Latest news with #GalaxyS25Ultra
Forbes
2 hours ago
- Business
- Forbes
Samsung Drops Galaxy S25 Ultra Price In Major New Double Offer
The Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra is included in another major promotion. (Photo by Firdous ... More Nazir/NurPhoto via Getty Images) Deal hunters should rejoice because June has bought about the best smartphone deals I have seen all year. First Apple raised its trade-in prices, Samsung then went even further and Google ultimately beat them both with eye-wateringly high trade-in valuations. Now, Samsung is back with a brand new double discount for the Galaxy S25 Ultra. This story was updated on June 28th with a new Samsung deal. Update below. In an effort to push people to buy hardware through its Samsung Shop app, the company will knock 10% off the Galaxy S25 series if the code 'JUNE25' is used. This only applies to shoppers in the U.K., but let me know if it works elsewhere. This isn't the first time Samsung has randomly dropped a new limited-time code. Back in February, the Korean company launched a promotional 'S25APP' code that knocked 5% off the Galaxy S25 lineup when bought through the app. This new voucher doubles the company's last offer and is consistent with the sheer deluge of deals Samsung is rolling out right now. It's worth noting that Samsung runs a permanent voucher code ('APP5') when you buy anything in its shopping app. The company will also throw in discounts if several devices are bought together, which aren't always promoted. There doesn't appear to be any rhyme or reason to the bundle discounts because I often just add things to my basket to see what promotions they trigger. For this S25 deal, the voucher isn't the only promotion Samsung is currently running for its flagship phone. It will pay at least £200 ($272.15) when you trade in any Android phone. The Korean company is also giving away a free Galaxy Tab A9 Plus (until June 26th) with all S25 purchases (base and Ultra models). Samsung's New Galaxy Phone Discount Strategy the new Galaxy S25 Edge has seen some of Samsung's best offers yet. The star of the show, however, is Samsung's new trade-in pricing for British shoppers. Historically, U.S. Samsung smartphone customers get access to free subscriptions and huge trade-in deals that pay hundreds of dollars for years-old phones. In the U.K., the trade-in prices are poor, but British shoppers get free devices bundled with their Galaxy phones. The Korean company has changed that with new pricing, which not only raises trade-in valuations for U.K. customers but also beats U.S. pricing in some places. So British shoppers get a free tablet and trade-in prices that beat the historically high American valuations. Not only is this a solid deal, it's a good omen for people in the U.K. who want to buy Samsung phones in the future. It's not clear why Samsung upped its trade-in prices, or why it is repeatedly combining several generous deals. Perhaps it wants to clear stock before the imminent Galaxy Z Fold 7 release, or reports about slow Galaxy S25 Edge sales are accurate. What is clear, however, is that Google's latest Samsung-busting trade-in deal, and Apple's brief trade-in promotion, shows that major smartphone manufacturers are in a discount dogfight. Which is, of course, very food news for budget-conscious deal hunters. Make sure you don't miss a deal by hitting the follow button below. Update June 28th: Samsung is emailing registered users about its upcoming Galaxy Z Fold 7 device with two discount offers. Of course, the device isn't mentioned by name, but it's an open secret that the Fold 7 and Flip 7 will land on July 9th, with the Korean company itself repeatedly teasing both devices. Samsung is handing out £50 ($68.61) vouchers to whoever fills in its marketing questionnaire. It's a short survey that asks what phone you're currently using, what specifications are important to you and where you buy your phones from. The company will then send the voucher, which can only be used on buying one of the new foldable phones, by July 9th. There's also the option to reserve the device with a refundable deposit, which comes with a free unnamed accessory (likely a phone case). Elsewhere, Samsung is offering £25 ($34.31) off of a 'Galaxy ecosystem device,' which likely refers to the new Galaxy Watch 8 or existing wearables. These pre-release offers are fairly standard for the company. It rolled out an almost identical promotion ahead of the Galaxy S25 launch in February. If you're dead set on buying the Fold 7, there's no harm in claiming your free voucher now. Although, as we've seen with repeated Fold 6 and Galaxy S25 price drops, it's always better to wait for bigger savings in a couple of months.
