One of the few hardware changes I personally liked about Samsung’s new Galaxy S25 series is the addition of a color-matched ring around each camera, but as it turns out, those are basically just glued onto last year’s design.
As discovered in JerryRigEverything’s routine durability test, the camera rings on the back of the Galaxy S25 Ultra (and presumably the rest of the series) aren’t directly built into the device.
A very small gap between the ring and the device serves a way to pry the ring off, revealing the same camera module as the Galaxy S25 Ultra (and S23, and S22).
The Galaxy S25 series is now available for purchase.
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The color-matched rings that surround each camera on Samsung’s new Galaxy S25 series are one of the few hardware upgrades that I found appealing, but it turns out that they are essentially just adhered to the design from the previous year.
For the past few generations of Galaxy devices, Samsung has essentially used the same design for its cameras; however, with the Galaxy Z Fold 6 last year, the company began to experiment. Last month, that modification was extended to the Galaxy S25 series, as the three new flagships adopted a new camera ring that also has a metal ring around the side that matches the smartphone’s frame. Despite the fact that the devices are essentially the same as their predecessors, the new design is still quite appealing.
But that new appearance is really just a fast fix.
According to JerryRigEverything’s standard durability test, the Galaxy S25 Ultra’s (and probably the rest of the series’) back camera rings aren’t integrated into the device itself. The same camera module as the Galaxy S25 Ultra (and S23, and S22) is visible when the ring is pryed off thanks to a tiny opening between it and the device.
Given the recent emergence of products that mimic the design of an older phone’s camera module to make it appear newer, this is a rather amusing discovery. That is, in a sense, what Samsung is doing.
Fortunately, the camera rings take a considerable amount of force to raise, and one of them was dragging the rear glass with it, which is a little worrisome in and of itself. In contrast to the Galaxy S24 Ultra, which was able to avoid scratches until level 7 thanks to its first-generation Gorilla Armor, the Galaxy S25 Ultra, predictably, also passed the durability test with no damage other than the typical scratches at Moh’s hardness level 6 and higher. Gorilla Armor 2 doesn’t appear to be as scratch-resistant.
Customers can now buy the Galaxy S25 series.
More about the Galaxy S25.
Pre-orders for the Galaxy S25 are beginning to ship one week ahead of schedule.
Samsung releases the $30 “Magnetic Wallet” for the Galaxy S25, which arrives before the necessary cases.
Since a new S Pen is not yet available, the Galaxy S25 Ultra cannot use the old one for remote controls.