The Galaxy S25 Extremely is a improbable Android telephone I hate utilizing

The Samsung Galaxy S25 Extremely is a superb Android telephone. Its specs are as high-end as they arrive, its {hardware}/construct high quality couldn’t be extra premium when you needed, and its degree of software program help is without doubt one of the greatest within the trade. By all goal accounts, it’s top-of-the-line smartphones — Android or not — in the marketplace at this time.

Regardless of all of that, I hate utilizing the Galaxy S25 Extremely.

I’ve been testing the S25 Extremely on and off for over a month now, and whereas I can see and respect the whole lot it does properly, there’s one thing about it that doesn’t click on with me. I do know it’s technically a fantastic telephone, however the extra I exploit it, the extra I wish to put it down for one thing else.

For those who suppose that sounds loopy, I’m proper there with you. I went into the Galaxy S25 Extremely wanting to love it, and fact be informed, there’s so much in regards to the telephone I totally take pleasure in. So, what’s the problem?

Is it efficiency? No. The Snapdragon 8 Elite, paired with as much as 16GB of RAM, ends in the S25 Extremely being one of many snappiest and smoothest Android telephones you will get your arms on. Is it the show? No method. Samsung’s AMOLED 2X panel is outrageously good, whereas Corning’s Gorilla Armor 2 glass suppresses reflections unbelievably properly.

Is it battery life? The cameras? The downgraded S Pen we obtained this 12 months? No, no, and no. It’s not even the software program, which is often a sticking level for me with Samsung telephones. Between the brand new app drawer, redesigned Fast Settings format, and improved animations, One UI 7 appears and feels higher than any earlier model.

In the end, my one tangible situation with the Galaxy S25 Extremely is its design. It’s not that the S25 Extremely is poorly constructed; construct quality-wise, it’s about pretty much as good because it will get. The issue is the telephone’s ergonomics.

It’s no shock that the S25 Extremely is an enormous telephone, particularly because it has the identical normal design Samsung has used for the final a number of years. However in apply, that doesn’t change the truth that the telephone is cumbersome, cumbersome, and never satisfying to carry.

Telephones just like the OnePlus 13 show which you could make a big telephone that’s snug to carry and use, however Samsung apparently missed that memo when it designed the S25 Extremely. The flat sides mixed with the sharp edges are supremely uncomfortable. The 218-gram physique looks like an precise brick in my hand. The digicam placement on the again means there’s no great spot to relaxation your finger underneath. Extra so than every other telephone I’ve used just lately, the S25 Extremely doesn’t match properly in my denims pockets.

These could not sound like deal-breakers, and on their very own, they aren’t. However all of them contribute to creating the S25 Extremely a telephone I actively dislike holding and interacting with. And that’s an issue! I wish to respect how briskly the Galaxy S25 Extremely is, how a lot I just like the software program, and the way enjoyable the S Pen will be. However once I dislike the {hardware} this a lot, it’s laborious to do.

My different downside with the Galaxy S25 Extremely is much less tangible, nevertheless it’s simply as a lot of a problem for me, if no more so.

The Galaxy S25 Extremely is a really acquainted telephone to me. It shares the identical total design language because the Galaxy S24 Extremely earlier than it, which additionally appeared identical to the S23 Extremely … and the S22 Extremely. As somebody who covers cellular tech for a dwelling, it’s a design I’ve seen, written about, and used for the previous 3+ years. After I decide up the S25 Extremely, it looks like I’m utilizing a telephone from 2023 or 2022, and that’s not a sense I wish to have, particularly not from a telephone that begins at $1,300.

Is that this a ache level everybody will expertise? Completely not. For those who don’t recurrently observe cellular tech information or improve your telephone yearly, the Galaxy S25 Extremely most likely appears and feels as trendy as every other telephone on the market. However when you do keep on prime of the cellular tech world and/or recurrently improve your telephone — two sturdy prospects when you’re studying this text — I think about you’ll find yourself in the identical boat as me.

The Galaxy S25 Extremely has the specs, software program, and AI options of a 2025 smartphone, however its id is previous and outdated. It makes the telephone really feel prefer it’s dwelling prior to now, and because of this, I’m not drawn to the S25 Extremely or excited to make use of it.

If the Galaxy S25 Extremely have been in a bubble, these complaints of mine wouldn’t matter. However sadly for Samsung, the S25 Extremely is surrounded by extremely fierce competitors. And at any time when I seize the Galaxy S25 Extremely, I can’t assist however consider different telephones I’d somewhat use as an alternative.

The OnePlus 13 has been sitting on my desk throughout my month with the S25 Extremely, and every time I see the telephone, I miss it. It shares a few of the identical specs as Samsung’s telephone, however between its far more eye-catching design, extra ergonomic {hardware}, and distinctive touches like its quick charging and alert slider, I’m drawn to it in a method I’m to not the S25 Extremely.

I’ve even felt that method in regards to the Google Pixel 9a that just lately appeared on my doorstep. It’s far much less succesful than the Galaxy S25 Extremely, however what it lacks in CPU efficiency or digicam prowess, it makes up for by feeling like a correct new smartphone. It appears not like any Pixel I’ve seen earlier than, and because of this, it’s a telephone I wish to spend time with and get to know.

Whether or not it’s the OnePlus 13, the Pixel 9a, or one thing just like the Nothing Cellphone 3a Professional, all of them scratch that curiosity itch. They’re telephones which have a sense of newness for one cause or one other, and that excites the telephone nerd in me. The Galaxy S25 Extremely doesn’t.

Does that make the S25 Extremely a foul telephone? One you shouldn’t purchase? Under no circumstances. In order for you an enormous Android telephone with the most recent specs, nice software program, and top-notch help, it’s top-of-the-line you should purchase. I can respect all of these issues, and it’s why I name the S25 Extremely a improbable Android telephone within the headline of this text.

The Galaxy S25 Extremely is an objectively nice system, however as somebody who needs a telephone that feels novel and new, the S25 Extremely finally ends up being a quick, succesful, and feature-rich handset I hate utilizing.