Phone Arena
a day ago
- Phone Arena
Samsung wants to replace the S Pen with more battery, but it's scared to do so
Galaxy S25 Ultra translated source Bigger battery or the S Pen? Bigger battery S Pen Bigger battery 0% S Pen 0% Receive the latest Samsung news Subscribe By subscribing you agree to our terms and conditions and privacy policy The Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra faced backlash online for the S Pen. | Video credit — Samsung If I had to choose, I'd pick the S Pen over a bigger battery. Though I've voiced my disappointment with Samsung's battery-related practices many times, removing the iconic S Pen is not the way to go about addressing that problem. Samsung should instead adopt denser battery technologies as soon as it can. Furthermore, I'd argue that the major phone manufacturers need to stop playing the silly thickness game, and stop slimming down their phones each year. Just these two changes can lead to a phone with much longer battery life. However, Samsung and Apple — the largest smartphone rivals in the U.S. — are headed the other way instead. With the There's really no smartphone company with a stylus pen that has as much brand recognition as Samsung. The closest we've got is the Moto G Stylus…and that's about it. If Samsung ditches the S Pen completely, we'll lose another iconic feature for barely any positive gain. If I had to choose, I'd pick the S Pen over a bigger battery. Though I've voiced my disappointment with Samsung's battery-related practices many times, removing the iconic S Pen is not the way to go about addressing that should instead adopt denser battery technologies as soon as it can. Furthermore, I'd argue that the major phone manufacturers need to stop playing the silly thickness game, and stop slimming down their phones each year. Just these two changes can lead to a phone with much longer battery Samsung and Apple — the largest smartphone rivals in the U.S. — are headed the other way instead. With the Galaxy S25 Edge and the upcoming iPhone 17 Air , both companies have doubled down on boasting about form over really no smartphone company with a stylus pen that has as much brand recognition as Samsung. The closest we've got is the Moto G Stylus…and that's about it. If Samsung ditches the S Pen completely, we'll lose another iconic feature for barely any positive gain. Grab Surfshark VPN now at more than 50% off and with 3 extra months for free! Secure your connection now at a bargain price! We may earn a commission if you make a purchase Check Out The Offer This year, Samsung announced its decision to remove Bluetooth from the S Pen on the. Now, there have been rumors floating around about the S Pen being removed entirely, but apparently the company is scared to do to a brief conversation ) with an industry insider, it appears that Samsung wants to remove the S Pen from the Galaxy S26 Ultra next year. However, the company is also planning to replace that wasted space with a bigger battery, something that I'm sure many would heartily is debating whether to go ahead with this move or not, apparently. The S Pen has become a pretty well-known feature of the company's flagship phone, and a complete removal may lead to a lot of defended its decision to remove Bluetooth from the S Pen, saying that very few people actually ever used the functionality. Even then, the negative reception online was very prominent, and removing the pen entirely would likely turn off some customers from Galaxy phones in the future.
Phone Arena
a day ago
- Phone Arena
The iPhone's got a camera problem: the one change that needs to happen soon
It's summertime here in the Northern Hemisphere and this means it's time to travel, visit new places and take lots and lots of photos and videos. And after spending the weekend in the mountains and doing just the above, I realized one thing: the iPhone that I took with me has one big camera problem. Let me preface this by saying that I really enjoy using the iPhone camera app. The interface is well-thought out, you almost don't notice the switch between the cameras, and most operations can be done with just one hand. The option to tap on the camera presets to quickly switch between focal lenses (tap on the main lens to switch between 24mm, 28mm and 35mm) is absolutely great, and it was no surprise that many phone makers copied it so quickly. The user-friendliness of the iPhone camera app will improve even further with iOS 26, but in my humble opinion, Apple is much closer to the perfect interface than any other company. But when it comes to the choice of lenses your expensive Pro iPhones come with... I have some thoughts. I get the appeal of a long zoom range. Zoom in on far-away objects, get more detail or shoot birds, whatever makes you happy. And if this was the Galaxy S25 Ultra which has the in-between 3X lens, I would actually welcome a 5X zoom lens. But it's not. And most people are not bird photographers. Most people take pictures of their friends and family, or some landscapes. On the trails with some friends from work, there were so many opportunities to capture an amazing portrait photo and a 2X or 3X zoom lens would be far more helpful. Instead, I found myself just... not taking a picture at all. Who wants a face close-up when you are hiking that summit? A 5X zoom lens would be perfect if I wanted to snap a picture for my passport, but not much else. As you can see above, the 5X zoom lens was most useful for capturing photos of mountain goats, but not much else. Well, maybe I can at least be happy that Apple didn't go with a 10X zoom lens (cough, Samsung) as that would be even less useful. The iPhone 17 Pro camera will look different, but it will zoom different