Galaxy S25 Ultra • Unlocked vs Galaxy Z Fold4 • Unlocked

The Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra, released in early 2025, represents the pinnacle of Samsung's traditional smartphone design, offering a powerful and feature-rich experience. In contrast, the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold4, launched in August 2022, stands out with its innovative foldable form factor, transforming from a compact smartphone into a larger tablet-like display. These two devices cater to different user preferences, with the S25 Ultra focusing on a premium, uncompromised slab phone experience and the Z Fold4 prioritizing versatility and a larger screen for productivity and media consumption. Both run on the Android operating system, offering a familiar software experience with Samsung's One UI.

The expected practical lifespan of a smartphone is significantly influenced by its release timeline, software support, and physical durability.

• Release Timeline and OS Support: The Galaxy S25 Ultra, being a 2025 release, benefits from Samsung's extended software commitment, offering seven years of Android OS upgrades and security updates, starting with Android 15. This means it is projected to receive updates until Android 22. The Galaxy Z Fold4, released in 2022, was promised four major Android OS updates and five years of security updates, launching with Android 12L. It is eligible for Android 16-based One UI 8.0, but its software support window will conclude sooner than the S25 Ultra.
• Physical Durability: The Galaxy S25 Ultra features a titanium frame and Corning Gorilla Armor 2 on both its front display and rear panel, designed for enhanced scratch and fracture resistance. The Galaxy Z Fold4 utilizes an Armor Aluminum frame and Gorilla Glass Victus+ for its cover screen, while its main foldable display uses Ultra Thin Glass (UTG). While the Z Fold4's hinge has shown resilience against bending and dirt, its inner screen is more susceptible to scratches compared to traditional glass displays.
• Expected Practical Lifespan: Users prioritizing the longest possible software support and robust physical protection in a traditional form factor may find the Galaxy S25 Ultra more aligned with their needs. The Z Fold4, while durable for a foldable, requires more careful handling of its inner screen, and its software support will end earlier.

Performance in both devices is designed to handle demanding tasks, though the newer S25 Ultra benefits from a more recent generation of internal components.

• Processor Capabilities: The Galaxy S25 Ultra is equipped with a current-generation octa-core processor, enabling smooth operation for demanding applications, intensive multitasking, and advanced AI features. The Galaxy Z Fold4 features a previous-generation octa-core processor, which still delivers strong performance for everyday use, gaming, and multitasking across its dual displays.
• System Responsiveness and Multitasking: Both devices offer a highly responsive user experience. The S25 Ultra's more recent processor provides additional headroom for future software and applications, ensuring sustained high performance. The Z Fold4's 12 GB of RAM facilitates efficient multitasking, particularly when utilizing its larger inner display for multiple applications simultaneously.
• Battery Behavior: The Galaxy S25 Ultra houses a 5000 mAh battery, offering extended usage times, with some tests indicating over 17 hours of use in adaptive mode. The Galaxy Z Fold4 has a 4400 mAh battery, which, despite its capacity, provides a full day of use for many users, partly due to optimizations in its processor and display technology.

The display experience is a primary differentiator, with the S25 Ultra offering a large, traditional screen and the Z Fold4 providing a unique foldable interface.

• Display Technology and Resolution: The Galaxy S25 Ultra features a 6.9-inch Dynamic LTPO AMOLED 2X display with a QHD+ resolution (3120x1440 pixels), delivering sharp images and vibrant colors. The Galaxy Z Fold4 offers two displays: a 6.2-inch cover screen and a 7.6-inch foldable inner display, both Dynamic AMOLED 2X. The inner display has a resolution of 2176x1812 pixels, providing a large canvas for content.
• Brightness and Refresh Rate: Both devices feature a 120 Hz adaptive refresh rate for smooth scrolling and responsiveness. The S25 Ultra's display can reach up to 2600 nits of peak brightness, enhancing visibility in bright outdoor conditions and supporting HDR10+. The Z Fold4's displays also support a 120 Hz variable refresh rate and offer ample brightness for various viewing environments.
• Viewing Experience: The S25 Ultra provides a consistently large and bright viewing area with an anti-reflective coating for reduced glare. The Z Fold4's main display offers an immersive, tablet-like experience, ideal for multitasking and media, while its cover screen provides a convenient smartphone interface when folded.

Both smartphones offer advanced camera systems, but the S25 Ultra emphasizes high-resolution sensors and versatile zoom capabilities.

• Rear Camera System: The Galaxy S25 Ultra boasts a quad-camera setup, including a 200 MP main sensor, a 50 MP ultrawide, a 10 MP telephoto with 3x optical zoom, and a 50 MP periscope telephoto with 5x optical zoom, offering a Quad Tele System for flexible zoom levels. The Galaxy Z Fold4 features a triple-camera system with a 50 MP main sensor, a 12 MP ultrawide, and a 10 MP telephoto lens with 3x optical zoom.
• Photography Performance: The S25 Ultra excels in capturing highly detailed images across various focal lengths, with enhanced low-light capabilities and advanced AI processing. Its 50MP ultrawide camera also supports macro photography. The Z Fold4's camera system, while not as high-resolution as the S25 Ultra's, delivers strong performance in everyday photography, with improvements over its predecessor.
• Video Recording and Front Cameras: Both devices support 8K video recording, with the S25 Ultra capable of 8K at 30 fps and the Z Fold4 at 8K at 24 fps. For selfies, the S25 Ultra has a 12 MP front camera. The Z Fold4 has a 10 MP camera on its cover display and a 4 MP under-display camera on the inner screen, with the cover camera generally offering better quality.