Samsung Galaxy S25, S25+, and S25 Ultra Phones Go All In on AI

Like most tech companies touting the latest and greatest, Samsung put its AI upgrades front and center during the S25 launch event. At first glance, some features seem genuinely useful, while others deliver more splash than substance. I dive into the highlights below.

Just keep in mind that these AI features aren’t exclusive to the S25 line once the One UI 7 software update has been shared with other S-series phones. The key difference is the new Snapdragon 8 Elite chipset, which allows for enhanced AI processing and more of that processing to be performed on-device, Samsung says. In our testing, all three S25 models earn a top-notch score for performance—but so did the S24 models.

Samsung bills the latest edition of Google Gemini as a more capable, in-your-pocket personal assistant, integrated across your phone. Just hold down a button on the right side of the device, and, like a genie, Gemini appears as a glowing chat bar at the bottom of your screen—at which point you can type or ask a question, request certain actions, or even chat with it conversationally, in Gemini Live mode.

During my trial run, Gemini was often genuinely helpful, sparing me from opening multiple apps or typing out some tedious directive. I sent it a link to a YouTube video of someone sharing favorite books from 2024 and it quickly summarized the video, and, upon request, turned the list into a well-formatted note. Neat!

I then sent a photo attachment of a flyer promoting an event at my local library. Gemini pulled details from it and created an event on my Samsung calendar. Handy!

At other times, though, Gemini wasn’t quite up to the job. I asked it to analyze a photo of my fridge’s contents and offer dinner suggestions, a task demonstrated by Samsung. Instead of helpful recipes, Gemini spit out random meal ideas that didn’t align with the ingredients I had on hand. Maybe my fridge was too cluttered.

Gemini also stumbled when asked to make simple changes in my settings, like turning on Dark Mode or adjusting the font size, things that Samsung suggested Gemini is now capable of doing. (If there’s some setting I need to turn on for Gemini to reach its full potential, I couldn’t find it.) But Bixby—the Samsung assistant that has now taken a back seat to Gemini—is able to complete some of these requests.

These issues aren’t exclusive to Samsung, of course. AI tools are still evolving, leaving them imperfect and unreliable—which is why we question the need for an AI PC and recommend double-checking any advice that comes from AI chatbots.

The upgraded Sketch-to-Image feature, now known as Drawing Assist, does what it says—it creates AI-generated art in a variety of styles from your roughly scribbled pictures. Now you can use text or voice commands to direct it, too. It’s similar to other AI image-generating tools available online, but it’s convenient to have one native to your phone. And it’s pretty fun, too. Check out this watercolor of an apple tree it created based on my text prompt. While I can’t think of a reason to use this feature very often, someone more artistically inclined probably could.

These are two of Samsung’s most highly touted new AI features, but I found both to be underwhelming. The Now Brief is designed to deliver a roundup of personally relevant info to your phone’s screen a few times a day. Think news stories, traffic updates, upcoming meetings.

Perhaps because the phones and I were together for only a few days, the Now Briefs mostly regaled me with the local weather and the occasional YouTube Short, neither of which piqued my interest. (You can choose what kinds of content you’d like to see, and I had lots of options selected.) In time, the Briefs will likely become more personalized and useful. I do like the idea of seeing the health stats from a Samsung wearable, like a Galaxy Watch or Galaxy Ring.

The Now Bar allows you to view or interact with active apps on the lock screen without having to open your phone—catching the live score of a sports game or noting the music you’re currently playing. That’s useful but hardly an AI breakthrough—and quite similar to Apple’s Live Activities feature.

The S25 phones sport some of the highest-performing cameras in our ratings, performing a bit better in our testing than last year’s S24 models. The S25 Ultra has one of the strongest and most versatile camera systems we’ve tested, with excellent color quality, exposure levels, and sharpness, as well as low image noise. All three S25 models also earn superb scores for video quality using the rear camera system.

As a refresher, the S25 and S25+ have the same camera hardware as last year’s models—a 50-megapixel front camera, a 12-megapixel ultrawide camera, and a 10-megapixel telephoto with 3x optical zoom. They also have a 12-megapixel selfie camera. 

The S25 Ultra’s quad-rear camera system is mostly unchanged as well. It has the 200-megapixel main shooter, a 10-megapixel telephoto with 3x optical zoom, and 50-megapixel telephoto with 5x optical zoom. The one exception: The model swapped the 12-megapixel ultrawide for a higher-resolution 50-megapixel ultrawide. That gets you higher-quality Macro shots, Samsung says—like these close-ups I took of my thriving house plant and spiky cactus. Not a make-or-break change, but I’d say a positive one. 

The S25 Ultra has ditched its sharper, Galaxy Note-esque corners. It now sports more curved edges as well as thinner bezels that leave a sliver more space for the screen. (The phone itself remains the same size.) The subtle change leaves me ambivalent, but it comes down to personal preference. The Ultra does keep the fan-favorite S Pen stylus, which tucks into the bottom of the device, same as before. 

Every S25 phone in the lineup is also marginally slimmer and lighter than the model from the year before. While I didn’t weigh them, we’re only talking a few grams here. But I can attest that all three models are easy to hold and handle. I didn’t even find the S25 Ultra to be bulky or cumbersome, despite not usually liking larger-display devices. (I’m keeping my eyes and ears peeled for info on the S25 Edge, a presumably slimmer model that Samsung previewed with a sneak peek video in January.)

The S25 line maintains the same impressive durability, though. Even after 100 drops in CR’s tumbler (shown below), all three S25 models emerged in good working condition, with hardly any dents, or, in the case of the S25 Ultra, no dents whatsoever. And they all survived submersion in CR’s dunk tank, proving that they meet Samsung’s water-resistance claims.

If blue is your color, you’re in luck. For the S25 and S25+, Samsung offers the model in navy, mint, icy blue, and silver. (My personal favorite is the mint.) For the S25 Ultra, you can choose between black, gray, silver blue, and white silver, all with a titanium finish. 

As in the past, there are a few more colors offered exclusively online. When ordered from Samsung’s website, the S25 and S25+ also come in blue black, coral red, and pink gold, while the S25 Ultra comes in titanium jet black, jade green, and pink gold. I would have preferred some brighter colors, but hey—I recommend using a phone case anyway.

The Samsung Galaxy S25 is a solid smartphone any way you cut it, and the test results and Overall Scores in CR’s cell phone ratings back that up. I was able to take some great-looking photos and videos, including with the Ultra’s new ultrawide camera. The display is nice enough to make your daily scrolling, swiping, and tapping perfectly enjoyable. And while the new AI upgrades don’t quite live up to the marketing hype, they’re useful enough. (Just know that they’ll become available on older Galaxy phones, too.) 

Overall, I see no real reason to experience new-phone FOMO. Unless you’re someone who really needs a cutting-edge camera or wants the AI features right away, I’d recommend upgrading to the S25 only if your current phone is truly on its way out. If that’s the case, though, I bet you’d be pleased with the investment. Samsung also promises seven years of OS upgrades and security patches for the S25, so your investment will likely last.