Are Galaxy S25 Ultra deals still worth a look?

The Galaxy S25 Ultra is last year’s flagship. Samsung’s UK site now lists the newer Galaxy S26 Ultra too, so the S25 Ultra is no longer the latest Ultra on sale. That is not bad news if you are buying. Galaxy S25 Ultra deals are still available on contract, and an older flagship can be where the value sits: the phone has not changed, but what people will pay for it tends to drift down once a newer model arrives.

The table above lists Galaxy S25 Ultra contracts across UK networks, sorted by total cost. Use the filters to narrow it down by network, data, contract length or upfront cost. If you would rather see the whole Samsung range side by side, our Samsung Galaxy deals page covers it.

What do you still get with the S25 Ultra?

Quite a lot. These are Samsung’s own UK specs:

• A 200MP wide camera, plus a 50MP ultra wide, a 50MP telephoto with 5x optical zoom and a 10MP telephoto with 3x optical zoom.
• A 12MP selfie camera.
• A built-in S Pen, which the S Ultra line is known for.
• A titanium frame and Corning Gorilla Armor 2 display glass.
• IP68 water resistance.
• Up to 31 hours of video playback, by Samsung’s figures.
• Galaxy AI features, including Google Gemini on a press of the side button.

For most people, that is still more phone than they will ever push to the limit.

Galaxy S25 Ultra vs Galaxy S26 Ultra: which should you get?

Samsung pitches the S26 Ultra on a new built-in Privacy Display, which can hide your screen from people sitting beside you, a customised processor, and wider camera apertures that it says give 47% more brightness on the 200MP wide camera for low-light video. It is also a touch slimmer and lighter on paper: 7.9mm and 214g against the S25 Ultra’s 8.2mm and 218g.

Some things have not moved much. Samsung quotes up to 31 hours of video playback for both phones, and both have a 200MP main camera.

So the choice is fairly simple. If the Privacy Display or the newest camera hardware matters to you, look at the S26 Ultra. If you want a big-screen flagship with an S Pen and you would rather not pay new-model money, the S25 Ultra is the one to compare. Both sit on our Samsung Galaxy deals page.

How do you judge a Galaxy S25 Ultra contract?

Ignore the monthly price on its own. The number that matters is the total cost: the upfront payment plus the monthly price multiplied by the number of months. A low monthly price with a big upfront fee can end up costing more than a higher monthly price with nothing to pay on day one, and the reverse can happen too.

Here is a made-up example to show the maths, not a real offer. Deal A is roughly £0 upfront and around £50 a month for 24 months, which comes to roughly £1,200 in total. Deal B is roughly £150 upfront and around £42 a month for 24 months, which comes to roughly £1,158. Deal B looks dearer on day one but works out around £42 cheaper overall. That is why our table sorts by total cost.

A few more things to check on any Galaxy S25 Ultra deal:

• Storage: deals can be for different storage sizes, so check which one you are being quoted.
• Data: work out what you actually use each month before paying for unlimited.
• Price rises: since 17 January 2025, Ofcom rules mean any price rises built into a new contract must be set out in pounds and pence before you sign up, not as a percentage or linked to inflation. Read that line before you commit.
• Contract length: a longer contract can lower the monthly price but ties you in for longer.
• Credit checks: pay monthly phone contracts usually involve a credit check, which leaves a record on your credit file.

Can you get the Galaxy S25 Ultra with no upfront cost?

Often, yes. In the table’s upfront cost filter, choose No upfront cost to see only those deals. Just remember that paying nothing upfront does not make a phone cheaper. The cost moves into the monthly payments instead, so compare the total. Our no upfront cost phones page explains how those deals work.

Should you buy the phone outright and add a SIM only plan?

It can work out better, especially if you can pay for the handset in one go and you are happy to shop around for airtime. You avoid tying the phone to one network’s contract, and SIM only plans tend to be flexible. Add the phone price to the total cost of a SIM only plan over the same period, then compare that with a contract. Our SIM only deals page is a good place to start.

Is now a good time to buy?

Older flagships can see offers once a newer model is out, and around big sale periods such as Black Friday. That said, nobody can promise a deal will get better next week. If a Galaxy S25 Ultra contract has a total cost you are happy with today, that is a perfectly good reason to take it. Waiting for a better one while staying on an old, overpriced contract is how the Do-Nothing Default quietly gets paid.