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Last year Samsung embraced artificial intelligence with its suite of Galaxy AI features. And while the new S25 Ultra is a bit faster, a little curvier and has a slightly bigger display than before, its clear the companys primary focus was upgrading the software and machine learning capabilities of its top-spec flagship phone. But is that enough? Design: A curvier titanium frame with a handful of quirks Similar to its predecessor, the Galaxy S25 Ultra features a titanium frame. However, for 2025, Samsung wanted to buck tradition by making the phone a bit less boxy. So instead of a totally angular chassis, Samsung rounded off its corners. This gives the Ultra a bit more of a familial resemblance to its less expensive siblings (both the S25 and S25+). That said, the Ultra still has flat edges that are a touch sharper than on last years phone, so it's more of a remix than a full revamp. For its front and back glass, Samsung moved to Cornings new Gorilla Armor 2, which features a "next-gen" anti-reflective coating that helps eliminate more glare than before. But perhaps the best new hardware upgrade is a larger 6.9-inch QHD+ AMOLED display (up from 6.8 inches) with 15 percent smaller bezels, allowing for more screen space without increasing the phones overall dimensions (6.41 x 3.05 x 0.32 inches). On the flip side, the S25 Ultras included S Pen is actually getting a tiny downgrade as Samsung is removing Bluetooth Low Energy support from the stylus. This might seem like a bit of a headscratcher, but Samsung claims only a tiny percentage of owners were using Air Actions (which was the only S Pen feature that required BT LE) and that by getting rid of it, the stylus is more durable than before because theres no need worry about equipping it with tiny radios. The company also says the only gesture that saw significant use was the one for remotely triggering the phones camera, which can be accomplished in a variety of other ways (e.g. holding up your palm or using a Galaxy Watch or Galaxy Ring). Here's a quick design comparison between the new Galaxy S25 Ultra (left) and last year's Galaxy S24 Ultra (right). Notice the smaller bezels and more rounded corners on the S25U. Photo by Sam Rutherford/Engadget Another design quirk is that while the S25 family (including the Ultra) supports wireless charging at up to 15 watts, its not technically fully Qi2 compliant. Instead, Samsung says the phone is Qi2 ready which means it will work with compatible chargers, but because there arent any alignment magnets inside of the handset, users will need to rely on aftermarket cases to provide a proper mounting point for magnetic accessories. The final noteworthy hardware addition is a new 50-megapixel sensor for the ultra-wide camera, which joins the three that return from last years phone: 200MP main, 10MP telephoto and 50MP telephoto cameras (with the latter two offering 3x and 5x optical zoom respectively). Samsung says there should be some general photo and image processing improvements thanks to the S25 Ultras new chip, such as improved noise reduction and a better spatial-temporal filter that can more accurately tell the difference between moving and stationary objects. But were going to wait until we can review the phone to say what these features can really do. Performance: Snapdragon 8 Elite in every country Photo by Sam Rutherford/Engadget Inside, the S25 Ultra is powered by Qualcomms Snapdragon 8 Elite for Galaxy chip along with 12GB of RAM and up to 1TB of storage. For buyers outside North America, Samsung says its using the same SoC across the globe instead of opting for its own Exynos chips in certain regions as it has in the past. The company claims general CPU performance is up 37 percent year-over-year. Meanwhile, GPU speeds are up 30 percent while the S25 Ultras NPU has gotten the biggest boost of around 40 percent. And to help provide improved sustained performance for things like gaming, Samsung claims the S25 Ultras vapor chamber is 40 percent larger than before. In real life, the phone felt expectedly responsive, though it was hard to tell if that was all thanks to