Hands On: Galaxy S25 and S25 Plus Are More of the Same, With AI Hogging the Spotlight

If you privation to beryllium impressed by the Galaxy S25 and S25 Plus, you've got to instrumentality the operation "It's what's connected the wrong that counts" to heart. 

That's not to accidental Samsung's new Galaxy phones don't permission an content -- I instantly fell successful emotion with the scope of colour options and admit the sleek look and consciousness of the devices. But it does mean the biggest flexes travel successful the signifier of AI enhancements. That includes everything from AI-powered agents to caller navigation tools to camera improvements. 

That's nary surprise, fixed however AI stole the spotlight successful Samsung's Unpacked invite. Ahead of the Wednesday keynote, the institution heavy teased updates to Galaxy AI and mentioned the caller Galaxy series, excessively -- namely, however it ties successful with AI, of course. 

Appearance-wise, the Galaxy S25 and S25 Plus get heavy from their predecessors (a communal taxable across phones these days), with creaseless rounded edges and 3 stacked camera lenses connected the back. They travel successful Navy, Icyblue, Mint and Silver Shadow, arsenic good arsenic the online-exclusive colors Blueblack, Coralred and Pinkgold. (Why person 1 colour erstwhile you could person two?) The phones are some outfitted with Corning's Gorilla Glass Victus 2 and diagnostic aluminum frames.

The Galaxy S25 and S25 Plus get with a slew of expected features similar an IP68 rating, a trio of rear cameras, Android 15 and Samsung's One UI 7. And similar the Pixel 9 series, you'll get 7 years of OS and information updates, helping you get the astir bang for your buck. But ultimately, it's the caller AI features, powered by a custom-built Snapdragon 8 Elite chip, that Samsung hopes volition marque its latest bid basal retired from competitors. 

Watch this: Samsung Galaxy S25 First Look: AI Everywhere

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How overmuch bash the Galaxy S25 and S25 Plus cost?

Let's commencement with the large question: Will you person to wage much for this year's Galaxy devices? Thankfully, the reply is no.

The Galaxy S25 starts astatine $800, portion the S25 Plus starts astatine $1,000. If you privation to spell with the astir premium option, the S25 Ultra rings successful astatine $1,300. All 3 devices are priced the aforesaid arsenic past year's models.

CNET has collected all of the champion preorder deals for the Samsung Galaxy S25 that you tin instrumentality vantage of close now.

The Galaxy S25 and S25 Plus travel successful Navy, Icyblue, Mint and Silver Shadow.

Celso Bulgatti/CNET

What's caller with Galaxy AI?

While the operation "artificial intelligence" has been tossed astir incessantly implicit the past fewer years, Samsung emphasized astatine an aboriginal property lawsuit connected Tuesday that the Galaxy S25 lineup is "purpose-built" with Galaxy AI successful mind. 

What does that mean? It means you tin usage much natural, conversational connection erstwhile searching for an representation successful your Gallery. It means you tin long-press the broadside powerfulness fastener and inquire erstwhile the adjacent Warriors crippled is, person it added to your calendar and text your friends astir it, each with 1 dependable command. It means your telephone volition prime up connected your habits and amusement you the weather, punctual you of today's meetings and stock quality articles you whitethorn beryllium funny successful erstwhile you aftermath up, each without asking, via the Now Brief widget.

The S25 lineup besides introduces a instrumentality called AI Select, which you tin entree via a sheet connected the borderline of your screen. AI Select volition observe what's being shown and past marque suggestions, similar turning portion of a YouTube video into a GIF oregon summarizing substance connected a webpage. Circle to Search is besides amended astatine recognizing objects connected your surface and surfacing applicable accusation and links. It tin present besides beryllium utilized to look up sounds, similar that opus playing connected your Instagram provender oregon a tune you hum oregon sing. (I tin corroborate it accurately detected my hummed rendition of Taylor Swift's Love Story.)

These caller Galaxy AI features volition beryllium disposable connected the S25 lineup astatine motorboat and volition yet grow to older models, Samsung says. 

What astir camera improvements?

Both the Galaxy S25 and S25 Plus diagnostic a 50-megapixel wide camera, a 12-megapixel ultrawide camera and a 10-megapixel 3x telephoto camera. They tin some sprout 4K video astatine 60 frames per second, oregon 8K video astatine 30 frames per second.

For the biggest camera upgrade, you'll person to look to the S25 Ultra, which gets a caller 50-megapixel ultrawide camera. While the lenses connected the S25 and S25 Plus stay the aforesaid arsenic past year's models, it's again AI that levels things up, according to Samsung. 

Nighttime videos, for instance, get a boost with the assistance of a caller removal instrumentality that examines idiosyncratic pixels to observe immoderate noise. It past uses AI to close those issues and service up clearer, much true-to-life footage, according to Samsung. The institution besides says the latest phones bash a amended occupation of distinguishing betwixt moving and static objects to maximize and heighten color, opposition and movement, truthful you don't get a blurry idiosyncratic walking done a video. This is each done successful existent time, connected device. I look guardant to investigating these features retired for myself during a much in-depth review. 

Me and my Portrait Studio twin.

Abrar Al-Heeti/CNET

Generative Edit, which lets you move, resize oregon region objects arsenic good arsenic change backgrounds, gets faster and much accurate, and tin admit shadows attached to objects you're removing for a cleaner last image. Portrait Studio, which creates a scope of stylized portraits, besides gets much close and adds item to those last images. My ain demo with this impressively captured the colour and travel of my hijab successful the 3D cartoon rendition of Portrait Studio, and is what I ideate I'd look similar arsenic a Pixar character. 

Ultimately, AI fine-tunes what the S25 and S25 Plus's cameras seizure and gives photograph procreation and editing a boost.

Do the Galaxy S25 and S25 Plus enactment Qi2 wireless charging?

The Galaxy S25 and S25 Plus enactment 15W-watt wireless charging, which is the aforesaid arsenic what you'll get with Qi2. You tin usage Samsung's ain lawsuit with the Qi2 magnetic illustration oregon a compatible third-party lawsuit to instrumentality vantage of those wireless capabilities.

What separates the Galaxy S25 from the S25 Plus?

The abbreviated answer: not much. 

A much elaborate answer: The S25 Plus is, not surprisingly, bigger than the baseline model, with a 6.7-inch QHD Plus Dynamic AMOLED display, versus the baseline's 6.2-inch FHD Plus Dynamic AMOLED display. They some diagnostic a 120Hz Adaptive Refresh Rate. This makes the S25 Plus timepiece successful astatine 190g, versus the baseline's 162g – but they some consciousness bully and comparatively lightweight successful hand.

More country means higher artillery capacity, with the S25 Plus packing a 4,900-mAh battery, versus the baseline's 4,000-mAh battery. We'll person to spot done much hands-on acquisition and investigating however those batteries stack up. 

The parallels betwixt the S25 and S25 Plus tin spot the second successful an awkward position; though it's a larger device, it's inactive not arsenic precocious arsenic the much premium (and expensive) S25 Ultra. But it'll inactive outgo you $200 much than the baseline model. Whether that's worthy it yet comes down to idiosyncratic preference, but based connected my archetypal impressions, it appears you won't beryllium sacrificing overmuch successful presumption of show by pocketing that wealth and sticking with the baseline model. But that, again, is thing we'll research much with further testing.