by Thinus Ferreira
Samsung has launched its Samsung Galaxy S25 series last week Wednesday which comes with certain further advancements in AI technology, a stronger screen, a claim of recycled cobalt, as well as further enhancements in the quality and capabilities offered in video editing.
The Samsung Galaxy S25 series was announced through a global Unpacked streaming event, with Samsung South Africa that held a media event on Wednesday for the streaming at the WITS Anglo American Digital Dome in Johannesburg.
Unfortunately, Samsung SA's PR company Cheil SA didn't bother to communicate beforehand about it or with any notification that there would be a Samsung Galaxy S25 series streaming event or offering any link.
Neither was there even any invitation to the media event, or reaching out to hear if its possible to actually attend it.
However, late on Wednesday night after the media event, Cheil then emailed out a press release about the Samsung Galaxy S25 series.
The cost of the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra (256GB) in South Africa is R30 000, R32 000 for the 512GB and R35 for 1TB. The Samsung Galaxy S25+ (256GB) will retail around R23 500, with the pricing for the Samsung Galaxy S25 (256GB) that is around R20 000.
The Samsung Galaxy S25 comes with One UI 7, the Galaxy S25 series' "AI companion".
The Galaxy S25 series is powered by the Snapdragon 8 Elite, Samsung's most powerful processor yet on its Galaxy S series, that according to Samsung delivers a performance boost of 40% in NPU, 37% in CPU and 30% in GPU compared to the previous generation.
With a 50-megapixel ultrawide camera sensor upgraded from the previous 12MP, the Galaxy S25 Ultra has clarity and vibrancy with 10-bit HDR recording now applied by default, offering four times richer colour expression according to Samsung, compared to 8-bit.
Samsung is also enhancing video editing capabilities and quality on the new device with the Galaxy S25 that has Audio Eraser which simplifies the removal of unwanted noise in videos.
For a DSLR-like experience on mobile Galaxy S25 introduces depth-of-field control with Virtual Aperture, integrated into the popular Expert RAW.
The Galaxy S25 also comes with Galaxy Log, enabling precise colour grading options for more professional video production.
Portrait Studio has also been enhanced Samsung says, allowing users to create personalised avatars with more true-to-life facial expressions. Filters introduces new analogue-style filters, delivering a film-like aesthetic for photos and videos.
The Samsung Galaxy S25 also has a stronger build and screen.
With durable titanium and the new Corning Gorilla Armor 2, a first-of-its-kind material, the screen is more durable than glass.
It combines Corning’s glass-ceramic with a proprietary anti-reflective surface treatment, helping to ensure advanced drop protection alongside anti-reflection surface treatment and scratch resistance.
Samsung further claims that its Galaxy S25 series device now uses a minimum of 50% recycled cobalt for its battery.
According to the manufacturer, the Galaxy S25 will be the first Galaxy smartphone to feature batteries made with recycled cobalt sourced from previous Galaxy devices or the batteries discarded during the manufacturing process.
The Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra has a 5,000mAh battery, capable of 45W wired fast charging and 25W wireless fast charging. The Galaxy S25+ has a smaller 4,900mAh battery, also with 45W fast wired charging and 15W fast wireless charging.
The Galaxy S25 Ultra is available in Titanium Silverblue, Titanium Black, Titanium Whitesilver and Titanium Grey, while the Galaxy S25 and Galaxy S25+ will be available in Navy, Silver Shadow, Icyblue and Mint.
