Samsung’s transition from Android innovator to carrier store chaff

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Samsung’s transition from Android innovator to carrier store chaff

The Galaxy S25+ is the most frustrating phone I’ve reviewed. As a tech journalist, I want to eviscerate Samsung for not giving people what they deserve from a $1,000 flagship phone in 2025. The company’s innovation moves at a glacial pace, and the Galaxy S25+ should be a significant improvement over previous generations.

However, as much as I want to dig into Samsung, I must acknowledge that this is still a good smartphone. It’s not fair to bash the phone when plenty of users will get years of enjoyment from it. I’m going to evaluate the Galaxy S25+ for what it is. While I’ll acknowledge the areas where Samsung fell short compared to the competition, I am aware that the Galaxy S25+ will be the best choice for many people walking into their carrier store looking to pay $30 a month for their phone.

s25-plus-square

Samsung Galaxy S25+

7.5/10

The Samsung Galaxy S25+ is the middle offering in the company’s lineup. It features a 6.7-inch AMOLED QHD+ display with a 120Hz refresh rate. The new Snapdragon 8 Elite chipset powers it, and it has 12GB of RAM, and either 256 or 512GB of storage. Samsung didn’t increase the battery size for 2025, leaving it at 4,900mAh, although a more efficient chipset has resulted in better battery life. It’s thin and lightweight, at just 7.3mm and 190g, respectively.

Pros & Cons

Smooth software experience

7 years of One UI support

No 50MP ultrawide upgrade

Galaxy AI is still a question mark

Price, specs, and availability

The Samsung Galaxy S25+ is available through Samsung and Best Buy for $1,000. The base model includes 256GB of storage, while the 512GB variant costs an additional $120. It comes in various colors, such as Mint, Icy Blue, and Silver Shadow, although you’re doing it wrong if you don’t buy the Galaxy S25+ in Navy or Coral, a Samsung website exclusive. Those two colors are Samsung’s best in years, and the Navy looks fantastic on my review unit.

The Galaxy S25+ comes unlocked for all major carriers, and I had no signal or connectivity issues testing it on AT&T.

SpecificationsSoC  Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite for GalaxyDisplay type  120Hz AMOLEDDisplay dimensions  6.7 inchesDisplay resolution  3120 x 1440RAM  12GBStorage  256GB/512GBBattery  4,900mAhCharge speed  45W wired, 15W wirelessCharge options  Wired, wireless, wireless powersharePorts  USB-COperating System  Android 15, One UI 7Front camera  12MP f/2.2Rear camera  50MP, f/1.8 OIS main; 12MP, f/2.2 ultrawide; 10MP, f/2.4 telephoto (3× zoom)Cellular connectivity  5G, 4G LTEWi-Fi connectivity  Wi-Fi 7Connectivity  NFC, UWB, Wireless DeXBluetooth  Bluetooth 5.4Dimensions  158.4 x 75.8 x 7.3 mmWeight  190gIP Rating  IP68Colors  Silver Shadow, Navy, Ice Blue, MintStylus  NoPrice  $1,000Design and displayMore of what you know and a gorgeous panel

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Samsung Galaxy S25+ against wooden bowling alley approach

If you’ve seen one Samsung Galaxy, you’ve seen them all. However, that’s only partial hyperbole, as Samsung carries the same design language throughout every device in its lineup, from the cheaper Galaxy A16 to the Galaxy S25 Ultra. It’s not accidental. Samsung crafted a premium, unoffensive device that appeals to the most people possible. Nothing about the phone sparks emotion, which is ideal when you want your product to blend in next to the iPhone and Pixel on carrier store shelves.

The Galaxy S25+ is not all bland, and Samsung made some improvements for 2025. It’s noticeably thinner than its predecessors, at 7.3mm. This is the sweet spot for flat-framed phones, and the Galaxy S25+ has the best feel in the hand of any Samsung since the Galaxy S10+. It’s also lightweight, tipping the scales at 190g. I’m glad phone manufacturers have found a middle ground, proving devices can be thin and powerful without sacrificing thermal performance and weighing 230g.

