For years, Samsung’s Galaxy S series has been the flagship smartphone to beat through top-tier technologies, with the new S25 range offering a range of features and benefits Google and Apple haven’t yet matched, across AI that is both integrated and now agentic, genuine camera improvements, with thinner, lighter and tougher designs, the same custom Snapdragon 8 Elite for Galaxy across the range, great accessories and more to create what Samsung says is “a true AI companion”.
In the article below is a video interview with Nathan Rigger, Samsung Electronics Australia’s Head of Product for Mobile, as well as the Galaxy S25 Unpacked event that is must-see keynote TV, and a series of videos Samsung has shared on its YouTube channel, showing how the S25 is different and better than any other phone before it – to date – so please read on!
Pioneering the multimodal era with Samsung’s most context-aware and personalised mobile experience, Samsung’s new S25 trio of smartphones comprising of the S25, the larger S25+ and the stylus-equipped S25 Ultra takes the AI on smartphones to the next level in ways that are genuinely useful and new – and will clearly be copied by competitors.
Until then, Samsung new One UI 7 OS powers the experience and helps set the S25 series apart in ways that Google and Apple are yet to match, and even though they will match these capabilities later this year, Samsung is offering it exclusively, and first, with the entire package making the case for you to upgrade from your older Samsung smartphone, a competing Android from Google, Oppo, Motorola, HMD or other company, and of course, iPhones themselves, being the big competitor for everyone else that isn’t Android.
However, first to the podium is Samsung with its S25 S25 AI series featuring “groundbreaking hyper-personalised experiences, creating the first ‘human-like AI phone’ including multimodal capabilities to enable seamless and natural interaction by understanding text, speech, images and gestures, transforming how you interact with the world.”
Now I’ve more to say about the improvements of the S25 range below, as well as more info from Samsung on the new phones and launch week activities across Australia, but first, here’s my video interview with Nathan Rigger, Samsung Electronics Australia’s Head of Product for Mobile:
So what else sets the S25 range apart from all competitors?
Being able to speak with the Google Gemini AI interface is built-in as standard, and while any Android can use Gemini, only Samsung lets you use Gemini in an agentic manner, able to perform tasks across a selection of Samsung’s own apps, as well as Whatsapp and Spotify, with plenty more to come in the future.
Agentic AI lets you ask your phone to look at a YouTube video, and to extract the main points and save them into your Galaxy Notes app, for example, simply by asking. Of course, the same can be achieved by copying and pasting a YouTube video’s transcript into an AI chatbot or AI-powered notes app to then get a summary thereof, but it’s a multistep process that you can’t ask for by voice on other platforms – or at least, not yet.
Samsung’s Now Brief app is powered by AI to bring you all the important information you need to know as you start your day and travel through it, bringing forth travel times, appointments and other relevant info throughout the day to your attention and action. The Lock Screen is also now enhanced by the Now Bar, which to me seems a bit like Apple’s Dynamic Island, able to show you information as it becomes relevant to know it.
One UI 7 itself is polished and improved, integrating all of the new AI features within it in a way that Google’s standard Android 15 and Apple’s iOS 18 are not yet doing, with improvements to the camera for photos and videos and the software that’s used to remove photo bombers, take out noise from videos recorded at night, and adjust the audio of any recording to remove background noises and enhance any part of a video you want, in a customisable way, and which are genuinely improved over the S24’s One UI 6.x software, able to more accurate remove people and do other special AI powered improvements.
Here’s Samsung’s explanation of all the new AI features and benefits in action:
Samsung even has its own version of Google’s Best Take software, letting you take a series of photos in quick succession so you can choose a scene where everyone is smiling and looking at the camera, rather than capturing some people with eyes closed or unintended expressions on their faces.
The S25 range is thinner, lighter and cheaper than last year’s models, which in a time of the Australian dollar being weaker against the US dollar is a welcome and generous act by Samsung for Australian consumers.
This video gives a great 5 minute introduction of all the big benefits, after which the article continues, please read on!:
Samsung also made special note of the privacy aspects of One UI 7 and the S25 range, bolstered by the Samsung Knox platform, which is also something consumers want to see in the modern age being a true consideration.
