After a slew of depressing occurrences in January (David Lynch, we'll miss you!), this is an oasis to look forward to: the Samsung Galaxy Unpacked event. Hosted in the heart of Silicon Valley, San Jose, we got an announcement of Samsung's latest line-up: AI- I mean, sorry, Galaxy AI. Well, there's also the Galaxy S25 series and its updated Android OS, the One UI 7.
The next-gen One UI 7 will help realise the vision of Galaxy AI, which is that not only does the digital assistant need to follow commands, it also needs to anticipate the needs of the user before they even thought of it. Take the “Now Brief” feature, for instance. It’s a lock screen feature that learns your daily rituals and throws up relevant updates. If the first thing you do when you wake up is to look at your phone, you'll be presented with the information that matters to you—today's workout playlist; the traffic status, appointments for the day; the menu of the restaurant that you're heading to later that night.
Then there's “AI Select", which summarises and refines articles or generates designs with the “Drawing Assist” tool. The Galaxy S25’s multimodal AI also helps with natural language processing. Triggered by simple phrases, say if you mention that your eyes are tired, the blue light filter turns on. Or mention "I wish I can see the pic of that huge-ass pimple that my gross girlfriend found on my back", the gallery will cough up the goods. Circle to Search gets a glow-up. It now ID songs on screen without opening up a separate app like SoundHound.
To power this level of AI, you'll need a souped-up processor. That's where the new Snapdragon 8 Elite processor comes in. It has a 40 per cent increase in neural processing unit (NPU) performance and massive leaps in GPU and CPU efficiency. This is also great for casual gamers as Samsung's ProScaler tech sharpens gameplay visuals and upgraded ray tracing delivers hyper-realistic lighting effects. Heat dissipation is better due to an increase in vapour chamber sizing (by 40 per cent) and you have longer battery life (5000mAh) and faster charging system (25W).
The upgraded ProVisual Engine—powered by advanced AI—knows how to make your photos pop by capturing minute intricacies of your subject. Then, there's Nightography (*giggle*, sorry... still trying to get used to the name)—Samsung’s night-shot feature, that levels up as well, delivering images that feel alive even in low light. The Galaxy S25 Ultra also has its first 50MP ultra-wide-angle camera to capture everything in that stunning landscape shot.
Oh, and this is useful, the Audio Eraser, which strips away unwanted noise. During a demo we had earlier with Samsung, we were told that you can use that feature on older audio files.
Galaxy AI is going deeper into your health. With sleep pattern analysis, exercise habits, and even diet metrics; imagine it as a coach, counsellor, and nutritionist rolled into one. Beyond physical health, the app will tackle mental well-being, offering tools for stress management and mental health tracking.
Samsung also touted its sustainability efforts with a promise that by 2030, every Galaxy product will feature recycled materials in every module. To whit, the Galaxy S25 series consists of batteries containing 50 per cent recycled cobalt, sourced via Samsung’s Circular Battery Supply Chain.
As the show ended, there was a hint that the Galaxy S25 Edge will take on a slimmer silhouette but still packing power. I guess, we'll find out at the next Unpacked. Maybe.
For more info on the Galaxy S25 series, click here.
Samsung's biannual unveiling of its devices yesterday in Paris. It was, after all, a marketing strategy, a slew of Samsung devices announced at the locale of this year's Olympics. With pomp and circumstance, there comes the expectation of something new from the South Korean tech giant. These are what were announced at this year's Unpacked event.
The AI game heats up even further as Samsung reiterates its commitment to the integration of its Galaxy AI into their product ecosystem. Samsung was the first major phone brand to announce its use of Galaxy AI and while that thunder was stole with Apple announcing their own proprietary Apple Intelligence, Samsung reminds us that it already has a working Galaxy AI and that more of its products will have them.
One of the more impressive Galaxy AI addition is the Sketch to image feature. Your rudimentary doodle can be generated into different fully-fleshed image styles. Apple mentioned similar actions with its Image Wand but at this point, it's all about the speed to showcase AI, so this round goes to Samsung.
Samsung's signature phones return: the Galaxy Z Fold6 and the Galaxy Z Flip6. Touted to be "the slimmest and lightest Z series", the series are also blessed with enhanced Armor Aluminum2 and Corning Gorilla Glass Victus 2 for more durability. Both the Fold6 and Flip6 have Snapdragon 8 Gen In addition to being reliable, every element of the Z series is also powerful. Both the Z Fold6 and Z Flip6 are equipped with the Snapdragon Gen 3 Mobile Platform, the most advanced Snapdragon mobile processor yet.
The Galaxy Z Fold6 has a sleeker design and a Dynamic AMOLED 2X screen, which gives it unparalleled brightness. There's an upgraded gaming experience that's within the Fold6 by its chipset and a 1.6x larger vapour chamber. Meanwhile, the Galaxy Z Flip6 has a new 50MP wide camera, a 12MP Ultra-wide sensors and larger battery life.
Let's address the elephant dominating the room: yes, obvious comparisons would be made with the Apple Watch Ultra. From the orange band to the orange "action button" to the shape of the dial, I guess, imitation is a form of flattery? But other than the looks, the Galaxy Watch Ultra seem to hold its own with its pricing and health measurement specs.
Other than the smartwatch, this smart ring is meant to be worn throughout. It's less intrusive than the smartwatch, which makes for easier health tracking. Imbued with three sensors—accelerometer, photoplethysmography and skin temperature reading—the Galaxy Ring can monitor and collate various health metrics. It comes in several sizes.
Welp, those were our key takeaways from this year's Unpacked. As we go through the devices, we'll let you know in-depth what to further expect with each of these devices.