Galaxy S25 Ultra One Year Later: Snapdragon 8 Elite Benchmarks, Thermal Limits, and Real-World Value Explained

If you are the kind of gadget enthusiast who cares about silicon architecture, sustained performance, and the uncomfortable truth behind benchmark charts, this article is written for you.

The Galaxy S25 Ultra is no longer the shiny new flagship on store shelves, yet it remains one of the most technically ambitious smartphones ever released.

Powered by the custom Snapdragon 8 Elite for Galaxy, Samsung set out to redefine Android performance, challenge Apple’s long-standing dominance, and push 3nm silicon to its absolute limits.

Nearly a year after launch, we can now move beyond marketing promises and early impressions, and look at how this device actually behaves in the real world.

In this article, you will discover how the all-big-core Oryon CPU reshaped multi-core performance, why peak power often collides with thermal reality, and how gaming, AI tasks, and daily use are affected over long sessions.

We will also explore battery longevity after a year of use, the persistent camera shutter lag debate, and how One UI’s evolution has changed the overall experience.

For readers considering whether the Galaxy S25 Ultra is still worth buying in 2026, or whether waiting for the S26 Ultra makes more sense, this deep technical perspective will help you make a confident decision.

By the end, you will clearly understand where the Galaxy S25 Ultra truly excels, where it struggles against physical constraints, and why it remains one of the most fascinating smartphones in the global flagship market today.

Snapdragon 8 Elite for Galaxy: Why This Chip Changed Android Performance

Snapdragon 8 Elite for Galaxy is not just another annual upgrade but a fundamental shift in how Android performance is definedです。At the heart of this change is Qualcomm’s return to its in-house Oryon CPU architecture, paired with TSMC’s second-generation 3nm process. According to Qualcomm and Samsung’s joint technical disclosures, this combination delivers higher transistor density and lower leakage, allowing clocks to scale aggressively without abandoning efficiency altogetherです。

The most radical decision was the all-big-core CPU design. By removing efficiency cores entirely and adopting a 2+6 configuration of prime and performance cores, Samsung prioritized real-world responsiveness over theoretical power-saving metricsです。In the “for Galaxy” variant, the prime cores are overclocked up to 4.47GHz, a measurable increase over the standard Snapdragon 8 Elite. Independent Geekbench 6 results consistently show multi-core scores around 9,500–9,800, a level that finally places Android ahead of Apple’s A-series in sustained parallel workloadsです。

This gap matters because modern smartphone usage increasingly depends on multi-threaded tasks such as AI inference, image processing, and background app executionです。Tom’s Guide and Geekbench Browser analyses note that while single-core performance still slightly favors Apple, the difference has narrowed enough to be imperceptible in daily use. App launches, heavy Chrome tabs, and complex photo edits feel instant, especially when paired with Samsung’s 120Hz display tuningです。

Another performance breakthrough lies in AI acceleration. The enhanced Hexagon NPU shows up to 55% faster results in tasks like image segmentation and super-resolution compared with the previous generation, based on Geekbench AI data. This directly translates into shorter wait times for Galaxy AI features such as on-device photo cutouts and real-time translation, without relying on the cloudです。

In essence, Snapdragon 8 Elite for Galaxy changed Android performance by proving that architectural ambition, not just higher clocks, can redefine user experienceです。It marked the moment when Android flagships stopped chasing Apple’s benchmarks and started setting their own performance narrativeです。

All-Big-Core CPU Design and the Shift Away from Efficiency Cores

The Snapdragon 8 Elite for Galaxy marks a decisive architectural shift by adopting an all-big-core CPU design, completely removing traditional efficiency cores from its cluster configuration. This approach, built on Qualcomm’s custom Oryon cores and manufactured using TSMC’s second-generation 3nm process, represents a deliberate bet on raw performance and simplified scheduling rather than heterogeneous core balancing.

In concrete terms, the CPU is configured as two prime cores and six performance cores, all designed to sustain high instruction throughput. **By eliminating efficiency cores, Qualcomm reduces the complexity of task migration and context switching**, an area that has historically introduced latency and suboptimal core utilization on Android devices. According to Qualcomm’s own technical disclosures, the Oryon cores were designed with wide pipelines and aggressive out-of-order execution, allowing even background tasks to execute quickly and return the system to low-power states.

