HomeNewsSamsung unveils S25 series

Samsung unveils S25 series

Samsung has invited users to step into the future with the unveiling of its Galaxy S25 series, which promises to redefine the smartphone experience through groundbreaking artificial intelligence (AI) integration. With the launch of the S25 Ultra, the S25+ and the S25, the Korean tech giant is pushing the boundaries of how people interact with their mobile devices — and the world around them.

Influencers and tech enthusiasts gathered at the historic Anglo-American Digital Dome in Johannesburg on 22 January for Samsung’s much-anticipated global series launch. The venue, formerly the Wits Planetarium, provided a fitting backdrop for the function. Samsung’s first Unpacked of 2025 whispered of the tech giant’s ambition by inviting those in attendance to imagine a world alive with the potential of personal technology — under a dome that once helped humanity look outward to the stars.

According to Justin Hume, Vice President of Mobile at Samsung’s South Africa, the concept of AI-enabled devices has evolved from a novelty to a fundamental aspect of the smartphone experience. And it’s an evolution in which Samsung is leading the charge. “What sets the Galaxy S25 apart is that it not only understands your commands but also your intentions,” Hume explained. “It understands natural language and translates words into actions. But more importantly, it is now able to translate and implement that action across different applications.”

A human-like pocket companion

The new S-series introduces innovative features and capabilities that transform devices from smartphones into true AI companions, catering to the evolving needs of users worldwide. Packed with multimodal intelligence and context-aware features, these pocket-sized marvels promise to blur the line between futuristic fantasy and everyday reality. The S25 can deliver the kind of AI-powered personalisation once reserved for blockbuster films.

Partnering with Google to offer Gemini AI app on-device, the Galaxy S25 packs multimodal AI capabilities that interpret text, speech, images and videos. This allows users to perform context-aware searches, use natural language commands and seamlessly switch between apps, ensuring intuitive multitasking with the greatest ease.

“You can ask your phone to search your photo gallery for a specific picture by describing the image, or ask it to find you vegan, pet-friendly restaurants in a specific area, text your friend the details, add it to your calendar and then navigate you to the meet-up — all by a simple voice command,” explained Zahir Camjee, Samsung South Africa’s Head of Product and Commercial Management. “It can perform multiple tasks simultaneously, such as finding emails, booking calendar events, and setting alarms without opening multiple tabs.”

Samsung’s latest operating system, One UI7, ensures that AI deeply integrates everyday functionalities. “Incorporating features like Gemini allows users to interact with apps such as Spotify, Samsung Calendar and other third-party applications through simple commands, enhancing productivity and creativity,“ Camjee added.

According to Hume: “This means you can talk to your Samsung S25 as if it is your friend, and initiate multiple actions with just the click of a button and the prompt of your voice. It won’t just understand you; it will anticipate your needs and get a few steps ahead of you, in the first true, human-like mobile AI experience. This will fundamentally shift how we use technology and how we integrate it into our daily lives.”

Personalisation, privacy and unrivalled processing power

Samsung’s Personal Data Engine powers hyper-personalised experiences while maintaining robust privacy. The device analyses user data on-device, enabling features like natural language photo searches and proactive daily suggestions and updates through the ‘Now Brief’ feature.

Do you visit a specific news website with your morning cup of coffee, check the weather and your calendar and avidly follow a specific sports team? As your device gets to know you, it will prioritise what’s important to you and proactively help support your interests and habits, giving you access to those insights from your lock screen.

With enhanced battery life, you’re in for a whopping 31 hours of video-watching before having to reach for your charger. Powered by a custom Snapdragon 8 Elite chipset, the S25 series delivers a 40% neural processing unit (NPU) performance boost and 37% CPU improvement. This enables advanced on-device AI processing, including generative image editing. Combined with efficient thermal management and a durable design featuring Corning® Gorilla® Armor 2, the Galaxy S25 Ultra leads in both power and resilience.

A creative studio at your fingertips

The Galaxy S25 series is a game-changer for mobile photography and videography — a reminder as to why their devices remain fan favourites among content creators. With a new 50MP ultrawide camera sensor, the S25 Ultra also boasts a 12MP selfie camera, 200MP wide-angle with 2x optical zoom, 50MP macro and a 50MP telephoto lens with 5x optical zoom and 10x optical quality zoom.

Add 10-bit HDR recording and advanced AI image processing, and capturing vibrant and detailed shots has never been easier. The series also introduces features like Virtual Aperture for DSLR-like depth-of-field control and Galaxy Log for professional-grade video editing.

Fancy a sound studio at your fingertips? The new ‘audio eraser’ feature recognises different types of background noise in videos and allows users to adjust, enhance or filter out specific sounds with the click of a button.

Shooting a video on the beach? No problem! You can keep the sound of the waves while removing the wind. At a live concert? Tone down the sound of the crowd while enhancing the performances from the stage. This is a game-changer for video creators.

Greening operations for a more sustainable tomorrow

Sustainability is still high on the agenda. Samsung is making use of recycled materials from older devices and creating a circular battery recycling chain, which includes 50% recycled cobalt in batteries and recycled aluminium in the device frames.

Since 2022, Samsung has removed around 150 tonnes of discarded fishing nets that would otherwise have ended up in the world’s oceans and reutilised them in components of their devices and packaging.

Availability and cost

The Galaxy S25 series is available for pre-order until February 13, 2025. The Galaxy S25 Ultra will retail for R30 999 and will be available in Titanium Silverblue, Titanium Black, Titanium Whitesilver and Titanium Gray. The Galaxy S25 and Galaxy S25+, available for R20 999 and R24 999 respectively, will be available in Navy, Silver Shadow, Icyblue and Mint.

To improve accessibility and affordability, you can bring in your old device and, if it qualifies, receive a significant discount on cash purchases and contract deals through Samsung’s trade-in programme.

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