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If you’re using a Samsung laptop and rely on Google’s Quick Share for moving files around, get ready for a change. Samsung is taking the reins for the Quick Share experience on its own Windows machines starting May 28, 2025. This move consolidates the file transfer feature under Samsung’s control for its PC and laptop users.
One app to rule them all
This shift means the standalone Quick Share app provided by Google will be phased out on Samsung laptops (and PCs). According to the release notes for the latest Quick Share app update from Google (version 1.0.2180.0), come May 28th next year, attempting to use the Google version on a Samsung laptop will prompt you to install Samsung’s own Quick Share application instead.
Google has already updated its app, paving the way for this transition. The application has been renamed from “Quick Share from Google” to simply “Quick Share”, and crucially, compatibility with Samsung’s version has been added.
This move aims to streamline the file-sharing experience for users within the Samsung ecosystem. For a while now, there have been two “Quick Share” experiences floating around: Google’s Nearby Share (which was rebranded to Quick Share early last year) and Samsung’s own Quick Share feature, which predates Google’s widespread adoption of the name. This created some confusion, especially when sharing between Samsung phones, non-Samsung Android devices, and Windows PCs.
Google and Samsung announced plans to merge these experiences back in early 2024, aiming for a unified file-sharing solution similar to Apple’s popular AirDrop feature that works seamlessly between iPhones, iPads, and Macs. Other alternatives like Microsoft’s Phone Link also offer ways to bridge phone and PC, but Quick Share focuses specifically on rapid, direct file transfers. This upcoming change on Samsung laptops is the next logical step in that consolidation effort, ensuring Samsung users have a consistent experience managed directly by Samsung across their Galaxy phones and Galaxy Book computers.
Handing control over to Samsung for its own laptops makes a lot of sense. It should reduce confusion and hopefully lead to a more integrated and seamless file-sharing process for people invested in Samsung’s hardware. While swapping apps might involve a quick download and potentially getting used to a slightly different interface, having a single, manufacturer-managed Quick Share application on Samsung PCs is ultimately a positive step. It moves towards a less fragmented experience when you just want to send a photo or document from your phone to your laptop quickly, simplifying a common task.
Samsung is taking a page from Apple Wallet, adding layaway and tap-to-send options to its Wallet app.
What you need to know
Samsung Wallet is testing out two exciting features: ‘Buy Now, Pay Later’ and ‘Tap to Transfer,’ with a potential U.S. launch on the horizon.
The ‘Instant Installment’ feature lets you split payments for purchases, while ‘Tap to Transfer’ works like Apple’s Tap to Cash but with more flexibility for other digital wallets.
The BNPL feature, powered by Splitit, will let you use Visa or Mastercard without a credit check, though activation may require approval and could have extra fees.
A fresh beta build has given us a sneak peek atSamsung Wallet’s “buy now, pay later”and tap-to-send options, and although these are not official yet, all signs point to these features rolling out soon.
When the Galaxy S25 series made its debut in January, Samsung also snuck in some software updates that flew under the radar. Two standout features were “Instant Installment” for breaking up payments and a peer-to-peer money transfer option that Samsung calls “Tap to Transfer.”
Samsung’s Tap to Transfer works a lot like Apple’s Tap to Cash—just bump phones to send money. However, while Apple keeps things locked in its ecosystem, Samsung is presumably playing nice with other digital wallets. That means you might not need aGalaxy phoneto receive cash, giving it a flexibility Apple doesn’t offer.
Now, leaked screenshots ofSamsung Wallet, shared by@theordysm on X, show a “Buy Now, Pay Later” feature in the works, powered by Splitit (via9to5Google). It looks like it’ll work with Visa and Mastercard, with no credit check needed. That said, activation still needs approval, and there might be some extra fees in the mix.
Both features are still in the testing phase, going through internal checks and limited beta runs. Word on the street is Samsung might launch them first in the U.S. once they’re ready for primetime.
From the screenshots, it looks like the Installment Payments feature will let users split their purchases into weekly payments. This option should be available for pretty much any transaction made through Samsung Wallet.
Samsung’s installment payments aren’t about offering credit or loans. Think of it as turning your regular purchases into a pay-over-time plan, whether you’re checking out online or in a physical store.
The funds transfer feature lets users send money either through a digital network or by tapping an NFC-compatible device or payment card. The recipient’s bank account, linked to their debit card, gets the funds straight away.
While we don’t know exactly how fast the transfers will be, the ability to send money just by tapping a debit card is definitely a game changer.
I’ve been an iPhone user since 2009 when I got my first iPhone 3G, and since then I’ve been a loyal customer, upgrading annually to the best smartphoneApplehas to offer.
WhenSamsungreleased the S25 series of smartphones earlier this year with AI at their core, I knew I had to finally give Android a proper go and see whatGoogle’s mobileoperating systemwas capable of.
Over the next few weeks I’m going to pit my S25’sGalaxy AIfeatures against my iPhone 16 Pro Max’sApple Intelligencecapabilities to see which smartphone has AI features worth using compared to those that are just a gimmick.
When I received the S25, early last week, the first thing I decided to do was test Galaxy AI’s photo editing prowess, after all,Clean Upon iPhone is one of the most complete Apple Intelligence features to date, or so I thought.
To start my Galaxy AI Generative Edit versus Clean Up comparison, I decided to start by erasing my French Bulldog, Kermit, from his very plain grey bed. I thought this was a good starting point as while the bed is a plain background, there would be the shadow of the dog coming from the natural sunlight of the window in front of the camera.
Galaxy AI had no issue removing Kermit from his bed, in fact not only did it remove the shadow, it continued the brown stitching of the bed’s border, and smoothed out the surface to completely erase any sign of Kermit from the photo.