This design choice directly influences how the Galaxy S25 Ultra feels in daily use. App launches, browser rendering, and UI animations benefit from **uniformly high single-thread and burst performance**, especially when combined with Samsung’s 120Hz display tuning. Independent benchmark data from Geekbench confirms that the device consistently scores around 9,500 to 9,800 points in multi-core tests, surpassing Apple’s A18 Pro in this specific metric. Analysts at Geekbench note that this advantage stems less from clock speed alone and more from sustained multi-core scalability.

However, the move away from efficiency cores naturally raises questions about power consumption. Apple and ARM have long argued that small cores are essential for background tasks such as notifications, audio playback, and sensor polling. Qualcomm’s counterargument, echoed by semiconductor researchers at institutions like AnandTech and IEEE-affiliated publications, is that **modern 3nm big cores can downclock and undervolt efficiently enough to handle light workloads without disproportionate energy waste**. In practice, the Snapdragon 8 Elite relies heavily on fine-grained dynamic voltage and frequency scaling to emulate the power behavior once reserved for efficiency cores.

Samsung’s “for Galaxy” customization adds another layer to this strategy. The prime cores are overclocked to 4.47GHz, compared to 4.32GHz on the standard variant, while maintaining the same core topology. According to PhoneArena’s measurements, this modest increase translates into perceptible gains in single-thread-dominant tasks such as JavaScript execution and application cold starts. **The absence of efficiency cores ensures that these tasks are never scheduled on slower silicon**, which has been a subtle but real issue on some heterogeneous Android platforms.

There is, however, a clear trade-off. Sustained workloads reveal the physical limits of this philosophy. Under prolonged CPU stress, thermal constraints force frequency reductions across all cores simultaneously, rather than selectively throttling only performance cores. Researchers studying mobile thermal envelopes have pointed out that all-big-core designs behave like high-performance laptops without active cooling: exceptional in short bursts, but dependent on chassis heat dissipation over time.

From a broader industry perspective, this shift signals Qualcomm’s intent to challenge Apple not by mimicking its efficiency-core strategy, but by redefining Android performance expectations. Semiconductor analysts from firms such as TechInsights have described the Snapdragon 8 Elite as a “desktop-inspired” mobile CPU, prioritizing immediacy and parallelism. **For power users who value responsiveness over theoretical idle efficiency, the all-big-core design delivers a tangible benefit**, even if it demands more sophisticated thermal and power management.

Ultimately, the Galaxy S25 Ultra demonstrates that abandoning efficiency cores is not a regression, but a calculated rebalancing. It reflects confidence in advanced process nodes and software control, and it reshapes how flagship Android devices approach performance consistency. Whether this becomes the dominant paradigm will depend on how well future designs can reconcile this power-centric philosophy with the immutable physics of smartphone cooling.

Geekbench, AnTuTu, and AI Benchmarks: What the Numbers Really Mean

Benchmark scores often dominate smartphone discussions, but understanding what Geekbench, AnTuTu, and AI benchmarks actually measure is essential for making sense of the Galaxy S25 Ultra’s real-world performance.

Geekbench focuses on raw CPU capability, separating single-core and multi-core behavior. According to publicly available Geekbench 6 data, the Galaxy S25 Ultra consistently records multi-core scores around 9,500 to 9,800, clearly surpassing Apple’s A18 Pro in sustained parallel workloads. **This indicates exceptional strength in tasks such as video encoding, large file compression, and heavy multitasking**, while its slightly lower single-core score shows that peak responsiveness is already near the practical ceiling for smartphones.

AnTuTu results, often quoted in marketing, require more caution. The S25 Ultra typically scores between 2.2 and 2.8 million points, sometimes trailing Chinese rivals with higher RAM configurations. **This does not mean it is slower in daily use**, but rather reflects Samsung’s conservative thermal and memory tuning, which prioritizes long-term stability over headline numbers, as noted by outlets like Tom’s Guide.

AI benchmarks provide the most forward-looking insight. Geekbench AI results show up to a 55% gain in image segmentation and super-resolution tasks over the previous generation. **For users, this translates directly into faster photo cutouts, smoother AI upscaling, and more practical on-device generative features**, a trend also highlighted in Qualcomm’s technical briefings on Hexagon NPU evolution.

In short, the numbers matter, but their context matters more. Benchmarks reveal where the Galaxy S25 Ultra excels, yet they are best read as indicators of capability, not guarantees of everyday experience.

