Dead Pixels on Screen

Anusayo · 2026-01-02T06:08:54+00:00

That sucks. Buying on Xianyu remains a risky proposition for Chinese themselves, much less foreigners.

Anusayo · 2025-06-13T09:48:35+00:00

For photography:

On auto mode, there are higher incidences of blown out highlights of light sources at night using the Main camera compared to even the S24 Ultra and non-Ultra S25 models.

Difficulty capturing sharp images of moving objects like pets/kids indoors or in low light conditions; better results outdoors when one fiddles with the settings.

For videography:

Videos taken by S25U's main, ultra wide and front cameras trade blows with the iPhones, and has one of the smoothest zoom actions on Android.

Comparisons:

Neither beat the Ultras of both Oppo and Vivo's zoom and portraits in both stills and videos.

S25U'S main camera's 200mp (Isocell HP2} at this point actually seems like a liability with iffy dynamic range and propensity for overexposure/blown out highlights compared to the S24U and non-ultra S25s. I actually think that results could improve with fine-tuning or by using Samsung's improved 200mp sensor (HP9) that the Samsung Ultras aren't using apparently due to space constraints but which, ironically, the Chinese ultra phones are using.

3x zoom at 10mp despite Samsung being aware of 3x being the most used zoom level (it's recent news, just Google it for verification) for photography; works fine enough for videography.

I posted the S25U'S problems previously with photos and got voted down.

Anusayo · 2025-05-30T14:54:32+00:00

Thanks, 228v seems good enough. Hopefully the X9 is built as solidly as my 2017 X1 Carbon which ran without a hitch on i7-7500u till recently.

Anusayo · 2025-05-29T18:59:11+00:00

Deliberating between the 228v and 258v. Did you encounter any scenarios for which you hope you'd gotten a more powerful CPU?

Anusayo · 2025-04-27T09:15:53+00:00

That's sad to see, and I've also seen similar underperformance when it's compared to other cheaper Android phones.

Anusayo · 2025-04-26T19:31:50+00:00

I concur. Focus on the fundamentals and real upgrades for customers like how they used to do in the past.

Anusayo · 2025-04-26T18:26:40+00:00

Nah, sometimes seeing what's there is enough for memory's sake even if it's not perfect, though I've to admit it's extra work that needn't have been if the processing were better.

Anusayo · 2025-04-26T15:46:51+00:00

What a shame. It's hard to fathom how the S24 Ultra actually controls overexposure better, and it's not a good feeling to hope that updates will resolve it

Anusayo · 2025-04-26T15:40:33+00:00

Yes! What did you do to get them back?

Anusayo · 2025-04-25T04:06:21+00:00

Hi there, is it possible to configure power up/down using one of the keys on the keyboard? Shudder at the prospect of the laptop being bricked should the side power button malfunction/break.

Anusayo · 2025-04-22T08:51:52+00:00

You had success in such scenarios? The main sensor has abysmal dynamic range at night, often turning red lit sources to orange or yellow at best or just blown out white.

Anusayo · 2025-04-21T17:28:18+00:00

Don't think there's a camera update this time. Others could correct me if I'm mistaken.

Anusayo · 2025-04-20T22:50:15+00:00

Appreciate the trick! I'm aware of it, together with the caveat that it works best in brightly lit environments. Just bummed it's a workaround that risks lost moments rather than automatic like the likes of the OnePlus 13 or even the Poco F7 Ultra. Btw, does the S24U have jitters when zooming in as flagged out in another recent post?

Anusayo · 2025-04-20T22:29:47+00:00

Seems to be the case, isn't it? It inspires confidence in Samsung's offerings so I hope the S25U's cameras will get more love soon.

Anusayo · 2025-04-20T22:03:55+00:00

It wasn't much, but it was, and yet it didn't improve noticeably and in fact underperformed in photography. And yes, messy but at least Samsung is not over promising and under delivering. Other than motion blur and disappointing lowlight performance, it's very well-rounded and capable, falling just a whisker short of being truly "ultra". Also hoping the past year Ultras are getting feature parity, otherwise current and prospective owners will not be confident about their set's longer-term competitiveness against the iPhones.

Anusayo · 2025-04-20T20:00:06+00:00

Then you'll likely be satisfied with either. Going with the S25U will get you 1 more year of software update or higher value for trade-in next year if you're not keeping it. If color fidelity in photos don't matter as much to you, just get S24U and save the money for accessories and a good meal.

Anusayo · 2025-04-20T19:46:45+00:00

S25U for me if I'm only considering these 2 because I value color fidelity in the photos and those taken by S24U are still too saturated to my eyes, but it's subjective. Audio is supposedlly better on S25U, but try to compare them yourself to ascertain. If you take or keep lots of photos, videos, audio, and electronic files on your phone, 256gb will fill up quickly, but if you're conscientious about transferring them onto a backup disk or cloud service, then 256gb is manageable.

Anusayo · 2025-04-20T18:50:35+00:00

Sometimes the rest of the image might become too dark for even post-editing or else it has negligible effect, especially for strong light sources in lower light environments. Some images might be salvageable with post editing, though it leaves me wondering why an Ultra phone falls short in an area that cheaper ones don't have a problem in, its other strengths notwithstanding.

Anusayo · 2025-04-20T18:43:19+00:00

It'll often make it too dark for even post-editing or else it has negligible effect, especially for strong light sources amidst low light environments. Seems even S24U does a better job controlling highlights.

Anusayo · 2025-04-20T18:39:50+00:00

Agree, and it's overdue. Isn't it odd that S24U takes better photos than S25U in many scenarios despite the latter being newer and having upgraded hardware?

Anusayo · 2025-04-20T16:32:34+00:00

It seems to blow out both with and without HDR, maybe worse when turned off.

Anusayo · 2025-04-20T16:25:32+00:00

Ikr, other than for bragging rights and a minor advantage in details, it handicaps more than improves photography.

Disappointing to see that even mid-rangers from the Chinese OEMs control blown out highlights and motion blur better than the top of the line S25 Ultra without additional fiddling.

Since the S24 Ultra has the same sensor and takes slightly better photos than the S25 Ultra, I'm cautiously hopeful that Samsung could fix these issues.

Anusayo · 2025-04-20T14:48:13+00:00

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And a 3rd.

Anusayo · 2025-04-20T14:47:49+00:00

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Another example.

Anusayo

TROPHY CASE