Samsung unveils AI-powered Galaxy S25 smartphones, teases Galaxy S25 Edge

The new smartphones feature modest upgrades compared to their predecessors but offer enhanced AI capabilities.

On Wednesday, Samsung unveiled the latest Galaxy S25 series smartphones - Galaxy S25, Galaxy S25 Plus, and Galaxy S25 Ultra - at the Unpacked event in San Jose, California.

The one-hour event mainly focused on the company’s Galaxy AI features, which Samsung claims will be able to anticipate users' actions, perform actions on their behalf, and have improved multimodal capabilities.

Contrary to some leaks, the company didn’t disclose any details about its upcoming smart glasses or its XR headset, dubbed Project Moohan. However, at the end of the announcement, the company briefly teased the Galaxy S25 Edge. The device is rumored to be an ultra-slim smartphone and is expected to be launched in the second quarter of the year.

This is Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge! Thinnest S25 model. Cool. It’s pretty thin. But it’s not THAT thin imo. So what’s the point? 😅 pic.twitter.com/myP63uJaCl

undefined Ben Geskin (@BenGeskin) January 22, 2025

AI features

The Galaxy S25 series will be powered by a custom Qualcomm Snapdragon Elite chipset, which, according to Samsung, will result in better performance compared to its Android competitors.

In the new smartphone line, which will run on Android 15 and Samsung One UI 7 interface, the company is embracing the idea of AI agents that can take action on users' behalf.

According to Samsung, Galaxy AI will receive information from apps like Samsung Health or Wallet, and photos and will give personal recommendations, such as adjust room temperature on SmartThings thermostat.

On the lock screen, users will see a short summary from various apps. The feature, called "Now Brief," will show the most important information such as events, weather, and more surfaced across apps, while "Now Bar" will enable accessing apps and controls from the lock screen.

According to Samsung, the Galaxy S25 smartphone line will make it easier to control devices with voice commands. During the event, the company gave an example of using voice search to find a photo from a specific time, such as a summer vacation.

The Circle to Search tool will also feature improvements, such as the ability to recognize phone numbers, emails, and URLs on the user's screen.

Meanwhile, the AI assistant Gemini will be more deeply integrated and can be invoked with a press of a button. It will be able to surface information across Google and Samsung apps and perform tasks like answering questions about foods and including them in the Notes app.

Samsung highlights that users' personal data will be protected by Knox Vault, which integrates a secure processor and secure memory to isolate the most sensitive information.

Samsung Galaxy S25 series

The Galaxy S25 series will look similar to last year’s models, with only the Ultra model having sharper edges, thinner bezels, and a one-inch larger screen, at 6.9 inches.

Samsung claims that all of the Galaxy S25 series devices will be more durable thanks to the Gorilla Glass Armor 2 casing.

Most of the specs, including battery capacity, memory, and cameras, also remain unchanged. The only new hardware improvement regarding cameras can be found in the Ultra model, which now has a new 50 MP wide-angle camera (up from 12 MP).

Overall, the Ultra has a quad-camera setup with a 200 MP camera, a 50 MP periscope, a 50 MP ultrawide, and a 10 MP telephoto camera.

Among the notable upgrades, Samsung highlighted the Ultra’s 40% larger vapor chamber which improves thermal efficiency. This, along with improved Ray Tracing, should result in better gaming experience.

Prices of the new devices will remain unchanged. The Galaxy S25 base model starts at $799, the S25 Plus is priced at $999, and the Galaxy S25 Ultra starts at $1299.