The Galaxy S25 is almost here. These are the biggest changes I want to see

With the rumored Galaxy S25, which is where we are now We expect to see during Samsung Unpacked event On Wednesday, Samsung will have an opportunity to reinforce the approach it has taken with Galaxy S24.

Last year’s Galaxy S phones included a mix of functional and forward-looking changes, such as longer battery life on the Galaxy S24 and S24 Plus and Galaxy artificial intelligence Across all models. I’m similarly hoping to see advances in artificial intelligence, along with improvements to more mundane but important elements like phone cameras, display speeds, and charging.

Given Samsung’s focus on AI, there’s a strong chance that the Galaxy S25 will come with new Galaxy AI features. Samsung basically said this during its developer conference in October, during which it teased its new device. Single user interface 7 Software update that will debut in the S25 lineup. Otherwise, it will likely include Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8 Elite processor (at least the US version of the phone) and routine design and camera upgrades. There are also rumors of a new, thinner version of the Galaxy S25 arriving sometime next year, according to ET News.

Samsung’s current Galaxy AI features look promising, but I want the next iteration to have a bigger impact on the overall phone experience. Existing features seem to be largely targeted at specific use cases that may not come up often, such as language translation and image editing.

Aside from the more useful AI tools, I’d like to see faster charging and other improvements to the phones’ core elements like the camera and display.

Read more: Why Google’s new Android VP says ‘people don’t want to hear about AI’

Galaxy AI’s most impactful features

For now, Galaxy AI and other non-Samsung AI features seem like just the beginning. Samsung has begun applying generative AI to obvious and practical use cases, such as scanning objects from photos, translating text and phone conversations in real-time, creating polished images from rough sketches, and previewing slow-motion videos and saving the results.

What I really want is a more dramatic rethink of how we accomplish basic tasks on our phones that makes them easier and faster to use. Of all the AI ​​features available on Samsung phones so far, Research circle It captures this idea best by eliminating the middle step of running Google to search for an object. More of this, please!

I want new AI tools that help manage the endless stream of notifications, data, and media on my phone. the Pixel 9 The suite’s new Screenshots app, which lets you search for content within your screenshots, is a good example of this, as are Notifications and Text Message Summaries in Apple Intelligence, which just launched as part of the company’s iOS 18.1 update. Although it’s far from perfect, message summaries have ended up being one of my favorite new features Apple intelligence.

Sally Hyesun Jeong, executive vice president of Samsung Electronics and head of the framework R&D team, hinted that Samsung’s upcoming mobile software update could fall in line with this theme. During the company’s developer conference, it said One UI 7 will be better equipped to understand your intent and “reduce complexity,” though it didn’t reveal specific details about the software.

This trend is also in line with previous comments made by Patrick Chomet, Samsung’s Executive Vice President and Head of Customer Experience, Made for CNET About the company’s approach to software.

“(You’ll) never have to go into settings, or you’ll never have to search for the next action,” Fee said. Previous interview When discussing how the company wants to make the software on Samsung phones smarter. “You may not need to open (application).”

As I wrote in my review, I think Samsung Missed opportunity It should give Galaxy S24 Ultra Exclusive Galaxy AI features not available in cheaper models. Not only will this help justify its higher price, but it will cement the Ultra name in the phone’s name. We’ll see if it takes a different approach next year.

Changing the way we use our phones is no easy feat. Given how much we rely on them for basic tasks, asking consumers to adopt a new way of doing things can be more annoying than helpful if done wrong. I don’t expect Samsung to change the entire operating system in a few months, but I would like to see a step in a new direction, similar to Search Circle.

Read more: What I learned after replacing my Apple Watch with a Samsung Galaxy Ring

Faster charging

I’m glad Samsung boosted the Galaxy S24’s battery life. Now, it just needs a faster charge. The Galaxy S24 supports 25-watt wired charging, while the Galaxy S24 Plus and S24 Ultra support 45-watt wired charging. It’s been that way for years, at least Since the Galaxy S20 generation.

With companies like OnePlus offering super-fast charging speeds, I’d like to see some improvement from Samsung. the OnePlus 12for example, offers 80W charging in the US and 100W charging in the UK, which enabled my colleague Andrew Lanxon to fully replenish the battery in just 26 minutes.

Samsung, it’s time to step up.

Reduce glare on the entire lineup

One of the most underrated features of the Galaxy S24 Ultra is the Corning Gorilla Armor on the screen to reduce glare and reflections. Since the display is the most important part of the phone, any improvement is welcome. My colleague Lexi Savvidis was particularly impressed With S24 Ultra The screen is anti-glare, and I found it easier to see than the iPhone 15 Pro, Pixel 8 Pro, and Galaxy S23 Ultra on a sunny day in San Francisco.

This coating is only found on the Galaxy S24 Ultra. Since screen quality is so essential on a phone, there’s a strong argument that Samsung should expand it to all Galaxy S25 models. The giant Ultra display, S Pen stylus, and more advanced camera are more than enough to separate Samsung’s premium phone from the rest of the pack.

Read more: Don’t buy a new phone just for the AI. At least not yet

Camera upgrades

Samsung made a lot of noise with Galaxy S23 Ultra The main camera is 200MP when it debuts in 2023. Pixels only tell one side of the story when it comes to photography. Factors like sensor size, pixel size, and lens aperture, along with the chip’s image signal processor, are just as important as the sheer number of megapixels when it comes to determining how good your phone’s camera is.

Samsung has made improvements in these areas as well over the years, but now that it’s facing new competition from Xiaomi, it has to work even harder if it really wants to become the king of smartphone photography.

the Xiaomi 14 Ultra It has a massive image sensor that’s larger than the ones you’ll find on the Galaxy S24 Ultra, enabling it to take great shots with a wide dynamic range, which CNET’s Andrew Lanxon called some of the best photos he’s ever seen from a phone. The larger sensor allows the camera to capture more light for improved image quality, reducing the need for noise reduction.

I’d also like to see more practical editing features. I was impressed by the iPhone 16’s Photography Styles feature, which applies an effect to a photo tailored to the scene. I’m not saying that Samsung should launch its own version of Photography stylesBut I’d like to see new tools that elevate the aesthetics of your photos that have nothing to do with using generative AI to alter image content.

Overall, I hope Samsung ups the ante on camera, display speed, and charging, all while introducing new software features that make its phones feel more intuitive than before. Samsung typically releases new Galaxy S phones in the first quarter of the year, so we expect to hear more in the coming months.