Apple Intelligence’s Clean Up, on the other hand, failed miserably at this simple task, leaving Kermit’s shadow while removing the dog from the bed. This AI editing created a sort of blur effect that would never pass for an edited image, let alone an original one.
Next up, I took my two smartphones to my local coffee shop to test AI photo editing out in the wild. As I went later in the day, there were only two croissants left, one regular and one pain au chocolat.
For this test, I decided to remove the pain au chocolat from a photo as the coffee shop’s branded paper underneath was monochrome and a repeating pattern that I thought would make for an interesting comparison.
Again, Samsung’s AI editing was impressive, to say the least. Not only did the pain au chocolat completely disappear from the image, but Galaxy Ai replicated the branded pattern perfectly, keeping some crumbs for added realism.
The iPhone’s attempt was again, pretty rubbish, creating a sort of crumpled paper effect and leaving the pain au chocolat’s shadow in plain sight. This was again pretty disappointing from Apple Intelligence, there may be a trend appearing here…
I asked the barista behind the bar if he could pour a Flat White so I could try and remove the coffee cup from his hands using Galaxy AI and Apple Intelligence.
I thought it was worth trying just to see how the AI photo editing tools handle pouring liquid, and again the results are night and day.
On the S25, the cup disappeared, Galaxy AI recreated the barista’s thumb, inserted some objects on the surface, and tried to create the impact of the hot milk on the sink below.
While the liquid’s physics is somewhat off, the editing of the hand and the recreation of what Galaxy AI perceived to be behind the cup were seriously impressive.
As for Apple Intelligence… I’ll let the image do all the talking.
Galaxy AI 3-0 Apple Intelligence
The empty shop
Original
Galaxy AI
Apple Intelligence
、
At this point, I had completely accepted the disparity in effectiveness between Samsung and Apple’s offerings, so I decided to push Generative Edit and Clean Up as far as these flagship smartphones would allow me to.
I took a photo of the busy coffee shop, and after erasing one of the people from sight I decided to go even further and just erase everything from the photo, leaving nothing but the seating.
Again, Galaxy AI passed with flying colors, recreating the shops outside the window, and extending the sofa where I had removed my table and coffee cup. Apple Intelligence, well… It mushed everything together and was absolutely useless.
Galaxy AI 4-0 Apple Intelligence
A whitewash
It’s fair to say there’s a clear winner when it comes to AI photo editing between these two devices, and if you follow any smartphone news you’re probably not surprised.
What was surprising to me, was just how amazing Galaxy AI’s photo editing is, and how bad Clean Up on my top-of-the-line iPhone is.
I’ve used Clean Up in the past and found it did a decent, but hardly mind-blowing job when it comes to removing a subject from a photo. After using the S25, I can’t believe Clean Up has even shipped in its current state knowing what alternatives are out there.
I want to emphasize that both companies have taken a different approach to AI photo editing. Apple wants to keep the image as close to the original as possible, while Samsung is happy to showcase its AI power and offer more emphatic editing.
While I think that’s worth keeping in mind, I do still think Apple’s Clean Up approach should be capable of some of the simple edits you’ve seen above. Instead, it’s come incredibly short of the mark when Samsung’s offering is capable of truly achieving what it sets out to do.
Foldables are here to stay. You were wrong if you figured they would be a short-lived fad or relegated to some niche corner where nobody paid any attention to them, and many people did. While not yet mainstream, they’re not going away anytime soon.
They have their pros and cons, and some models do it better than others. One thing they all have in common is a big sheet of glass that can be bent across itself, then straightened back out (hopefully) hundreds of thousands of times.
It sounds a little bit crazy. I think most of us have broken glass and consider it fragile. It is. But with the right parts and the right techniques glass, like everything else, can be bent.
While a foldable phone may fold, the glass doesn’t. Folding a sheet of glass would instantly break it, so instead it’s bending, and yes there is a difference.
Take a sheet of paper and lay it on a table. Now grab the top corners and bring them to the bottom corners. You’ve bent the paper. If you apply pressure along the bend and create a crease, it’s folded. Your foldable phone never allows the glass to fold, just bend. this sounds a bit like nitpicking, but it matters.
Everything will bend if you make it thin enough. A framing timber in your roof won’t bend, but a thin sheet of wood veneer or a branch on aBonsai treewill because it’s thinner. If you apply enough pressure to bend a thick hunk of wood, it’s going to break because of what’s called tensile strength.
When glass, or anything else, bends, you’re stretching the materialoutsidethe radius of the bend itself. A material’s tensile strength determines how far it can be stretched before it breaks, and dense, thick materials are both stronger and harder to bend than thin materials. The force required to bend a thick piece of wood will cause it to break as soon as or right after it begins to bend.
By using a very thin sheet of glass, you’re stretching less material and putting less tensile strain on it. This allows it to stretch and bend before it reaches its breaking point.
Don’t get too hung up on this because it works just like you think it does — thin things are easier to bend without breaking. But thin glass is only one of the things that lets your foldable fold … erm bend.
Making a phone with a glass screen that folds in half is a pretty amazing accomplishment. But as mentioned, the glass is just one piece of the puzzle.
That thin glass — often calledUTGfor ultra-thin glass — isn’t the same as the glass used on other phones. It’s been treated in ways that allow it to stretch even more than it normally would.
The exact methods and materials used are company secrets, but different polymers are injected into the glass and used as a coating over the glass to allow for a lower tensile strain during the bending process. Making the glass as thin as human hair (thinner, actually) isn’t enough.
Next, you have to make sure the glass doesn’t touch itself while in the bent position, but you need to do it the right way. There are two reasons for this, but from a design standpoint, it is important that the least amount of bending be used to fold the body of the phone on itself. Ideally, there is a larger air gap at the bend point than the outside edges, and the outer case of the phone is built so that it’s doing the touching instead of the glass itself. It doesn’t matter if the phone is a flipper or a folder, the glass can’t touch, and the point nearest to the bend will have a larger gap the the edge.