the phones new chip or if it was due in part to the snappier animations in One UI 7, which will come pre-installed on the Galaxy S25 family. And as before, Samsung is continuing to offer seven years of OS updates and regular security patches. AI agents and more Photo by Sam Rutherford/Engadget Of course, as with so many other recent gadgets, the S25s main focus is on expanded AI functionality and after introducing its first set of features on the S24 line last year, it feels like Samsung's goal was to make everything a bit more powerful and easier to use. For example, existing tools like Smart Select have been renamed to AI Select and transformed into what the company is calling AI agents. Generally, this means a single feature will support a wider range of abilities and improved contextual awareness. Now when you tap the AI Select icon after pulling up Samsung's side bar, the phone will analyze whatever youre looking at and provide an assortment of suggestions ike taking a screenshot, performing a visual search, summarizing an article or even capturing a video clip and turning it into a GIF. Its a similar situation for Samsungs Sketch to Image tool which has been renamed to Drawing Assist, which not only provides more realistic results, it also allows you to add AI-generated art to photos by roughly sketching something with the S Pen or simply using text prompts. Even Googles Circle to Search feature has gotten a small upgrade as it now supports song identification either by listening to music or someone humming a tune. Alternatively, in order to surface information in a more timely manner, Samsung has created a Now Brief tool and Now Bar. The Now Brief is designed to provide a customized feed that appears periodically throughout the day (generally in the morning, afternoon and evening) populated by news and events relevant to you. This includes everything from appointments in your calendar to the weather and traffic. Meanwhile, the Now Bar is an offshoot of this functionality that will pop up on your lock screen or in your notifications so you can keep tabs on apps you may already have open or the score for your favorite sports teams. It's very similar in spirit to Apple's Live Activities. Samsung says it has also designed the phone to observe your habits and notice patterns so it can provide helpful shortcuts in the future. One example would be if you regularly turn on Bluetooth before getting in your car and then turn it off when you get home, which is a process the phone may be able to handle automatically. Theres also a new Audio Eraser tool in the camera app which functions a lot like what weve seen in recent Pixel phones. It uses AI to identify six different types of noise like wind or speech and then creates a custom EQ allowing you to turn down distracting ambient sounds or boost the volume of whoever is talking. Photo by Sam Rutherford/Engadget But, at least for me, the S25 lines most powerful new AI-based ability is improved natural voice recognition, which allows the phone to perform complex tasks that may involve more than one app at a time. During my brief hands-on time, I asked the phone to add the next Detroit Lions game to my calendar. That might sound like a simple request, but if you break it down, the AI first needs to figure out which game Im talking about based on a web search, when its being played, and then create an appointment inside the Samsung Calendar app. And the AI did add the relevant match to the calendar in the demo S25 Ultra I was using. Granted, weve sort of seen this before, but this implementation feels much more streamlined and cohesive. You can also search for images in the Samsung Gallery app with your voice, while the enhanced natural language recognition applies to generally controlling the device as well. This means you can ask the phone to adjust specific settings like changing screen resolution, which is nice for anyone who doesnt feel like scrolling through a seemingly endless list of options. Other features Photo by Sam Rutherford/Engadget Lastly, some more niche improvements include support for logarithmic video capture (Galaxy Log) with exclusive look-up-tables. When