I went hands-on with Samsung's standard Galaxy S25 and didn't envy the Ultra model at all

Samsung's Galaxy S25 series has arrived, and like last year, the theme is all about AI. However, things are slightly different this year because the "AI" that Samsung so confidently touts is a little more mature. 

Also: Everything announced at Samsung Unpacked 2025: Galaxy S25, Gemini AI, more

With the Galaxy S25 phones, Samsung is introducing new contextual AI features to make them more helpful. And these software tricks are accompanied by more polished hardware that feels better than ever in the hand. 

While there aren't many major spec upgrades, the $799 Galaxy S25 and $999 Galaxy S25 Plus remain strong contenders in their respective segments. Here are my key takeaways after spending an afternoon with both devices ahead of the Wednesday event.

1. Refined designs that you can't go wrong with

Both the Galaxy S25 and S25 Plus are slimmer and thinner than ever. I was pleasantly surprised by the excellent in-hand feel of Samsung's new compact flagship during my brief hands-on experience. They both retain the design language of the Galaxy S24 -- the same rounded edges and slight curves on the flat sides make them fit comfortably in your palm -- but feel much lighter at about four grams less.

Also: Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra hands-on: 3 major upgrades I'm looking forward to testing

Not much else has changed in terms of hardware. The Galaxy S25 features a 6.2-inch AMOLED display, while the Plus variant has a 6.7-inch screen. Both field 120Hz dynamic refresh rates, which can go from 1Hz to 120Hz depending on the content on the screen. For instance, the phones will switch to 1Hz with the Always-On Display to save battery and go up to 120Hz while scrolling and gaming.

2. AI features that are actually useful

Powering every Galaxy S25 model this year is the new Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite for Galaxy chipset. The "for Galaxy" designation indicates better optimizations for Samsung's Galaxy AI features, which now operate faster and more accurately. Some of my favorites include a new Now Bar status indicator on the lock screen and Audio Eraser.

Also: 3 exciting AI features coming to Google Pixel and other Android phones

The new Now Bar is Samsung's take on Dynamic Island, but I prefer it over Apple's rendition because it feels more intuitive. You can start a workout, navigation, or stopwatch via stacked cards on the lock screen. These cards are interactive, allowing you to swipe between them and play/pause activities. The Now Bar also works with Google services, so if you've been searching sports scores, it'll naturally display the live scores of teams you follow.

Samsung says these phones are meant to become more optimized and tailored as you use them, and the new Now Brief feature is a good representation of that approach. It's an app (and home screen widget) that gives you daily briefings based on data from your Calendar, Samsung Health, favorite sports, artists, and more. For instance, the Brief can suggest taking it easy if it detects that you haven't slept well. I can see this being useful for people who don't tend to open the Health app frequently. 

Also: The best Android phones to buy in 2025

The Galaxy S25 and Galaxy S25 Plus are also getting new AI features like Audio Eraser and more accurate Generative Edits. The former is similar to Apple's Audio Mix, which can recognize six types of sound, including Wind, Voices, and more. You can select these and adjust their levels as the video is playing. The feature worked surprisingly well during my demo, with the Galaxy S25 managing to separate wind and noise, enhancing the sound quality of a person's instrument.

As for improvements to Generative Edit, it's faster and more accurate at detecting and removing unwanted objects (including shadows) from your photos. Additionally, Samsung Smart Select is now AI Select, which can identify on-screen content and suggest actions based on it. For example, it can detect a date and location in a wall of text and suggest adding it to your Calendar, eliminating the need to manually copy and paste details.

3. The Snapdragon 8 Elite (hopefully) makes a big difference

The Galaxy S25 and Galaxy S25 Plus have received a RAM upgrade from 8GB to 12GB. But unlike the competing OnePlus 13, which offers multiple RAM options, you only get one RAM capacity here, with three storage variants: 128GB, 256GB, and 512GB.

While the camera hardware remains unchanged, the ISP of the Snapdragon Elite 8 chip does improve the output of the 50MP primary camera, 10MP telephoto sensor with 3x optical zoom, and 12MP ultrawide-angle camera with a 120-degree field of view. I'll be testing the devices in the real world to see how they stack up with other handsets.

Also: Samsung Care+ includes free same-day screen repairs for Galaxy devices now

The Galaxy S25 and Galaxy S25 Plus pack the same 4,000mAh and 4,900mAh batteries, respectively, as their predecessors. However, Samsung is promising better battery life this time around due to the power efficiency of the Qualcomm chipset. What you won't see the company touting is Qi2 wireless charging support, which both devices unfortunately do not have.

You can preorder the Galaxy S25 for a starting price of $799 and the Galaxy S25 Plus for a starting price of $999. The phones are available in Icy Blue, Navy, Mint, and Silver Shadow color options, but my favorite is a red color (pictured at the top of the article) that's exclusive to online customers only.