Samsung's Galaxy S25 is tougher, faster, and packed full of AI features

At its semi annual Galaxy Unpacked event, Samsung has officially unveiled the three new devices in its S25 series lineup. The S25 series consists of the Samsung Galaxy S25, S25+, and S25 Ultra. Here’s everything you need to know.

Pre-order links (affiliate links that support me!):

• Pre-order the Samsung Galaxy S25 (Samsung.com, Best Buy, Amazon)
• Pre-order the Samsung Galaxy S25+ (Samsung.com, Best Buy, Amazon)
• Pre-order the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra (Samsung.com, Best Buy, Amazon)

Samsung Galaxy S25 Hardware Specs - A faster and more durable phone

Design

The overall design of the Galaxy S25 and S25+ is similar to last year’s models, with an Armor Aluminum frame sandwiched by a layer of Corning Gorilla Glass Victus 2 on the front and back. 

The Galaxy S25 Ultra design switches it up with a titanium frame this time with rounded corners, sandwiched by a layer of Corning Gorilla Armor 2 on the front, and Corning Gorilla Glass Victus 2 on the back. The next generation Corning Gorilla Armor 2 offers improved drop protection and scratch resistance along with reduced reflections due to a glass-ceramic material and a new DX anti-reflection surface treatment. With the debut of the first generation of Corning Gorilla Armor on the S24 Ultra, Samsung says there have been 60% fewer screen-related repairs on the S24 Ultra compared to the S23 Ultra, so the hope is the second-generation will reduce that number even further.

The Galaxy S25 and S25+ come in a light blue “Icyblue” color, a light green “Mint” color, a dark blue “Navy” color, and a gray “Silver Shadow” color. They are also available in a black “Blueblack” color, a gold “Pinkgold” color, and a red “Coralred” color exclusively through Samsung.

The Galaxy S25 Ultra, meanwhile, comes in a black “Titanium Black” color, a gray “Titanium Gray” color, a light blue “Titanium Blue” color, and a silver “Titanium White Silver” color. It’s also available in a black “ Titanium Jetblack” color, green “Jadegreen” color, and a gold “Titanium Pinkgold” color exclusively through Samsung.

Display

The Galaxy S25 series phones share similar display characteristics. All three phones feature a Dynamic AMOLED 2X display which can reach a peak brightness of 2600 nits, and can adaptively refresh between 1 and 120Hz depending on the content. The base Galaxy S25 features a flat 6.2-inch display with a resolution of 2340 x 1080 and an aspect ratio of 19.5:9. The Galaxy S25+ features a flat 6.7-inch display with a resolution of 3120 x 1440 and an aspect ratio of 19.5:9. Lastly, the Galaxy S25 Ultra features a flat 6.9-inch display with a resolution of 3120 x 1440 and an aspect ratio of 19.5:9. The display on the S25 Ultra is notably 0.1-inches larger thanks to slimmer bezels that are 15% smaller compared to the S24 Ultra.

A new display feature called ProScaler allows for real-time AI image upscaling from 720p to 4K (only available on the S25+ and S25 Ultra).

All three devices have a Qualcomm-made ultrasonic fingerprint scanner underneath the display.

Performance & Connectivity

The Galaxy S25 series is powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite for Galaxy chipset. Unlike previous Snapdragon for Galaxy chipsets that only featured higher clockspeeds, Samsung says this chipset is completely custom which allows for better camera integration as well as overall performance. Samsung didn’t fully elaborate on what exactly is completely custom about this chipset, though.

Their press release does mention that the Snapdragon 8 Elite for Galaxy includes some Galaxy IP in the form of a mobile Digital Natural Image engine which allows for better display power efficiency. Otherwise, the CPU, GPU, and NPU in the chipset have been overclocked, resulting in a 37%, 30%, and 40% boost in performance, respectively. In the 3DMark Solar Bay benchmark for ray-tracing, the S25 series outperforms the S24 series by 40%.

The heat dissipation system for the Snapdragon 8 Elite for Galaxy has improved through the use of a 15% larger vapor chamber in the Galaxy S25 and S25+, and a 40% larger vapor chamber in the Galaxy S25 Ultra compared to the previous generation. Additionally, a new tailored thermal interface material that engulfs the chipset allows for greater thermal efficiency.

