The best camera phone
There’s no question that the Find X8 Ultra is an imaging beast. The phone has one of the best camera packages around, and the 1-inch main sensor takes truly outstanding photos and videos in challenging scenarios. The trio of 50MP auxiliary cameras are among the best you’ll get on any phone, and you get plenty of versatility. The hardware is on par with the best 2025 phones, you get IP69 ingress protection, and the massive 6100mAh battery lasts at least a day and a half. My biggest issue with the Find X8 Ultra is that it’s only on sale in China — OPPO still isn’t launching the device globally, and that’s a real shame.
For
- Fantastic AMOLED panel
- Groundbreaking main camera
- Best auxiliary lenses in the industry
- The best battery life of any 2025 phone
- IP68 and IP69 ingress protection
Against
- Not available outside China
- Won’t get as many software updates
Outmatched
The Galaxy S25 Ultra is a good phone, but it just doesn’t deliver much in the way of upgrades. You can pick up last year’s S24 Ultra and have a phone that’s nearly the same, and Samsung didn’t do enough to differentiate its marquee product this year. The deficiencies are exacerbated when pitting the S25 Ultra against the Find X8 Ultra; the latter has a much better AMOLED panel with DC dimming as standard, same internals, better battery life, and better battery life. But it’s around the cameras where you’ll see the real difference, with the Find X8 Ultra delivering much better photos and videos in just about any situation. It’s a good thing, then (at least from Samsung’s point of view) that the phone isn’t launching in global markets.
For
- Reliable cameras
- Familiar software
- Class-leading software updates
- Powerful internals
Against
- AMOLED doesn’t get DC dimming
- Charging tech is outdated
- Cameras don’t measure up to Find X8 Ultra
- Not anywhere close to a good value
OPPO Find X8 Ultra vs. Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra: Design
Modern phone design has coalesced into a sea of similar-looking flat-sided devices, and that’s true of the Find X8 Ultra and Galaxy S25 Ultra as well. That said, the Find X8 Ultra has some differentiation thanks to the massive camera island at the back. The camera housing definitely dominates attention, and as it’s centered, it doesn’t lead to any wobble when using the phone on a table.
Although the device looks distinctive, it doesn’t quite have the same elegance of its predecessors. I still prefer the dual-tone design of last year’s Find X7 Ultra, and the leather back combined with the glass insert around the camera housing gave it much better flair.
Still, the Find X8 Ultra looks better than the S25 Ultra, with Samsung once again using the same design aesthetic as the last four years. The phone has a flatter profile this year, but other than that, there isn’t much in the way of visual changes. While Samsung pioneered ingress protection on phones, the S25 Ultra misses out on IP69; the phone has the usual IP68 dust and water resistance. The Find X8 Ultra gets both IP68 and IP69, allowing it to be immune to pressurized jets of water.
The Find X8 Ultra is thicker and heavier than the S25 Ultra but the difference isn’t noticeable in daily use, and the upside is that you get a massive battery boost; Samsung still used a 5000mAh battery on its phone, while the Find X8 Ultra gets a 6100mAh unit.
You get a better in-hand feel with the Find X8 Ultra, and there are two dedicated buttons on the device; the alert slider is now a button, and it is similar to what you get on the iPhone 16 Pro Max. The button is heavily customizable, and it allows you to toggle the flashlight, launch the camera, trigger DND, and so on. The other button is on the right, and it acts as a camera shutter.
While I didn’t see much use out of the camera shutter key, the action button is quite decent. On the whole, the Find X8 Ultra has the better design and in-hand feel, and even though it doesn’t look quite as distinctive, it outshines what Samsung is selling.
OPPO Find X8 Ultra vs. Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra: Panel
The Galaxy S25 Ultra has a 6.9-inch AMOLED panel, and it nails the basics; it has 120Hz refresh, great colors, and good brightness levels. But Samsung doesn’t have any meaningful eye care protection, and the phone misses out on PWM dimming. So if you’re sensitive to DC dimming, you will get headaches with extended use of the device.
