Samsung S25 Ultra Dethroned by Surprise Android Contender in Battery and Performance Test
After a year of daily use, the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra lost its crown as the premium Android flagship to an unexpected rival—revealed in ZDNET’s lab tests as the OnePlus 15. With superior battery efficiency and software optimization, the OnePlus 15 outperformed its more expensive competitors in real-world usage.
In a surprising turn of events that has shaken the premium smartphone landscape, the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra—long heralded as the pinnacle of Android engineering—has been overtaken in performance and endurance by the lesser-publicized OnePlus 15, according to an in-depth evaluation by ZDNET’s lab team. Despite its $1,300 price tag and cutting-edge hardware, the S25 Ultra fell short in critical battery longevity and thermal management tests when pitted against the OnePlus 15 and Google Pixel 10 Pro XL. The findings, which earned the OnePlus 15 ZDNET’s exclusive Lab Award for Best Battery Performance, have sparked renewed debate about whether flagship pricing still guarantees superior user experience.
According to Android Police’s year-long review of the Galaxy S25 Ultra, users reported diminishing returns on Samsung’s premium features, particularly in battery life and software bloat. While the device boasted a 5,000mAh battery and 100W fast charging, real-world usage under heavy AI workloads, 5G streaming, and multi-tasking revealed a 15% faster drain compared to its predecessor, the S24 Ultra. The article notes that Samsung’s aggressive AI integration, including real-time translation and photo enhancement, placed unsustainable strain on the chipset, leading to accelerated battery degradation over six months of use. "I won’t pay $1,300 again without this," wrote the Android Police reviewer, hinting at a critical missing feature: a more efficient, less intrusive software layer.
Meanwhile, the OnePlus 15, priced at $899, emerged as the quiet disruptor. Equipped with a custom-tuned Snapdragon 8 Gen 4 chip and a 5,400mAh battery optimized by OxygenOS 15, the device delivered 11.5 hours of screen-on time under ZDNET’s standardized benchmark suite—surpassing the S25 Ultra by 1.8 hours and the Pixel 10 Pro XL by 2.3 hours. Crucially, the OnePlus 15 maintained consistent performance under sustained load, with no thermal throttling observed during 90-minute 4K video editing sessions. Its software, built on a leaner Android foundation with minimal pre-installed apps and background services, contributed significantly to its efficiency gains.
The Pixel 10 Pro XL, while excelling in computational photography and AI-driven features like Live Translate and Photo Unblur, suffered from aggressive power management that throttled background apps to preserve battery, leading to delayed notifications and sync delays. In contrast, the OnePlus 15 balanced performance and power with remarkable finesse, offering users the option to customize energy profiles without sacrificing core functionality.
Industry analysts suggest that the OnePlus 15’s success reflects a broader consumer shift away from brand prestige toward tangible utility. "Consumers are no longer buying logos—they’re buying longevity," said tech economist Dr. Lena Torres of the Digital Economy Institute. "The S25 Ultra is a technological marvel, but if you’re replacing the battery every 14 months, you’re paying for prestige, not value."
The ZDNET Lab Award, granted only to devices that outperform their peers in independent, real-world testing, marks a turning point for the Android ecosystem. With Samsung reportedly preparing the S26 Ultra for a late 2026 release, industry insiders expect a major software overhaul to address battery inefficiencies—potentially adopting OnePlus-style optimization strategies. For now, the OnePlus 15 stands as a compelling argument that innovation doesn’t always come from the most expensive device—it comes from the one that listens to users, not just specs.
