The next-generation strategy smartphone from Samsung Electronics, 'Galaxy S25' (hereafter referred to as Gal S25), was revealed. While it is equipped with stronger AI features than its predecessor (Galaxy S24), the price remains unchanged from the previous model.
On the 22nd (local time), Samsung Electronics unveiled the AI smartphone product line Gal S25 series at the 'Galaxy Unpacked 2025' event held at the SAP Center in San Jose, California. Lee Tae-moon, president of Samsung Electronics' Mobile Experience (MX) division, said, "The Gal S25 series provides a more advanced AI experience through the mobile AI-optimized platform 'One UI 7', and it will innovate users' daily lives."
◇AI smartphone enhancing tailored services and convenience
The Gal S25 series offers a personalized AI experience based on the integrated AI platform 'One UI 7'. A key differentiation from its predecessor (Galaxy S24) is the ability for users to execute tasks by connecting multiple apps with a single sentence command. The 'Now Brief' feature has also been added, which analyzes users' smartphone usage patterns to brief them on tailored information such as weather, schedules, and sleep scores. To enhance personalized services, Samsung has equipped the Gal S25 with a 'Personal Data Engine' that learns and analyzes users' usage patterns and preferences.
The 'Circle to Search' feature, which was first introduced in last year's Gal S24 series through collaboration with Google, has evolved. By applying 'multimodal AI' (an AI technology that analyzes various forms of data simultaneously, such as text, images, and audio), the previously limited Circle to Search functionality, which only supported image and text searches, has been expanded to include audio search. For instance, if a user is curious about the music in a YouTube video, they can press the home button to activate the Circle to Search feature and check the song title immediately.
The 'Live Translate' feature, which supports real-time bilingual interpretation during calls, now supports 20 languages, an increase of 7 languages compared to the previous model (Galaxy S24). Additionally, a new 'Call Summary' feature has been introduced, converting call content into text to summarize important points. AI-based video editing and photo search capabilities have also been enhanced. By using the newly added 'Audio Eraser' feature, users can separate and eliminate or adjust sound and noise within videos, enabling professional video editing. Furthermore, a new feature has been added that allows the AI to instantly find photos that meet specified conditions when users describe their desired photo conditions.
◇Camera performance greatly upgraded… eco-friendly smartphone equipped with recycled batteries
The Gal S25 Ultra features a 50-megapixel ultra-wide camera that delivers excellent image quality for landscape photography, and its low-light shooting capabilities have also been significantly improved. The video mode now includes a standard 10-bit HDR option, allowing for richer color video recording. The Gal S25 also supports the 'Expert RAW app', which adds a 'Virtual Aperture' feature for professionals and photography enthusiasts. Virtual aperture simulates the effect of using an aperture, even though smartphone cameras do not have an actual aperture, by utilizing AI.
The Gal S25 also makes significant use of recycled materials. The frames of both the Gal S25 and Gal S25 Plus devices are made from recycled armor aluminum, and batteries from all models are composed of over 50% recycled cobalt extracted from waste batteries.
◇Equipped with Qualcomm AP chip more expensive than Exynos, yet prices remain unchanged
The biggest advantage of the Gal S25 is its price. Despite significant pressure to raise prices due to rising component costs and high exchange rates, Samsung did not increase prices at all. In the case of the Galaxy S25 (256GB/512GB), the memory capacity was increased from 8GB to 12GB by an additional 4GB, yet the price remained frozen. The mobile application processor (AP) chip, which serves as the brain of the smartphone, has also been switched from Samsung's Exynos to the significantly costlier Qualcomm chip. All models in the Gal S25 series are equipped with Qualcomm's 'Snapdragon 8 Elite' AP chip.
This action deviates from existing Samsung strategies. Until now, Samsung has adopted a dual-sourcing approach to maintain a favorable position in pricing negotiations with Qualcomm regarding AP chips. For example, in the previous model, the Galaxy S24 and Galaxy S24 Plus were equipped with Exynos, while the Galaxy S24 Ultra featured a Qualcomm AP chip. According to the IT industry, the background behind Samsung's decision appears to be related to yield issues with its new AP chip, the 'Exynos 2500,' slated for release this year.
Some insiders suggest that Samsung needed to equip high-performance Qualcomm AP chips, which produce less heat and are more power-efficient, to significantly enhance the AI features of the new products. Kang Min-seok, an executive at Samsung Electronics' MX division, stated, "By equipping all models with a Galaxy-exclusive Qualcomm chipset, we have improved the AI experience," adding, "(Compared to the previous model) NPU (neural processing unit), CPU (central processing unit), and GPU (graphics processing unit) performance has increased by 40%, 37%, and 30%, respectively." These performance improvements have enabled many AI functions to operate on-device rather than relying on cloud connectivity.
◇Warning signs for securing profitability
The issue at hand is profitability. As Samsung has equipped all models in the Gal S25 series with the more expensive Qualcomm chips than Exynos while keeping the product prices unchanged, warning lights have gone off for securing revenue. Additionally, it cannot be overlooked that Qualcomm has raised AP chip prices compared to last year. Qualcomm has been increasing AP chip prices by about 30% annually due to reasons such as fair price increases. According to Samsung Electronics' business report, Samsung's AP procurement costs have risen from 6.21 trillion won in 2021 to 9.31 trillion won in 2022, and 11.73 trillion won in 2023.
An industry insider noted, "Although sales of Samsung Electronics' MX division have been increasing year on year, the decline in operating profits is related to the price increases of Qualcomm's AP chips," adding, "The product price freeze this year could likely deteriorate the MX division's operating profits compared to last year, and a greater dependence on Qualcomm could diminish pricing negotiation power for next year's new product launches."
◇Galaxy Slim smartphone and XR new products previewed
At the end of the unpacking event that day, a teaser video was unveiled revealing the name of the Galaxy Slim smartphone (Galaxy S25 Edge) being prepared by Samsung as a follow-up product. Additionally, the exterior images of the XR device that Samsung is currently preparing were also briefly showcased in the teaser video.
The Galaxy S25 series is set to be released sequentially worldwide starting February 7, with pre-sales in South Korea taking place from January 24 to February 3. Prices start at ₩1,698,400 for Galaxy S25 Ultra, ₩1,353,000 for Galaxy S25 Plus, and ₩1,155,000 for Galaxy S25. The Galaxy S25 series will receive a total of seven operating system (OS) upgrades and security updates for the next seven years.