Latest Samsung devices mark smartphone watershed

A trio of new flagship smartphones launched by Samsung Electronics on Wednesday marks a watershed in the evolution of smartphones. The Galaxy S25, S25+ and S25 Ultra set the scene for a year in which, for the first time, the dominant focus of most device launches will be on new software capabilities, rather than the next big thing in hardware.

The physical differences between last year’s top-of-the-range Samsung device, the S24 Ultra, and this year’s edition, are so marginal, one would have to compare the phones side-by-side to identify them. Most notably, the new version is 0.4mm thinner and 15g lighter – measures that underline how marginal the changes are. The triple camera array looks identical, and only close inspection reveals that the ultra-wide lens has been upgraded from 12MP to 50MP. A 200MP wide angle and 50MP telephoto lens remain unchanged from last year.

The invisible differences are far more significant: the Ultra runs on a new Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite processor, with transistors that are a microscopic 3 nanometers thick, compared to 4nm on the previous version. This makes for vastly improved performance on more demanding tasks like heavyweight games and image processing. For the average user engaged in typical app functions, the difference will not be noticeable. The same applies to an enhanced “vapour chanber” that cools the phone more effectively during intensive use.

_{Photo courtesy Samsung}

The true step-change in the new devices are in the deep integration of artificial intelligence (AI). Since the launch of the S24 series in January 2024, AI has been the defining feature of almost all new smartphones from all brands. Apple infamously attempted to launch its version, which it terms Apple Intelligence, on the iPhone 16 in September, but admitted on launch day that the software was not ready.

For Android phones, that is unlikely to be an issue. Google is working closely with most manufacturers to ensure that all their higher end phones can become AI phones. Samsung stole a march on the rest of the industry a year ago in adding Galaxy AI as a major feature – among many others – on the S24 range. The rest of the industry caught up over the following year via the simple process of an Android upgrade.

This year Samsung again leads the race in integrating new Google capabilities with its own Android skin, or interface, in a new version called One UI 7. In particular Google’s AI chatbot, Gemini, is built deep into One UI 7. The difference from “old-fashioned” Galaxy AI is that it will allow for access to multiple apps on a phone, and the ability to act as an “agent”, a personal assistant that can perform complex tasks for the user.

_{Photo courtesy Samsung}

The problem with most agents demonstrated by Google at the launch are that they come across as little more than automated light switches. However, Kgomotso Mosiane, mobile experience head of marketing for Samsung South Africa, said in an interview after the launch that such interactions would become far more natural on the new handsets.

“Galaxy kick-started a new era of mobile experiences with the first AI phone, the Galaxy S24 series,” she said. “The Galaxy S24 series leveraged AI technology to deliver tangible, real-world benefits to users in communications, productivity and creativity.

“We’re taking the next step in evolving that experience and introducing a new Galaxy S25 series of mobile personalisation with the first human-like AI companion. With One UI 7, Galaxy integrates leading AI agents and a multimodal interface into every touch point for users, creating the first AI platform where every interaction feels natural, intuitive and tailored for the user’s specific situation and context.”

Mosiane refuted the perception that most of the AI functionality of the device was based on Google and Android functionality, pointing out that One UI 7 was itself an AI platform, and that Galaxy AI had evolved.

“Samsung has several custom innovations under its One UI 7, all representing the next step in evolving mobile personalisation. Samsung aims to deliver an optimised AI experience by leveraging various AI agents effectively through its first AI platform. The Galaxy AI platform, introduced with S25, is a newly developed framework to allow multiple apps to be controlled by diverse AI agents optimised for AI.

“Apps and AI agents work seamlessly in the background to perform tasks tailored to the user’s needs. A smartphone that serves as the gateway to all experiences represents our vision of an ultimate AI agent, and S25 marks the beginning of this journey.”

* Arthur Goldstuck is CEO of World Wide Worx and editor-in-chief of Gadget.co.za. Follow him on Bluesky on @art2gee.bsky.social.