watching movies or clips, Samsung is also borrowing some tech from its TV division to automatically upscale lower-res content. And for its Wallet app, the company is adding the ability to Buy now, pay later even when shopping at brick-and-mortar retailers or wirelessly transferring money to someone else just by tapping two devices together. However, the new Wallet features wont be available at launch (theyre coming sometime later) and they will only be available when using debit cards from Visa and Mastercard. After my short time with the S25 UItra, I came away with mixed feelings. Samsungs general approach to AI tools feels much more cohesive and easier to get into. But I still wonder how much value they really add and how much of a benefit they will provide on a day-to-day basis. The slightly curvier chassis makes the S25 Ultra fit in more with the rest of the lines design, but that feels like a minor change. I appreciate the new anti-reflective coating from Cornings Gorilla Armor 2 and Im happy to see a new sensor for the phones ultra-wide camera. But even so, Im left feeling like there are a handful of features Samsung could have given a little more attention to. Photo by Sam Rutherford/Engadget How about a bigger battery like the 6,000mAh pack in OnePlus 13 instead of the same 5,000mAh cell weve seen for several generations? Or what about something for the S Pen? And then theres Samsungs half-baked solution for supporting Qi2, which just seems a bit lazy. Dont get me wrong, the S25 Ultra still looks like a good phone and I like that Samsung hasnt bumped up its price for 2025. But at the same time, it seems like the biggest phone maker in the world could be doing more for its most expensive non-folding phone. Pre-orders for the Galaxy S25 Ultra are live now starting at $1,300 with official sales slated for February 7. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/mobile/smartphones/samsung-galaxy-s25-ultra-hands-on-faster-curvier-and-way-more-ai-ier-180054396.html?src=rss
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Samsung unveiled a bunch of new gadgets at its Unpacked event, but the baddest of the bunch were likely those Galaxy S25 smartphones. Smartphones are only as good as the chips that power them, and the S25 series features a custom version of Qualcomms Snapdragon 8 Elite system-on-a-chip (SoC.) Qualcomm is calling it the worlds fastest mobile system-on-a-chip and it powers every Galaxy S25 version across the world, from the standard release to the Plus and the Ultra. This is only the second time the same chipset has been used to power Galaxy S-series handsets globally. Typically, North America gets a Qualcomm SoC and the rest of the world gets Samsung's proprietary Exynos system. This SoC features the second-gen custom Qualcomm Oryon CPU, along with the Adreno GPU and the Hexagon NPU for AI tasks. The system includes a Snapdragon X80 5G modem and the Qualcomm FastConnect 7800 Mobile Connectivity System. The company promises ultra-fast cellular and Wi-Fi 7 speeds. The system also allows users to send and receive messages via satellite, via the Snapdragon Satellite service. The two companies worked closely together to create this custom version of the Snapdragon 8 Elite to reduce power consumption on Galaxy devices. Galaxy S25 handsets can even access Qualcomms Spatio-Temporal Filter (STF.) This allows for sharper-than-ever low light video capture capabilities, even at 8K 30fps, all while maintaining world-class power consumption efficiency. Of course, the SoC was also customized to take full advantage of Samsungs Gemini suite of AI tools. The Galaxy S25 isnt the only smartphone to use Snapdragon 8 Elite. The Xiaomi 15, Honor Magic 7 Pro, Asus ROG Phone 9 and Realme GT 7 Pro are expected to utilize the SoC, albeit not the custom version co-designed by Samsung. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/mobile/smartphones/samsung-galaxy-s25-smartphones-are-powered-by-a-custom-snapdragon-8-elite-soc-180050277.html?src=rss
