Samsung Galaxy S25 vs Samsung Galaxy S24: How much of an upgrade are we talking about?

The Samsung Galaxy S25 is here, and it's all too easy to overlook what Samsung has achieved with its compact flagship line.

Here is a phone that's downright tiny by modern standards, but which refuses to compromise on any of its hardware features. It might be small, but it's extremely fast, lasts a full day and change, and packs a comprehensive camera system that won't let you down.

Of course, the very same thing could be said about last year's Samsung Galaxy S24, which now has the benefit of being heavily discounted. So which of these two pocket powerhouses is the better buy?

We've spent a lot of time with both phones, and awarded them both highly respectable 4 out of 5 reviews (check out our Samsung Galaxy S25 review and Samsung Galaxy S24 review). Here's our expert opinion on how the two phones compare and which you should be buying in 2025.

Samsung Galaxy S25 vs Samsung Galaxy S24: specs comparison

Here’s an overview of how the Samsung Galaxy S25 and the Galaxy S24 match up, spec for spec:

Samsung Galaxy S25 vs Samsung Galaxy S24: price and availability

The Samsung Galaxy S25 arrived in shops on February 3, 2025, a solid year after the Galaxy S24, which landed on January 24, 2024.

Launch pricing was nigh-on identical between the two. Both phones started at $799 / £799 / AU $1,399 for the 128GB entry model. The 256GB models arrived at $859 / £859 / AU$1,399, while the range-topping 512GB variants hit the UK and Australia at £959 / AU$1,599. The latter wasn't made available in the US for either generation.

Of course, what with the Samsung Galaxy S24 no longer being the top dog, you can now find it for significantly cheaper. Samsung is still selling the phone brand new, but for a new starting price of $759.99 / £699 / AU$949.

Given Samsung's seven year software support promise, and the inherent similarities that we'll go on to discuss, there's a strong argument to be made that the Galaxy S24 represents a smarter purchase than the Galaxy S25.

Samsung Galaxy S25 vs Samsung Galaxy S24: design

Samsung hasn't changed up its core design all that much in several years. The Galaxy S25 looks and feels very much like the Galaxy S24, which is to say that it looks quite a lot like an iPhone.

You have the same flat aluminum frame on both phones, the same Gorilla Glass Victus 2 to the front and back, and the same IP68 water and dust resistance.

There's a slight cosmetic difference to the Galaxy S25's camera modules, which have a darker frame, but we wouldn't say that it's any better looking than the Galaxy S24's take.

Where the Galaxy S25 does improve is in the way it whittles down the already compact body of the Galaxy S24. At 7.2mm thick, and weighing just 162g, it's a tad smaller than the Galaxy S24, which is 7.6mm and 167g respectively.

The newer phone also features a fractionally (and we do mean fractionally) smaller display bezel. This all makes the Galaxy S25 one of the most compact phones on the market.

Even so, the lack of meaningful design improvements is a point of criticism for the Galaxy S25, and we expect something drastic for the Galaxy S26. On the other hand, it makes the prospect of buying the Galaxy S24 instead all the more appealing, as it hasn't aged at all.

Samsung Galaxy S25 vs Samsung Galaxy S24: display

There's been absolutely no change to the display of the Galaxy S25 as far as we can see. It's the exact same 6.2-inch AMOLED as can be found on the Galaxy S24.

Thankfully, it's still a solid spec, with a 1 to 120Hz variable refresh rate (thanks to LTPO technology), an FHD+ (1080 x 2340) resolution, and a peak brightness of 2,600 nits in limited HDR scenarios.

Samsung gets that display nice and snug with the cover glass, which – together with Samsung's punchy color calibration – makes images and text appear to be printed on the surface.

The under-display fingerprint sensor could use a little improvement, as it failed our reviewer just a few too many times for comfort. Your mileage will likely vary on that one.

As with the design, we'd like to see Samsung improving its display for next year's model. It's of a decent standard, but it offers no reason to opt for the newer Galaxy S25 over the Galaxy S24.

Samsung Galaxy S25 vs Samsung Galaxy S24: cameras

At the risk of repeating ourselves, the Samsung Galaxy S25's camera set-up is identical to that of the Galaxy S24.

You have the same 50MP f/1.8 main camera, the same 12MP f/2.2 ultra-wide, and the same 10MP f/2.4 3x telephoto. Of course, the latter provision remains quite the rarity in a phone of this size and price, so all props to Samsung.

We also can't deny that both phones take good photographs in a range of conditions. Samsung's oversaturated color science is a bit of an acquired taste, cranking up the vibrancy to slightly unnatural levels. But enough people have acquired that taste to make our mild objections feel a little churlish.

Samsung Galaxy S25 camera samples

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In staying the same for several consecutive years, Samsung's base flagship phones have been overtaken by similarly priced rivals. The OnePlus 13 and the Google Pixel 9, for example, are capable of taking better pictures, especially in more challenging (ie. low light) conditions.

