The Galaxy S25+ launched at $999.99 as the mid-tier phone in Samsung's S25 lineup, sharing the Snapdragon 8 Elite and triple-camera system with the $799.99 Galaxy S25 while upgrading the display to 1440p, the battery to 4,900 mAh, and wired charging to 45W. It sat $300 below the $1,299.99 Galaxy S25 Ultra, which added a 200MP main sensor, dual telephoto cameras, and 100x zoom — a significant camera gap, but at a significant price premium.

The Galaxy S26+ has since replaced it at $1,099.99, a $100 increase that brings a newer Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5, improved wireless charging (20W versus 15W), and processing refinements. Other devices, like the OnePlus 15 offers a newer chip, a 7,300 mAh battery, and 120W charging for $100 less, and the $999 Pixel 10 Pro matches the original S25+ price with a stronger camera system. For buyers considering a discounted S25+, the value proposition depends on whether Samsung's display quality and ecosystem matter more than the raw spec advantages competitors offer.

Design

The Galaxy S25+ measures 158.4 x 75.8 x 7.3mm and weighs 190 grams. It uses an aluminum frame with Gorilla Glass Victus 2 on both the front and the back. The 6.7-inch display has a 19.5:9 aspect ratio and a 91.8% screen-to-body ratio. An IP68 rating covers full dust ingress and fresh-water submersion beyond 1 meter, with depth and duration set by Samsung. Bandicoot Lab does not formally test design or durability, so this section is descriptive rather than scored.

Within Samsung's lineup the S25+ is the middle size, larger than the Galaxy S25 (162 grams, 6.2-inch display) and smaller than the Galaxy S25 Ultra (218 grams, 6.8-inch display with titanium frame). Against same-price rivals the Pixel 10 Pro at $999 is shorter and narrower at 152.8 x 72 x 8.5mm but heavier at 207 grams, with a 6.3-inch display rather than 6.7. The iPhone Air at $999 is dramatically thinner at 5.6mm and lighter at 165 grams but uses a 6.5-inch display and titanium frame.

Display

The 6.7-inch Dynamic LTPO AMOLED panel runs at 1440p (3120 x 1440) with a 513 PPI pixel density and a 120Hz adaptive refresh rate that ranges down to 1Hz. This is a sharper panel than the S25's 1080p display, and the difference is noticeable in fine text and detailed images. Maximum manual brightness measured 735 nits — brighter than the base S25's 685 nits but well behind the Pixel 10 Pro's 1,450 nits and the OnePlus 15's 798 nits. Minimum brightness drops to 0.84 nits.

Display color accuracy in Natural Mode measured an average Delta E of 3.16, similar to the base S25's 3.11. That's a visible step behind the Pixel 10 Pro's 1.35 — on the Samsung, some colors drift noticeably from their reference values. The S26+ doesn't improve this — it actually measures slightly worse at 3.87.

Touch latency — the delay between a finger tap and the screen responding — measured 22.5 milliseconds. The Pixel 10 Pro is faster at 11.6 ms, though both are quick enough that the difference is imperceptible in normal use.

Performance

The Snapdragon 8 Elite delivered GeekBench 6 scores of 3,115 single-core and 10,039 multi-core — nearly identical to the base S25, as expected from the same chip. Speedometer browser performance measured 30.6. Peak GPU output reached 6,858 in Wild Life Extreme, with thermal stability at 51.4% — better than the base S25's 44.4% but still meaning performance drops nearly in half during sustained GPU loads. The OnePlus 15 peaks slightly higher at 7,160 with better stability at 63.7%. The Pixel 10 Pro peaks much lower at 3,286, which has become the norm for Google’s Tensor SoCs.

The S26+ with the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 improves single-core to 3,791, multi-core to 11,523, and Speedometer to 44.3, with modestly better GPU stability at 59.5%. The generational improvement is meaningful in benchmarks but incremental in daily use.

Camera

The S25+ uses the same camera hardware as the base S25, including a 50-megapixel main (1/1.56-inch), 12-megapixel ultrawide (1/2.55-inch), and 10-megapixel 3x telephoto (1/3.94-inch). Camera performance is identical between the two devices — the larger body doesn't change the optics. Sharpness is strong on the main and telephoto in good light, with Samsung's characteristic aggressive sharpening. Hue accuracy degrades meaningfully in mid and low light across all lenses. The Galaxy S25 Ultra's 200-megapixel main sensor, 50-megapixel ultrawide, and dual telephoto system represent a substantial camera upgrade, but at a $300 premium. The Pixel 10 Pro offers a larger 1/1.31-inch main sensor, a 48-megapixel ultrawide with a fast f/1.7 aperture, and a 5x telephoto — a more capable camera system at the same price.

Main Camera

The 50-megapixel main camera (f/1.8, 24mm, 1/1.56-inch sensor) produces sharp images in good light. Samsung's processing applies aggressive sharpening. Dynamic range — the camera's ability to capture detail in both bright highlights and dark shadows simultaneously — measured solid results overall, but wasn’t better than average for the price.

Color rendition is moderately saturated across all lighting conditions — Samsung's typical tuning is vivid but not extreme. Hue accuracy is reasonable in bright light but poor in low light, meaning colors don't just get noisier, they shift to incorrect hues. The camera also doesn't fully correct for warmer ambient light at 4000K and 3000K, with a visible warm cast in indoor and low-light images.

The S26+ shares the same sensor and lens, but has improved processing. The Pixel 10 Pro's larger 1/1.31-inch sensor captures more light and produces more natural background blur.

