Samsung’s Galaxy S-series is in its software era. Maybe the whole smartphone industry is, too, save for a few phones with hinges (Samsung’s included). But overall, we have exited the hardware-driven innovation cycle and are firmly in the midst of a software-based one.

The Samsung Galaxy S25 has been available for a few weeks and has now received its first seamless software update, though details on what it contains are vague. An update previously rolled out only to South Korea,

The Galaxy S25 Plus is a tougher sell given how it shares the same set of Galaxy AI features and cameras found on the cheaper S25 model. It's a powerful, big-screen phone, but it's hampered by a dimmer display and modest battery life improvements over its predecessor.