Everything Samsung unveiled at the Galaxy S25 Unpacked Event

Published by Julian Maas on the 23. January 2025

Samsung has unveiled its latest devices and features at its Galaxy S25 Unpacked event, but there's one big question: is this really still innovative or just well-packaged evolution? The new models - Galaxy S25, Galaxy S25 Plus and Galaxy S25 Ultra - bring improvements, but also some head-scratching decisions.

Samsung Galaxy S25 Unpacked Event News Hero

Galaxy S25 Ultra: Lots of power, little new

The Galaxy S25 Ultra is back in the spotlight as a flagship. Samsung has packed it with high-end specs, but the wow factor is somehow missing.

 The good: 

  •  Display: The 6,9-inch display with 120 Hz and 2600 nits brightness is impressive. Narrower bezels and Gorilla Glass Armor 2 make it more robust.
  •  Camera: The new 50 MP ultra-wide camera and the 200 MP periscope camera (5x optical zoom) make strong arguments on paper.
  •  Performance: The Snapdragon 8 Elite for Galaxy with customized cooling ensures smooth performance, especially when gaming.
Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra colors
The Galaxy S25 Ultra will be available in these colors.

 The problem: 
If you look closely, much of it looks like a slightly tweaked Galaxy S24 Ultra. The 5000mAh battery is unchanged, and the change in the ultra-wide camera may be nice for photography enthusiasts, but it's hardly groundbreaking. Added to that is the lack of some S Pen features like Bluetooth and Air Gestures - features that were still advertised last year.

 Price: With a recommended retail price of €1.449 for the basic model, Samsung remains in the premium segment. A lot of money for manageable innovations!

Galaxy S25 and S25 Plus: Mid-range without courage

The smaller brothers of the Ultra model are… well, okay. The designs remain almost identical to their predecessors and the hardware upgrades are minimal:

  •  Cameras: No changes in two years, except for a bit of software tuning by the ProVisual Engine.
  •  Chip: At least there is no longer an Exynos – all models use the Snapdragon 8 Elite.
  •  Displays: The S25 remains at 6,2 inches FHD+, the S25 Plus at 6,7 inches QHD+.
Samsung Galaxy S25 (Plus) colors
The Galaxy S25 (Plus) will be available in these colors.

 The big disappointment: 

Really fresh features? None. While Chinese competitors shine with ultra-fast charging speeds and innovative designs, Samsung remains conservative. Prices for the Galaxy S25 entry-level model start at €899. The Galaxy S25+ has a RRP starting at €1.149.

New AI features

Samsung is relying heavily on artificial intelligence in the Galaxy S25 series and is positioning One UI 7.0 as a smart solution for everyday tasks. With functions such as AI Select, which analyzes content on the screen and suggests contextual actions, and the new Gemini assistant, the company wants to make using the smartphone more intelligent and efficient. But how useful these ambitious approaches actually are in everyday life remains to be seen.

Samsung Galaxy A.I
Lots of AI with Galaxy AI.

One example of the new AI features is the Audio Eraser, which can remove unwanted background noise from videos. Users of Google's Pixel devices will probably already be familiar with this function. Then there is the so-called Now Bar, which adds contextual information such as appointments or live results to the lock screen. The concept sounds promising, but it is not really a new invention.

So the big question remains: Are these AI features really being used, or are they just nice gimmicks that will be forgotten after the first week?

Everything else from the Unpacked Event

In addition to the new Galaxy smartphones, Samsung has also introduced updates for other product categories.

  •  Galaxy Watch 7: The Galaxy Watch 7 is getting a child-friendly version! With colorful designs, LTE support and extensive parental controls via Google Family Link, it is aimed at little tech fans. Kids can send messages and make phone calls via the watch, while parents have full control over apps and usage times. There are also colorful straps and cool watch faces.
  •  Galaxy S25 Edge: Samsung has taken a brief look into the future with the Galaxy S25 Edge. The ultra-thin smartphone is due to be released this year and will be a lightweight among the Galaxy models. Details are still scarce, but rumors say it will be cheaper than the Galaxy S25 Ultra!

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