Ultrawide Camera

The 12-megapixel ultrawide (f/2.2, 13mm, 1/2.55-inch sensor) handles bright and mid-light conditions reasonably. Hue accuracy follows the same pattern — reasonable in bright light but degrading sharply in low light. The small sensor limits low-light performance. The Pixel 10 Pro's ultrawide is significantly more capable, thanks to the fact that it lets in roughly twice the light. The OnePlus 15's 50-megapixel f/2.0 ultrawide also outdoes the S25+'s 12-megapixel module.

Telephoto Camera

The 10-megapixel 3x telephoto (f/2.4, 67mm, 1/3.94-inch sensor) produces sharp images at its native zoom in good light. Dynamic range is relatively string. Hue accuracy in bright light is good but deteriorates badly in low light — the worst of any S25+ lens in dim conditions. The Pixel 10 Pro's 5x telephoto reaches further (113mm) with a larger sensor and higher resolution (48-megapixel), giving it an advantage at longer distances despite its slower f/2.8 aperture. The OnePlus 15 splits the difference with a 3.5x telephoto at 50-megapixel.

The Galaxy S25 Ultra adds a second telephoto at 5x with 100x digital zoom — one of the main reasons to step up within the S25 lineup for users who prioritize reach.

Front Camera

The 12-megapixel front camera (f/2.2, 26mm, 1/3.2-inch sensor) is identical to the base S25's. Dynamic range is somewhat weak, which means the front camera struggles to hold detail in both faces and bright backgrounds simultaneously. Skin tone accuracy is poor across all lighting conditions, with Samsung's processing oversaturating skin tones noticeably. The Pixel 10 Pro's 42-megapixel front camera and the OnePlus 15's 32-megapixel front camera both offer higher resolution and better skin tone rendering.

Battery

The 4,900mAh battery delivered 29 hours and 40 minutes of video playback at 200 nits, and 28 hours and 37 minutes at maximum brightness. In a five-hour web browsing test, the battery drained 21%. Gaming consumed 26% per hour. Standby drain was 2% overnight.

That's a meaningful step up from the base S25's 28 hours of video playback, and comfortably gets through a full day of heavy use with battery to spare. The S26+ extends this to 31 hours and 8 minutes of video playback with the same 4,900mAh capacity — an efficiency gain from the newer chip. The OnePlus 15's 7,300mAh battery is in a different league entirely at 46 hours and 7 minutes of video playback, with only 16% web drain over five hours. The Pixel 10 Pro managed 21 hours and 50 minutes from 4,870mah — significantly less efficient per milliamp-hour than the S25+.

Charging

Wired charging at 45W reached 30% in 10 minutes and 74% in 30 minutes, with a full charge in about 60 minutes. Wireless charging at 15W is slower — 19% in 30 minutes, with a full charge taking over 3.5 hours. No magnetic charging alignment is supported.

The 45W wired speed is a genuine advantage over the base S25's 25 watts. The S26+ keeps the same 45W wired speed and improves wireless to 20W. The OnePlus 15 makes the S25+ look slow though. Its 120W charging hits 37% in 10 minutes and 88% in 30 minutes, with a full charge of its massive 7,300mAh battery in 37 minutes. The Pixel 10 Pro falls between at 30W wired (55% in 30 minutes), with magnetic wireless charging support that the S25+ lacks.

Speaker

The Galaxy S25+'s speaker was loud but shallow. Bass extension was limited with a 26.4 dB drop from the mids to the bass band. Its successor, the Galaxy S26+, pulled that back to 18.6 dB — a meaningful improvement. Loudness of 77.2 dBA was the highest at its price, beating the iPhone Air's 72.9 dBA and the Pixel 10 Pro's 75.6 dBA. The high end was moderately extended but the treble response was uneven. Distortion was low at 4.5%.

Microphone

Microphone frequency response is reasonably flat and even, producing clean recordings for a phone microphone. The OnePlus 15 and Pixel 10 Pro show slightly more variation, though differences are subtle in practice.

Other

The ultrasonic fingerprint sensor averages 203ms for unlock, which is quite fast. The OnePlus 15 is similarly quick at 204 ms. The Pixel 10 Pro measures 249ms.

Data transfer via USB-C 3.2 measured read speeds of 123 MB/s and write speeds of 99 MB/s. The OnePlus 15 is similar at 140 MB/s read and 59 MB/s write. The S26+ drops slightly to 124 MB/s read and 87 MB/s write.

Conclusion

The Galaxy S25+ delivered strong battery life, a sharp 1440p display, fast 45W wired charging, and the same solid Snapdragon 8 Elite processing as the rest of the S25 lineup. The 1440p panel, faster charging, and larger battery were genuine upgrades over the base S25 for $200 more.

The weaknesses mirror the broader S25 family — display brightness and color accuracy trail the competition, camera hue accuracy degrades in low light, the front camera struggles with skin tones and dynamic range, GPU thermal throttling cuts sustained performance nearly in half, and the speaker lacks bass depth. Wireless charging at 15W is slow.

At $999.99, it faced stiff competition. The Pixel 10 Pro at the same price offered a more capable camera system with a larger main sensor and 5x telephoto, better display color accuracy, and magnetic wireless charging. The OnePlus 15 at $100 less delivered a newer chip, a vastly larger battery, and 120W charging that fills its 7,300mah battery in 37 minutes. The S25 Ultra at $300 more provided a substantially better camera with a 200-megapixel main sensor and dual telephoto system, though the price gap is wide.

The S26+ replaced it at $1,099.99 with a newer chip, better wireless charging, and improved battery life, but display color accuracy actually regressed, albeit only slightly.