Thankfully, Chinese brands are doing a much better job in this area, and the Find X8 Ultra gets 2,160Hz PWM dimming at all brightness levels. This is a big deal, and it genuinely makes a difference in daily use. The panel also gets brighter, has outstanding colors, and has ultra-thin bezels.
Both devices get stereo sound, but I found the X8 Ultra to be louder in general use. They both do a great job with gaming as well, and there are no issues in this regard.
OPPO Find X8 Ultra vs. Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra: Battery and hardware
If there’s one area where both devices are evenly matched, it’s the hardware. Both phones use the same Qualcomm silicon, and they have outstanding potential. There isn’t any lag or slowdown as such, and while overheating is an issue, it isn’t a huge problem unless you’re gaming.
Outside of that, there isn’t much that’s different. I prefer the ultrasonic reader on the Find X8 Ultra as it’s demonstrably faster than the one on the Galaxy S25 Ultra, and it has better accuracy.
The biggest advantage with the Find X8 Ultra is that it has a 6100mAh battery, delivering easily a day and a half between charges. The Galaxy S25 Ultra is decent enough as well thanks to the 5000mAh battery, but it doesn’t last as long. The Find X8 Ultra uses silicon battery tech to good effect, and with 100W charging, it takes less than half as long to charge as the S25 Ultra — Samsung just doesn’t measure up when it comes to battery and charging tech.
OPPO Find X8 Ultra vs. Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra: Cameras
There’s no doubt that the Find X8 Ultra has a better camera package than the Galaxy S25 Ultra — OPPO once again managed to deliver a fabulous quartet of 50MP cameras at the back. The main camera uses a 1-inch module, and it is easily one of the best you’ll find on any phone today. But it’s the rest of the sensors that make the device stand out so much; thanks to dual tele lenses and a good wide-angle module, the phone has better versatility than just about any other Android device I tested in 2025.
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Meanwhile, the Galaxy S25 Ultra doesn’t quite measure up when it comes to the cameras. It’s still got a great overall package and takes detailed shots and videos, but you don’t get the same caliber of photos. Samsung needs to do a better job tuning its devices if it wants to challenge its Chinese rivals, because right now, it just isn’t doing enough.
OPPO Find X8 Ultra vs. Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra: Software
The only reason I can’t recommend the Find X8 Ultra as enthusiastically is because of its availability. The device is limited to China, and as such, it doesn’t include Google’s mobile services out of the box. That said, the Play Store APK is included with the package, and it was straightforward to install it and access all the other Google services.
But because they’re not seen as system utilities, there are inconsistencies when using the device. However, the Chinese version of ColorOS 15 has good optimization, and it holds up incredibly well in daily use. I didn’t have issues with Google Pay or navigation, but it isn’t quite as easy to use as the global flavor of the skin.
Samsung has the definite edge with the software; the Galaxy S25 Ultra runs One UI 7 out of the box, and you get the full slate of Galaxy AI features as standard. The interface is familiar, and it runs well on the device. Best of all, you get seven Android OS updates, with the S25 Ultra carving out a lead in this regard.
OPPO Find X8 Ultra vs. Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra: Which should you buy?
Out of these two devices, the Find X8 Ultra is the obvious winner. It has a better design, better AMOLED panel, better battery life, and better charging tech. The cameras run rings around the Galaxy S25 Ultra, and there’s no doubt that the Find X8 Ultra is the device to get if you need a fantastic overall camera package.
That’s what makes its limited availability so annoying; you’ll need to go the reseller route to get the device outside China, and it ends up costing the same as the S25 Ultra as a result — which isn’t the case if you buy the device in China. I wouldn’t suggest getting the S25 Ultra unless there’s a good trade-in deal, because it just doesn’t make sense to shell out anything close to retail for this device.
The best camera phone
With an outstanding camera package and the best internals around, the Find X8 Ultra is an absolute delight to use.
Outmatched
The Galaxy S25 Ultra only makes sense if you’re in a country where OPPO, Vivo, and Xiaomi don’t sell phones.