It’s that time of year for Samsung’s annual Galaxy S series launch, and the Samsung Galaxy S25 lineup…isn’t all that different from the predecessor in terms of hardware. Sure, all three phones are now powered by the latest Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite chipset, and the S25 Ultra gets a new 50MP ultra-wide camera too with a tweaked design.
While there are not much hardware changes to the new Galaxy S25 phones, Galaxy AI on the S25, S25+, and S25 Ultra sees a slew of new AI-powered features. Plus, Samsung continues to offer seven years of software and security updates with the S25 series, putting it ahead of its competition when it comes to software support.
Before I get to the meat of the hands-on, let’s talk about the Malaysian prices of the Galaxy S25 series. The starting price is actually slightly lower now, with the standard Galaxy S25 priced at RM3,999 (down from RM4,099) for the 256GB variant. But curiously, pricing for the 512GB model remains the same at RM4,599, though it’s worth noting that the RAM capacity has been upgraded to 12GB. In fact, all phones in the S25 series now feature 12GB RAM across the board.
While the base Galaxy S25 sees a slight price reduction, the Galaxy S25+…gets a slight price hike. The 256GB and 512GB versions of the S25+ retail at RM4,999 and RM5,599 respectively, which are up by RM100 and RM200. Moving on the Galaxy S25 Ultra, the 256GB and 512GB models are more affordable than the S24 Ultra at RM5,999 and RM6,599 respectively; down by RM300 and RM200. The 1TB model, on the other hand, is still priced at RM7,799.
Design wise, the Galaxy S25 and S25+ don’t feel all that different from their respective predecessors. However, it’s a different story with the Galaxy S25 Ultra, which has rounded edges and flatter sides now; design elements that I personally appreciate. Not only do these changes make the phone more comfortable to hold in my hands, it looks less boxy too for a more aesthetically pleasing design – in my opinion, anyway.
As mentioned, all devices in the Galaxy S25 series are now powered by the Snapdragon 8 Elite chip, so regardless of which phone you get, you can expect to get largely the same level of performance. In my brief time testing the devices, they do feel fast and responsive. While I didn’t manage to run any demanding games on the phones, I’m confident I will be able to, say, play Zenless Zone Zero at maxed out graphics settings without issues.
While the camera system of all three Galaxy S25 phones remain largely the same – except for the new 50MP ultra-wide lens of the S25 Ultra – the camera interface actually feels snappier and more responsive. Of course, the 50MP ultra-wide sensor of the S25 Ultra can capture noticeably sharper macro shots too with less noise.
While the Galaxy S25 series doesn’t see major changes from a hardware standpoint, the biggest selling point of the phones is the new and improved Galaxy AI; it is said to be more personalised and context-aware now. Google’s Circle to Search, for example, has been upgraded to recognise phone numbers, emails, and URLs on the screen in a quicker manner.
On top of that, I had a lot of fun with the Galaxy S25’s Audio Eraser feature too. It is capable of isolating categories of sounds in a video, letting users remove unwanted noise. Aside from that, there is also Now Brief, which offers suggestions that are accessible through the Now Bar on the lock screen. It shows a slew of details that are tailored to each individual user, leveraging on the Galaxy S25’s Personal Data Engine that (safely) analyses user’s data on-device to do so.
Evidently, Samsung is focusing on improving the software of the Galaxy S25 series rather than the hardware. While this may be underwhelming to some folks, at least the Korean company’s software support remains robust – most phone makers can’t even match Samsung’s promise of seven years software and security updates for all phones in the S25 series.
The Samsung Galaxy S25 series is now available for pre-order in Malaysia until 13 February 2025. Early birds can enjoy freebies worth up to RM1,600, which include a free storage upgrade worth up to RM600, exclusive e-voucher, and even up to RM400 rebate for CIMB cardholders.