That’s where the most important part of all this comes into play:the hinge. Hinges have improved dramatically since the failure that was the first Samsung Galaxy Fold, but even that was an engineering feat.
A hinge must be designed to allow for fluid motion only in the way it was designed to, well, to hinge. You can’t have unwanted linear force or any sort of warping during the process, and every time it moves, things must be very consistent. The hinge not only needs to be sturdy, stout, and precise; it needs to be durable as well. The 200,000th time the hinge folds needs to be the same as the first.
We see new hinge designs with every release cycle because it’s the most important component of a foldable, even if it’s not the most spectacular. There is no one correct way to accomplish this, and every company making foldable phones does things a little differently. They all have the same end goal, though: be strong enough to resist unwanted “twisting”, be precise enough to meet design specifications, and be durable enough to do it hundreds of thousands of times before it fails.
The last (and worst) piece: some plastic
If you were to grab a foldable phone and press really hard on the screen with your thumbnail, you would be able to put a tiny dent in it. This is because you’re not really touching the glass itself; there is a thin layer of plastic covering it all. If you were to grab a first-generation foldable you would put a bigger dent on the screen using a lot less force because this process has been refined a lot in a few years. The latest phonesalmostfeel like glass when you touch them.
This isn’t done because phone makers love the feel of plastic, it’s done for the same reason the glass can’t touch itself when bent in half. The glass on a foldable phone needs to stay as defect-free as possible.
If you look at the screen on your “regular” phone very closely you’ll find a bunch of very tiny scratches. These have almost no effect on the operation of your phone and most of the time you wouldn’t even know there were there. But they are, and they would spell the death of a foldable.
Any defect — a chip or a scratch — in a piece of bendable glass creates a weak point that will be prone to expanding as the glass is stretched (on one side) and compressed (on the other side) during the bending process. That means the glass is going to crack where the defect is.
A non-removable screen layer of a thin, flexible plastic material over the glass acts as a sacrificial layer that will absorb the abuse instead of the glass getting it.
A lot of different companies now make foldable phones in several different styles. Now you understand how it works a little bit and know how things will keep getting better each and every year.
Wondering how two of the top flagship AI phones compare in camera quality? The battle of the camera phones continues in this latest shootout.
I’ve finally done it. I’ve tested out two of thebest camera phonesthat you can buy right now, and pittedApple’s iPhone 16 Pro Max, against Samsung’s newest flagship, theSamsung GalaxyS25 Ultra series. Both of these phones are infused with AI power and have some seriously impressive camera specs on paper, but there can only be one winner here, so which is it?
If you’re familiar with some of thebest iPhones for photography, then you’ll know that these smartphones are very capable of capturing a sharp shot. The iPhone 16 series is the first, however, to introduce the innovative new Camera Control Button, and I’m surprised by how much I really enjoyed using this feature. If you’re more of an Android fan (guilty), then Samsung smartphones are the best alternatives to Apple handsets for photographers and content creators, thanks to innovative features like personalised filters, super Nightography, and more detail with the AI ProVisual Engine.
Remember, it’s not all about owning the most expensive device to get great shots, and some of thebest budget camera phoneshave pleasantly surprised us too. Interested in more camera phone comparisons? Take a look at my shootout between theHonor Magic 7 Pro and my S24 Ultrato see how these models tackled stunning Slovenian landscapes. More recently, I also pitted theNothing Phone 3a Proagainst my Samsung, and the results were impressive.
Take a look at the spec table below to see what we’re working with, and then check out the results and image sliders (drag the slider to see the full image) and see for yourself how the iPhone 16 Pro Max faired against the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra.
During today’s camera phone shootout, I took to the sunny streets of Bath armed with both of these flagship camera phones, with the intent to capture the exact same shot with each device. I’ve never shot with either of these phones before, as my current smartphone of choice is the S24 Ultra.
To keep things fair, I stood in the same spot, used the same aspect ratio (16 by 9), and shot using the highest possible quality setting (excluding RAW modes) that both camera phones could muster, which is 48MP for the iPhone 16 Pro Max, and 200MP for the S25 Ultra.
I’m always interested in how AI assists with smartphone photography, as I think that sometimes it can be overused to increase saturation and vibrancy where it’s not needed. I think the image sliders above demonstrate that the images captured have accurate true-to-life colours, for a more natural-looking image rather than anInstagram-ready one.
The main focus of this camera phone shootout has been landscape imagery, but check outRankin’s 8 steps to Smartphone Photography Successif you’re seeking some excellent tips on shooting portraiture with a smartphone.
The iPhone 16 Pro Max comes equipped with a 48 MP f/1.8, 24mm (wide) camera, as well as a 48 MP f/2.2, 13mm ultrawide camera which isn’t far off what the Samsung S25 is sporting. One area where the iPhone 16 Pro Max is lacking is with its zoom, with only a 12 MP f/2.8, 120mm (periscope telephoto) lens. With that said, I did not notice any issues or distortion with the iPhone 16 Pro Max’s zoom camera, and it performed well in testing.
In comparison, the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra boasts a 200MP main camera (f/1.7), a 10MP telephoto (f/2.4), a 50MP periscope telephoto (f/3.4), and a new 50MP (previously 12MP) ultrawide (f/1.9) camera array. In terms of footage, my Samsung can shoot 8K at 30fps, compared with 4K at 120fps with the iPhone 16 Pro Max.
As you can see from the image sliders above, the difference in quality between these two camera phones is minimal and really splitting hairs. I have struggled to tell the difference between which phone captured which shot during the upload process and the only giveaway was the larger 20MB+ file sizes of the images shot with the 200MP S25 Ultra.
