SALTZMAN: Hands-on with Samsung’s AI-powered smartphones

The funny thing about AI is you don’t think you want it in your life – until you realize all the extraordinary tasks it can do for you. Consider it a super powerful personal assistant at your beck and call, to help you get more done in less time, personally and professionally.

While Samsung, Google (Pixel) and others began to bake artificial intelligence into their respective devices in 2024 – including Apple’s own spin on AI called Apple Intelligence, which debuted last fall – the just-unveiled Galaxy S25 family house Samsung’s next-gen Galaxy AI platform, as well as upgraded Google Gemini features, give these new smartphones a noticeable edge over the competition.

In other words, Samsung has been doing AI for a while now, and it shows.

First, let’s take a look at the hardware. The three new phones in the Galaxy S25 series are the Galaxy S25, Galaxy S25+, and Galaxy S25 Ultra. The Galaxy S25 features a 6.2-inch Full HD+ display with smooth 120Hz refresh rates and a 50-megapixel ultrawide lens camera. The Galaxy S25+ has a 6.7-inch Quad HD+ Dynamic AMOLED display with improved ProScaler image processing and weighs 190 grams. The Galaxy S25 Ultra is the top-of-the-line model with a 6.9-inch AMOLED 2X QHD+ 120 Hz screen, Corning Gorilla Armor 2 for added durability, and a 50-megapixel ultrawide lens. It also features an embedded S Pen and weighs 218 grams.

The Galaxy S25 series is powered by a specially-designed Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite for Galaxy processor, which provides a performance boost of 40% in NPU for AI tasks, a 37% improvement in CPU, and a 30% upgrade in GPU.

Now, let’s talk about the AI features. The Galaxy S25 series introduces an enhanced AI-powered operating system that can deliver intuitive and helpful experiences. With features like cross-app support, summarizing video content, ‘Circle to Search’ capabilities, and the new ‘Now Bar’ widget, users can perform tasks more efficiently and get personalized insights and updates directly to their lock screen.

Gemini Live is another exciting feature that allows users to have real-time spoken conversations with the AI on their device, enabling them to ask for information, make requests, and get answers through voice commands.

In conclusion, the Galaxy S25 series offers a smart and powerful AI experience that enhances productivity and efficiency for users. With its advanced AI capabilities and impressive hardware features, the Galaxy S25 smartphones are a must-have for those looking for a smarter smartphone experience.