Samsung’s Galaxy S series has consistently set the benchmark for Android smartphones. It has been the only global competitor to the Apple iPhone series. Building on the same principle, Samsung has now announced the Galaxy S25 series. In this post, we will be looking at the all-new Samsung Galaxy S25 and the Samsung Galaxy S25+.
From our first impressions, the Galaxy S25 and the Galaxy S25+ are not groundbreaking; rather, they are refined versions of their predecessors. These phones may not reinvent the wheel, but they solidify Samsung’s presence in the premium smartphone space with an AI-forward approach.
Design
Samsung seems to have stuck with the saying, “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” while working on the Galaxy S25 series phones. The overall aesthetic remains familiar, with a sleek and minimalist design language. Both phones feel solid in hand, thanks to the Armor Aluminum 2 frame. The flat displays, thin bezels, and symmetrical camera arrangement on the back all contribute to a clean and modern look.
The first visual change you will notice on the new phones compared to the old ones is the thicker black ring around the camera lenses. Another change comes in the weight: both phones have shed 6 grams, with the Galaxy S25 weighing in at 162g, while the Galaxy S25+ comes in at 190g.
Samsung has introduced a new twist this year with the color selection, getting a bit narrower compared to the predecessor. We have now moved from classic black and gray to bolder hues like Silver Shadow, Icy Blue, Mint, and Navy—there’s a shade to suit every personality. And let’s not forget the refined matte finish on the back panel, which not only looks elegant but also helps minimize fingerprints and smudges.
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While some may yearn for a more dramatic overhaul, it’s hard to fault Samsung for sticking with a winning formula. By sticking with the same look and feel, the company is creating a recognizable identity, similar to the iPhones. Perhaps we might see some shift in this space in the next iteration of the Galaxy S series.
Display
Like other aspects of the phone, not a lot has changed with the displays. You still get stunning Dynamic AMOLED 2X panels on both phones. These displays get plenty bright, reaching more than 1700 nits of peak brightness. This means that even under the harshest sunlight, you’ll have no trouble reading text or watching content.
Speaking of size, the Galaxy S25 boasts a 6.2-inch display, making it compact and pocketable, while the Galaxy S25+ packs a much larger 6.7-inch display. These displays also excel in color accuracy, producing vibrant and lifelike images, a hallmark of Samsung displays. On top of this, these LTPO panels support dynamic refresh rates up to 120Hz and are light on battery use as well.
Beyond the technical specifications, the displays on the S25 and S25+ are responsive, smooth, and provide a visual treat.
Hardware
For the Galaxy S25 series, Samsung has partnered with Qualcomm and used their Snapdragon 8 Elite For Galaxy SoC. This new chip boasts NPU improvements of 40%, CPU improvements of 37%, and GPU performance is up 30% compared to last-gen models. This is a big jump, as the Indian region got Exynos chips on the Galaxy S24 and S24+ last year.
As for the variant info, this time around Samsung is offering 12GB RAM as standard on all models. To make for an easy entry point into the S lineup, the company is offering the Galaxy S25 with a 128GB storage option, while the Galaxy S25+ gets 256GB of storage on the base model. In typical fashion, Samsung will be offering customers the option to get the S25 with a 256GB storage option at the same price as the 128GB option as part of launch offers.
Beyond this, the optics have not seen an upgrade. We still get a triple camera setup on the rear of both phones. The camera setup includes a 50MP primary camera with OIS support, a 12MP ultra-wide-angle camera, and a 10MP 3X telephoto camera. Selfies are handled by a 12MP front-facing camera.
Samsung has also optimized the software to work in harmony with the hardware, resulting in a highly efficient phone. This efficiency is particularly evident in the battery life. The S25 packs a respectable 4,000mAh battery, while the S25+ gets a larger 4,900mAh cell. Combined with the power-efficient Snapdragon 8 Elite for Galaxy processor and software optimizations, these phones should comfortably last through a full day of use, even with moderate to heavy usage.
ALSO READ: Samsung Galaxy S25 vs. iPhone 16 vs. Pixel 9: Which One Should You Buy?
Software
AI plays a big part in the Galaxy S25’s story. This was present on the Galaxy S24 series as well, but the extent of the features has quadrupled here. Samsung’s new One UI 7 beautifully brings both Samsung’s and Google’s AI smarts into a single unit. A big feature that’s come out of this partnership is the new and improved assistant that offers the functionality of both Google Gemini and Samsung Bixby.
There is also the new Now Bar, which is sort of Samsung’s take on ‘Live Activities.’ It shows real-time info from multiple apps and sits at the bottom of the home screen. Apart from that, you have the new Audio Eraser feature, which can detect and isolate different types of sounds in recorded videos, including noise, voices, crowds, wind, and music, and allows you to tweak them to your liking.
AI has been deeply rooted into One UI 7.0, and it will probably take us a lot of time to explore all the features. For that, stick around for our full review.
Conclusion
The Samsung Galaxy S25 and S25+ bring plenty of refinements to the table compared to their predecessors. These phones offer a premium design, stunning displays, powerful performance, and feature-packed software. While they might not be radical departures from the S24 series, they still make a compelling buying argument when you look at the pricing, which has been virtually the same as last year.
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