Samsung made a better Pixel
Galaxy S25 puts Google Gemini front and centre
So the latest Samsung Galaxy S25 phones have been announced. Besides slight design tweaks and the usual yearly hardware upgrades, these smartphones aren’t too different from last year’s models. Instead, the focus was once again on the Galaxy AI features in these phones.
What’s notable is that Samsung seems to have taken its partnership with Google to the next level with the One UI 7 interface in the new Galaxy S25 phones (and coming to older Samsung phones later). Google’s multimodal Gemini AI assistant is now integrated with Samsung’s in-house apps, while the Circle to Search feature that debuted in the Galaxy S24 phones remains the best way to search everything from text to images, and can now identify snippets of a song.
I’m also intrigued by the Now Brief feature that gives a personalised summary of your day, like the weather forecast, sleep data, and upcoming appointments. It’s like a souped-up version of the Daily Briefing you’ll find on the Galaxy Watch. Meanwhile, the Now Bar widget near the bottom of the screen has been likened to Apple’s Dynamic Island feature.
But throughout my short hands-on with the Galaxy S25 phones, I kept seeing AI-powered features that reminded me of my Google Pixel 9 Pro. Like the Night Video mode that captures more details in low light (Pixel: Night Sight Video) or the Audio Eraser tool (Pixel: Audio Magic Eraser in Google Photos) that reduces unwanted background noises from videos.
While I appreciate the software and AI features on the Google Pixel 9 Pro, I’ll be the first to admit that its Tensor chip isn’t as capable as the Qualcomm Snapdragon processor found in Android flagship phones. Now I think the Pixel 9 Pro takes great photos, but the camera sensors aren’t anything special, and certainly can't compare with the Galaxy S25 Ultra’s 200MP main camera.
Meanwhile, you can count on Samsung to put the best hardware (except maybe the battery tech) in its phones. From what I have seen of the software and AI features in the Samsung Galaxy S25 smartphones, they feel like turbo-charged versions of the Google Pixel phones. And that’s not a bad thing.
We’ll be reviewing the Galaxy S25 phones soon, so keep a lookout on canbuyornot.com. This week, we tested Honor’s latest flagship smartphone, took a test drive of the upcoming Civilization VII strategy game, and tried out Oppo’s new 12-inch productivity tablet.
Honor’s new flagship Magic7 Pro upgrades the hardware, and opts for a flatter design. But the big changes are the new AI features, including an AI-powered deepfake detection feature for video calls, as well as the inclusion of Google’s Gemini AI assistant. The new battery is also impressive, with a larger capacity that enables the phone to last over a day.
Get ready for more overnight gaming sessions once the upcoming Civilization VII launches on Feb 11. The long-awaited, new installment revamps the gameplay with a new mechanic that splits the game into three major Ages, and lets the player choose a new civilisation after the dawn of a new age. There are also random events that occur when this is about to happen. So far, it’s looking good.
The Oppo Pad 3 Pro is a premium Android tablet for productivity and gaming, thanks to a capable processor and accessories like a keyboard case and pen. It has a crisp 144Hz display that’s complemented by excellent speakers. The keyboard offers a good typing experience that’s not too far from that of a laptop keyboard. But note that the weight will balloon to 1.1kg once you add the keyboard case.