The screens Samsung uses are also more durable, with the S25 Ultra offering Corning Gorilla Armor 2 display glass that can withstand a drop from head height rather than “just” the waist height of the S24 Ultra, and stronger glass for the S25 and S25+ too, the Snapdragon 8 Elite for Galaxy across all three S25 models so each model has the same processor, rather than processor changes between models in the same range of Apple’s line of phones, for example, and more
There is so much more to know about the S25, and so much more that sets it apart to learn about after the video of the Unpacked S25 keynote below, so please scroll down further for more.
Here is the Galaxy S25 Unpacked event, after which is more information from Samsung on the new range, plus special launch activities now underway in Australia, so please watch, and read on!
Ok, so now the Galaxy S25 series is here, it really does ring in the next era of mobile AI, offering capabilities and features that Apple and Google genuinely can’t match – yet.
Together with Samsung’s One UI 7 smartphone operation system, the deep integration of Google’s Gemini AI assistant (and six month free access to Gemini Advanced, Google’s even more capable AI model), we have a true AI-enhanced powerhouse, available in a whopping 46 languages at launch, making it easier than ever to perform seamless interactions across Samsung and Google apps.
TM Roh, the President and Head of Mobile eXperience Business at Samsung Electronics said: “The Galaxy S25 series is a fundamental shift in how we interact with our phones. We are thrilled to see how our users will enjoy this true AI companion that offers seamless and intuitive solutions in their daily lives.”
Samsung notes the Galaxy S25 series features AI agents with multimodal capabilities that are integrated within the One UI 7 platform to perform complex tasks seamlessly across apps and enable natural user interactions through speech, text, videos and images.
The aforementioned “Now Brief” provides tailored suggestions to guide through the day, while the “Now Bar” offers a new hub for ongoing activities. Samsung promises enhanced productivity with “Writing Assist” features, to limitless creativity unleashed by “Drawing Assist”, the expanded capabilities of Galaxy AI continue to empower users in virtually every aspect of their daily lives. Interactions with the Galaxy S25 series are also more intuitive – which again, sets the S25 and its One UI 7 OS apart from what we currently see with competing solutions.
So, what are some examples of this in action?
Samsung explains that “with just a single command, Gemini can effortlessly find a user’s favourite sports team’s schedule and add it to Samsung Calendar. Additionally, Google’s enhanced Circle to Search now gives users more helpful information with AI Overviews and one-tap actions.”
Another example given is of the user able to ask Gemini to summarise the important points of a YouTube video and put that text into Samsung Notes – all just by asking.
Here are three short videos Samsung made to show this in action – the article continues thereafter:
And what of Samsung’s efforts in working exclusively with Qualcomm to create a custom Snapdragon 8 Elite for Galaxy Experience?
Here, Samsung explains the Galaxy S25 series further refines and enhances the core capabilities that define the Galaxy experience. Powering the Galaxy S25 series globally, the Snapdragon 8 Elite Mobile Platform for Galaxy fuels on-device processing for more responsive AI experiences.
The unique customisations for Galaxy including ProScaler technology and and Samsung’s mobile Digital Natural Image engine (mDNIe), to deliver enhanced AI image processing and display power efficiency. The newly introduced 50MP ultrawide camera sensor for the Galaxy S25 Ultra delivers epic shots from every range in exceptional clarity, while professional grade controls like Virtual Aperture and Samsung Log turn virtually any photo or video into the ultimate visual experience.
Here’s Samsung’s short video on the new custom Snapdragon 8 Elite for Galaxy processor:
Samsung has also joined the C2PA as a member, alongside industry leaders including Adobe, Microsoft, OpenAI, Google, Publicis Groupe and more, all collaborating to establish Content Credentials as the universal standard for digital content provenance. In line with its commitment to responsible mobile AI innovation, Samsung adopted this standard to enhance transparency for content created and edited with generative AI.
What are the Australian launch events and activations?
To celebrate and mark the official launch of the anticipated Galaxy S25 series this month, Samsung Electronics Australia is now hosting a series of exciting experiences for customers
across the country.