I can’t believe that I’m saying this publicly on the internet as a Samsung fan, but I have to admit that the iPhone 16 Pro Max might be the winner here (though it’s very very close). During today’s shootout, having never used either camera phone before, I found it much easier to use the iPhone 16 Pro Max and adjust camera settings on the fly thanks to the new Camera Control Button. Being able to control the aperture so easily really is a game-changer.
However, I did find when using the camera control button that it would active and change quite easily without me meaning to adjust it, and I think this may have been down to the Apple silicone case that we had on the phone during testing. The Samsung S25 Ultra performed exquisitely, as I had no doubt that it would, but the reason I think the iPhone succeeds here is not only ease of use – but the fact that Samsung had the advantage in this shootout with a 200MP main camera compared with the iPhone 16 Pro Max’s 48MP lens, yet the outcomes captured were very similar.
If you love taking macro photos and are considering the purchase of a Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra or iPhone 16 Pro Max, you’ve come to the right place.
I used both of these phone to take over 200 macro photos and then selected several comparisons for this face-off to determine a winner.
We’ve looked at the Galaxy S25 Ultra and iPhone 16 Pro Max’s camera performance in a number of ways already, but macro photography is a special case. Most phones, including these two, don’t have dedicated macro cameras, instead relying on their ultrawide cameras and some software trickery to deal with the unique needs of this photographic technique.
Samsung and Apple both using similarly-specced ultrawide cameras for their flagship phones. The Galaxy S25 Ultra has a slightly higher resolution (50MP) compared to the iPhone 16 Pro Max (48MP), and a larger aperture (f/1.9 vs. f/2.2), but nonetheless this is a close match-up on paper.
So how about real-life performance? Join me for this Galaxy S25 Ultra vs. iPhone 16 Pro Max macro shootout to see which phone delivers the biggest results when it comes to small details.
Our first pair of photos is of a bench in Hyde Park, featuring some carved letting. At this distance, the Galaxy S25 Ultra shows far more detail of the woodgrain and tiny moss growths within this letter “F.”
The iPhone has produced a warmer-colored picture, which is less accurate but still looks good overall. If it could bring out the darkest parts of the image like the Galaxy, we’d have a draw, but this is Samsung’s round.
Next up is the toppings of a caramel donut, with layers of icing and little honeycomb pieces. Despite the overall color palette of this subject, the iPhone’s photo is still way too yellow here.
Meanwhile, the Galaxy’s shot is clearer and more accurately colored. And to the sharp-eyed among you — yes, I did notice the loose strand of thread and removed it before I ate the donut.
I took this next pair of photos of a yellow flower at two different distances to see how our contenders cope with shifting distances.
Starting out at the farther of our two distances, the iPhone immediately stands out for its brightness, helping more of the details shine through. There’s still good detail and contrast in the Galaxy’s shot, but not as much light to properly view them.
At a closer distance, the two phones have produced shots of a similar brightness. But the Galaxy image is much sharper, with the iPhone struggling to focus this close to its subject.
Moving back indoors, we have this shot of the blade of a cupboard key. The Samsung’s photo is sharper and brighter, with better dynamic range.
But the iPhone has a small advantage of its own in being able to focus at this distance from further away, hence why it doesn’t cast as much of a shadow in the image.
The different focal point that proved the iPhone’s downfall in the last comparison has helped it out in this instance.
As a coffee nerd, I had to try out these cameras with a photo of some great latte art on a cappuccino.
I like how the iPhone version of this shot shows off the light reflecting off the tiny bubbles much more clearly, while still keeping the rest of the shot balanced properly.
The Galaxy image is maybe a tad too bright, spoiling the lovely brown of the milky coffee.
Finally, I took a look at my favorite scarf (likely the source of the loose strand that landed on the donut earlier) through the lens of these two phones.
It’s another round where the iPhone’s color temperature is a little off, but detail-wise both phones have done well, albeit with slightly different focus areas.
Winner:Draw
Verdict
After this close call of close-up photo performance, the Galaxy S25 Ultra has scored a win.
The iPhone 16 Pro Max takes some great looking macro photos, and it won the flower rounds and the latte round.. But the hardware/software combination that the Galaxy S25 Ultra uses makes for more consistent macro shots, especially in terms of color.
Last year the phone case maker Clicks introduced theClicks for iPhone keyboard. It brought tactile typing back to smartphones in a Blackberry-esque case.
Now, Clicks is bringing that Blackberry flavor over to Android. The iPhone 16 version provided more screen real estate and keyboard shortcuts with Clicks promising a similar experience for several newer Android phones including theGoogle Pixel 9,Pixel 9 Pro,Samsung Galaxy S25,andMotorola Razr Plus 2024.
“Clicks gives the Android community more choice over how to type, navigate and take action with a smart accessory that’s as fun as it is functional,” Michael Fisher, Clicks co-founder said in a press release.
The keyboard has a Gemini key for AI features, backlighting and a Clicks app for customization. You should be able to charge via USB-C or normal wireless charging with no hiccups, all pluses over the original design.
We took a look at theiPhone version of the keyboard caselast year and found that it took some time to find a rhythm in typing with a keyboard on your phone after so many years away from our Palm Treo Pros and BlackBerry Bold 9000s.
Phones editor John Velasco wrote, “I can see how the physicality of using a keyboard could appeal to people who have never experienced it before. There’s certainly room for improvement in making the next version better, but it’s a good start and the best option for a portrait style keyboard for any phone for that matter.”
It should be noted that outside of the Razr devices which can fold down, the keyboard does make your phone much longer. We don’t have specs for these new cases but the iPhone 16 version is 7.41-inches tall, adding nearly 2-inches to the height of the standard iPhone.
