Samsung Galaxy S25 Series: Annual Iteration or a Royal Return?

Samsung Galaxy S25 Series: Annual Iteration or a Royal Return?Once a flagship standard-bearer in the Android camp, Samsung annually releases its Galaxy S series flagship phones at the end of the year, becoming a unique "closing act" in the industry. However, whether this "closing act" signifies a king's arrival or a weak ending has always been a focal point of industry attention

Samsung Galaxy S25 Series: Annual Iteration or a Royal Return?

Once a flagship standard-bearer in the Android camp, Samsung annually releases its Galaxy S series flagship phones at the end of the year, becoming a unique "closing act" in the industry. However, whether this "closing act" signifies a king's arrival or a weak ending has always been a focal point of industry attention. On January 22, 2025, Samsung is poised to hold a special launch event, with the highly anticipated Galaxy S25 series undoubtedly taking center stage. Among them, the Galaxy S25 Ultra, the series' "heavy hitter," will see the most significant changes, directly competing with Apple's iPhone 17 Slim, expected to launch later in the year.

Let's delve into the Samsung Galaxy S25 series, starting with its exterior design. Although Samsung's market share in China is not high, its superb craftsmanship and refined design remain industry-leading, a true testament to "South Korean craftsmanship." However, the Galaxy S25 series presents some unexpected design changes. The Galaxy S25 and S25+ retain the previous generation's equal-width bezel design, with minimal exterior changes. However, the much-anticipated Galaxy S25 Ultra takes a bold leap, abandoning its previous square and rigid style for a more rounded R-corner design. The bezels are also thinner, resulting in a smoother and more refined overall look. Additionally, the Galaxy S25 Ultra adopts the same concentric circle texture design as the Galaxy Fold6.

This design shift has sparked heated discussions among users. Some users believe the Galaxy S25 Ultra's abandonment of its signature rugged style makes it appear somewhat bland, no longer the "suited-up thug" it once was. Others understand the design change, viewing it as Samsung exploring new design concepts.

In terms of dimensions, the Galaxy S25 Ultra measures 162.82 77.65 8.25 mm, slightly taller, narrower, and thinner than the S24 Ultra's 162.3 79 8.6 mm. While official weight hasn't been released, it's rumored to be lighter than the S24 Ultra. Color options for the Galaxy S25 Ultra include seven variants: Titanium Black, Titanium Gray, Titanium Silver Blue, Titanium Silver White (standard colors), and Gloss Black, Emerald Green, and Pink Gold (Samsung online store exclusives).

Regarding the screen, the three models in the Galaxy S25 series maintain the same size, resolution, and refresh rate as their predecessors, but the peak brightness has been increased to 3000 nits. The Galaxy S25 Ultra will uniquely feature second-generation Corning Gorilla Glass Victus with anti-reflective coating, further enhancing screen durability and visual experience.

In terms of core configuration, the entire Galaxy S25 series is powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 for Galaxy processor, boasting a stunning 4.47 GHz CPU clock speed, promising impressive performance. Samsung continues its strategy of enhancing heat dissipation to ensure stability under high-load operation. Finally, the Galaxy S25 series bids farewell to the "8GB RAM predicament," upgrading to a minimum of 12GB, with the Galaxy S25 Ultra offering 12GB+256GB, 16GB+512GB, and 16GB+1TB storage options.

The Galaxy S25 series' imaging system largely maintains the same level as its predecessor. The Galaxy S25 Ultra still uses a 200-megapixel main camera, retaining the S22's 3x optical zoom lens and a 50-megapixel 5x periscope telephoto lens. The only notable upgrade is the ultra-wide-angle lens, which has been upgraded to 50 megapixels, improving ultra-wide-angle image quality. While there are rumors of continued AI telephoto algorithm optimization for the Galaxy S25 Ultra, whether software can fully compensate for hardware limitations remains questionable. The imaging systems of the Galaxy S25 and S25+ remain unchanged from the previous generation.

Other features show minimal changes for the Galaxy S25 and S25+ compared to their predecessors, but the S25+ and S25 Ultra will support 45W wireless charging. The highly anticipated Galaxy S25 Slim is expected to follow last year's Galaxy Ring, only appearing at the launch event with its official release slated for sometime this summer.

One UI 7 is another highlight of the Galaxy S25 series. Samsung claims One UI 7 will leverage AI throughout the system, creating a so-called "AIOS" (AI operating system). Leaked videos show significant visual design adjustments in One UI 7, with a more rounded overall style. For example, the desktop app icons have been redesigned with 3D realistic design and gradient color effects. The lock screen also closely resembles the iOS interface, allowing users to customize lock screen styles and adding a new widget area called NewBar, displaying charging status, timers, music players, and more, similar to iOS's "Live Activities." However, NewBar widgets require manufacturer adaptation, and considering Samsung's market share in China, its application prospects remain uncertain.

In terms of AI, Samsung will enhance Bixby's natural language conversation capabilities and utilize NewBar for AI analysis of notification summaries, providing users with summarized reminders at specific times and locations. One UI 7 will also offer features similar to Apple's writing suggestions, along with improvements to the control center, widgets, and folders.

In summary, except for the Ultra model, the changes in the Galaxy S25 series are minor, mostly representing an annual iteration. Samsung focuses on enhancing AI capabilities, attempting to improve user experience through One UI 7. Pricing for the Galaxy S25 series is expected to remain consistent with its predecessor. For average users, waiting for the 618 sales promotion is recommended, as the price of domestic Samsung phones will be more competitive then.