specs, price, release date, AI features

Samsung Electronics on Wednesday launched its latest flagship smartphones – the Galaxy S25 series – which offer a custom chip and enhanced AI features.

The S25 release comes after a year in which Samsung’s smartphone shipments have been 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
• Galaxy S25+: $999
• Galaxy S25 Ultra: $1,299

Samsung will start taking pre-orders for the S25 series on Wednesday and the devices will go on sale on February 7.

Last year, Samsung launched Galaxy AI – its suite of artificial intelligence features – on the S24.

With the S25, Samsung introduced additional AI applications with the aim of making the phone more like a digital personal assistant.

The latest Samsung devices can perform their activities in several apps when requested. 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 could ask the AI ​​application to find nearby pet-friendly restaurants to send to a specific contact. All these actions will be carried out by the device in several apps.

Samsung said the feature supports third-party apps like Spotify and Meta-owned WhatsApp, in addition to its own and Googlethe applications of.

The AI ​​application can also change the settings of the phone when the user is asked.

Samsung’s latest features highlight how the South Korean tech giant stacks up against some of its rivals race to make AI on devices more like personal assistants that respond to a person’s usage habits and preferences.

Last year, Apple started to launch Apple Intelligenceits suite of AI features to iPhones.

Device makers see AI as a way to differentiate their hardware from the sea of ​​competitors. Samsung, for example, hopes that the technology will help restore sales for its high-end product.

“At a time when improvements in hardware capabilities and product design are largely incremental, Samsung is doubling down on its AI story. There are some smart improvements included in the Galaxy S25 lineup, but it’s unlikely they will enough to have consumers rushing to upgrade their phones prematurely,” Ben Wood, head of research at CCS Insight, told CNBC.

“However, this is far from a unique problem for Samsung. Apple is facing the same challenges with the iPhone 16 and Apple Intelligence. AI is good for someone who needs an upgrade, but not enough for move the needle for consumers who have a relatively up-to-date phone already.”

Shipments of Samsung smartphones fell 2.7% year-on-year in the fourth quarter of last year, as its market share contracted, according to figures from International Data Corporation. Samsung was the number two player for shipment volume after Apple.

Meanwhile, the Chinese players XiaomiTranssion and Vivo have increased market share, with aggressively priced devices boasting solid specs.

CCS Insight’s Wood concluded that the S25 series is “well suited to the growing number of consumers who have a phone that is three or four years old”, but “people are unlikely to upgrade before then”.

To power its latest AI features, Samsung and Qualcomm it worked on a custom processor. The Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite for Galaxy is exclusive to Samsung with the South Korean giant claiming it is the fastest processor ever in a Galaxy device.

The fast but low power consumption processors inside smartphones are vital to ensure the handling of heavy AI workloads without draining the battery.

Samsung also talked about other changes to the hardware, including an improved camera on the S25 Ultra model and a new design.

The S25 series now has rounded corners rather than the more angular design of its predecessors.