Galaxy S25 Ultra • Unlocked vs iPhone SE (2022) • Locked AT&T

The Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra, released in February 2025, represents a top-tier Android flagship smartphone, offering a large display, advanced camera system, and integrated stylus. In contrast, the iPhone SE 2022, launched in March 2022, is a more compact and accessible iOS device, featuring a classic design with a physical home button. The primary distinctions between these two devices lie in their operating systems, physical size, display technology, and camera capabilities.

The expected practical lifespan of a smartphone is influenced by its release timeline, software support, and physical resilience. These two devices offer different profiles in terms of longevity.

• Release Timeline and Software Support: The Galaxy S25 Ultra, being a more recent device from early 2025, is expected to receive major Android updates and security patches for several years into the future, typically five years or more from its release. The iPhone SE 2022, released in March 2022, was discontinued in February 2025 and originally shipped with iOS 15.4, with compatibility extending to iOS 26 as of September 2025. This indicates a solid, but potentially shorter, remaining software support window compared to the newer S25 Ultra. [1, 14, 18, 32]
• Physical Durability: The Galaxy S25 Ultra features Corning Gorilla Armor 2 on its display, contributing to enhanced durability and scratch resistance. It also carries an IP68 rating for dust and water protection, allowing submersion up to 1.5 meters for 30 minutes. The iPhone SE 2022 utilizes durable glass, described by Apple as the "toughest glass in a smartphone" on both the front and back, though it does not feature Ceramic Shield. It has an IP67 rating, protecting against dust and water immersion up to 1 meter for 30 minutes. Drop tests for the iPhone SE 2022 showed good resilience for face-down and side drops, but back-down drops could result in cracks. [1, 9, 12, 15, 16, 20, 23, 28, 31, 36]
• Repairability: While specific repairability scores can vary, both devices are designed with components that can be serviced. Users considering a quality-assured refurbished option for either model can expect devices that have undergone thorough inspection and repair to ensure functionality and longevity.

Performance is a key differentiator, with the Galaxy S25 Ultra offering a more powerful and versatile experience due to its newer hardware, while the iPhone SE 2022 provides robust performance for its class.

• Processing Power and Responsiveness: The Galaxy S25 Ultra is equipped with a current-generation octa-core processor, the Snapdragon 8 Elite for Galaxy, designed to handle demanding applications, intensive multitasking, and advanced AI features smoothly. This results in rapid app loading, fluid navigation, and high-performance gaming. The iPhone SE 2022 features the Apple A15 Bionic chip, which, despite being an older flagship processor, still delivers a highly responsive user experience for everyday tasks, gaming, and running current applications. [2, 3, 7, 12, 14, 16, 19, 25, 31, 36]
• Multitasking and Storage: The Galaxy S25 Ultra typically comes with 12GB or 16GB of RAM, facilitating seamless transitions between numerous open applications and heavy background processes. Storage options range from 256GB up to 1TB, catering to extensive media libraries and large application installations. The iPhone SE 2022 includes 4GB of RAM, which is sufficient for smooth multitasking within the iOS ecosystem, and offers storage configurations of 64GB, 128GB, or 256GB. [2, 3, 4, 11, 12, 14, 16, 19, 25, 26, 31, 36]
• Battery Behavior: The Galaxy S25 Ultra houses a 5000 mAh battery, providing extended usage times, with test results indicating over 17 hours of continuous use and users frequently reporting all-day endurance even with moderate to heavy usage. The iPhone SE 2022 has a 2018 mAh battery, which, combined with the efficient A15 Bionic chip, offers average all-day battery life for typical users, though heavy usage may necessitate recharging before the day ends. Both support fast wired and wireless charging. [4, 5, 29, 30, 35, 36, 38]

The visual experience on these two devices differs significantly, primarily due to their display technologies and design philosophies.

• Display Technology and Clarity: The Galaxy S25 Ultra features a large 6.9-inch Dynamic LTPO AMOLED 2X display with a high resolution of 3120x1440 pixels (QHD+). This technology delivers deep blacks, vibrant colors, and excellent contrast, enhancing the viewing experience for multimedia and detailed content. The iPhone SE 2022 utilizes a 4.7-inch Retina HD LCD display with a resolution of 1334x750 pixels. While it offers good color accuracy and clarity for its size, it does not achieve the same level of contrast or black levels as an OLED panel. [1, 3, 11, 13, 16, 19, 23, 27, 32, 36]
• Brightness and Refresh Rate: The S25 Ultra's display can reach a peak brightness of up to 2600 nits, ensuring excellent visibility even in bright outdoor conditions. It also boasts a variable refresh rate of up to 120 Hz, providing smooth scrolling and fluid animations. The iPhone SE 2022 has a typical maximum brightness of 625 nits and a standard 60 Hz refresh rate, which is suitable for most indoor and casual outdoor use but offers a less fluid visual experience compared to higher refresh rate displays. [1, 3, 11, 19, 27, 32, 36, 41]
• Screen Size and Design: The S25 Ultra's expansive, nearly bezel-less display offers an immersive viewing experience, ideal for productivity, gaming, and media consumption. It also includes AI-powered ProScaler technology to enhance lower-resolution content to QHD+. The iPhone SE 2022 retains a classic design with prominent bezels at the top and bottom, housing the Touch ID home button. Its smaller screen size makes it more suitable for one-handed use and users who prefer a compact form factor. [1, 3, 13, 16, 23, 32, 41]

The camera systems of the Galaxy S25 Ultra and iPhone SE 2022 cater to different user needs, with the S25 Ultra offering a comprehensive and versatile setup, and the iPhone SE providing reliable performance for its single-lens configuration.

• Rear Camera System: The Galaxy S25 Ultra features a quad-camera setup, including a 200 MP wide-angle lens, a 50 MP ultra-wide lens, a 10 MP telephoto lens with 3x optical zoom, and a 50 MP periscope telephoto lens with 5x optical zoom, capable of up to 10x optical quality zoom and 100x space zoom. This system allows for exceptional detail, versatility in framing, and advanced zoom capabilities. The iPhone SE 2022 is equipped with a single 12 MP wide-angle rear camera with optical image stabilization, which performs well in good lighting conditions, producing images with good color balance and detail. [1, 2, 3, 6, 10, 11, 19, 27, 31, 36]
• Photography Features and Low Light: The S25 Ultra benefits from Samsung's ProVisual Engine and AI image processing, offering features like adaptive scene optimization, noise reduction, and a Quad Tele System for various optical zoom levels. Its larger sensors and advanced processing contribute to strong low-light performance. The iPhone SE 2022 leverages the A15 Bionic chip for computational photography features such as Smart HDR 4, Deep Fusion, and Portrait mode. However, it notably lacks a dedicated Night Mode, which can result in darker and grainier photos in very low-light environments compared to devices with this feature. [1, 3, 6, 10, 17, 19, 21, 24, 27]
• Video Recording and Front Camera: The Galaxy S25 Ultra supports video recording up to 8K at 30 frames per second across all models, along with features like Super Steady video mode, log format recording, and the ability to record to external storage. Its front camera is a 12 MP sensor. The iPhone SE 2022 can record 4K video at various frame rates up to 60 fps and features a 7 MP front-facing camera that performs well in adequate lighting. [1, 2, 3, 6, 10, 11, 17, 18, 19, 24, 27, 36]