Samsung Galaxy S25 is so smart it wears Crocs • The Register

First fondle Samsung has announced the Galaxy S25, the latest version of its flagship smartphone range, and, as you’d expect, made new AI features the hero.

We’ll get to those later because The Register has also learned that Samsung has made some changes in the hope that businesses will pay more attention to the devices.

One is that Samsung will stock spare parts for the enterprise editions of its handsets for two years.

You can be forgiven for not knowing the enterprise editions exist, as Samsung spokespeople told us the company hasn’t promoted them aggressively. For those unfamiliar, they allow custom scheduling for firmware and OS updates, and central control of security settings and user permissions.

Those are fine features, but businesses don’t rush to buy handsets and value long-term support – fair enough, given that Samsung backs the devices with seven years of software updates. Corporate buyers therefore put Galaxy S devices on their shopping lists many months after their release, by which time Samsung’s store of spares is depleted.

The company has therefore extended hardware support for an extra year to satisfy business buyers.

Another change targets mobile fleet admins, whose lives can currently be complicated by the need for users to create a Samsung account to access some functions. The company told us it will allow a single Samsung account to be used across a device fleet.

An AI feature that may concern business buyers records and transcribes phone calls. We’re told parties to a call are always informed if this is taking place and that data doesn’t leave the device.

Samsung’s Galaxy S25, S25+, and S25 Ultra – click to enlarge

“Now Brief” is another AI addition, and uses unspecified techniques to prepare a schedule, advise of weather conditions, and suggest transport options to get you to engagements on your calendar in a timely fashion. “Now Bar” suggests which app to use based on historical analysis of how you’ve used your phone. Both rely on a “Personal Data Engine” that we’re told only ever runs on the device.

Google’s Gemini AI model powers these features, but Samsung told The Register it’s possible for other models to work with and on the phone. The AI features of the S25 could therefore appear on phones from other manufacturers. We were told that for now their presence in the S25 reflects the depth of collaboration between Google and Samsung.

The phone runs a processor called “Snapdragon 8 Elite for Galaxy.” Samsung didn’t provide specs like speed, core count, or NPU TOPS, but did tell us it’s “the most powerful processor ever on Galaxy S series, delivering a performance boost of 40 percent in NPU, 37 percent in CPU9, and 30 percent in GPU compared to the previous generation.”

The Qualcomm part will be the only SoC used in the Galaxy S25 range – Samsung chose not to use its own Exynos processors this time around. We understand Qualcomm’s AI prowess won the day.

Three on the tree

As usual, Samsung has three models: a base S25, the S25+, and the S25 Ultra.

The base model weighs 162 grams and boasts a 6.2-inch FHD+ display, a 12 MP ultra-wide camera, a 10 MP telephoto shooter with 3x optical zoom, and a 50 MP wide camera. The front-facing selfie cam is 12 MP.

The S25+ grows to a 6.7-inch QHD+ display but keeps the same cameras and carries a 4,900 mAh battery, 900 mAh more than the base model.

The Ultra is also QHD+, but grows to 6.9 inches and a 5,000 mAh battery. The selfie cam and 10 MP telephoto cam are present, joined by a 50 MP ultra-wide cam, a 200 MP wide cam, and a 50 MP telephoto cam with 5x optical zoom.

A big change to the Ultra is that the included S-Pen is no longer a Bluetooth-enabled device. Including the wireless technology meant the button on the stylus could be used for tasks like taking a photograph. That’s no longer possible. We’re told there’s still a capacitor inside and that the handset can therefore detect the presence of the S-Pen as it approaches the screen and draw an on-screen cursor.

This year’s models have dropped the rounded screen edges Samsung used in recent years, in favor of flat displays that deliver what the company claims are the thinnest Galaxy S machines it’s ever made. They also feature rounded corners, in contrast to previous models that were more sharply rectangular.

All ship with Android 15 and the new One UI 7.

First fondle

The Register was able to handle all three of the new models and can report they’re all as pleasingly light and pretty as any premium handset. The S25 Ultra is a couple of mm smaller in all dimensions than my current S23 Ultra, and rather lighter. The change to a thin silvery metal bezel (titanium on the Ultra) creates the impression of a very compact unit with a display dominating the chassis.

Samsung has bafflingly also bulked out the machines by collaborating with ugly footwear brand Crocs for a signature case that launches alongside the new handsets. Here it is:

Samsung’s Galaxy S25 Crocs collab case – click to enlarge

The cases add around a centimeter of width to the devices. Maybe they also afford a little extra protection that the Corning Gorilla Armor 2 can’t deliver?

The Register attended a Samsung briefing in Australia and was provided Aussie dollar prices.

The Galaxy S25 will sell for AU$1,399 or AU$1,599 depending on whether you choose 256 or 512 GB of storage. That’s $875 or $1,000.

The S25+ will be AU$1,699 or AU$1,899 ($1,063 or $1,189) and the Ultra retails for AU$2,149 ($1,345). Remember that prices seldom translate directly across borders due to local taxes and other factors. Once carriers bundle the devices with coverage plans, prices diverge even further.

In the UK, the S25 and S25+ will retail at £799 and £999 respectively. In the US, users can buy the the S25 128 GB version for $799 and can expect to pay $859 for the 256 GB version. ®