Samsung at MWC2025: A Holistic AI Ecosystem and the Pursuit of Ultrathin Design

Samsung at MWC2025: A Holistic AI Ecosystem and the Pursuit of Ultrathin DesignThe annual Mobile World Congress (MWC) grandly opened on March 3rd at the Fira Gran Via in Barcelona, Spain. Lei Technology's reporting team was on-site, experiencing the latest technological achievements from various manufacturers firsthand

Samsung at MWC2025: A Holistic AI Ecosystem and the Pursuit of Ultrathin Design

The annual Mobile World Congress (MWC) grandly opened on March 3rd at the Fira Gran Via in Barcelona, Spain. Lei Technology's reporting team was on-site, experiencing the latest technological achievements from various manufacturers firsthand. Samsung's booth, with its impressive scale and abundant interactive displays, was a major highlight of this year's MWC. As one of the earliest proponents of the "AI For ALL" philosophy, Samsung showcased its deep-seated expertise and future plans in the field of artificial intelligence.

Samsung Galaxy AI: Hardware and Software Synergy, Ecosystem Empowerment

Samsung prominently featured its Galaxy AI functionality at MWC2025, primarily integrated into the Galaxy S25 series smartphones and tablets. Lei Technology's reporting team conducted in-depth testing of Samsung Galaxy AI, categorizing its core functions into three areas: identification, search, and image processing.

In terms of identification, the Galaxy S25 series showcases significant improvements. Previously, Galaxy AI relied mainly on text and voice interaction; Optical Character Recognition (OCR) required extracting text before processing, a cumbersome procedure. The new Galaxy AI can directly upload images or documents, providing intelligent suggestions based on the content, such as "Extract Text," "Translate Image Text," or "Share." Combined with the "Instant Circle and Search" feature first launched on the Galaxy S24 series, users can efficiently identify various information within screenshots and even automatically extract video content to create GIF animations.

Regarding search and image functions, Galaxy AI offers real-time translation for calls and image editing capabilities. Real-time translation enables bidirectional, instantaneous translation, breaking down language barriers; the image editing feature allows users to adjust the size and position of subjects in photos and provides shooting suggestions. However, these functions have already been available on domestic Chinese smartphones for some time, undergoing multiple iterations, indicating that Samsung's AI functionality maturity has been surpassed by some domestic manufacturers.

Noteworthy is Samsung's simultaneous hosting of a Galaxy S25 series offline appreciation event in China during MWC. The Chinese market version integrates an enhanced DeepSeek, accessible directly from the negative one-screen page via Samsung's built-in "Intelligent Agent" feature. This is more convenient and user-friendly than the typical approach of domestic manufacturers, who usually require voice assistant activation of DeepSeek. This demonstrates Samsung's adaptability and localized strategy in AI phone implementation, emphasizing collaboration with local AI service providersa strategy worth emulating by other manufacturers.

The overall experience with Samsung Galaxy AI is quite positive. It deeply integrates AI into the phone system, eliminating the need for a separately invoked "assistant." The AI experience on the Galaxy Tab S10 is largely similar to the Galaxy S25 series. However, Samsung's AI implementation isn't without flaws. Some Samsung users have reported that new features often prioritize flagship models; even top-tier flagships like the 2024 S24 Ultra experience significant delays in receiving OTA updates, while lower-end models may miss out entirely on Galaxy AI functionality.

To address this issue, Samsung launched three entry-level models at MWC2025: the Galaxy A56 5G, Galaxy A36 5G, and Galaxy A26 5G. The A56 and A36 support Samsung AI features, marking the first time the Galaxy A series incorporates AI. However, these entry-level models have limited AI capabilities; the A56, for instance, only supports basic functions such as "Smart Select," "AI Eraser," and "AI Enhance." This indicates that the Samsung Galaxy A series has not yet become a standard AI phone.

Samsung AI currently relies on local processing, demanding significant processing power from the phone's processorthe reason Samsung previously limited Galaxy AI to flagship models. However, in a world embracing universal AI, it's insufficient for only high-end models to enjoy full AI capabilities. Samsung needs to consider reducing the computational and resource demands of Galaxy AI to provide a more inclusive user experience.

Smart Wearables and Smart Home: Building a Complete Ecosystem

Samsung is a pioneer in the smart health field. Its Galaxy Watch introduced various health monitoring functions before the Apple Watch. At MWC2025, Samsung also showcased the Galaxy Ring, a ring-shaped wearable device equipped with multiple sensors that monitor heart rate, blood oxygen saturation, steps, movement, and sleep data. It can be used in conjunction with the Galaxy Watch for more comprehensive health monitoring. The Galaxy Ring's compact design ensures comfortable and convenient wear.

Samsung also created a SmartThings smart home experience zone, showcasing an interconnected, intelligent, and healthy living space. Users can control connected lighting, security devices, and other appliances via the Galaxy Tab S10, enabling smart switching and home security monitoring.

The most striking features of the experience zone were three new modes:

• Pet Mode: Users can equip their pets with Samsung mini trackers; SmartThings automatically generates a map of the pet's movements and time away from home.

• Family Care Mode: Users can view the activity information of elderly family members on the SmartThings FamilyCare page, including wake-up and sleep times, sleep quality, location, and activity levels.

• Energy Saving Mode: Through AI deep learning, it understands the user's daily routine and automatically switches off unnecessary appliances when no one is home, reducing energy consumption.

While domestic Chinese manufacturers also offer similar smart products, it seems only Samsung currently integrates all devices into a single ecosystem like SmartThings.

Foldable Phones and Gaming Handhelds: Continued Hardware Innovation

Samsung also demonstrated its hardware innovation prowess at MWC2025. In the foldable phone segment, Samsung unveiled a unique dual-folding clamshell phonethe Asymmetric Flip. This phone features two inward-folding hinges, but their asymmetrical placement leaves part of the inner screen exposed when folded. The Asymmetric Flip demonstrates Samsung's capability to manufacture tri-fold phones, but whether a tri-fold model will be launched remains to be seen.

Samsung also showcased a foldable gaming handheld, similar in design to the Nintendo Switch but with a hinge in the middle allowing it to fold. To accommodate the joysticks on either side, Samsung designed special circular recesses. However, the advantages of a foldable gaming handheld remain unclear, requiring a balance between portability, performance, image quality, and heat dissipation.

5.84mm Ultrathin Phone: A Pioneer in the Ultrathin Trend

Samsung highlighted the Galaxy S25 Edge (not yet officially launched) at MWC2025, boasting a thickness of just 5.84mm, significantly thinner than the 7-9mm thickness of current mainstream phones. This ultrathin design aligns with the current trend toward lighter and thinner phones but also presents challenges in terms of performance and battery life.

The ultrathin body makes the camera module more prominent, and performance and battery life may also suffer. While not every user desires an ultrathin design, the trend is irreversible, and more mid-range phones under 6mm thick will likely emerge in the future. Samsung has played a guiding role in this wave of ultrathin design, but balancing design and performance remains a crucial challenge for Samsung and other manufacturers.

Conclusion: Steady Progress, Continuous Innovation

Samsung's performance at MWC2025 reflects its steady and innovative development strategy. It avoided excessive emphasis on new products and concept devices, instead using a carefully designed booth to allow visitors to experience its complete ecosystem and AI features, enhancing brand image and user satisfaction. Samsung's success stems not only from its technological research and development capabilities and product innovation but also from its deep understanding of user needs. While Samsungs presence in the domestic Chinese market is relatively low, its benchmark status in the consumer electronics industry remains worthy of study and emulation by domestic manufacturers.