Presumably, you’ll get similar dimensions on the Pixel 9 and Galaxy S25 which are 6.09 and 5.78-inches tall, respectively. For those who are already annoyed with how big phones have gotten in recent years, this won’t allay those concerns.
Starting February 25, all four versions of the Android Clicks case will be available for pre-order with an entry price of $99. However, after March 21, the price rises to $139, the same as the iPhone version.
There are, however, different ship dates. The Pixel 9 variants start shipping at the end of April. The Razr Plus and Razr follow in “late May” and the Galaxy S25 won’t launch until June of this year.
Samsung wasn’t the first phone maker to adopt wireless charging, but it was the first to make it widely available in its flagship phones. Starting with the Galaxy S5, each Samsung flagship featured wireless charging integrated into the phone itself, and Apple continued the trend with the launch of the iPhone two years later.
However, wireless charging has not improved much since then, and companies have sought individual approaches. Apple launched the MagSafe standard five years ago, and the next generation of wireless charging standards was announced three years later.
It promised to bring the best ofMagSafeto all phones, but much like the original promise of wireless charging, it hasn’t quite worked out that way. Over 300 companies agreed to the standards of Qi2, and two years later, we have yet to see a phone properly support it.
Like USB-C, there are competing speeds, specifications, and approaches, all of which conform to Qi charging standards but do little to ensure there’s consistency. This is why even Samsung and Apple’s support can fix the mess that is Qi charging.
Qi is the universal standard for wireless charging that over 300 companies have agreed to. While some companies also take individual approaches, any phone you buy that’s equipped with wireless charging will almost certainly support the Qi standard.
Much like the USB-C standard for wired charging, Qi is designed to ensure that there’s broad compatibility between different devices and the plethora of wireless charging accessories available. While it achieves that at its core, this approach has had its problems.
The Wireless Power Consortium (WPC) has been trying to evolve the standard with its members, but can you imagine the state of those conversations? 300 different companies, each with its own vision and desire to be involved in helping to shape the wireless charging standard.
Unsurprisingly, we haven’t had any conformity beyond the basic standard, even with companies like Apple, Samsung, and Google involved in shaping the standard. The hope was that Qi2 would solve this, but two years later, it hasn’t rolled out as quickly or as widely as we all hoped.
The magnet on the Galaxy S25 Ultra magnetic wireless charging cover
The main appeal of Qi2 in its current form is the addition of magnets for charging alignment. This is through the addition of the Magnetic Power Profile (MPP), which is based on Apple’s MagSafe charging standard. Essentially, it means that Qi2-compatible devices can add a ring of magnets to ensure the phone aligns perfectly with the charger. It’s essentially the same as MagSafe, and there’s expected to be cross-compatibility between MagSafe and the best Qi2 chargers.
Then there are those chargers that support the Extended Power Profile, which meets the specifications for Qi2 but the manufacturer has opted against including magnets. This should mean some support for faster speeds, but these devices won’t be billed as, or feature, the Qi2 logo. Think of this as the entry-level to Qi2 charging.
So far, that’s easy to understand, but the current implementation of Qi2 by phone makers has led to a third level, and I suspect it’ll prove to be the most popular. Like the three different frequency bands for 5G — low-band, mid-band, and high-band (mmWave) — the three tiers of Qi2 will likely see most companies opt to promote “Qi2-Ready” devices soon.
Qi2-Ready devices essentially mean that the device doesn’t contain magnets, but you can add these via a third-party case. TheGalaxy S25 seriesare Qi2-Ready which essentially means they’re billed as Qi devices, but you use a certified Qi2 Ready case with a Qi2 Ready charger to effectively get the same benefits of Qi2.
I reviewed theGalaxy S25 Ultra Magnetic Charging Coverand while it’s a great addition if you care about wireless charging — and you have a compatible charger — it doesn’t achieve the other expected benefit of Qi2 charging: faster speeds. However, this could be due to the long lead cycle of phone development, but as OnePlus has shown, it’s possible to add everything.
OnePlus 13 with Sandstone case and wireless charging insert
The OnePlus 13 features Oppo’s50W AirVOOC wireless charging, which brings all the benefits of Qi2 charging without the official certification. Magnets in the case keep it aligned to your phone, and the superfast charger even has a fan to ensure maximum efficiency, and to cool your phone. The result is that it wirelessly charges the phone to full in 70 minutes, which is almost three times the speed of the Galaxy S25 Ultra’s wireless charging.
Qi2 was eventually meant to offer improved charging speeds, but so far, all devices only charge at the maximum 15W except for the iPhone 16 series. Thanks to Apple’s tight integration of its ecosystem and accessories, the iPhone 16 series supports MagSafe charging, which offers 25W wireless charging speeds.
The latest MagSafe and the faster charging speeds are limited to just Apple’s latest iPhones, although the new iPhone 16e doesn’t support MagSafe charging. Much like the original introduction of MagSafe, only the latest iPhone has faster wireless charging speeds, and it’s unlike this model will change soon.
Which phone currently has the fastest wireless charging?
OnePlus AirVOOC 50W charger attached to a OnePlus 13
One of the benefits of the Qi standard is that all phones ultimately face the same limitations, but we’re already seeing companies take proprietary approaches and use the Qi standard as the fallback. Samsung opted to let someone else build the charging infrastructure, so it’s Qi2-Ready and only supports 15W charging when paired with devices like theGalaxy S25 Plus.
Then there’s Oppo and OnePlus. Both use the same AirVOOC charging solution that offers 50W charging when paired with the official case. I’ve tested theFind X8 Proand theOnePlus 13, and both are exceptionally fast when charged wirelessly. Although neither of these is Qi2-certified, both should work fine with any magnetic charger, although you’ll need the official 50W AirVOOC charger to get the full speeds.