Eric Chou, Director of Mobile eXperience Business at Samsung Electronics Australia said: “With this launch, we’re really excited to give Australians the opportunity to get hands on with the new Galaxy S25 series and experience the latest Galaxy AI features, super-fast processor and performance, and exceptional camera capabilities for themselves. We hope that whether they go in-store, visit the House of Galaxy Studios, or catch a lift to work on the Galaxy Go fleet, Australians will see how we’ve created a true AI companion that aims to elevate and make their lives a little bit better.”
From 13 February to 23 March, seven major shopping centres across the country will host ‘House of Galaxy Studios’, an immersive activation where Australians can get hands on with Galaxy S25’s latest features, receive product demos, and a competition to win a Galaxy AI Bundle.
House of Galaxy Studio
(rendered image, not actual photo)
Next week, Samsung will take over local waterways in Sydney Harbour (19-21 February) and Brisbane River (19-20 February) with a fleet of branded vessels cruising the iconic waterways with Galaxy Go. Commuters can swap their traditional morning journey for an elevated ride to work on a superyacht, enjoying a faster, more comfortable, and efficient start to their workday.
Having launching February 14 in the Australian market, the Galaxy S25 series will be widely available in Australia through carriers and retailers and on Samsung.com.
Galaxy S25 Ultra is available in Titanium Silverblue, Titanium Black, Titanium Whitesilver and Titanium Gray.
Galaxy S25 and Galaxy S25+ come in Navy, Silver Shadow, Icyblue and Mint.
More unique color options are also available exclusively at Samsung.com, including Titanium Pinkgold, Titanium Jetblack and Titanium Jadegreen for Galaxy S25 Ultra as well as Blueblack, Coralred and Pinkgold for Galaxy S25+ and Galaxy S25.
All Galaxy S25 devices will come with six months of Gemini Advanced and 2TB of cloud storage at no extra cost. Gemini Advanced comes with Samsung’s most capable AI models and priority access to the newest features like Gems, custom AI experts for any topic, and Deep Research, which acts as a personal AI research assistant.
Ok, so that’s the latest info on launch activities in Australia, what about Samsung’s initial media release for the S25 series?
Let’s break in down. Samsung starts by noting the S25 series “sets a new standard as a true AI companion with our most natural and context-aware mobile experiences ever created.”
Samsung has introduced its multimodal AI agents, making the Galaxy S25 series “the first step in Samsung’s vision to change the way users interact with their phone – and with their world.”
The customised Snapdragon 8 Elite Mobile Platform for Galaxy chipset beats out anyone else using the “regular” Snapdragon 8 Elite, delivering” greater on-device processing power for Galaxy AI and superior camera range and control with Galaxy’s next-gen ProVisual Engine.”
In celebration of the launch of the new S25 range, TM Roh, President and Head of Mobile eXperience Business at Samsung Electronics said: “The greatest innovations are a reflection of their users, which is why we evolved Galaxy AI to help everyone interact with their devices more naturally and effortlessly while trusting that their privacy is secured.
“Galaxy S25 series opens the door to an AI-integrated OS that fundamentally shifts how we use technology and how we live our lives.”
Meanwhile, Eric Chou, the Head of Mobile eXperience at Samsung Electronics Australia said: ““Galaxy Unpacked 2025 and the launch of the Galaxy S25 series marks a groundbreaking moment for Australians, as Samsung redefines how we interact with our smartphones and the world around us. With cutting-edge technology, we’re delivering innovation that improves accessibility, empowering Australians to experience the future right here, right now.”
“Since launching the first AI phone powered by Galaxy last year – Samsung has consistently pushed the boundaries of its AI capabilities and design innovation. 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.”
““We’re thrilled to launch the new Galaxy S25 series, with a new look – inside and out. The S25 series has next-level Galaxy AI capabilities, powered by One UI.7, making it our most intelligent smartphone yet. Our research reveals demand for mobile AI is quickly rising; and the S25 series aims to exceed that consumer expectation.
“The Galaxy S25 series and evolution of Galaxy AI will create effortless and intuitive experiences, via human-like AI agents which learn and analyse user patterns and context, to provide seamless and personalised actions or insights.”
