I’ve been using the Galaxy S25 Ultra for a long time now (in “phone years,” it’s basically ancient), and I still can’t wrap my head around why I love using it so much. In this long-term review going into 2026, I break down what’s still special about it—even after daily driving other great phones like the OnePlus 13, Google Pixel devices, and even the latest iPhones. The biggest standout for me is still the screen: Samsung’s anti-reflective coating is uniquely good, the colors are punchy, the text is crazy sharp, and the whole rectangular, futuristic look still has personality. I do wish it had more brightness, and I’ll be real—the “scratch resistance” hasn’t matched my experience because I’ve got scratches on mine. Performance is where things got interesting. On One UI 7, I had overheating and it didn’t feel like the phone was using the full capability of the processor. After updating to One UI 8, the difference was immediate—smoother, faster, and the overheating basically stopped for me. Cameras are still a mixed bag: the versatility and zoom are amazing, video is strong enough that I can mix it with iPhone footage, but low-light motion shots (kids at dinner, anything moving) still trip Samsung up. Battery is just average for me, the S Pen is still a big part of what makes the Ultra unique (I do miss Bluetooth features), and Samsung’s AI features are stacked—my favorite is Browser Assist for summarizing web pages. Overall, yeah… late 2025 into 2026: I still think the S25 Ultra is the king, and honestly, you can just buy it.