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Back glass of the Samsung Galaxy S25+

The Galaxy S25+ has the usual appurtenances of fine living. Its front and back are protected by Gorilla Glass Armor 2, which Corning claims is four times more scratch-resistant than the competitors’ glass. I love the shift in focus away from shatter protection. It’ll still protect your phone from drops, but I’m more likely to suffer from micro-abrasions on the display than to launch my phone onto a marble surface. Nothing bothers me more than picking up my shiny new phone after a week, only to realize I have a surface scratch.

It may not have the titanium frame of its more expensive sibling, but Samsung’s Aluminum Armor 2 on the Galaxy S25+ instills confidence the device won’t bend or suffer damage despite being 7.3mm thick. Samsung did the right thing by color-matching the frame to the phone. It adds something to the design and looks fantastic with the Navy and Coral variants. I wasn’t joking earlier. You’re doing yourself a disservice if you don’t take advantage of those colors. Phone manufacturers grew afraid of saturation, so I’m glad at least two vibrant colors made it through.

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Samsung Galaxy S25+ display being held against tree

The Navy colorway isn’t the only vibrant aspect of the Galaxy S25+. Samsung reversed its recent trend of using screens with more natural tuning on its phones. Last year, the company gave me hope when it added a software slider to control the display vibrancy. Samsung has returned to form with the display on the Galaxy S25+. It’s a gorgeous 6.7-inch AMOLED QHD+ panel that refreshes at 120Hz. The anti-reflective glass has been improved since last year, making outdoor viewing easier.

In addition, the Galaxy S25+ has excellent viewing angles, with little distortion off-axis. It’s an old-school stunner of a Samsung display, reminding me why I fell in love with the company’s screens.

Other hardware and what’s in the box

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Side profile of the thin frame on the Galaxy S25+

I know Samsung isn’t the only guilty party, but its presentation and included extras are more barren than most. I understand the company wants to be eco-friendly, but the box looks like someone forgot to change a toner cartridge. I’m not asking Samsung to take out a rainforest because I spent $1,000 on a smartphone. Still, I’m sure there are eco-friendly ways to present better for people wanting a premium experience. I don’t think they are mutually exclusive.

You’ll notice a slight improvement to the speakers over the Galaxy S24+. They don’t distort even at higher volumes, and the depth of sound is better this year. There is no upgrade in water resistance, as the Galaxy S25+ still carries an IP68 rating.

Software and performanceSamsung focused on the wrong things

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Quick settings shade on the Samsung Galaxy S25+

If you buy a Galaxy S25+, don’t do it because of Galaxy AI. Samsung’s AI sales pitch sounds good, but the product is far from finished. Many features weren’t ready for prime time and aren’t exclusive to Samsung phones. Now Brief does nothing. I’ve been using it for two weeks, hoping that something would break through that feels generative. However, I’ve only been greeted by weather reports and news of violent crimes, not stories I’ve shown interest in.

I jumped through hoops to set up Samsung Health and News, expecting Now Brief to pull in data and provide suggestions and curated news, but it’s done nothing. At this point, I would settle for Now Brief telling me that tomorrow will be cold, so I should wear a coat or suggest I bring an umbrella because rain is forecast for the afternoon. I’m not saying Now Brief is a lost cause, but Samsung has work to do before I count it as a valuable part of my user experience.

Now Bar is more of a mixed bag.

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Maps integration functions well, displaying turn-by-turn navigation on the lock screen. I love that I can follow my favorite sports teams on the Now Bar, but the function doesn’t work correctly, with scores popping on and off the screen. I hope Samsung has a Day One patch planned because I’ve grown to enjoy this feature on my iOS devices. APIs have been released to developers, so we’ll see what third-party application support it receives, but I expect to see some innovative app integrations throughout this year.

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Now Bar settings on the Galaxy S25+

Samsung highlighted cross-app integration as a selling point of the Galaxy S25 series, but AI assistants are not as fast as I am at completing tasks. I had to parse queries to ensure Galaxy AI pulled from the correct app I wanted and then port the information to the proper calendar. It’s not an intuitive process, and while agentic assistants show promise, they are not a feature that should be the centerpiece of a new smartphone. It’s also a function I’ve seen perform as well on the

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Pixel 9 Pro and OnePlus 13 with

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Gemini, so I don’t see a competitive advantage for Samsung.

