Here is why I would not replace

With cutting-edge specs and a worth to match, Samsung’s Galaxy S Extremely line represents the gold commonplace of Android smartphones. this yr’s Galaxy S25 Extremely It delivers on each counts, as anticipated, however does it provide sufficient to entice long-time followers of the sequence to improve? In contrast with the S23 Extremely Since solely two generations in the past, ought to I improve to the S25 Extremely?

Whereas we’re nonetheless testing the Galaxy S25 Extremely absolutely Android Authority evaluation, I’ve already determined whether or not updating this technology is smart or not. Here is why.

Whereas Samsung hasn’t paid a lot consideration to the common Galaxy S25 and S25 Plus fashions this yr, I am joyful to report that the S25 Extremely brings no less than some enhancements over its predecessors.

Beginning with the design, the S25 Extremely now not appears to be like as intimidating to carry, having fully eliminated the onerous corners and curved display from the road. It is simple to see that the brand new telephone will not dig into my palm and it is a massive aid coming from an older mannequin just like the S23 Extremely. The S25 Extremely’s flat show will even imply much less reflections in vivid environments and higher sturdiness, however we’ll discuss these later.

Transferring on to the internals of the telephone, the S25 Extremely contains the most recent and biggest from Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite. The telephone is an honest step up from the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 within the S23 Extremely. Nonetheless, it is only a distinction you may discover if you happen to routinely push your telephone to the restrict with video enhancing and equally intensive duties. Nonetheless, the bottom storage mannequin of the S25 Extremely has an additional 4GB of RAM, which might make an enormous distinction to the extent it helps future software program options like Samsung’s Galaxy AI suite. I would not base an improve solely on these efficiency facets, however they’re welcome bonuses.

Along with the tapered corners, the display additionally managed to get somewhat bigger on the S25 Extremely and can seem considerably brighter in comparison with an older flagship just like the S23 Extremely.

Above the show, you may discover that the S25 Extremely has adopted Corning’s second-generation Gorilla Glass Armor safety. Samsung instructed us that it processed fewer screen-related repairs on the next-generation S24 Extremely, which was the primary smartphone to undertake Gorilla Glass Armor. This second technology model is much more sturdy. The S25 Extremely additionally carries ahead the anti-reflective coating we noticed on final yr’s flagship. This makes the telephone rather more usable in vivid environments like direct daylight and offers me virtually sufficient causes to think about buying Samsung’s Extremely line.

Whereas the primary digital camera hasn’t seen any main modifications between generations, Samsung has modified different sensors lately. With final yr’s S24 Extremely, the corporate confusingly swapped the 10MP 10x periscope lens for a 50MP 5x digital camera, primarily buying and selling some optical zoom for decision. Nonetheless, this labored fairly nicely due to some intelligent software program processing and has been carried over to this technology’s S25 Extremely.

As for what’s new this time round, the ultrawide sensor has been upgraded from a tiny 12MP to a whopping 50MP. In addition to providing rather more element than you’d anticipate, it additionally has the impact of considerably enhancing macro pictures as they rely fully on an ultra-wide sensor crop.

Coming again to design and sturdiness, the Galaxy S23 Extremely was the final telephone within the sequence to make use of an aluminum mid-frame. The S25 Extremely encompasses a titanium building and has allowed Samsung to scale back the load to a way more manageable 218g. This can be a important distinction that most individuals will discover instantly when buying the Galaxy S25 Extremely. It additionally helps that titanium is extra sturdy.

All this speak of sturdiness brings us to software program help, the place the S25 Extremely has taken an enormous step ahead over its two-year-old predecessor. Samsung now affords seven years of software program updates on the S25 household versus 4 years on the Galaxy S24. This places an earlier expiration date, though it would not matter a lot for current homeowners who can nonetheless wait a yr or two earlier than upgrading.

A number of fascinating {hardware} enhancements apart, I’ve to confess that the Galaxy S25 Extremely hasn’t made the S23 Extremely out of date or unusable. Not solely that, the S23 Extremely nonetheless retains some benefits during the last flagship. Take the signature of the sequence. Pencil SFor instance. Samsung has inexplicably eliminated Bluetooth connectivity from this technology, which has been a mainstay because the Galaxy Word 9 added it in 2019. I loved utilizing it as a distant shutter for selfies, so I am somewhat dissatisfied to see it. function dropped.

The periscope lens dropping to 5x optical zoom can be technically a downgrade on the newer telephone, however few folks have to zoom as much as 10x anyway. Lastly, the dearth of a curved display could also be a disappointment to some who actually desire it, on condition that few telephones now embrace this once-premium function.

For my part, Samsung has additionally not paid sufficient consideration to sure facets of the Extremely sequence over time, which has saved the S23 sequence related for longer than we anticipated. Battery dimension, for instance, stays stagnant even two years later, and quick charging hasn’t improved both. And whereas we have been as soon as hopeful that the S25 would natively help Qi2 chargingSamsung hasn’t even integrated magnets into its official instances. A sturdy accent ecosystem will surely tempt me to improve fairly than look forward to the following technology.

Barring an enormous low cost or Samsung’s frequent and beneficiant trade-in affords, I personally cannot justify the improve given the pretty incremental modifications on provide. For my part, the Galaxy S23 Extremely has aged very nicely and can proceed to obtain software program updates for some time longer. It is also value noting that the Galaxy S25 Extremely prices $100 greater than the S23 Extremely at launch, bringing the full to $1,299. And if you happen to’re shopping for among the finest telephones in the marketplace, you may want further storage too.

With all that in thoughts, here is a rundown of who ought to take into account upgrading from the S23 Extremely to the S25 Extremely and who ought to maybe wait somewhat longer:

• You need to solely improve to the Galaxy S25 Extremely if you happen to care about lighter weight, higher sturdiness, and higher efficiency in comparison with the S23 Extremely.
• The S23 Extremely will proceed to obtain software program updates, so it makes monetary sense to attend one other yr or two earlier than upgrading.
• I like to recommend maintaining a tally of trade-in values, although, as Samsung telephones are likely to go on sale fairly incessantly. Chances are you’ll discover that an improve is feasible for only some hundred {dollars}.

Have you ever already determined to improve to the Galaxy S25 Extremely? Tell us within the survey above.