Samsung unmasks Galaxy S25 phones with slimmer designs, tougher screens, and plenty of new Galaxy AI features

four galaxy s25 phones pictured side by side with the Now Brief feature prominently shown

The all-new Galaxy S25 lineup arrives with the latest Android operating system, a swathe of new Galaxy AI features, and a slimmer, more scratch-resistant design

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Aaron Brown

By Aaron Brown


Published: 22/01/2025

- 18:00

Updated: 22/01/2025

- 18:52

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Preorders are available from today

Samsung just unveiled its all-new Galaxy S25 lineup ahead of a UK release date on February 7, 2025.

The Galaxy S25 series consists of three distinct smartphones — the standard Galaxy S25, the larger Galaxy S25+, and the all-singing, all-dancing Galaxy S25 Ultra.


Samsung has described its newest Android devices as a "true AI companion".

Galaxy AI was introduced early last year. In the months since its debut, Samsung says Galaxy AI is now used by 5 million people in the UK. The Galaxy S25 series — which will now supersede the Galaxy S24, S24+, and Galaxy S24 Ultra as the flagship Galaxy S models — arrives with several new Artificial Intelligence (AI) tricks.

@gbnews Samsung has just announced three brand new phones - here is everything you need to know about them. #Samsung #GalaxyS25 #Tech #Phone #GBNews ♬ original sound - GB News

Annika Bizon, Director of Mobile Experience for Samsung UK and Ireland, told GB News: "Modern life is hard. Balancing work and home is incredibly overwhelming, and we’re all looking for ways to help us juggle life’s demands.

"We’ve reached a point now where AI has evolved to become a companion – it's knowing intuitively what you need, and when. It’s lightening your load so you can focus on the things that matter, at your own pace.

"In many ways, it’s becoming a pocket personal assistant for people, helping you manage your to do lists. The speed at which it’s changing how we live is astonishing.

"We’re a year into Galaxy AI and it’s rolling out nearly up to eight times faster than the internet when it first launched in Britain – which is something we all use every day."

\u200bGalaxy S25 Ultra, Galaxy S25 Plus, and Galaxy S25 pictured stacked on a metal surface

Galaxy S25 Ultra, Galaxy S25 Plus, and Galaxy S25 have rounded corners, which Samsung says makes these new handsets easier to grip. Samsung has shaved 15% off the borders around the displays to shrink the footprint of these new smartphones

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Want to upgrade? The standard Galaxy S25 starts from £799, Galaxy S25+ starts from £999, and the Galaxy S25 Ultra costs £1,249 — that's the same price as the Galaxy S24 counterparts launched last year.

Samsung is taking preorders now ahead of the launch next month. If you order the latest Galaxy S smartphone ahead of the February 7 release date, Samsung will double the built-in storage at no extra cost.

Galaxy S25 phone in Navy Blue pictured leaning on its side

All three new models in the Galaxy S25 lineup are powered by the Snapdragon 8 Elite Mobile Platform for Galaxy — the faster processor ever found inside a Galaxy S phone

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Take delivery of Samsung's wireless Galaxy Buds3 earbuds (worth £159) for free by using code S25LIVE at checkout you preorder the Galaxy S25, Galaxy S25+, or Galaxy S25 Ultra.

While the design of the new Galaxy S25 lineup isn't a huge departure from recent Galaxy S handsets, these new devices are thinner and lighter than previous generations. Samsung has shaved-off between 6g - 15g.

Under the bonnet of all three new smartphones is the first-of-its-kind customised Snapdragon 8 Elite Mobile Platform for Galaxy system-on-a-chip, which is specifically designed to power the phones' extensive AI features. The silicon was designed by teams from Samsung and US manufacturer Qualcomm.

It's the speediest chip to ever ship inside a Samsung smartphone, delivering 40% faster performance from the Neural Processing Unit (NPU), which predominantly handles on-device AI tasks, as well as a 37% increase in CPU and a 30% improvement in GPU compared to the Galaxy S24 series.

This beefier chipset allows Samsung to crunch more AI tasks on-device. Some Galaxy AI features that previously had to be beamed to servers, like Generative Edit, now take place on the silicon inside the phone. Since you're not reliant on a decent Wi-Fi or mobile data connection, you'll be able to use these AI tricks on aeroplane mode.

