welcome to the era of lazy smartphones that don't even hide it

Our article dedicated to getting started with the latest Galaxy S25 measures 378 words. The one relating to One UI 7, the new interface for Samsung smartphones, covers 980, or almost triple. This simple comparison speaks volumes.

We would of course have liked to devote more words to the latest smartphones, but we must face the facts: the new hardware developments are very slim this year and the bulk of the new developments are less in the hardware than in the software.

Which brings us to this observation: new smartphones are almost no longer sold for their own new features, but as supports for software functionalities. If tomorrow you go to the store to buy the Galaxy S25, it is not for its new telephoto lens (it does not have one), nor for its increased charging speed (which is not), but in with the aim of taking advantage of the latest Korean features. But why did we get to this point? Let's recap.

The Galaxy S25s are uninspired and One UI 7 takes up all the space

For the Galaxy S25 Ultra, the brand's flagship, we have some notable additions. A new photo module, the ultra-wide-angle, which benefits from a 50 Mpx sensor, a new protective glass, a rounded design, and that's about it. The Galaxy S25 and S25 Plus go even further, displaying a technical sheet almost identical to last year. Of course, all three phones benefit from the annual chip renewal, switching to a Snapdragon 8 Elite. All three also lose a little thickness for more comfort. But as it stands, on the hardware, nothing really justifies these new versions.

Conversely, the manufacturer's interface, One UI 7, benefits from a complete makeover, a host of new features more or less versed in AI (Now Bar, Now Brief, Gemini now managing multiple applications, etc.). The interface has even changed its calendar to gain a few more months of development. Usually released between August and October, in the wake of the deployment of the new version of Android from Google, One UI 7 will wait until the beginning of February to be available this time.

Apple Intelligence and Galaxy AI, two solutions, the same observation

A delay in switching on, which is reminiscent of a certain iOS 18, which deployed its major features with the iOS 18.1, 18.2 and 18.3 updates. Among these features that arrived a little late, we notably have the famous Apple Intelligence (scheduled for April in Europe), named after this set of AI-powered functions, reserved for the most recent iPhones equipped with a specialized chip ( NPU) sufficiently powerful.

As a result of this delay, at the time of launch, we saw Apple sell its iPhone 16, also singled out for a lack of hardware innovations apart from a vague camera button, on the basis of a promise. A strong promise entirely based on future software innovations. Here again, hardware has been replaced by software.

If we focus here on Apple and Samsung, the two spearheads of the telephone industry, we could make the same observation for almost all smartphone brands on the market. The Honor Magic 7 Pro has been singled out for a strong resemblance to the Magic 6 Pro, the OnePlus 13 is very close to the OnePlus 12, the Xiaomi 14T Pro suffers from the same comparison. And let's not talk about the latest iPad mini 7 to open the subject to tablets, which doesn't even make the effort to equip itself with a new screen.

A technological glass ceiling

Gone are the days when brands like LG could afford crazy things like dual-screen smartphones. Even folding smartphones have finally come into line with two well-established formats, the book format and the clamshell format.

All manufacturers give the impression of having reached a technological glass ceiling, which undoubtedly forces them to bet everything on generative AI, which still has that little veneer of novelty going for it.

This glass ceiling can be explained by two very simple facts: the market has become considerably calmer and more concentrated. There are only a few major players left: Samsung, the OPlus group, Honor, Apple, Xiaomi, Motorola, and for the rest of the world, let us still mention Huawei, Vivo and Transsion. At the same time, the speed at which chips advance has also slowed down significantly. The market is struggling to move from 5 nm (introduced in 2020) to 3 nm, the first chips of which on smartphones appeared in 2024.

Take advantage of the longer update duration

Another aspect to take into account, manufacturers now all offer longer update periods, ranging from 4 to 7 years. A European regulation will also require them to guarantee at least five years of updates. There is no doubt, therefore, that the question of software is taking an increasingly prominent place. According to the manufacturers with whom we speak all year, this cavalcade towards an ever-longer update duration has a real cost. So, you might as well capitalize on it.

Already last year, Samsung found a pirouette to hide the lack of new hardware features in its Galaxy S24, by giving a name to its new features, Galaxy AI. But the trick only works once, the manufacturer is now required to simply improve the existing one.

AI cannot remain free

If Galaxy AI is free for the moment, this could well change by 2026. Samsung has reconfirmed its official statement on the subject: Galaxy AI is free until December 31, 2025. It is of course not excluded that the Korean is considering extending this duration, but ultimately, the question of paid features will eventually arise. Because AI, whether on-device or in the cloud, is far from free for manufacturers. Here too we will have to end up capitalizing.

The other unknown, beyond cost, is that of exclusive features. Apple or Google are often singled out on this subject. The two giants have repeatedly released new functions (like the action mode of the iPhone for example, or Video Boost at Google), which do not a priori require extravagant power to operate. However, these functions are still exclusive to the latest models.

Lack of transparency doesn't help

The Galaxy S25s fall into the same pattern. Samsung has not communicated a clear timetable for the deployment of the new features of One UI 7 and is playing on an ambiguity. Will all features make the trip to older models?

If the only argument which justifies purchasing a new model is the absence of information maintained by the manufacturer on the availability of new software, we will eventually have to ask ourselves the question of the relevance of the annual renewal. Because at the start of 2025, Samsung's new smartphones have never looked so much like a simple subscription lasting 4 to 7 years, for which the hardware would only be a simple support. A very nice support, well finished, which takes beautiful photos, etc. But perfectly boring and similar to last year.

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