Qi2 offered much promise to every phone maker adhering to a single standard for magnetic wireless charging, but it has so far failed to live up to its promise. It will likely take Samsung incorporating it into a future handset for more companies to also want to follow, and that’s unlikely for at least another year, if not longer.
Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra (left) and the Galaxy S25 Ultra
Is theSamsung Galaxy S25 Ultraworth an upgrade if you own the last Ultra phone? Equally, if the Galaxy S25 Ultra is on your buy list, understanding how Samsung has improved the camera this time around will be an important point to understand before splashing out on it. To help answer these questions, we put Samsung’s latest Ultra phone against its predecessor, theGalaxy S24 Ultra, in a serious camera battle.
Camera specs
Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra (left) and the Galaxy S25 Ultra
The first thing to understand is not much has changed on the hardware front. Both have a 200-megapixel main camera with an f/1.7 aperture, phase-detection autofocus (PDAF) and optical image stabilization (OIS). It’s joined by a pair of telephoto cameras on both, one 10MP telephoto with OIS for a 3x optical zoom, and another 50MP telephoto with OIS for a 5x optical zoom.
The single hardware change is the wide-angle camera, which is a 12MP camera on the Galaxy S24 Ultra and a new 50MP wide-angle on the Galaxy S25 Ultra. The new wide-angle camera has an f/1.9 aperture compared to the f/2.2 on the S24 Ultra, while both have the same 120-degree field of view.
Inside each phone is a different processor, which can have a considerable impact on the photographic experience. The Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 powers the Galaxy S24 Ultra, and it’s the latestSnapdragon 8 Eliteinside the Galaxy S25 Ultra. Both chips have been optimized “for Galaxy,” which Samsung says improves overall performance.
There is very little to split the Galaxy S25 Ultra and Galaxy S24 Ultra’s main cameras, but there are two things you need to know before deciding whether to upgrade. The tiny differences in tone, color, and dynamic range will be split by personal preference, as one isn’t better than the other, but I’ve continuously noticed the Galaxy S24 Ultra’s main camera takes sharper photos with a wider focal area.
The front of the church is a great example. Take a close look at the windows on the building deeper in the frame than the entrance, and you’ll see the S25 Ultra introduces blur where the S24 Ultra’s photo is pin sharp. It’s evident elsewhere in the photo too, but because you have to look really closely, it won’t bother everyone. However, it detracts from the overall photo once you’ve seen it.
1.Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra
2.Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra
The Galaxy S25 Ultra can redeem itself with less noise, which can be seen in the photo of the street, specifically under the awning and through the window. Lets finish with a photo that shows the differences as a whole. The Firebird sign and sky in the photo below has better white balance in the S25 Ultra’s photo, but isn’t as sharp as the S24 Ultra’s picture, and although the contrast is well-judged in the S25 Ultra’s photo, I prefer the color pop in the S24 Ultra’s photo.
1.Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra
2.Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra
It’s very difficult to say one is better than the other, as some won’t notice the differences at all, and both do have positive and negative points. I wouldn’t rush to upgrade the S24 Ultra to the S25 Ultra, but I also wouldn’t hold back on the S25 Ultra over any concerns the camera is somehow worse. The main camera category is a draw.
Now we come to the category where the Galaxy S25 Ultra should beat the S24 Ultra. Out testagainst the Apple iPhone 16 Pro Maxhas already shown the wide-angle camera takes good photos, so how does it do next to the Galaxy S24 Ultra? Anyone expecting dramatic differences is going to be a little disappointed.
The wide-angle photo of the church shows you have to look very closely to spot any differences at all, and even when you do, they’re negligible. There’s a bit less noise in the S25 Ultra’s photo, but more pop in the S24 Ultra’s photo, and both have an almost identical level of detail. Neither photo is better than the other.
1.Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra wide-angle
2.Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra wide-angle
The Galaxy S25 Ultra’s wide-angle camera is a little better in low light. In the shot of the cabinets inside a cafe, there’s markedly less noise and edge blurring at the top of the S25 Ultra’s photo, and the white balance is more accurate too. However, if I didn’t tell you about these differences, would you actually notice?
1.Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra wide-angle
2.Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra wide-angle
Here’s a test for you. Which wide-angle photo out of the two above do you prefer? The Galaxy S25 Ultra’s wide-angle camera takes sharper photos, but it’s really marginal, and I’m not convinced it makes that much of a difference. Both photos are technically quite similar, with no obvious negative points. Yes, the Galaxy S25 Ultra’s wide-angle camera is “better” than the S24 Ultra’s, but whether you will ever notice is another thing entirely. It gets the win, but don’t read too much into it.
Finally, as we reach the telephoto category, we can see some consistent improvements in the photos taken by the Galaxy S25 Ultra. Across the 3x, 5x, and 10x zoom the S25 Ultra takes sharper and less noisy photos than the S24 Ultra, and you don’t always need to pixel-peep to see the changes.
The 3x zoom photo of the archway is the hardest to immediately see the changes, but the wooden archway and gate do have more sharpness and texture when you take a moment to examine the photo. This continues into the background. I do prefer the S24 Ultra’s visual pop though, a running theme throughout the test.
1.Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra 5x
2.Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra 5x
The photo of the cat was taken at 5x zoom, and the Galaxy S25 Ultra has nailed the color of its coat, and lessened the intense contrast of the S24 Ultra’s image, giving it a natural look and tone. There’s a lot less noise in the background too.
1.Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra 10x
2.Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra 10x
Finally, the clock at 10x zoom shows how much the S24 Ultra relies on smoothing to keep noise at bay. The textures in the stone around the edge of the clock face are sharper in the S25 Ultra’s photo, and there’s a lot less pixelation in the darker sections at the top of the image. The Galaxy S25 Ultra’s three primary zoom levels easily surpass the quality of the S24 Ultra’s cameras.
