Hardwire Judges The Samsung Galaxy S25 Series

One of the year’s most high-profile smartphone launches is past us! The Galaxy S25 series is out in the wild and despite the slightly higher prices, there is a lot for premium smartphone buyers to absorb. The new 3nm chip from Qualcomm promises to offer a lot more headroom for resource-intensive tasks and the latest bunch of Galaxy AI suite of features. The Ultra variant looks boxier and even gains a new ultrawide camera sensor.

And then there’s the Galaxy S25 Edge – Samsung’s wildest take (by Samsung’s conservative standards) on its most popular phone. The Edge is the slimmest Galaxy S device to come from Samsung’s studio and whenever it releases, it could entice a lot of young buyers seeking a sleek and style-obsessed smartphone. 

But the Edge is reserved for a launch later in the year. The Galaxy S25, Galaxy S25 Plus and Galaxy S25 Ultra have the task of representing Android’s best interests for an entire year as well as promising a superior experience over a Google Pixel 9, OnePlus 13 and all other 2025 Android flagship phones. 

Hence, it was obvious for the team at Hardwire to form their opinion on these phones and I couldn’t hold myself from documenting their take on the entire Galaxy S25 range. Good, bad or ugly? Read on. But prior to the Hardwire team’s views, let’s quickly take a look at what these phones cost in India.

Samsung Galaxy S25 Indian prices at a glance

Given that these phones are brand new, the prices are going to be a tad higher. 

- The Galaxy S25 – one with the 6.1-inch display – starts from INR 80,999 for the variant with 12GB RAM and 256GB storage. For INR 92,999, you can equip the phone with 512GB storage. 

- The Galaxy S25 Plus offers a larger 6.7-inch display, thereby commanding a higher starting price of INR 99,999 for the base variant with 12GB RAM and 256GB storage. You can get 512GB storage by paying INR 1,11,999.

- The Galaxy S25 Ultra with the largest 6.9-inch display, S Pen stylus, the most advanced Samsung cameras and the largest battery commands a starting price of INR 1,29,999 as long as you are contended with 12GB RAM and 256GB storage. Pro users seeking more storage can opt for the 512GB variant costing INR 1,41,999 and the 1TB variant costing INR 1,65,999.

What does the Hardwire team think of the Galaxy S25 series?

With people from diverse backgrounds, there are bound to be polarising opinions on the Galaxy S25 series. Since I get to write and frame this, let’s begin with my take (the take that matters the most 😜).

“The Galaxy S25 series looks more exquisite over its predecessor, especially considering the new colourways and the boxier design. Although Gen-AI features still fall in the gimmicks category, the Galaxy AI suite with Gemini Live seems tempting – it could make life a lot easier. Samsung’s camera tuning is usually among the best in the business, which when coupled with the One UI 7 software experience, could establish these phones in a class above other Android flagship phones. Although the Galaxy S25 falls within my budget, I won't mind taking a mortgage over my property to rock a Galaxy S25 Ultra, solely for its promising camera system, the S Pen’s versatility and the useful AI features.”

~ Amritanshu Mukherjee, Hardwire’s eldest and wisest tech and auto guru 

Enough with all the self-love, now time to check out what Hardwire’s enthusiastic team thinks about the Galaxy S25 series.

"For me, the standout feature of the new lineup is the ‘Titan Silverblue’ colour. On a more serious note, I believe this somewhat underwhelming launch might set a new trend in the smartphone industry—one where brands shift focus to incremental updates and AI integrations. While AI features are bound to improve and become more accessible over time, they won’t make a meaningful impact on regular users unless they become an integral part of how we interact with devices."

~ Anubha Pandey, our boss and the creator of Hardwire

Our social media head is rooting for Samsung's AI features!

“Continuing its tradition, Samsung focused on elevating the user experience with its flagship Galaxy S25 series. Rather than merely strengthening the on-paper specifications, the Korean tech giant played smartly by introducing new features to Galaxy AI, such as Audio Eraser and Now Bar. However, I find it disappointing that Samsung is relying entirely on Google Gemini for its AI features, as I expected the company to introduce new innovations through its multi-billion R&D team. The Galaxy S25 series, running on Android 15-based OneUI 7, combined with Galaxy AI and Snapdragon 8 Elite features, could mark a new chapter in user experience.”

~ Shubham Dutt, our social media guru and tech expert

Our resident motorcycle enthusiast is optimistic.

“Samsung has finally matched the level of Apple (in terms of pricing). The brand has finally launched the S25 series, but this time without curved edges. People have been trolling Apple for using the same design every year, but it looks like Samsung has decided to follow in Apple's footsteps this time. Even the S25 Edge looks a lot like the iPhone 16. However, some people may prefer the all-flat design. Samsung has unpacked both the new S25 series and the company's profits, but the cherry on top is that Samsung has ditched Exynos processors this time. All the smartphones in the series are powered by the Snapdragon 8 Elite chipset, which is the biggest upgrade for Indian Samsung users.

~ Nikhil Shrivastava, our tech and motorcycle specialist

A bit of a disappointing take from our Auto expert.

“I am extremely disappointed by the Samsung Galaxy S25 series this year. I was expecting a fresher design this time. Is that too much to ask from the biggest phone maker on the planet? I do not think so. The entire Galaxy S lineup of 2025, except the S25 Edge, looks more or less the same as their predecessors which looked like their predecessors. I feel when you are the world's largest smartphone manufacturer, you can do better design than copy-pasting the previous year’s homework. I get that the brand has upgraded the internals with better hardware and software features but it would have been amazing if they refreshed the exterior too."

~ Arpit Dwivedi, our resident auto expert always in the top gear

What’s your take on Samsung’s Galaxy S25 series? Would you buy it? Would you choose it over the Apple iPhone 16 series?

ALSO READ: Is The Samsung Galaxy S24 Worth Buying In 2025?