Finally in the quotes section, Nathan Rigger, the Head of Product Mobile eXperience at Samsung Electronics Australia said: “The Galaxy S25 series is our our fastest, sleekest and most durable phone yet, setting a new standard in smartphone performance, design and durability, redefining what Australians can expect from their devices. Powered by the most advanced chipset ever – which has been optimised for Galaxy AI – Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8 Elite for Galaxy supports the market’s most powerful on-device AI experiences without compromise. The S25 series also comes with market-leading power efficiency and a groundbreaking camera system, including a new 50MP ultra-wide camera, so users can now capture greater detail and vibrant colours in any setting.”
So, how does Samsung explain its “most intuitive and effortless mobile interactions yet”?
With One UI 7, Samsung explains the “Galaxy S25 series is a true AI companion that understands the context of your needs and preferences and provides personalised AI experiences with privacy controls at every turn. It’s the starting point of a shared vision with Google to imagine Android with AI at the core, bringing together developers and partners from around the world.
“AI agents with multimodal capabilities enable Galaxy S25 to interpret text, speech, images and videos for interactions that feel natural. Upgrades to Google’s Circle to Search make searching your phone screen more helpful, fast and contextual. Circle to Search now quickly recognises phone numbers, email and URLs on your screen, letting you call, email or visit a website with a single tap.
“With Galaxy S25 series, you can also perform actionable searches with context-aware suggestions for next steps. Plus, Galaxy S25 makes it frictionless to switch between apps for quick follow-up actions, like sharing a GIF or saving event details.
“Galaxy S25 also represents a breakthrough in natural language understanding, making everyday interactions easier. Simply ask and intuitively find a specific photo in Samsung Gallery or adjust the size of display fonts in Settings.
“Just press and hold the side button to activate Gemini and perform seamless interaction across compatible Samsung and Google apps, plus other compatible third-party apps such as Spotify. For example, find your favourite sports team’s season schedule and add it to Samsung Calendar – with a single command.
“These intuitive interactions are elevated by expansions to Galaxy AI’s popular tools for communication, productivity and creativity. Galaxy S25 keeps calls organised with Call Transcript and summary. Writing Assist features such as summarising content or automatically formatting notes can be enabled where texts can be selected, without needing to switch between applications. Drawing Assist unlocks fresh ways to bring ideas to life through combinations of sketches, text or image prompts.”
And what of your privacy with these new hyper-personalised experiences?
Here, Samsung emphases that “in the era of AI, personalisation goes hand-in-hand with privacy. On Galaxy S25, the Personal Data Engine powers personalised AI features by safely analysing your data on-device to deliver highly tailored experiences that reflect your preferences and usage patterns. These insights enable tailored experiences such as searching for an old photo in the Gallery using natural language, or being guided through the day with Now Brief, which proactively offers suggestions accessible via Now Bar on the lock screen. All personalised data is kept private and secured by Knox Vault. Combined with enhanced on-device processing capabilities, this creates a powerful, protected AI experience.
“Because there is no privacy without holistic security, One UI 7 laid the groundwork for these innovations by introducing an extra layer of device safety designed for the age of AI and hyper-connectivity. Additional updates include added Maximum Restrictions settings, enhanced Theft Protection, and a new Knox Matrix dashboard to monitor the security status across a connected device ecosystem.”
So, what makes the Snapdragon 8 Elite for Galaxy the best chip in any S series ever, and its direct comparison to the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 for Galaxy powering last year’s Galaxy S24?
Samsung doesn’t just use the Snapdragon 8 Elite that launches for every Android smartphone maker, but works closely with Qualcomm to customise a chip specifically turbocharged for Samsung’s premium flagships, instantly setting Samsung apart from all of its Android competitors.
With unique customisations by Galaxy, Samsung says “this is the most powerful processor ever on Galaxy S series, delivering a performance boost of 40% in NPU, 37% in CPU and 30% in GPU compared to previous generation. This power fuels the Galaxy S25 series’ ability to process more AI experiences on-device, including previously cloud-based AI tasks such as Generative Edit.
Samsung and Qualcomm Technologies worked together to customise the Snapdragon 8 Elite for Galaxy.
“The Galaxy S25 series features advanced, efficient AI image processing with ProScaler to achieve a 40% improvement in display image scaling quality, while incorporating custom technology with Samsung’s mobile Digital Natural Image engine (mDNIe) embedded within the processor using Galaxy IP to enable greater display power efficiency.”
