Samsung unveils its new Galaxy S25 smartphones

Samsung presented its upcoming high-end smartphones and showed off the new Galaxy S25 Edge for the first time.

The bottom line:

Samsung has been taking care of its Galaxy S smartphone models for years and that won’t change in 2025. Just a little more hardware, even more artificial intelligence and still seven years of Android and security updates. Anyone who buys a Galaxy S25 with Android 15 this year can therefore use it without worry at least until 2032 and Android 22.

When it comes to design, Samsung stays true to itself, but new colors should bring some diversity.

We know the battery capacity and charging speed of last year’s models and even the camera setup and screens have only minimal new features. Prices for all three models remain unchanged from last year.

What’s new with the Galaxy S24?

It is especially the “small” Galaxy S25 which has been upgraded: like the larger Plus and Ultra models, it now has 12 GB of RAM instead of 8 GB and, unlike last year, it is equipped of the best possible mobile processor (Snapdragon 8 Elite). This is significantly more efficient and can, in combination with the larger RAM, execute more artificial intelligence tasks locally on the device (we’ll come back to this later).

The processor and RAM upgrade as well as the long support period of seven years also put the entry price of 849 francs into perspective, which remains the same as the previous year’s model.

All models have a high-end processor

Unlike last year, the three Galaxy S models are this time equipped with Qualcomm’s latest high-end processor, the Snapdragon 8 Elite, and 12 GB of RAM. According to Samsung, this results in approximately 40% higher CPU performance. to that of the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 from the previous year. This is a big leap forward, at least on paper. And just as important: at equal performance, the processor should operate 44% more economically. The new chip’s additional AI power is used “to process demanding AI experiences directly on the device,” the statement continued. This should particularly benefit the quality of photos and videos in low light.

It is pleasing to note that the smaller Galaxy S25 generally does not have to hide from the larger variants. The high-quality OLED display is as bright and robust as that of more expensive models.

The S25 is charged via USB-C cable with a maximum power of 25 watts or wirelessly with a maximum power of 15 watts. The battery is thus fully charged in 80 minutes. Larger models can charge at up to 45 watts, reducing charging time to 70 minutes. The charging rate therefore remains slow, but still spares the battery, which should increase its lifespan. This is not unimportant, because a simple battery change is unfortunately still not planned and the smartphone is designed for a lifespan of seven years.

It’s striking to note that for the same battery capacity, the new Galaxy models are all a little thinner and lighter than the previous year’s models.

The high-end Galaxy gets a facelift

The biggest change is seen on the top-of-the-line Galaxy S25 Ultra model. The corners of the screen are now slightly rounded, bringing it closer to the design of smaller models. However, it continues to stand out from cheaper models, notably with its higher quality titanium frame, its integrated stylus and its slightly more efficient camera. The latter allows, as on the S24 Ultra, to take photos with a zoom of astonishing quality and is accompanied this year by a better wide-angle camera which should also allow you to take nice macro photos.

AI’s personal companion?

Since big leaps forward in hardware and design are not possible, Samsung is trying to keep customers in suspense with new AI functions. During the presentation, almost everything revolved around “Galaxy AI”. As with Google Pixel-Phones, video quality can be optimized using AI and annoying noises like wind or voices can be filtered out afterwards with the press of a button. This latter function, like a series of other AI functions, is operated locally on the device.

AI applications such as interpretation, transcription of voice recordings, image processing as well as translation of phone calls and chat messages work offline. Photos edited by Samsung’s AI receive a watermark and corresponding meta information.

Other AI applications necessarily operate via the cloud, with data processed anonymously. Those who do not want their data to be processed this way can deactivate it centrally for all AI applications in the system settings.

Samsung is also bringing Google’s AI chatbot, Gemini, to its Galaxy smartphones. Pressing the side key activates the AI, which can interact with Samsung, Google and third-party apps like Spotify and WhatsApp. For example, we can say in natural language “look for the photo of my family at the beach last August” or “play a playlist of upbeat songs” without opening Spotify. Or again, you can photograph the contents of your refrigerator and ask Gemini to suggest what you could cook with it. What’s new is that Google Gemini can now do multiple things across different apps. All this is done “with respect for data security”, assures Samsung.

One thing is clear: Without online processing, certain applications such as Gemini or Google’s “Circle to Search”, which are useful in everyday life, are naturally not available.

And what else?

To close the Galaxy event, Samsung teased another smartphone.

It’s called Galaxy S25 Edge. Apart from the brief mention of the name, no other details were initially given. What we do know is that it is ultra-thin and will only be released after the regular Galaxy S25.

This video gives a taste of it.

(Translated and adapted by Chiara Lecca)

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