This isn't a comparison with those rivals, however. In a straight shoot-out between the two, the Galaxy S25 offers a slightly improved shooting experience thanks to its far superior processor, but the difference is negligible.

Samsung Galaxy S24 camera samples

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Samsung's AI image editing prowess has certainly improved over the past year, but again, any major improvements present in the Galaxy S25 are coming to the Galaxy 24, if they haven't arrived already.

Samsung Galaxy S25 vs Samsung Galaxy S24: performance and software

The one big area where the Samsung Galaxy S25 justifies its current premium over the Galaxy S24 is performance.

Qualcomm's Snapdragon 8 Elite chip offers a larger-than-usual boost over the Galaxy S24; especially so when you consider that last year's model was an unsatisfactory split offering. Depending on your region, you might have got the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 or the slower and less efficient Exynos 2400. The Galaxy S25 does away with such divisions, and it's all the better for it.

The Galaxy S25 isn't just much faster than the Galaxy S24 (whatever the variant), it's one of the fastest phones on the market. All this packed into such petite body feels almost magical at times.

Not that you're likely to notice the difference when running the two phones normally. Nothing you can do on a modern smartphone really makes last year's model sweat, even with high-end games and rapid switching between multiple apps.

Where the Galaxy S25 does sneak ahead is with the option to perform more AI tasks on-device rather than in the cloud. Does this make for a notably better quality of life, though? Not really.

It should pay off as we near the four or five-year mark, when the Galaxy S25 will likely feel a lot snappier than its older brother (especially as it has 12GB of RAM rather than 8GB), and more demanding AI features will likely have come to market. But in the here and now, there's a whole lot of head room that neither phone is really exploiting.

When it comes to software, it should come as no surprise to learn that you get the exact same experience on both phones – or will eventually, at any rate. Samsung's somewhat busy buts sharp-looking One UI 7 layered on top of Android 15 is only available on the Galaxy S25 at the time of writing, but will make its way to the Galaxy S24 before too long.

Samsung's AI focus is similarly pronounced on both. You get the same photo-editing tools, writing assistance, and AI transcriptions for phone calls and voice memos. On One UI 7 you also get Samsung's new Now Brief, which pulls together contextual rundowns of your day, including weather, calendar appointments, health data, and more.

Samsung needs to do a lot more to streamline its UI, as well as to better integrate and explain its AI provisions. But that's a problem that both of these phones share. Even Samsung's seven year promise nullifies any age-based advantages the Galaxy S25 might have.

The effect of the latter is that you'll almost certainly be receiving fresh software and security updates for your entire time with either phone. That's a very good thing, but it also makes it a little tougher to upsell you on the Galaxy 25.

Samsung Galaxy S25 vs Samsung Galaxy S24: battery

In terms of battery capacity, it's a dead heat, with both Galaxy S model packing a 4,000mAh cell. However, the newer phone has a clear advantage when it comes to everyday stamina.

Indeed, we found the Galaxy S25 to have the best battery life of any smaller flagship phone. With a regular intensive day to day workload, it would routinely last a full day without making us worry.

This was borne out in our Future Labs tests, where the Galaxy S25 lasted almost 16 hours in its 60Hz display mode, which is a good four hours longer than the iPhone 16 and the Google Pixel 9. In its default 'Adaptive' refresh rate mode, the Galaxy S25 lasted 15 hours and 22 minutes.

The Galaxy S24 doesn't fall too far short of its successor, achieving 14 hours of battery life in our lab testing, and represents another small phone that will reliably last you a full day of normal usage. In its Adaptive mode, it'll last 13 hours and 28 minutes. As such, the switch to that Snapdragon 8 Elite processor has evidently imbued the Galaxy S25 with extra staying power.

Charging up is equally underwhelming with both phones, however. You get the same meagre 25W wired charging support, which will get you from empty to full in about an hour. There's no charging brick supplied in the box of either phone.

Both support 15W wireless charging, but while the Galaxy S25 is listed as 'Qi2 Ready', there's no magnetic fastening system at play. It's a draw in this respect.

Samsung Galaxy S25 vs Samsung Galaxy S24: verdict

Samsung hasn't done enough to differentiate the Galaxy S25 from the Galaxy S24. It's undoubtedly the better phone, with a slightly smaller body, significantly more power (especially for those outside of the US), and superior battery life.

However, the design and display are nigh-on identical, as is the triple camera system and charging provision. Samsung's busy, AI-heavy software, meanwhile, is broadly similar on both phones.

When you factor in Samsung's excellent seven-year software update promise and the significantly lower price for the Galaxy S24, it makes recommending the Galaxy S25 rather trickier than it should be.

The latest model is the best Galaxy S that Samsung has made, and one of the best phones on the market today – especially if you prefer your phones small. But if you spot a good deal on a brand new Galaxy S24, you'll be getting much the same experience for significantly less money.

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