The Itel S25 Ultra Looks Like a Samsung But It Costs Way Less

For years, Itel had the reputation of making “phones that hang.” If you owned one back then, you probably remember the frustration of waiting minutes for an app to open, or the annoying slowness that videos had on your phone. 

But in recent times, Itel has been on a serious upgrade mission, and their new devices have been impressive. The latest example is the Itel S25 Ultra, a phone that looks and feels like a premium phone but costs a fraction of the price.

So, is this just another “lookalike” device or does it genuinely deliver value for money? Let’s break it down.

The first thing you’ll notice about the S25 Ultra is its premium design. At first glance, it looks very similar to Samsung’s Ultra series, which is clever marketing from Itel. With the right phone case, you could easily convince someone you’re holding a ₦1 million Samsung phone, not a ₦250k budget phone.

• Slim but tough: The phone is just 6.9mm thick and weighs 163g, making it both slim and lightweight. Despite that, Itel says the phone has a die-cast magnesium-aluminium frame, which means the body is tougher than your usual budget phone.
  

• Durability: It features Corning Gorilla Glass 7i on the screen, a strong glass that protects against scratches and cracks. Plus, it comes with an IP64 rating that keeps the phone resistant to dust and light water splashes. Just don’t take it swimming.
  

• RGB Ring Light: At the back, you’ll see an extra ring that glows when you get calls, messages, or when the phone is charging. You can even customise it in settings.

This is also the first Itel phone with an IR blaster, so you can use it as a remote control for your TV, fan, or decoder. This feature is useful when the remote goes missing.

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The display is one of the S25 Ultra’s biggest selling points. It’s a 6.78-inch AMOLED panel that gives you brighter colours, deeper blacks, and generally sharper visuals than you’d normally find at this price. 

The catch is that the phone doesn’t always keep it at 120Hz. Sometimes it silently drops to 60Hz, which makes scrolling less fluid. Why? To save battery. This is a smart idea, but it can be noticeable when you’re moving fast between apps. Hopefully, a future software update will fix that.

Powering this phone is the Unisoc T620 chip. Now, this isn’t a powerhouse processor like those on Samsung Galaxy or iPhones. It handles basic tasks like scrolling, switching apps, messaging, and browsing pretty well, but when it comes to gaming, that’s where expectations need to calm down. Titles like PUBG or Call of Duty Mobile run fine on medium settings, but you’ll notice the phone heating up and frame rates dropping if you play for hours. This isn’t a gamer’s dream device, but then again, it’s not trying to be.

What surprises me, though, is storage. You can pick from 128GB, 256GB, or even 512GB paired with 8GB RAM. This would give you plenty of room for photos, videos, and apps without deleting things every week.

This phone ships with Android 14 and Itel’s custom OS 14.5. The real headline here is Itel’s promise of two years of updates. Itel promises two major Android updates (Android 15 is guaranteed, and possibly Android 16). This is a first for Itel, and it means the phone won’t become outdated quickly.

The software itself has some playful extras:

• AI wallpaper generator (type “ocean sunset” and get a matching wallpaper instantly).

• AI text summariser (useful for quickly catching up on long WhatsApp forwards or webpages).

• Noise cancellation during calls, so your voice cuts through even when you’re in a noisy market.

It’s still a bit heavy with pre-installed apps (like Opera Mini), but you can uninstall most of them.

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Here’s where Itel flips the script. The S25 Ultra comes with a 50MP main rear camera and a 32MP selfie shooter. Numbers don’t always mean good photos, but here the results are pretty good.

The main camera produces colourful, detailed shots, and in good light, you’d struggle to tell it apart from phones double the price. At night, it does better than expected, thanks to some software processing that brightens and sharpens low-light shots.

Selfies are equally strong. The 32MP front camera is sharp enough for Instagram stories, and portrait mode (that blurred background effect) actually looks natural. Video recording goes up to 2K resolution at 30fps. To put that simply: your clips will look sharp, but you won’t get the silky smoothness of higher-end phones that record at 60fps.

The Itel S25 Ultra has a 5,000mAh battery, which is standard for modern smartphones. On normal use (social media, YouTube, light gaming), it easily lasts a full day.

Charging, however, is limited to 18W. This is a bit slow compared to competitors offering 33W or more. It’ll still get you from 0 to 100%, but you’ll need some patience.

No phone is perfect, and the S25 Ultra has its gaps:

• Only a mono speaker (sound comes from one side). No stereo effect for movies or music.

• No headphone jack. You’ll need wireless earphones or a USB-C adapter.

• No 5G support. It’s strictly 4 G.

For some buyers, these may be dealbreakers. For others, the savings make them easy to overlook.

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When compared to alternatives like the Samsung Galaxy A16 5G, Infinix Hot 50, or Tecno Spark 30 Pro, the S25 Ultra stands out mainly for its design, display, and surprisingly good cameras.

The Itel S25 Ultra isn’t perfect, but it’s easily one of Itel’s most ambitious phones yet.

What’s great about it:

• Premium design that looks like a flagship.

• Bright, sharp AMOLED curved display with Gorilla Glass protection.

• Solid cameras for both selfies and main shots

• Strong build with water and dust resistance.

• Two years of promised software updates.

What could be better:

• The processor is just average.

• 18W charging feels slow.

• No stereo speakers.

• No 5G option.

If you’re the type that wants a phone that looks like a million bucks, takes good photos, and handles daily tasks without drama, all for around ₦250k, the S25 Ultra is definitely worth considering.