The Snapdragon 8 Elite for Galaxy is paired with 12GB of RAM across the board for the S25 series. That’s up from 8GB of RAM for the base S25 phone. There is no 16GB RAM option, at least not in North America.

Storage wise, the Galaxy S25 starts at 128GB and goes up to 256GB, whereas the S25+ and S25 Ultra are offered in 256GB or 512GB options. The Galaxy S25 Ultra also comes in a 1TB storage option. 

Connectivity wise, Qualcomm told me the Galaxy S25 series are the first phones to support Snapdragon Satellite which allows for messaging via narrowband non-terrestrial (NTN) networks. They also said the entire Galaxy S25 series lineup comes equipped with the company’s FastConnect 7800 mobile connectivity subsystem, meaning every device in the lineup supports WiFi 7. That’s an improvement from the previous generation where only the Ultra supported WiFi 7.

All three devices also support Bluetooth 5.4 with Auracast as well as eSIM. In addition, the Galaxy S25+ and S25 Ultra also support ultra-wideband (UWB) which can be used for digital car keys as well as precision locating of Samsung SmartTags. Sadly, the base Galaxy S25 does not support UWB.

Finally, it’s worth noting that the S Pen in the Galaxy S25 Ultra no longer supports Bluetooth gestures (Air actions). What’s more is that Bluetooth gestures on the S25 Ultra will reportedly not work with Bluetooth enabled S Pens including the S Pen Pro.

Battery & Charging

The battery capacity and charging speeds for the Galaxy S25 series are the same as the previous generation. The base Galaxy S25 has a 4000mAh battery and 25W wired charging support. The Galaxy S25+ has a 4900mAh battery with faster 45W wired charging support. The Galaxy S25 Ultra has a 5000mAh battery and also 45W wired charging support.

All three phones in the Galaxy S25 series support 15W wireless charging but sadly lack Qi2 magnetic charging support. Despite the lack of Qi2 support, Samsung has worked with “Designed for Samsung” partners like Spigen to certify third-party magnetic cases that align perfectly with the charging coils in the Galaxy S25 series phones.

Samsung Galaxy S25 Camera System - Few sensor changes, but lots of new features

The camera hardware on the Galaxy S25 series is also similar to last year’s models, with the exception of the S25 Ultra which gains an upgraded rear-facing ultrawide sensor. The Galaxy S25 and S25+ share the same primary rear-facing camera: a 50MP wide-angle camera with OIS support, a f/1.8 aperture, and 1/1.56” image sensor size. They also share the same secondary rear-facing camera: a 12MP ultra wide-angle camera with a 120° field-of-view, and a f/2.2 aperture. Lastly, they also share the same tertiary rear-facing camera: a 10MP telephoto camera with 3X optical zoom, OIS support, and a f/2.4 aperture. On the front, they share the same front facing camera: a 12MP selfie camera with a f/2.2 aperture.

The Galaxy S25 Ultra has a 200MP main camera with OIS support, a f/1.7 aperture, and 1/1.3” image sensor size for the primary rear-facing camera. The secondary rear-facing camera is a 50MP ultra wide-angle camera with a 120° field-of-view, and a f/1.9 aperture. Samsung says the new JN5 sensor in the ultra wide-angle camera can capture better macro photos as it reduces the need to crop-in as much. The detail is reportedly 4X greater compared to the S24 Ultra. The tertiary rear-facing camera is a 10MP telephoto camera with 3X optical zoom and OIS support. Finally, the quaternary rear-facing camera is a 50MP periscopic telephoto camera with 5X optical zoom and OIS support. On the front, the selfie camera is a 12MP shooter with a f/2.2 aperture.

While there aren’t many hardware-related camera changes, Samsung made a lot of improvements to the camera software which include:

• 10-bit HDR video recording which increases dynamic range by 4X versus 8-bit.
• Nightography video mode that produces sharper and clearer footage with less noise.
  • This is achieved with Spatio-Temporal Filter (STF) support in the ISP which analyzes movement and time to reduce noise. It also distinguishes between moving and stationary objects to improve image quality.

• The STF system also results in better portrait photography.
• Reportedly improved shutter speed/lag.
• LOG video recording via Galaxy Log in Pro Video Mode with exclusive LUTS for precision control in color and lighting.
• Virtual aperture for AI depth of field and brightness adjustments via the Expert RAW app.