too This September, all leaks agree that Apple will finally fix its zoom mistake. The 5X telephoto lens is allegedly being replaced by a new 3.5X zoom lens that holds a lot more promise. With a new and larger 48MP sensor, the telephoto camera on the iPhone 17 Pro series will be able to do sensor cropping, a feature not currently possible on the 12MP sensor of the 16 Pro family. Cropping the sensor is better than just digital zoom as it uses the full pixel size, and effectively, it means you can expect very good photo quality at 7X zoom. And while there might be a slight drop in detail when you compare photos at 15X zoom and further, I don't think the bird iPhone photographer community will mind it too much. A 3.5X lens is FAR more versatile for everyday scenarios too. It's no secret that an 85mm lens is the most popular one in portrait photography, and that's exactly what you will get with the 17 Pro series. There is one more advantage to a 3.5X telephoto camera. A longer zoom lens like 5X requires more sophisticated optics and it's just harder to pair it with a big sensor and a lens with fast aperture. Not so much the case for a 3.5X lens, where you can have a fast aperture, which translates in less noisy snaps and much better low light performance too. Apple seems a bit confused with its botched AI roll-out these days, and the confusing new iPhone 17 Air with its tiny battery only seems to be adding to that confusion. But switching the telephoto camera on the iPhone 17 Pro to a more versatile one is absolutely the right move, and if there is one thing I'm excited about in Apple's next flagships, it's the company fixing its own mistakes. Even if it ends up callings this old-new lens the... super-prism! Of course, I'm accepting your bets for the fancy word Apple's crack marketing team will come up with for this totally-never-seen-before-lens in the comments right below. Secure your connection now at a bargain price! We may earn a commission if you make a purchase Check Out The Offer
Tom's Guide
a day ago
- Tom's Guide
I used to repair phones — here's the 3 things you should do when looking for a refurbished phone
There's no getting past the fact that many of the best phones command top dollar — sometimes more than $1,00 when you're talking about premium handsets like the Galaxy S25 Ultra or iPhone 16 Pro Max. However, there's more than one way to get your hands on a great phone for less — and one of the easiest is to buy a refurbished device. Refurbished phones differ from second-hand phones in that they've been previously used but then returned to the manufacturer, who then inspects the phone and repairs any flaws. Even though refurbished phones go through an inspection process, they can still carry a bit of a stigma with consumers wary of using someone else's returned device. That caution is understandable. But it's easy to avoid a bad experience with a refurbished phone with a bit of preparation. I used to work as a phone engineer in a Samsung repair store, and part of my job was to refurbish old and broken phones for resale. I also repaired phones that people brought in, and that's exposed me to some hair-raising sights in my time. But now that I'm with Tom's Guide, I want to help you find the best device within your budget. So here's the three things you need to do before buying a refurbished phone. One of the biggest pieces of advice I can give when it comes to looking for a refurbished phone is to look for a well-known and reputable store. This might seem obvious, but trust me — it is easy to become blinded by what appears to be a good deal. What you want to look for are either good reviews, a reputable brand or being an official affiliate. Reviews can be tricky to gauge, particularly in an era when it's hard to separate genuine customer feedback from fake posts. Still, there are some things to look out for. When reading customer reviews, see how varied they are; if they all say the same thing, then there's something a bit suspicious going on. Get instant access to breaking news, the hottest reviews, great deals and helpful tips. It's also worth checking several sources for reviews other than just Google to see if the same comments keep turning up. And because I think it's important to hold a phone before buying it, I tend to steer clear of online-only outlets. This is where affiliates and known brands come into play, for instance, Samsung's Re-Newed line of phones. Not only will you get the phone you want, you'll also have a pretty solid warranty. Both Samsung and Apple offer a full year's warranty on their refurbished devices. These warranties will cover defects in materials and workmanship, but it is still worth checking the device over for any damage and testing functionality. Another reason to favor phone makers for refurbished devices is that they have access to official parts. Trust me — you want your refurbished phone to have the official parts. Some outlets will use third-party parts for a variety of reasons, whether it's because they're easy to acquire or they cost less. However, that can be a hidden cost for you instead. Non-official parts tend not to work quite as well as the official ones. For instance, third-party batteries can struggle to hold the right amount of charge, while third-party displays may not have the right touch sensitivity. Usually, companies will be forthright about what kind of parts they use for their refurb, but this is another reason why you want to make sure that the warranty supplied with the device covers this. You can test a lot of this yourself by dialing *#7353# into your keyboard on an Android device, or #0# on a Samsung phone, which will bring up a testing menu. Unfortunately, iPhones