Gaming Performance with Adreno 830 and Hardware Ray Tracing

Gaming performance on the Galaxy S25 Ultra is largely defined by the Adreno 830 GPU integrated into Snapdragon 8 Elite for Galaxy, and its impact is immediately noticeable when running modern, graphically demanding titles. Compared with the previous Adreno generation, Qualcomm states that raw GPU throughput improves by around 40%, but what truly changes the experience is the practical balance between peak power and visual fidelity.

In real-world gameplay, titles such as Genshin Impact and Honkai: Star Rail consistently reach and maintain 60fps at their highest settings during short to mid-length sessions. According to stress measurements widely referenced by outlets like GSMArena and PhoneArena, frame pacing remains stable during the first several minutes, which is crucial for action-oriented games where input latency directly affects immersion.

A defining feature of Adreno 830 is hardware-accelerated ray tracing, which brings more realistic lighting, reflections, and shadow behavior to supported mobile games. While the current Android gaming ecosystem offers only a limited number of titles that fully leverage ray tracing, demonstrations and benchmarks show reflections on water surfaces and metallic objects that were previously impossible without severe performance penalties.

Qualcomm’s own technical disclosures, combined with Samsung’s device-level tuning, suggest that the GPU scheduler prioritizes short-term responsiveness. This design choice benefits competitive and session-based gaming, where most users play in bursts rather than continuous hours. Reviewers frequently note that even with Samsung’s Light Mode enabled, which lowers overall power targets, many popular games still hold 60fps comfortably.

However, long-duration gaming exposes the physical limits of the chassis. Independent 3DMark stress tests referenced by PhoneArena show that initial scores exceeding 6,000 points can drop to around 4,000 after several minutes of sustained load. While this reduction sounds dramatic on paper, it is important to note that the stabilized performance level still surpasses many competing Android flagships from the previous generation.

From a player’s perspective, this means that visual quality remains high, but occasional frame dips may occur during extended boss fights or densely populated multiplayer scenes. Thermal management, rather than GPU capability itself, becomes the limiting factor. This aligns with broader industry observations, often discussed by engineers at Qualcomm, that mobile GPUs are now constrained more by heat dissipation than by architectural power.

Overall, Adreno 830 positions the Galaxy S25 Ultra as one of the most capable gaming smartphones available, especially for users who value cutting-edge graphics features like ray tracing. While it may not sustain peak performance indefinitely, **its short-term graphical output and responsiveness set a new reference point for mobile gaming in 2026**, making it particularly appealing to enthusiasts who demand console-like visuals in a handheld form factor.

Thermal Throttling and Vapor Chamber Limits in Ultra-Thin Phones

Thermal throttling has become one of the most critical constraints in modern ultra-thin smartphones, and the Galaxy S25 Ultra clearly illustrates this tension between peak performance and physical reality. Powered by the overclocked Snapdragon 8 Elite for Galaxy, the device can deliver class-leading benchmark scores, yet sustained workloads quickly expose the limits of heat dissipation.

According to long-duration stress tests such as 3DMark Wild Life Extreme, performance drops markedly after just a few minutes. **Initial GPU scores above 6,000 points can fall to roughly 60–70% once thermal thresholds are reached**, indicating aggressive frequency reduction to protect internal components. This behavior aligns with analyses from outlets like PhoneArena, which emphasize that even an expanded vapor chamber cannot fully tame 3nm-class flagship silicon.

The enlarged vapor chamber, reportedly about 40% bigger than the previous generation, spreads heat more evenly but cannot defy the thin chassis and passive cooling model. **Materials such as titanium frames and glass backs further slow heat transfer**, causing localized hotspots near the camera module during gaming or prolonged AI tasks.

From an engineering standpoint, this is not a design failure but a sign that ultra-thin phones are approaching thermodynamic ceilings. Semiconductor experts frequently note that without active cooling or thicker bodies, manufacturers must rely on software governors and throttling. For power users, this means breathtaking speed in short bursts, balanced by unavoidable slowdowns during extended high-load sessions.

Battery Life After One Year: Efficiency, Drain Tests, and Degradation

After one full year of daily use, the battery life of the Galaxy S25 Ultra reveals a nuanced balance between silicon-level efficiency and real-world power demands. While the nominal capacity remains 5,000mAh, what matters more at this stage is how efficiently that capacity is utilized and how much it has degraded over time.

Long-term drain tests conducted by multiple reviewers show that the Snapdragon 8 Elite for Galaxy maintains competitive efficiency in mixed workloads. In standardized video playback and web-browsing loops, the device continues to trail the iPhone 16 Pro Max by roughly 20–30 minutes, a gap largely attributed to iOS standby optimization and Apple’s efficiency-core strategy. However, compared to its predecessor, the S24 Ultra, average screen-on time has improved by approximately 8–10%, according to aggregated reviewer data.

