Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra / Google Pixel 8 Pro

The Samsung Newsroom release is dated 23 January Korea time; the event was 22 January in US time.

Samsung notes memory options may vary by market and usable storage is lower because of preloaded software. There is no card slot.

Storage options vary by region and channel; there is no memory card slot.

Samsung quotes 40% NPU, 37% CPU and 30% GPU gains over the previous generation. This version is tuned for Galaxy with higher clocks than the standard Snapdragon 8 Elite.

Tensor G3 includes a TPU that accelerates on-device AI models. Titan M2 is a separate security chip that protects the lock screen and encryption keys.

The vapor chamber spreads heat from the chip into the body, helping clocks hold longer in extended gaming.

The viewable area is smaller than the diagonal because of rounded corners and the camera hole. Refresh that drops to 1 Hz saves power on static content; Vision Booster adjusts tone mapping in bright light.

An LTPO panel can drop the refresh rate as low as 1 Hz for static content, saving power with the always-on display and while reading, and rises to 120 Hz for motion. Google notes it is not available for all apps or content. Because the corners are rounded, the actual viewable area is less than 6.7 inches.

Used on the front only. Corning says it survived drops of up to 2.2 m onto a concrete-like surface in internal lab tests; this is not a durability guarantee for any given phone.

Titanium is used only on the frame, excluding the volume and side keys.

Per Samsung, 3× and 5× are optical; 2× and 10× are “optical quality” zoom made by sensor cropping. OIS is optical image stabilisation.

Optical and electronic stabilisation work together on the wide and telephoto cameras. Zoom beyond 5x is digital. Pro controls allow manual shutter, ISO and focus and high-resolution (50 MP) shots. A multi-zone laser autofocus sensor helps focus in low light.

The standard Pixel 8 has a fixed-focus front camera; the autofocus on the 8 Pro keeps close selfies sharp.

Log records a flat profile for colour grading; results depend on the editing workflow. Audio Eraser can reduce layers such as voices, music, wind and crowd separately in videos.

Video Boost uploads video to Google’s servers to reprocess colour, lighting and stabilisation; it needs the Google Photos app and the result is not instant. Night Sight Video uses this processing in low light.

The 45 W adapter is sold separately. Samsung quotes up to 31 hours of video playback. Wireless PowerShare charges earbuds or a watch from the back of the phone.

Google quotes beyond 24-hour battery life and up to 72 hours in Extreme Battery Saver (many features including 5G off). Figures use the separately sold Google 30 W USB-C charger (USB-PD 3.0 PPS). Battery Share significantly reduces the phone’s battery life.

According to Android Central’s one-year report, the phone received One UI 8 (Android 16) ahead of schedule.

5G/LTE availability depends on market and carrier.

Water resistance is not permanent and may diminish over time.

Resistance can diminish over time; liquid damage voids the warranty.

Colour availability varies by country and carrier.

Colour availability varies by region.

Google measures the HDR figure at a 100% on-pixel ratio and the peak figure at a 5% on-pixel ratio; 2,400 nits is a ceiling for small bright areas.

The matte back shows fewer fingerprints; the standard Pixel 8 has a polished back and a matte frame.

Google says the sensor can measure the temperature of an object, such as a pan or milk in a baby’s bottle. Google said it applied to the FDA for body-temperature use; that use depends on the country.

Wi-Fi 6E is listed in Japan and Wi-Fi 6 in Taiwan, Singapore and India. Ultra-Wideband measures direction and distance to compatible devices.

eSIM support depends on the operator.

The bundled cable runs at USB 2.0 speed. There is no headphone jack. A Quick Switch adapter is in the box.

The period counts from when the device first became available on the US Google Store (12 October 2023).