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Samsung has officially launched the Galaxy S25, Galaxy S25+ and Galaxy S25 Ultra, and for the most part, the changes aren't massive. The jumbo-sized S25 Ultra has the most noticeable updates, including a more rounded titanium frame, slimmer bezels, new anti-reflective glass and an improved ultrawide camera. All three phones run on a faster Snapdragon 8 Elite for Galaxy chip and promise better low-light video capture. The S25 and S25+ are slightly thinner than last year's models, too, while the base S25 now includes 12GB of RAM as standard. For the most part, though, much of Samsung's focus is on improving the phones' AI functionality. To that end, the company is touting features like an improved Circle to Search tool and better natural voice recognition, among other tricks. We spent some time with the new phones ahead of today's Unpacked event, so you can read our hands-on previews of the Galaxy S25, S25+ and S25 Ultra for more details on what to expect. The phones are up for pre-order now, with official sales starting on February 7. We'll have full reviews around then. However, for Galaxy owners who are already set on upgrading, we've laid out how the three devices compare on the spec sheet below. If you're wondering what the extra cost of the S25+ or S25 Ultra gets you, here's a quick breakdown. Samsung Galaxy S25 Samsung Galaxy S25+ Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra Price (MSRP) $800 (128GB), $860 (256GB) $1,000 (256GB), $1,120 (512GB) $1,300 (256GB), $1,420 (512GB), $1,660 (1TB) Dimensions 5.78 x 2.78 x 0.28 inches 6.24 x 2.98 x 0.29 inches 6.38 x 3.06 x 0.32 inches Weight 5.7 ounces 6.7 ounces 7.7 ounces Screen size 6.2 inches 6.7 inches 6.9 inches Screen resolution FHD+ (2,340 x 1,080) QHD+ (3,120 x 1,440) QHD+ (3,120 x 1,440) Screen type Dynamic AMOLED 2X Up to 120Hz (1-120Hz) Up to 2,600 nits (peak brightness) Corning Gorilla Glass Victus 2 Dynamic AMOLED 2X Up to 120Hz (1-120Hz) Up to 2,600 nits (peak brightness) Corning Gorilla Glass Victus 2 Dynamic AMOLED 2X Up to 120Hz (1-120Hz) Up to 2,600 nits (peak brightness) Corning Gorilla Armor 2 SoC Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite for Galaxy (3nm, 8-core) Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite for Galaxy (3nm, 8-core) Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite for Galaxy (3nm, 8-core) RAM 12GB 12GB 12GB Battery 4,000mAh 4,900mAh 5,000mAh Charging Up to 25W wired Up to 15W wireless ("Qi2 ready") 4.5W reverse wireless Up to 45W wired Up to 15W wireless ("Qi2 ready") 4.5W reverse wireless Up to 45W wired Up to 15W wireless ("Qi2 ready") 4.5W reverse wireless Storage 128GB, 256GB 256GB, 512GB 256GB, 512GB, 1TB Rear camera Main: 50 MP, f/1.8, 85° FOV, OIS Ultrawide: 12 MP, f/2.2, 120° FOV Telephoto: 10 MP, f/2.4, 36° FOV, OIS, 3x optical zoom Main: 50 MP, f/1.8, 85° FOV, OIS Ultrawide: 12 MP, f/2.2, 120° FOV Telephoto: 10 MP, f/2.4, 36° FOV, OIS, 3x optical zoom Main: 200 MP, f/1.7, 85° FOV, OIS Ultrawide: 50 MP, f/1.9, 120° FOV Telephoto: 10 MP, f/2.4, 36° FOV, OIS, 3x optical zoom Periscope telephoto: 50 MP, f/3.4, 22° FOV, OIS, 5x optical zoom Front camera 12 MP, f/2.2, 80° FOV 12 MP, f/2.2, 80° FOV 12 MP, f/2.2, 80° FOV Video capture Rear: 4K at 60 fps, 8K at 30 fps Front: 4K at 60 fps Rear: 4K at 60 fps, 8K at 30 fps Front: 4K at 60 fps Rear: 4K at 120 fps, 8K at 30 fps Front: 4K at 60 fps Water and dust resistance rating IP68 IP68 IP68 Wi-Fi Wi-Fi 7 Wi-Fi 7 Wi-Fi 7 Bluetooth Bluetooth 5.4 Bluetooth 5.4 Bluetooth 5.4 OS Android 15, One UI 7 Android 15, One UI 7 Android 15, One UI 7 Colors and finish Glass front and back (Gorilla Glass Victus 2), aluminum frame Navy, Icyblue, Mint, Silver Shadow, Blueblack*, Coralred*, Pinkgold* (*Samsung.com exclusive) Glass front and back (Gorilla Glass Victus 2), aluminum frame Navy, Icyblue, Mint, Silver Shadow, Blueblack*, Coralred*, Pinkgold* (*Samsung.com exclusive) Glass front (Gorilla Armor 2), glass back (Gorilla Glass Victus 2), titanium frame Silverblue, Whitesilver, Gray, Black, Pinkgold*, Jetblack*, Jadegreen* (*Samsung.com exclusive) This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/mobile/smartphones/heres-how-samsungs-new-galaxy-s25-phones-compare-to-each-other-180032319.html?src=rss
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