Even though Galaxy AI needs polishing, One UI 7 has grown on me. Samsung’s software needed a fresh coat of paint, and iOS aesthetics aside, I like what the company has done. We finally have a vertical app drawer, something users have wanted for years. It also runs well, and Samsung’s software support over the last several years has been exemplary. Samsung promises seven generations of software support for the Galaxy S25+, which adds to the phone’s value regardless of whether you keep it for seven years.

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Pokemon Go on the Galaxy S25+

The Snapdragon 8 Elite powering the Galaxy S25+ is everything it’s advertised to be. It’s a powerful chipset that’s more battery-efficient than I thought. It chews through AAA mobile titles and intensive Android apps without difficulty. It powers much of the on-device AI functionality with photo and video editing, and I’m excited to see what desktop-class applications are developed to utilize this extra power.

It’s also the saving grace of the Galaxy S25 lineup. The Snapdragon 8 Elite is where Samsung boxes out the

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Pixel 9 series in carrier stores. If you’re a hardcore user who wants more raw horsepower, especially for gaming, your choices are limited in the US. You can switch things up with a OnePlus 13, but carrier support becomes an issue, and you can’t finance one through them either.

The Pixel 9 is fantastic, but

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’s focus isn’t benchmarks, and let’s face it, you’re not buying an iPhone. That leaves Samsung, and the company knows it. That’s why the design is meant not to offend anyone and why you see the company taking zero chances. The days of Windows Phone and BlackBerry are over, Huawei is nowhere to be found, and Motorola is barely holding it together. Competition matters, and Samsung doesn’t have any.

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Samsung Galaxy S25+ sitting on back of wooden deer

I’m less disappointed by the lack of a 16GB variant of the S25+ than by the S25 Ultra’s, but I believe the device should have had more RAM. Samsung features AI heavily in its devices, and more RAM would ensure new Galaxy AI functions would come to our devices for longer and run better. It feels like planned obsolescence. While users won’t be limited by 12GB of RAM in 2025, you might notice your device bogged down in two or three years as more agentic AI features are added — just in time for you to go to your carrier store and start the cycle over again.

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and OnePlus offer 16GB of RAM to futureproof devices for the same price Samsung charges for the Galaxy S25+. I hope Samsung doesn’t use the lack of RAM as an excuse not to bring new features to the phone in two years, as we’ve seen that game attempted by

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last year. Word of Samsung DeX’s demise was exaggerated, as the fan-favorite feature is alive and well on the Galaxy S25+.

CamerasImprovements on the inside

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Camera app on the Samsung Galaxy S25+

The cameras on the Galaxy S25+ are another mixed bag. I enjoy the photos I get from the primary 50MP f/1.8 sensor. Samsung’s computational software is improved, and the enhanced photo processing of the Snapdragon 8 Elite shines. The colors are fantastic, and I’ve noticed improved image clarity over previous Galaxy devices. Low-light photos are crisp with plenty of detail, even though motion capture is still problematic, as you’ll notice blurring.

I’m pleased to report that Samsung’s notorious shutter lag seems to be gone. Even while taking nighttime shots, I noticed the shutter was snappy and responsive, without the delay we’re used to from previous generations. I thought photos of moving subjects would improve without shutter issues, but they didn’t. I don’t know if it’s a software issue or if Samsung improved the feedback when we press the shutter button, but it is still processing in the background.

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Flower photo shown on the Galaxy S25+

One area where AI impresses on the Galaxy S25+ is generative edits to photos. Object (and person) removal is better than ever, with remnants such as shadows and other artifacts accounted for and removed. AI enhancements boost video editing, allowing users to isolate individual audio elements and remove or enhance them as needed. It’s impressive and works well on the Galaxy S25+, which is ideal for parents worried about external noise ruining a cherished moment with their children.