Samsung Galaxy S25 Software Features - A new One UI with more AI features

The stable version of One UI 7.0 debuts on the Galaxy S25 series with an additional suite of Galaxy AI features along with improvements to existing Galaxy AI features. Samsung says Galaxy AI features are free until the end of 2025, which is the same thing they said during the launch of the S24 series.

The new Galaxy AI features include:

• Now Brief
  • Offers contextual information depending on the time of day (morning, afternoon, and evening) in the form of a widget on the home screen.

• Now Bar
  • Provides the same information from the Now Brief but on the lock screen. Also cycles through various Samsung apps like the Clock and supports a few Google smart space cards like Google Maps for navigation, sports updates from teams you follow on Google, and more.

• AI search in Samsung Gallery
  • Enables searching through photos with voice input.
  • Allows for the use of natural language (“Find photos from my trip to Italy”).
• Personalized Data Engine 
  • This is a feature that analyzes your habits to provide personalized recommendations. For example, this feature can offer suggested Routines you should turn on. If you usually turn dark mode on at night and off in the morning, the phone will prompt for the creation of a new Routine to toggle dark mode depending on the time of day.
  • Features like Now Brief, Now Bar, and AI search in Samsung Gallery are also powered by the Personalized Data Engine. 
  • This feature works on-device and only with Samsung apps, and the data can be transferred to a new Samsung device via Smart Switch.
• Audio eraser
  • Recognizes audio from videos and separates them into categories including voices, crowds, wind, music, nature, and general noise.
  • Runs on-device.
  • Not developed in collaboration with Google.

• AI settings search
  • Makes it easy to find relevant settings. Simply open the Settings app, tap the search bar, then hit the mic icon and tell the assistant what you’d like to change. 
  • Eg. if you say “make my text more visible” you’ll see a list of relevant text/accessibility options appear.

The improvements to existing Galaxy AI features include:

• AI Select
  • Smart Select has seemingly been renamed to AI Select.
  • Provides relevant actions depending on the content on the screen. For example, if a video is selected, AI Select will suggest making a GIF. If an image is selected, AI Select will suggest editing with Generative edit.
• Sketch to Image
  • Now multimodal with text and voice input.
• Object eraser
  • Upgraded AI model which can erase objects, reflections, and shadows faster with greater accuracy.
• Generative edit
  • In-and-out painting is more accurate.
  • Now runs on-device.
• Portrait Studio
  • You can now create personalized avatars with more true-to-life facial expressions.
  • New analog style filters are available.

Outside of Galaxy AI features, there are also new software features which include:

• Gemini integration
  • You can now long press the side key/power button to invoke Google Gemini. The Gemini overlay now has a new UI (you may have seen it already). 
  • Gemini now also supports cross-app interactions; Gemini Live now supports live chatting about files/images/YouTube videos; and Gemini now has extensions for Samsung Notes, Calendar, Clock, and Reminder. You can read more about these new Gemini features in this article.

• Better support for hearing aids and HID braille displays
• Storage Share with Galaxy Book PCs
• Camera Share with Galaxy Book PCs

Samsung has promised 7 OS updates and 7 years of security updates for the Galaxy S25 series. That means you can expect to receive up to Android 22 in 2031.

Samsung Galaxy S25 Pricing - How much does it cost?

The Samsung Galaxy S25 starts at $799.99 for the 128GB storage model. The Galaxy S25+ starts at $999.99 for the 256GB storage model. Lastly, the Galaxy S25 Ultra starts at $1299.99 for the 256GB storage model.

The Galaxy S25 series is available for pre-order starting today, and will be released for general availability on February 7.

Pre-order links (affiliate links that support me!):

• Pre-order the Samsung Galaxy S25 (Samsung.com, Best Buy, Amazon)
• Pre-order the Samsung Galaxy S25+ (Samsung.com, Best Buy, Amazon)
• Pre-order the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra (Samsung.com, Best Buy, Amazon)

Samsung Galaxy S25 Series Specifications - Every Detail You Should Know

Disclaimer: Samsung invited me to attend the Galaxy S25 series launch event in San Jose. They covered my travel expenses but did not have any editorial input nor the ability to preview my content. Furthermore, this post was written with assistance from Reddit user /u/FragmentedChicken, who was also invited to the same event. If you’d like to read this information with inline images, click here to read the same post on Android Faithful.