxy S24 FE. It’s quite cheap – costing just €610 for a 256GB phone – but it’s large too with a 6.7” display. It’s not a direct competitor to either the S25 or S25+, but offers maybe 80% of the same experience. The display is a 1080p+ non-LTPO panel and the Exynos 2400e is faster than the Tensor, though not nearly as fast as the Snapdragon. But the rest is similar to identical and without paying a “new flagship” price.
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