Like most other things about the Galaxy S25+, there’s a downside. The three cameras in the Galaxy S25+ are the same lenses used in the Galaxy S23+. I was sure we’d see new hardware this year, and I was frustrated when the S25 Ultra got a new 50MP ultrawide sensor only to see it not trickle down to the S25+. It feels insulting that for $1,000, Samsung didn’t deem S25+ owners worthy of new hardware.

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Camera array on the Galaxy S25+

While AI has improved images from the 50MP primary lens, you will notice a difference when you switch to the telephoto and ultrawide sensors. There’s a detectable downgrade in color and clarity, especially in low lighting, when images become noisy and soft. Samsung seems to be artificially gatekeeping new camera hardware and enticing users to pay more by confining it to the Galaxy S25 Ultra.

Battery and chargingMore of the same

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Back of the Galaxy S25+ displayed against a tree

I almost fell off my chair when Samsung said it would keep the battery sizes the same as last year. Then I gave the company the benefit of the doubt, thinking it must use silicon-carbide technology like OnePlus to get better performance from the same-sized cells. However, I was wrong. The Galaxy S25+ features the same 4,900mAh lithium-ion battery as last year’s model. The Snapdragon 8 Elite is a more efficient chipset, and I am getting better battery life than on the Galaxy S24+.

However, it’s still limited compared to the similarly priced OnePlus 13, which has a larger 6,000mAh silicon-carbide battery. Both phones can last into a second day on a single charge, but my OnePlus 13 completes the entire day, while the Galaxy S25+ needs a charger by lunchtime.

Charging speeds also need to improve. Samsung has been stuck with 45W charging for years while competitors overseas routinely double that speed. This makes a difference when you forget to plug in your phone or have only 30 minutes before you’re due somewhere. This feature is prevalent on other phones. Samsung needs to step up and add it to its own.

CompetitionWhat else is out there?

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OnePlus 13 in blue sitting next to a Pusheen

I mentioned the OnePlus 13 earlier, and I love it as an alternative to the Galaxy S25+. For the same price, you get more storage, more RAM, a ******* battery with newer technology, faster charging speeds, and an IP69 rating. It’s a monster, but I understand it’s not for everyone. Support isn’t available through all major carriers, and you can’t add one to your monthly bill for $30. If you’re not beholden to a particular ecosystem and know your carrier will support it, the OnePlus 13 is worth a look.

I also like the

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Pixel 9 Pro, but it’s a different experience.

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focused on software and AI enhancements instead of raw power. The Pixel doesn’t offer better gaming performance, but it has more RAM and a versatile camera system. In addition, most of the AI features Samsung is boasting about for Galaxy AI will eventually make their way to Pixel phones. If you’re used to the power of a Samsung flagship, you might be frustrated with

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’s offerings.

Should you buy it?

I promised I’d be fair, and while it pains me to say it, the Galaxy S25+ is the best choice for millions of smartphone users. If you don’t like the smaller screen of the standard Galaxy S25, the S25+ is a better choice than the Ultra, allowing you to save money and get much of the same performance.

Samsung did an excellent job narrowing down the features casual users look for, such as a fantastic display, solid battery life, and good photos, while leaving enough deficiencies below the surface to make a tech journalist lose sleep. I’m practical enough to know Samsung fans should pick up a Galaxy S25+ if they’re coming from an older device on a typical carrier upgrade cycle, but that doesn’t mean I give Samsung a gold star when I know the company is capable of doing much more.

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s25-plus-square

Samsung Galaxy S25+

7.5/10

The Samsung Galaxy S25+ is the middle offering in the company’s lineup. It features a 6.7-inch AMOLED QHD+ display with a 120Hz refresh rate. The new Snapdragon 8 Elite chipset powers it, and it has 12GB of RAM, and either 256 or 512GB of storage. Samsung didn’t increase the battery size for 2025, leaving it at 4,900mAh, although a more efficient chipset has resulted in better battery life. It’s thin and lightweight, at just 7.3mm and 190g, respectively.

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#Samsungs #transition #Android #innovator #carrier #store #chaff

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