Alright, tech fans, buckle up—we’re taking a deep, rambling dive into the Samsung Galaxy S25 Plus, the awkward middle sibling of the shiny new S25 lineup. Is it a succulent slab of smartphone perfection or just a reheated leftover from last year’s menu? I’ve had my SIM card stuffed in this thing for days, testing it from every angle, so let’s unpack it with a mix of real-world experience and expert insight, Let’s get into it!

Design: Same Old Samsung, Slippery and Scratch-Happy

First off, the Galaxy S25 Plus isn’t winning any originality awards. It’s like Samsung hit copy-paste on the S24 Plus—if you’ve seen one Galaxy, you’ve seen ‘em all. Picture this: a 6.7-inch body, 7.1mm thin, weighing in at 198g, with an armor aluminum frame sandwiched between Gorilla Glass Victus 2 front and back. It’s got a matte finish that laughs in the face of greasy fingerprints, and it’s IP68-rated for dust and water resistance (submerge it up to 1.5m for 30 minutes, no sweat). Colors? You’ve got Navy (my pick—classy as heck), Icy Blue, Mint, Silver Shadow, and some bold online-exclusive shades like a screaming pink that’ll wake up your nan.

• Pros:
  • Skinny bezels make it feel sleek despite the size (162.2 x 77.6 x 7.1mm).
  • Lightweight for a big phone—198g isn’t bad at all.
  • That matte back is a fingerprint-repelling champ.
• Cons:
  • Slippery as a wet eel—no grip, no chunky camera bump to rest your finger on.
  • Camera lens surrounds are thicker this year—looks a bit clunky.
  • Scratches galore after a week—no pre-installed screen protector, so grab one fast.

I haven’t dropped it yet (a miracle given my post-pub clumsiness), but the lack of grip is a gamble with a phone that costs around £999/$1,000. Slap a case and screen protector on this £1,000 beauty ASAP—those scratches on my review unit are giving me anxiety.

Display: Bright, Bold, and a Flicker Warning

The 6.7-inch Dynamic AMOLED 2X screen is a proper treat—Quad HD+ resolution (1440 x 3088 pixels), a silky 120Hz refresh rate, and colors so vivid they’ll slap you awake. It’s got HDR10+ support for Netflix and YouTube, peaking at 2600 nits of brightness—bright enough to cut through a sunny day (a rare event where I’m at). No fancy anti-reflective coating like the S25 Ultra, but I’ve had zero visibility issues so far, even with a bit of glare.

Here’s the rundown:

• Size: 6.7 inches—slots nicely between the compact S25 (6.2”) and monstrous Ultra (6.9”).
• Resolution: 1440 x 3088 (QHD+), but you’ve got to toggle it on—defaults to FHD+.
• Refresh Rate: Up to 120Hz, smooth as butter in supported apps.
• Brightness: 2600 nits peak—blindingly good.

Heads-up, though—if you’re prone to eye strain from PWM flicker (that subtle pulsing at low brightness), this might bug you. Samsung skips advanced dimming tech here, though eye comfort modes help a bit. The stereo speakers? Loud, crisp, with decent bass—not the deepest I’ve heard, but they’ll fill a room without distortion.

Performance: Snapdragon 8 Elite Crushes It

Powering this beast is Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8 Elite for Galaxy—a custom, overclocked version of the 8 Gen 3. Paired with 12GB of LPDDR5X RAM, it’s a monster. The S24 Plus’s Exynos 2400 could stutter on heavy games, but this? Flawless. I ran Genshin Impact and Warzone Mobile at max settings—smooth as silk, no overheating, thanks to a slightly bigger vapor chamber. AnTuTu score? A whopping 1,750,000—that’s flagship territory, smoking last year’s S24 Plus (around 1,300,000).

Specs Table:

• Gaming: Genshin Impact at 60fps, no lag, stays cool.
• Storage: Starts at 256GB (upgradeable to 512GB)—plenty for apps, games, and 8K vids.
• Bonus: Ultra-wideband (UWB) support for precise tracking—missing on the base S25.

This is the S25 Plus’s biggest glow-up—performance junkies, rejoice!

Software: One UI 7—AI Chaos and Longevity

You’re getting Android 15 with Samsung’s One UI 7 slapped on top—messy but packed with potential. Seven years of OS and security updates (through 2032!) make it a future-proof buy. The AI push is hit-or-miss: “Now Briefing” gives you weather, calendar, and a Spotify playlist that thinks I’m into Nickelback (I’m a metal guy—think Metallica, not Chad Kroeger). Sports scores on the lock screen are clutch, though—unless your team’s losing, then it’s just pain.

• AI Highlights:
  • Smart notifications—clean and intuitive.
  • Translation/transcription—more languages, but it pegged me as Australian (I’m not, mate).
  • Photo editing—remove objects like a pro.
• Grumbles:
  • App duplication—Samsung Internet vs. Chrome? Just pick one!
  • AI features are locked to Samsung apps (no Chrome web summaries).

Game Boost toolbar’s smarter now, and I love splitting the control center from notifications—customizable bliss. It’s a bit buggy (is that a feature or a glitch?), but it’s workable.

Battery Life: Nearly Ultra-Level Stamina

The 4,900mAh battery isn’t the biggest—Chinese rivals like the Xiaomi 14T Pro pack 5,500mAh—but it’s a trooper. I averaged 6-7 hours of screen-on time (browsing, streaming, camera tests, Spotify), ending with 35-40% left. Gaming chews through it faster, but casual use? Golden.

• Charging:
  • 45W wired—0-70% in ~35 minutes (cable included).
  • 15W wireless—works with my old Pixel charger, no hiccups.
  • No 100W+ speeds like some rivals, but reliable.

Battery Specs:

Solid, not spectacular—but it’ll get you through the day.

Camera: Decent, Not Dazzling

The camera’s a carbon copy of the S25 and S24 Plus: 50MP main (f/1.8), 12MP ultra-wide (f/2.2), 10MP 3x telephoto (f/2.4). Daylight shots pop with detail, but overexposure can bleach colors, and night mode gets noisy. Portraits are iffy—great in sun, soft in shade. Video’s a highlight—8K or 4K/60fps with HDR10+, stellar stabilization, and clear audio (wind aside).

• Camera Specs:
  • Main: 50MP, f/1.8, OIS
  • Ultra-wide: 12MP, f/2.2, 120° FOV
  • Telephoto: 10MP, f/2.4, 3x optical zoom
  • Selfie: 12MP, f/2.2
  • Video: 8K/30fps, 4K/60fps HDR10+
• Standouts: AI object removal, “best shot” for wriggly kids.
• Letdowns: Low-light noise, inconsistent portrait tones.

It’s good, not great—OnePlus 13 and Pixel 9 Pro run circles around it.

Verdict: Who’s This For?

The Galaxy S25 Plus is a weird one. It’s £999/$1,000 (less with trade-ins)—cheaper than the S25 Ultra (£1,249/$1,299), and beefier than the S25 (£799/$799). The Snapdragon boost and battery life are wins, but the stale design and so-so camera hold it back. If you’ve got an S24 Plus, skip it—upgrades are incremental. New buyers? It’s a solid all-rounder facing stiff competition from the OnePlus 13 (£899, better software), Pixel 9 Pro (£999, camera king), and Xiaomi 14T Pro (£699, insane value).

Final Thoughts:

• Buy If: You want a big-screen Samsung with top-tier performance and long support.
• Skip If: You crave fresh design or cutting-edge cameras.

Got the S25 Plus? Tell me your take below—I’m dying to hear! For now, I’m off to enjoy this rare sunshine before it ghosts me again. Cheers!