Samsung S25 Ultra on display at one of Samsung’s stores in London, UK Samsung has increased the capabilities of the S25 to the Ultra model.
Arjun Kharpal | CNBC
Samsung Electronics on Wednesday launched its latest flagship smartphones – the Galaxy S25 series – touting a custom chip and improved AI features.
The release of the S25 comes after a year in which Samsung’s smartphone shipments came under pressure from Chinese players and Apple.
Samsung’s S25 series comes in three variants – S25, S25+ and S25 Ultra – as has been the case with previous flagship launches.
The starting prices are as follows:
- Galaxy S25: 799 dollars
- Galaxy S25+: 999 dollars
- Galaxy S25 Ultra: 1299 dollars
Samsung will start taking pre-orders for the S25 series on Wednesday, and the devices will go on sale on February 7.
Samsung Galaxy AI front and center
Last year, Samsung launched Galaxy AI – its suite of artificial intelligence features – on the S24.
With the S25, Samsung unveiled additional AI applications aimed at making the phone more like a personal digital assistant.
Samsung’s latest devices can multitask across multiple apps on demand. For example, a user can ask the phone to find the schedule of his favorite football team and add it to his calendar. Or a user can prompt the AI app to find nearby pet-friendly restaurants to send to a specific contact. All these actions will be performed by the device through multiple applications.
Samsung said the feature supports third-party apps like Spotify and Meta-owned by WhatsApp, as well as its own and Googleapplications of
The AI app can also change settings on the phone when requested by a user.
Samsung’s latest features underscore how the South Korean tech giant and some of its rivals are racing to make AI in devices more like personal assistants that cater to a person’s usage habits and preferences.
The Samsung S25 series consists of three devices – S25, S25+ and S25 Ultra.
Arjun Kharpal | CNBC
Last year, Apple began rolling out Apple Intelligence, its suite of AI features on the iPhone.
Hardware makers see AI as a way to differentiate their hardware from the sea of competitors. Samsung, for example, hopes the technology will help revive sales for its high-end product.
“At a time when improvements in hardware capabilities and product design are mostly incremental, Samsung is doubling down on its AI story. There are some smart improvements included in the Galaxy S25 lineup, but they’re unlikely to be enough to have consumers rushing to upgrade their phones ahead of time,” Ben Wood, head of research at CCS Insight, told CNBC.
“However, this is far from an issue unique to Samsung. Apple is facing the same challenges with the iPhone 16 and Apple Intelligence. AI is a boon for someone who needs a boost, but not enough to move the needle for consumers who already have a relatively up-to-date phone.”
Samsung smartphone shipments fell 2.7% year-on-year in the fourth quarter of last year as its market share shrank, according to figures from the International Data Corporation. Samsung was the number two player in terms of shipment volume behind Apple.
Meanwhile, Chinese players Xiaomi, Transsion and Vivo increased market share, with aggressively priced devices boasting strong specs.
CCS Insight’s Wood concluded that the S25 series “is suitable for the growing number of consumers who have a three- or four-year-old mobile phone”, but “people are likely to upgrade more quickly”.
Custom chip, new design
To power its latest AI features, Samsung and Qualcomm worked on a custom processor. The Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite for Galaxy is exclusive to Samsung with the South Korean giant claiming it to be the fastest processor ever in a Galaxy device.
Fast yet low-power processors inside smartphones are vital to ensure they manage heavy AI workloads without draining the battery.
Samsung also talked about other hardware changes, including an improved camera on the S25 Ultra model and new design.
The S25 series now has rounded corners instead of the more angular design of its predecessors.