Winner: Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra
30x and 100x zoom
1.Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra 30x
2.Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra 30x
More for fun than anything else, here’s how things have changed for the 30x and 100x zoom levels both phones can achieve. Interestingly, the 30x zoom is getting more and more usable, with far less smoothing, more sharpness, and additional texture to make the 30x photos taken by the Galaxy S25 Ultra much improved over the S24 Ultra.
1.Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra 100x
2.Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra 100x
The 100x zoom photos still aren’t ones you’d take and want to keep, but similar updates to the 30x mode make them less artificial looking than before, with more texture and realism. It’s advancements made in the software and processing which make all this possible, rather than the camera hardware, and it’s perhaps the area where we can see the most obvious changes between the two phone generations.
Winner: Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra
Night mode
1.Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra
2.Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra
The software and processing improvements extend to the Galaxy S25 Ultra’s lowlight performance too. The first photo was taken in practically dark conditions, with ambient light coming from a security lamp behind me. The S25 Ultra’s photo is sharper, and makes better use of the contrast and exposure time to make the scene look more natural, and bring out more of the textures in the wood.
1.Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra
2.Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra
The next two photos show the S25 Ultra’s greater ability to take a natural looking photo in lowlight. The first has plenty of ambient light, but it was nowhere near as green as the S24 Ultra makes it seem, but there’s a lot less noise in the photo due to its additional smoothing. However, textures are greater and more realistic in the S25 Ultra, such as on the tarmac and the tree trunk.
1.Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra
2.Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra
All this is then emphasized in the photo of the same scene taken from a different angle. The S25 Ultra’s colors are much more accurate, and there’s less blur on the vehicles too. However, it’s less effective at capturing the text on the van, and both photos have noisy skies. When the Galaxy S25 Ultra is this effective in very lowlight, it’ll suit more environments than the S24 Ultra.
Winner: Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra
An easy win
Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra (left) and the Galaxy S25 Ultra
The Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra has beaten the S24 Ultra in all but one category, with the telephoto sections proving to be the most decisive. The new wide-angle camera is obviously improved, but it’s not as dramatic as you may expect. However, I have been really impressed with it outside of this test piece, and you can see more examples of the photos it takesin our review.
It’s no surprise the two main cameras are equally matched as the hardware is unchanged, but I remain concerned about the introduction of blur and a lack of sharpness. I don’t think this should happen on a camera attached to a $1,300 smartphone, and look forward to Samsung addressing it in future software updates.
While the Galaxy S25 Ultra has won this test, it’s hard to say it provides a compelling reason to upgrade if you own the Galaxy S24 Ultra, unless you use the telephoto cameras a great deal. It’s not like the S24 Ultra has a bad camera, as it still managed tobeat the iPhone 16 Pro Maxat the end of 2024. We’ve got some other interesting tests if you’re still considering the S25 Ultra, as we’ve also put itagainst the iPhone 16 Pro Max, and we’ve got an in-depth look at how thetelephoto capabilities compare to its rivalshere.
The year was 2020, the month was February and Samsung had just kicked off yet another smartphone generation. The Galaxy S20 Ultra brought a lot of new features to the market, but crucially, Samsung’s marketing also made long zoom features and Ultra branding extremely desirable.
One of the key reasons to buy the Galaxy S20 Ultra — and subsequent Ultra phones from Samsung — was the camera. It featured a 108MP main sensor, a 12MP ultrawide camera, and a 48MP periscope telephoto camera that offered 4x optical zoom and 10x hybrid zoom. The latter also enabled the new 100X Space Zoom feature, which Samsung still promotes on its Ultra phones today.
Fast forward five years, and while the lineup has changed, the premise is still the same. The Galaxy S25 Ultra offers a 200MP main sensor, a 50MP ultrawide sensor, and two periscope lenses, one at 10MP with 3x optical zoom and the other at 50MP with 5x optical zoom. Yet, Samsung faces a problem: its Ultra phones face huge competition from the competition and it may no longer have the best zoom camera in the US.
To find out if it’s still the best, I tested it against the main competition and it’s very close: here’s what happened and which phone wins.
For a few years, Samsung faced no real competition in the US or most Western countries. As a result, the company was mostly able to refine its lineup at its own pace, without the added pressure of intense competition.
The Galaxy S20 Ultra introduced the Zoom race, whilst the Galaxy S21 Ultra saw Samsung adopt the quad-camera approach that it still uses today. It featured the same 108MP main camera, but introduced a 10MP telephoto lens with 3x optical zoom — still in use today — and a secondary 10MP periscope lens with 10x optical zoom.
The Galaxy S22 Ultra featured the same camera as the S21 Ultra, but with the Galaxy S23 Ultra, Samsung introduced a new 200MP main camera. This is the same one that’s found on the Galaxy S25 Ultra. Last year’sGalaxy S24 Ultrathen saw Samsung tweak its approach to the zoom camera, by dropping the 10MP periscope lens with 10x optical zoom in favor of a 50MP periscope lens offering 5x optical zoom.
The Galaxy S25 Ultra keeps the same camera array as the Galaxy S24 Ultra but introduces a new 50MP ultrawide lens. However, the 3x and 5x telephoto lenses have proven to be fairly capable at low zoom lengths, but struggle to match another phone at the same 100x zoom length. The kicker for Samsung is that the other phone only has a single telephoto lens that only offers a 3x optical zoom.
As Samsung has proven there is global demand for phones with strong zoom capabilities, the competition has taken notice. Apple, Google, and OnePlus have all considered Samsung’s success and sought out different approaches to the camera to achieve similar, or better, results than Samsung’s best phone.