don't have a specific app for testing the device, which is why I would hesitate to get a refurbished iPhone from a source that's not an Apple-approved affiliate. It is standard practice when repairing a phone to fully wipe and refresh all software on it; the same is true for a refurbished device. This is done for several reasons, though it's usually to install a new OS version onto the phone. With that said, it is important to always check to make sure the phone is wiped properly before you buy it. The best way to test this is to try and set the phone up and see if it allows you to add your account. You don't have to actually add the account details, but you need to know the option is there. The next thing to do is to check that the IMEI in the device is legit. That's a two-step process where you check that the IMEI printed on the device and the one in the software match. This isn't always possible as the back glass is often removed or replaced. Even if there is no IMEI on the back, you still need to check the internal IMEI to make sure the phone isn't listed as lost or stolen. The fastest way to find the IMEI number is to dial *#06#. I would also check to make sure this number matches the one in the settings, if you can set the phone up. If they don't match, then do not buy the phone, but if they do, then you can turn to several different IMEI checker services to see if the device has been listed as stolen. There's a lot to know when buying a refurbished device, but it can be one of the best ways to get a new phone at a better price. Hopefully, these tips will help you find the best product. We also have breakdowns on how you can protect your new phone to make sure it lasts as long as possible
Phone Arena
2 days ago
- Phone Arena
This phone lasts forever, costs pennies... and is kind of awful
Battery life is still one of the most important aspects of any smartphone out there, regardless of its shape, form, or price tag. Chances are that no matter how many great features you have on board, if the battery life isn't good, you'd be less likely to like and recommend the phone. That's just the law, I'm not making things up. While many flagships excel in battery life, it's much more impressive when an affordable phone delivers great endurance, especially those that don't seemingly pack a lot of oomph. That's precisely the case with the Motorola Moto G (2025), a phone which was released earlier this year to little fanfare, which is usually the case with super-affordable phones that lack any special features. However, this Motorola phone has two great things going for it: its stupendous battery life and its extremely affordable price tag of just $200. $85 at eBay Okay, in all honesty, the Moto G (2025) is a fairly bad phone. You get lackluster performance, unimpressive camera and storage, a gaudy LCD screen, a run-of-the-mill design language, as well as Motorola's terrible software update policy which entitles you to two major Android updates––if the planets align the correct way. Yet, this otherwise unimpressive entry-level phone shines rather brightly when you take its battery life into consideration. Equipped with a 5,000mAh battery and the obviously efficient Dimensity 6300 chip, this one beats easily bests some current-gen flagship phones, like the Galaxy S25 Ultra, which also packs a 5,000mAh battery. See, we have these three battery benchmark tests that we run on every phone that enters the premises for a review. We do these tests with the displays manually set at 200 nits of brightness to ensure an even playing field for all phones. In all three of our tests, the unassuming Moto G (2025) posted some pretty impressive results. ds Good battery life but not much else (Image by PhoneArena) In the tasking browsing test, which emulates an automated browsing workflow, the Moto G (2025) achieves an absolutely impressive result of 22 hours and three minutes. This makes it third in our 2025 rankings, only trailing behind more expensive phones like the Motorola Razr Ultra foldable with 23 hours and 51 minutes (almost a full day!) and the Oppo Find X8 Ultra, which achieves 23 hours and a half here. Then there's our video playback test, in which other devices perform better, and the Moto G achieves a fairly good but not necessarily range-topping result of 10 hours and three minutes. However, in the $200 price bracket, you would hardly find a phone with better endurance. Finally, in our custom 3D gaming battery test, the Motorola Moto G (2025) scores another win with a result of eleven hours and 42 minutes, which is another superb result only overshadowed by the more expensive CMF Phone 2 Pro and the Pixel 9a. Bottom of the line, the Moto G (2025) achieves a total battery estimate of eight hours and fifteen minutes, beating most other flagship phones released in 2025 so far. And the best thing about this is that the Moto G (2025) sells for just $199. Okay, so by now we've established that the Moto G (2025) has great battery life. That's great. However, just about anything else about the phone is mediocre at best and disappointing at worst, which was given away by the low price tag. To make up for the good battery life, the phone has had tons of corners cut. The screen isn't great, the performance isn't anything to write home about, and the camera isn't something that will inspire you to take up street photography. Those are the trade-offs that $200 get you. But if you aren't really concerned about performance, cool design, great camera and only want a phone that lasts and lasts, then this entry-level phone is the one you should short-list. Secure your connection now at a bargain price! We may earn a commission if you make a purchase Check Out The Offer