Circle to search shown on the Galaxy S25 Ultra using the S Pen stylus

Artificial Intelligence (AI) tasks should be improved throughout the Galaxy S25 lineup, including Circle To Search, which lets you kickstart a Google search for anything on-screen, or quickly jump into turn-by-turn directions via Google Maps, or call any phone number that's circled with your fingertip or S Pen

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AI also powers several new editing tools, like Audio Eraser, which lets you remove specific annoying background sounds from your videos, like unwanted chatter from crowds or disruptive wind noise.

Elsewhere, Circle to Search has been upgraded to immediately recognise and action phone numbers, email addresses, and URLs with a single tap.

Galaxy S25 and Galaxy S25+ owners can circle anything on-screen with their fingertip to perform a search with Google, while those with a Galaxy S25 Ultra can also use the S Pen stylus.

Galaxy AI features introduced with the Galaxy S24 series last year make a return with the next-generation handset, including real-time transcription or translation for incoming calls and video chats. Galaxy AI can also quickly summarise lengthy PDFs, webpages, and emails into a quick recap or bullet points.

Writing Assist works across the One UI 7.0 operating system, which is based on Android 15 and incorporates many of the advances introduced by Google in that update. Highlight text and Galaxy AI will offer to proofread for spelling and grammar mistakes. It can also adjust the tone of your writing — helpful if you need to make an email or cover letter sound more formal, or want to add some fun into your text.

Galaxy S25 owners can also use natural language across the One UI system, letting you chain multiple commands together, such as "show me the next Arsenal match, and add it to my calendar" or "find the photograph of mum at the Grand Canyon last year, then send it to dad on WhatsApp".

daily briefings from galaxy ai shown on the galaxy s25 ultra for the morning, midday and evening

Galaxy AI can provide briefings up to three times a day, with alerts about upcoming calendar appointments, health insights from wearables like the Galaxy Watch, headlines and forecasts, and much more

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Galaxy AI also lets you adjust system settings via voice commands.

Speaking of voice commands, a brief press of the Side Button on these new Galaxy S phones will activate Gemini, enabling hands-free interactions across Samsung, Google, and third-party applications, like Spotify.

Outside of the swathe of Galaxy AI improvements, Samsung has tweaked the design of the handsets, which now boast 15% thinner bezels around the AMOLED displays. Samsung hasn't used these savings to increase the screen sizes, but instead shrink the overall footprint of the device, so that it's more comfortable in the hand.

The South Korean brand has also rounded the corners to make the handset easier to grip.

On the front, Samsung is relying on the latest Gorilla Armor 2 strengthened glass from Corning, which promises 29% more resistance to scratches, scuffs, and drops. According to Samsung, it's seen a 60% drop in Galaxy S24 owners seeking screen replacements due to cracks compared to the Galaxy S23 series launched two years ago.

Given the impressive gains touted by Corning for its latest glass-ceramic material, the Galaxy S25 could be the perfect time to upgrade for anyone who suffers from acute butterfingers.

The aluminium case on the Galaxy S25 and Galaxy S25+ series now includes a minimum of 20% recycled armour aluminium, while the batteries across the lineup feature a minimum of 50% recycled cobalt — a first for the Galaxy smartphone range. This recycled material is sourced from recycled Galaxy devices or batteries discarded during the manufacturing process, Samsung says.

a hand holding the galaxy s25 ultra while it prepares a generative edit

Galaxy AI tasks that required an internet connection on previous devices, like Generative Edit, now take place entirely on-device, thanks to the boosted performance of the custom-designed Snapdragon 8 Elite Mobile Platform for Galaxy

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Samsung will guarantee seven generations of Android system upgrades with its Galaxy S25 lineup. Given the new handset arrive with Android 15 out-of-the-box, that means Galaxy S25 owners should expect to enjoy a free upgrade to Android 22 (or whatever Google decides to name it) at a bare minimum.

Galaxy S25 and Galaxy S25+ are available in four main colourways: Silver Shadow, Navy, Icy blue and Mint.

Meanwhile, the top-of-the-line Galaxy S25 Ultra ships in either Titanium Silverblue, Titanium Black, Titanium Whitesilver, or Titanium Grey.

Samsung has reserved three exclusive colours for its own store, so you'll need to order from your nearest branch or Samsung.com to take delivery of one of these options, including the new Blue Black version.

All Galaxy S25 devices come with a 6-month trial of Gemini Advanced and 2TB of cloud storage.

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