Here’s how the Galaxy S25 Ultra camera compares to the key flagship from each phone:
Samsung remains the only company in the US to adopt two telephoto lenses, with the 3x telephoto matching the one on the OnePlus 13, while the 5x matches the same zoom capabilities found on the iPhone 16 Pro and Pixel 9 Pro.
However, as we’ll see, the adage continues to ring true: it’s not just the hardware that matters, but how each camera and ISP uses the hardware. Further complicating this is the use of AI in post-processing and how each company uses it to further enhance the final photo.
Testing the Galaxy S25 Ultra Zoom vs the US competition
On paper, the Galaxy S25 Ultra should be the most capable zoom camera in the US, but as the headline suggests, this is no longer the case. I’ve been traveling with Samsung’s latest flagship for several weeks and have tested it against the key competition in the US during both day and night.
For each zoom length, I’ve picked two sets of daytime photos to evaluate the zoom. One of these focuses on the ability to zoom into text and finer details, while the other points to its ability to zoom into landscapes and other subjects. Each phone has plenty of zoom lengths, but for this comparison, I’ve focused on the key ones: 1x, 3x/5x depending on which each phone has, 10x and 25x or 30x.
What about the competition? First, let’s consider thePixel 9 Pro. Google’s flagship offers a 5x zoom and a maximum of 30x zoom, so let’s look at each comparison. Here’s the first sample set.
1.Galaxy S25 Ultra 1x
2.Galaxy S25 Ultra 5x
3.Galaxy S25 Ultra 30x
4.Pixel 9 Pro 1x
5.Pixel 9 Pro 5x
6.Pixel 9 Pro 30x
Next, let’s look at the performance in the second scene.
1.Galaxy S25 Ultra 1x
2.Galaxy S25 Ultra 5x
3.Galaxy S25 Ultra 30x
4.Galaxy S25 Ultra 30x
5.Pixel 9 Pro 1x
6.Pixel 9 Pro 5x
7.Pixel 9 Pro 30x
8.Pixel 9 Pro 30x
The Pixel 9 Pro is fairly impressive in these two scenes, and I prefer it for the first two images in the first scene. However, once you get into the details, the Galaxy S25 Ultra beats it thanks to extra detail in the balcony railings, the cruise ship deck, and the sign on the cruise ship. It’s quite close, but the Galaxy S25 Ultra still wins this comparison.
Next, let’s look at theiPhone 16 Pro. Samsung’s flagship is billed as a competitor to the iPhone 16 Pro Max, which features the same camera as its smaller sibling. The iPhone 16 Pro also features the same 5x found on the iPhone 16 Pro Max, which was previously exclusive just to the Max lineup.
Here’s how the two compare.
1.Galaxy S25 Ultra 1x
2.Galaxy S25 Ultra 5x
3.Galaxy S25 Ultra 30x
4.iPhone 16 Pro 1x
5.iPhone 16 Pro 5x
6.iPhone 16 Pro 25x
Next, let’s look at the performance in the second scene.
1.Galaxy S25 Ultra 1x
2.Galaxy S25 Ultra 5x
3.Galaxy S25 Ultra 30x
4.Galaxy S25 Ultra 30x
5.iPhone 16 Pro 1x
6.iPhone 16 Pro 5x
7.iPhone 16 Pro 25x
8.iPhone 16 Pro 25x
The iPhone 16 Pro is limited to just 25x maximum zoom and these images show why Apple limits the maximum zoom on its phones. The Galaxy S25 Ultra wins, but like the Pixel 9 Pro, I think both phones are quite similar at the lowest zoom lengths.
If we were to stop this comparison right now, Samsung would probably still rein supreme, but there’s one device remaining. On paper, theOnePlus 13shouldn’t be able to compete with the Galaxy S25 Ultra given its telephoto lens only has a 3x optical zoom and it lacks the 6x found on its non-US sibling, the Find X8 Pro. It does still feature a 6x option that’s billed as a hybrid between digital and optical zoom, so I’ve included this in the test as a comparison against the 5x on the Galaxy S25 Ultra.
1.Galaxy S25 Ultra 1x
2.Galaxy S25 Ultra 3x
3.Galaxy S25 Ultra 5x
4.Galaxy S25 Ultra 30x
5.OnePlus 13 1x
6.OnePlus 13 3x
7.OnePlus 13 6x
8.OnePlus 13 30x
Next, let’s look at the performance in the second scene.
1.Galaxy S25 Ultra 1x
2.Galaxy S25 Ultra 3x
3.Galaxy S25 Ultra 5x
4.Galaxy S25 Ultra 30x
5.OnePlus 13 1x
6.OnePlus 13 3x
7.OnePlus 13 6x
8.OnePlus 13 30x
Both phones are evenly matched throughout these comparisons, and it’s quite surprising that the OnePlus 13 can match the Galaxy S25 Ultra despite the lack of a fourth camera, and the smaller 3x optical zoom. At 30x zoom, the Galaxy S25 Ultra is just slightly better, but overall, they feel equally matched.
Unlike the iPhone 16 Pro and Pixel 9 Pro, the OnePlus 13 also goes further than 30x and this is where I’ve been blown away. From the same sets above, here are the same shots at 100x on the Galaxy S25 Ultra, and the maximum 120x on the OnePlus 13.
1.Galaxy S25 Ultra 100x
2.OnePlus 13 120x
3.Galaxy S25 Ultra 100x
4.OnePlus 13 120x
As you can see, the OnePlus 13 picks up where Google left off and proves that you don’t necessarily need the best hardware to capture the best photos. Despite inferior zoom capabilities — on paper, at least — it has the best zoom of any of these phones I’ve tested. In particular, the AI does an excellent job of filling in missing details and throughout all my testing, it’s consistently proven to be better than the Galaxy S25 Ultra at the higher zoom lengths.
