The Samsung Galaxy S25 Is Here: Incremental Upgrades, Lots of AI
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In the world of tech announcements, some years are about incremental upgrades, and some years are about leaps and bounds. Apple’s Glowtime event from September was incremental, with the new iPhone and the slow rollout of iOS 18 and AI features. Samsung‘s Galaxy Unpacked event, held Jan 22, was about gradual upgrades, too — with the tech giant unveiling the S25 smartphone line (that looked not too dissimilar from the S24). Besides the small tweaks, the big takeaway from Apple, CES, and Samsung is that AI ain’t going anywhere.
As has been the case since the S22, the S25 features a base, a Plus, and an Ultra model. Following the Unpacked presentation, all of Samsung’s new S25 phones are available to pre-order and arrive by Feb. 7.
Galaxy S25 (Unlocked)
Software: More AI, Bye Bixby
The S25 upgrades have been incremental over the S24. But those coming from earlier models might see a reason to upgrade, including the new Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8 Elite chip. The new chip promises Samsung’s fastest performance yet, with improved efficiency that optimizes battery life for a phone that works smarter, not harder.
The Galaxy Unpacked event heavily touted Google Gemini — the two tech giants have been increasingly collaborative in their quest to chip away at Apple’s market share, which surpassed Android in 2023 globally after long-dominating the US smartphone market. Gemini is now the default assistant on the S25, replacing Bixby (which is still available, but no longer the default).
Samsung is also throwing in some freebies, including three months of Peacock Premium and SiriusXM and two months of Adobe Lightroom.
Hardware: Same Specs, but Thinner and Lighter
On the hardware front, Samsung refreshed the colorways and slimmed down the phones. The S25 is smaller than the S24 while maintaining the same screen size, weighing 162g to the S24’s 168g. The lighter-weight build and new processor on the S25, S25+, and Ultra make for the ideal combination of power and versatility. The Ultra also swapped the tablet-inspired squared-off edges for a rounded design.
The battery is the same size as previous generations, but the new models get an extra hour of video playback time. The phones are “Qi2 ready” for faster wireless charging, but don’t have magnetic wireless charging. The base S25 is now available with up to 512 GB of storage and has improved memory, while the Plus and Ultra models retain the same memory from last year. The cameras have the same specs, with software updates and AI features to improve the quality.
Still to come: Galaxy S25 Edge, AR Headset
Samsung also teased the S25 Edge, an ultra-slim entry into its smartphone lineup, but there’s no release date or specs yet. Besides the new Galaxy S25 phones that are available to pre-order now, Samsung teased new AR glasses, made in collaboration with Google, as the California company takes another stab at the category following the discontinuation of Google Glass.
Galaxy S24
$649.99 $799.99 19% off
With new phones come discounts on older models, and the 128GB S24 is on sale at Best Buy for $150 off.