Samsung launched Galaxy AI on last year’s Galaxy S24, and this year, the new and improved AI tools are the biggest change for the Galaxy S25. Samsung says some features may trickle down to older phones, but for now, they’re reserved for its latest flagship line.
From Gemini integration to generative offline image editing, these are the five AI features we can’t wait to test.
Samsung Galaxy S25, S25+ and S25 Ultra: Hands On
1. Action between applications
Artificial intelligence is getting better at finding specific information, no matter how you phrase your question. However, once you get that information, you need to figure out what to do next. Depending on what you need, you may need to copy and paste your result into a calendar event, email, or note. With the Galaxy S25, Samsung introduces Cross App Action to simplify the process.
Here’s how it works. Open Google Gemini and say, “Put the next Buffalo Bills game on my calendar.” Gemini will request and receive the scheduling information and then create the event on your calendar with that request. It can handle even more complex requests like, “Find me pet-friendly vegan restaurants and send that list to Joey.” In this scenario, it searches for those places in your area and then sends the list as an email or message. This cross-app action eliminates the need to cut and paste results from one app to another. We saw a demo of this in action, and it works pretty smoothly.
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At first, Cross App Action works with Google and Samsung apps and some third-party ones like Spotify and WhatsApp.
2. Natural language search
Samsung Settings Menu (Credit: Iyaz Akhtar)
The Gallery app and Settings menu are the first Galaxy S25 devices to gain access to natural language search. Normally, when you search for a particular photo, you may need to remember when and where the event took place to help find it in your library. Now, you are able to search based on image content and its metadata. For example, you can say, “Find wedding photos in Pittsburgh,” and Galaxy AI will search for images that match the idea of a wedding in the specified location. You don’t need to search for the “white dress” to find a wedding (although that should work too). Your research may be more conceptual than concrete.
These natural search tools in the Settings menu can be quite useful. Most phones’ settings menu is long and contains dozens of features buried in multiple layers of submenus. Specific settings can be a pain to find. With the S25, you can say something like, “My eyes hurt from looking at the screen,” and it will bring you to an environment that can reduce eye strain, like the Eye Comfort Shield. This type of research can be useful for beginners and experts alike.
3. Time to get personal
Manners and Routines (Credit: Iyaz Akhtar)
The Galaxy S25 will learn your habits over time and can suggest routines to automate things. It does this through the Personal Data Engine, which analyzes user data to provide personalized experiences.
For example, you might often turn Bluetooth on to pair with your car before you leave the house, and then turn it off again when you get home. Samsung’s AI will recognize this pattern and provide a routine to automate the process.
This feature can also work in coordination with other Samsung devices. A scenario presented by Samsung showed how a home or smart device can help with your sleep. For example, personalized AI can learn that you sleep better or worse at certain temperatures in your home. Galaxy AI can then alert you to this data and suggest a course of action, such as automatic adjustment of the thermostat at bedtime.
4. Offline AI
Samsung’s Gallery app (Credit: Iyaz Akhtar)
Artificial intelligence requires a lot of processing power and this is often best left to remote servers accessed in the cloud. With the Galaxy S25, generative image editing is now possible without a network connection if you download a large language model (LLM) package. This feature of the Photos app allows you to remove or resize items in an image, and when you do so, your phone may fill in dark areas. Until now, this required an active internet connection. With the S25, you can edit your photos no matter where you are. Samsung still lets you use cloud-based processing if you prefer, and says the results will be exactly the same.
Samsung also released its own Audio Eraser in the Samsung Gallery app. It’s similar to Google’s Magic Audio Eraser in that it analyzes background audio in a video and separates it into channels like wind, noise, voice, and music. Audio Eraser works completely offline and you can remix the audio in real time, dialing in the noise so the end result is easier to hear. This allows you to actively change each level as if you were using audio faders on a mixing board.
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This is made possible in part by the new Snapdragon 8 Elite processor, which has improved AI tools thanks to the high-load CPU, GPU and NPU. It is better able to handle offline processing needs.
5. Improved contextual search
Sometimes, you want your phone to help you with something on the screen. The search circle is already a great tool that can help you find information about text or images on your screen. With the Galaxy S25, Circle to Search can now search for audio playing on your phone. If you are watching a video and want to know what song is playing in the background, you can use Circle to Search.
Additionally, Samsung’s AI Select feature can provide actionable suggestions depending on the context. If a video is playing and you call AI Select, it may recommend creating a GIF. If you’re looking at a web page, AI Select may suggest the Summary tool. If there is embedded text within a video, AI Select lets you select and search for it. AI Select makes these suggestions automatically.
Putting Galaxy AI to the test
We’re already putting the Galaxy S25 and Galaxy AI lineup through their paces. We are eager to see if these features work as Samsung claims. Check back soon for our full reviews.
Until then, check out our first look at the Galaxy S25 lineup and our breakdown of the key differences between each Galaxy S25 model.
Samsung Galaxy 2025 Unboxed: Everything Announced in 10 Minutes
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About Iyaz Akhtar
Mobile analyst