One important variable after a year is standby drain. Early One UI 8 builds were criticized for excessive background consumption, but Samsung’s later updates significantly changed the picture. According to SamMobile’s analysis, the introduction of the Network Battery Saver in One UI 8.5 reduces idle network wakeups during sleep periods. In practical terms, many users now report overnight drain stabilizing at around 2–3%, which is an improvement over launch behavior.

Community reports aggregated from long-term users indicate that degradation is highly usage-dependent. Devices frequently subjected to fast charging combined with gaming while plugged in show health figures closer to the low 90% range. This aligns with established lithium-ion research, including findings summarized by Battery University, which emphasize heat as the primary accelerator of chemical aging rather than charge cycles alone.

In short, one year on, the Galaxy S25 Ultra does not suffer from dramatic battery decline. Instead, it demonstrates that efficiency gains from the 3nm process are real but constrained by thermal realities. Users who manage heat and charging habits are rewarded with battery performance that remains close to day-one expectations, even in 2026.

Camera Performance Reality Check: Zoom Leadership vs Shutter Lag

In real-world use, the Galaxy S25 Ultra’s camera performance reveals a clear split personality that matters more than spec sheets suggest. **Its zoom capability remains an undisputed class leader**, yet everyday shooting exposes a lingering shutter lag issue that silicon power alone has not erased. This contrast becomes most apparent when you move from static, distant subjects to fast, unpredictable moments.

Samsung continues to dominate long-range photography through a combination of a 5x optical telephoto lens, high-resolution sensor cropping, and AI-driven super‑resolution. According to detailed comparisons published by GSMArena, the S25 Ultra consistently preserves fine textures at 10x and even 20x where competitors begin to smear detail. Architectural edges, stage lighting at concerts, and distant signage retain legibility that iPhone 16 Pro Max and Pixel 9 Pro XL struggle to match.

However, when photographing children, pets, or street scenes indoors, the experience changes. **The shutter button response does not always align with the captured moment**, a problem widely discussed in long‑term user reports and community testing. Technically, this stems from Samsung’s preference for aggressive noise reduction on its 200MP pipeline. To keep ISO values low, the camera often selects slower shutter speeds, increasing motion blur before the frame is finalized.

Imaging researchers and reviewers at outlets like CNET have noted that competitors rely more heavily on mature zero‑shutter‑lag buffering. Apple and Google continuously cache frames and select the sharpest instant when the shutter is pressed, masking processing delays. On the S25 Ultra, Samsung offers mitigation through Camera Assistant settings that prioritize capture speed, but this requires manual intervention and remains disabled by default.

This trade-off explains why users praise the phone for travel, landscapes, and event photography from afar, yet express frustration during everyday family moments. The Snapdragon 8 Elite ISP processes data faster than ever, but physics and algorithmic choices still dictate outcomes. Until Samsung rebalances its capture pipeline toward motion reliability, the S25 Ultra’s camera reality remains a tale of zoom supremacy paired with an unresolved shutter lag compromise.

One UI Evolution and Galaxy AI: Practical Benefits and Open Issues

One UI has continued to evolve from a customization-heavy Android skin into a system that actively shapes how hardware power is perceived in daily use, and this shift becomes especially clear on the Galaxy S25 Ultra.

With One UI 8.5, animation handling and task scheduling have been refined to better match the extreme peak performance of the Snapdragon 8 Elite for Galaxy, while avoiding unnecessary thermal spikes.

Samsung engineers have adjusted dynamic frequency scaling so that short interactions, such as app switching or UI gestures, complete at high clocks and then quickly downshift.

According to analysis shared by Android Authority and long-term reviewers, this behavior reduces perceived lag without significantly increasing battery drain, a balance earlier One UI versions struggled to maintain.

A notable addition is Network Battery Saver, which uses on-device learning to identify genuine idle states and suppress background network activity.

SamMobile reports that this feature alone can reduce overnight battery loss by several percentage points, a small change that compounds over months of ownership.

Galaxy AI, meanwhile, illustrates both Samsung’s ambition and its unresolved challenges.

On-device features such as real-time call translation and Circle to Search benefit directly from the Hexagon NPU, delivering faster responses and improved privacy compared to cloud-only processing.

In controlled tests, local AI image segmentation and object selection complete up to 50% faster than on the previous generation, making these tools genuinely usable rather than gimmicky.