And what about the S25’s gaming performance, with gaming more popular than ever on smartphones?
Here, the Snapdragon 8 Elite for Galaxy is also equipped with Vulkan Engine and improved Ray Tracing, which means smoother and more realistic mobile gaming, with Samsung also claiming: “All intense device usage and AI processing run smoothly thanks to improved heat dissipation structure with 40% larger vapour chamber and a tailored thermal interface material (TIM) that delivers extra improvement in thermal efficiency.”
On to the cameras and their upgraded capabilities, what’s new so you can be “Unleashing truly pro creation”, as Samsung exclaims?
Here, we’re told the Galaxy S25 series delivers ultra-detailed shots at virtually every range with high resolution sensors and ProVisual Engine, setting “a new standard for mobile photography.”
With a new 50MP Ultrawide camera sensor upgraded from the previous 12MP, Galaxy S25 Ultra provides exceptional clarity and vibrancy. 10-bit HDR recording is now applied by default, offering four times richer color expression compared to 8-bit. Galaxy S25 can thus capture details in virtually any lighting conditions.
Plus, low-light videos have never been clearer than with Galaxy S2514. Based on powerful processor, Galaxy S25 analyzes movement and time to reduce noise more effectively. This integration allows detecting both moving and static objects with greater precision, ensuring sharper, cleaner footage in virtually any scenario.
Galaxy S25 also introduces a range of tools once limited to specialised software, making advanced editing accessible for all. Now anyone can be a pro at editing photos and videos. Audio Eraser simplifies the removal of unwanted noise in videos.
By isolating categories of sounds – including voices, music, wind, nature, crowd and noise – you can control what to tone down.
For a DSLR-like experience on mobile, Galaxy S25 introduces depth-of-field control with Virtual Aperture, integrated into the popular Expert RAW . Galaxy S25 also elevates cinematic creativity with Galaxy Log, enabling precise color grading options for more professional video production.
Portrait Studio has also been enhanced, allowing users to create personalised avatars with more true-to-life facial expressions. Filters introduces new analog-style filters, delivering filmlike aesthetic for their photos and videos.”
Ok, so what about the design of each S25 model, and its durability and “more circular approac”?
Samsung explains its Galaxy S25 series “builds upon Galaxy’s ‘Essential Design’ grounded in ‘Simple, Impactful and Emotive’ elements. Galaxy S25 Ultra refines this essence into the slimmest and lightest Galaxy S series yet, with a rounded edge for a comfortable grip that complements the series’ aesthetic identity.”
The Galaxy S25 Ultra features titanium and Corning Gorilla Armor 2 helping to ensure every day performance, with Samsung noting in its materials that this means an S25 Ultra can be dropped from head height and withstand damage, a genuine increase from the waist-height of last year’s S24 Ultra.
And what of the OS upgrades and security updates?
Samsung has been offering seven generations of OS upgrades for the last couple of years, from memory, and and seven years of security updates, so this ensures your S25 will be good for years to come, unlike many other, usually much cheaper Android smartphones that only offer two to three years of OS updates at most. Samsung also has a “Care+” option you pay for separately that “offers comprehensive benefits such as Mobile Refresh or a device swap, ensuring added comfort for Galaxy users.”
Available at retail now, the Galaxy S25 Ultra is available in Titanium Silverblue, Titanium Black, Titanium Whitesilver and Titanium Gray. Galaxy S25 and Galaxy S25+ are available in Navy, Silver Shadow, Icyblue and Mint.
Australian RRP retail pricing:
The Galaxy S25, with its 6.2-inch screen, comes in a 256GB model for AUD $1399, and a 512GB model for AUD $1599.
The Galaxy S25+ has a 6.7-inch screen, and comes in a 256GB model for $1699, and a 512GB model for $1899.
The Galaxy S25 Ultra, with its 6.9-inch screen, 5 camera system, stylus and more comes in a 256GB model for $2149, a 512GB model for $2349, and a 1TB model for $2749.
You can find Samsung Electronics Australia’s exclusive online offers here, while all the major retailers and phone companies have offers of their own you should also check out.
