Source : the age
Samsung announced a trio of new Galaxy S smartphones, as well as an upgrade to its on-device AI platform, at an event in California early on Thursday morning.
In a major strategy shift, Google Gemini is now the default AI assistant on the phones, relegating Samsung’s Bixby to being an optional alternative. At the event the two companies showed AI features that will debut on the Galaxy S25 series and Google’s Pixel 9 phones, including the user’s ability to share images and videos with Gemini while talking to it to give context to their queries, and the AI’s ability to use multiple apps in response to a request.
Samsung’s latest phones have bolder black rings around their camera lenses, but otherwise look very familiar.
For example, it could use Google Maps to find an appropriate restaurant, and then use Messages to text the address to a contact.
Hardware-wise the Galaxy S25 and S25 Plus phones appeared essentially unchanged from last year, though Samsung said they are slightly thinner and lighter. The phones feature the same displays (at the same 6.2-inch and 6.7-inch sizes) and the exact same camera setup, though visually the lenses now have thicker rings around them.
The Galaxy S25, S25 Plus and S25 Ultra.
Compared to last year’s S24 lineup, these are functionally the same phones but with a new chipset — Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8 Elite — and some slightly different colour options. However, the price is unchanged, starting at $1400 and $1700 respectively, and Samsung still promises seven years of software updates, so those with older phones have reason to upgrade to the S25 over the S24.
It’s a similar story for the high-end S25 Ultra, which keeps most of last year’s specs save for the new chipset. But the big phone now has rounded corners that bring it more in line with the standard S25 (and should dig into users’ hands less), while the included stylus has been made more basic with the removal of Bluetooth features. Starting at $2150, the Ultra is very slightly less expensive than last year’s model was at launch.
Samsung’s latest lineup of cases includes a collaboration with Crocs.
The new phones come installed with Samsung’s OneUI 7 take on Android, which de-clutters the company’s usually busy interface and adds some features that will be familiar to iPhone users. The new Now Bar on the lock screen functions a lot like Apple’s Live Activities for example, and there’s a call recorder that can transcribe your phone conversations for you to go back over later.
Samsung Australia’s head of mobile Eric Chou said the new phones built on the promise of the Galaxy AI platform, first introduced last year.
“With the introduction of our Galaxy S25 series, we’ve built-out AI leadership to deliver market-leading smartphone features that will enhance everyday life, with benefits tailored to Australians’ unique lifestyles,” he said.
“Our research reveals demand for mobile AI is quickly rising; and the S25 series aims to exceed that consumer expectation.”
Certain rumoured announcements, like magnetic charging or a new slim version of the S25, did not eventuate. However, Samsung did tease a thin variant called the Galaxy S25 Edge for future release. Apple is also rumoured to be working on an “iPhone 17 Air” for this year, which will be significantly thinner.
Alongside the phones Samsung showed a range of new cases and accessories, but the most notable was a collaboration with Crocs; a case that makes the phone look something like the iconic rubber clogs. It has holes to insert Jibbitz of your choice, and a hinged handle to make it easier to keep hold of the phone.
The new phones are currently up for pre-order and will be available on February 6. Samsung said that those who purchase before February 14 would get a model with 512GB of storage for the starting price, rather than one with 256GB.
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