Galaxy S25 vs Others....a discussion thread

[Gino76ph]

After having been disappointed with a Google Pixel 8 (small screen, so-so speakers, washed out display, so-so performance) i bought an iPhone 16 Pro. I sold it as i miss Android.

My question: Which phones would be a good/modest upgrade* over the Pixel 8?
Pixel 9a

Poco F7 Pro

Galaxy S25+

* my priorities are specs that are more better (albeit slightly) than the Pixel 8 on cameras, performance, battery life, speakers & audio, etc.

[Gino76ph]

Powerful is very subjective. And i find it partly pointless to go to a Samsung store and try one of the phones. The software is either not up to date or on retail mode. So, io highly depend on forums or reviews on Youtube. 

[Gino76ph]

I'm gearing towards the "Plus" models as i find the base model too small and the Ultra too big for me. 

Any thoughts on a Pixel 9 Pro?

Or a Xiaomi 14 or 15?

[Gino76ph]

Words such as "powerful" and "fastest" don't really matter as they are all subjective to me. As i mentioned my previous Android was a Pixel 8 so i'm looking for something similar or slightly bigger in size and what i consider modest or good improvements on the display, speakers sound & audio, cameras, battery life and performance.

I'm looking into the older Xiaomi 14 or the newer Xiaomi 15.

Any other advice please?

[Piper123]

I'm afraid I only get the Ultra versions so have no experience of the S25+ or S25 base.

Sorry

I do find the S25 Ultra to be an extraordinary device on so many levels 👍

[arianwen27]

I kinda said what I said as I don't own a Chinese smart phone. I don't know enough specific details other than generally they're better in some ways and worse than others.

I know the s25 is faster. Has better software.

I know the Chinese phones have better batteries as they use a more advanced battery tech and they have better cameras.

[Joeeye]

If you're using the S25 series, it will be the most up to date, guaranteed. There hasn't been any other release software (other than security updates) for the S25 series.

Power isn't really subjective, it is objectively more powerful than any of Samsungs previous devices. The only subjective part is how useful or tangible it will be for you as a user.

[Star_girl]

The Plus sounds like a good choice, specs and size wise. I had S24U and I can say that it was very responsive, but the S25U is even more responsive and this is true for the whole S series. I am not a fan of those phones so I cannot give an opinion on them, but I believe Apple, Samsung and Pixel are a safer choice regarding software, updates and support given from the brands they belong to, it's widely known that Xiaomi come with a lot of features but they are poorly supported software wise. Personally I need a phone with reliable software support to enjoy my phone. They are all similarly priced, maybe a couple of quid different, which is why I would go with the safer choice.

[Gino76ph]

I supposed it is both subjective and objectively speaking. It depends what do you look for on a phone and what you use it for.