However, not all Galaxy AI functions share this advantage.

Image generation and certain advanced editing tools still rely heavily on server-side processing, introducing latency and raising long-term questions about availability and regional support.

CNET reviewers have pointed out that this split experience makes Galaxy AI feel powerful in demos but uneven in real-world workflows.

Another open issue is discoverability.

Many AI features are buried in menus or require specific Samsung apps, meaning casual users may never encounter tools that the hardware is fully capable of running.

From a strategic perspective, One UI’s evolution shows Samsung prioritizing sustainable performance and longevity over headline-grabbing experiments.

The promise of seven OS upgrades amplifies this approach, but Galaxy AI will only justify that long support window if its cloud dependence decreases and its integration becomes more intuitive.

As it stands, One UI and Galaxy AI deliver clear, practical benefits, yet they also expose how much refinement is still needed before AI feels like a natural extension of the system rather than an added layer.

Display Technology, Ergonomics, and Long-Term Usability

The Galaxy S25 Ultra’s display is widely regarded as one of the most refined smartphone panels available, and this assessment is not based on marketing alone. Samsung Display’s M13 OLED panel reaches a peak brightness of approximately 2,600 nits, which significantly improves outdoor readability in direct sunlight. According to evaluations cited by CNET and GSMArena, this level of luminance reduces eye strain by minimizing the need for constant brightness adjustments during prolonged use.

Another critical factor for long-term usability is reflection control. The Gorilla Glass Armor, co-developed with Corning, reportedly reduces surface reflections by around 75%. This directly affects perceived contrast, making text and UI elements clearer in bright environments, an advantage that becomes noticeable during daily commuting or extended navigation sessions.

From an ergonomic standpoint, the sharp-edged, boxy chassis inherited from the Note lineage is a double-edged sword. While it provides a stable grip for S Pen usage and precise input, long-term one-handed operation can cause discomfort along the palm. Multiple long-term reviewers, including PhoneArena contributors, note that this becomes more apparent during reading or gaming sessions exceeding 30 minutes.

Despite this, the flat display surface offers practical benefits for productivity and accessibility. Accidental touches are reduced, and edge distortion is virtually nonexistent, which improves accuracy for note-taking and split-screen multitasking. Over months of use, these subtle advantages accumulate, reinforcing the S25 Ultra’s reputation as a device designed not just to impress at first glance, but to remain functional and comfortable over years of daily interaction.

Galaxy S25 Ultra vs Upcoming S26 Ultra: Buy Now or Wait?

Choosing between the Galaxy S25 Ultra available today and the upcoming S26 Ultra requires a calm look at maturity versus promise. The S25 Ultra is no longer an experimental flagship; after nearly a year on the market, its strengths and limits are well documented by outlets such as GSMArena and CNET, and its software has stabilized through One UI updates.

From a pure performance standpoint, the Snapdragon 8 Elite for Galaxy already sits at the top of the Android ecosystem. Multi-core CPU and on-device AI benchmarks published by Geekbench show margins that are meaningful on paper but subtle in daily use. For many users, this means the S25 Ultra already delivers more power than current apps can realistically exploit.

The main reason to wait lies less in raw speed and more in usability refinements. Industry analysts and supply-chain reporting suggest a softer, more ergonomic chassis and incremental efficiency gains from a newer OLED panel. If hand comfort and faster charging matter more than absolute value, waiting may feel justified.

On the other hand, price dynamics strongly favor the S25 Ultra right now. Carrier programs and the secondary market have lowered entry costs significantly, while Samsung’s seven-year update policy protects long-term value. For buyers who want a proven, top-tier device today rather than incremental gains tomorrow, the S25 Ultra remains a rational and satisfying choice.

参考文献

• PhoneArena：Galaxy S25 Ultra New Cooling System Tested: Does it beat the iPhone 16 Pro Max and OnePlus 13?
• Qualcomm：Qualcomm and Samsung Redefine Premium Performance by Bringing the Most Powerful Mobile Platform to the Galaxy S25 Series
• Geekbench Browser：Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra CPU Benchmark Results
• Tom’s Guide：Samsung’s Galaxy S25 Ultra is an incredibly powerful phone — and there’s one area where it’s a cut above the rest
• GSMArena：Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra vs Galaxy S24 Ultra camera shootout, part 2
• CNET：Galaxy S25 Ultra Review: Greatest Phone Screen Ever, but Let’s Not Talk About the AI