Samsung Galaxy S25: AI-Powered Features Redefine Smartphone Experience

15 Hidden Galaxy S25 Tips and Tricks You Should Know About

Quick Links Customize Now Brief and Now Bar Cross-App Gemini Extensions Switch to QHD+ Screen Resolution Enable Extra Brightness Use the Expert Raw Camera Module The New Audio Eraser Works Well Make Video Highlights With Auto Trim in the Gallery Instantly Enhance Image With Remaster User the Connected Devices Features Video Brightness Use the McAfee Anti-malware Software Customize the Gaming and Performance Profile Create a Unique Wallpaper Using AI Get a QI2-Compatible Wireless Charging Case Enable Wireless Power Sharing Samsung's Galaxy S25 lineup is one of the most feature-rich Android smartphones on the market. While that works in the favor of the handsets, it also means that you can face trouble in keeping track of all its capabilities. To elevate your experience, here's a list of 15 hidden Galaxy S25 tips and tricks. Customize Now Brief and Now Bar The Galaxy S25 series comes with a new Now Brief feature, which uses machine learning to compile app alerts and notifications with actionable updates. Now Bar, on the other hand, is more like an interactive widget that lets you manage the background activities like timers, music playback, or live notifications (similar to what Dynamic Island does on iPhones). Well, you can customize both features for a tailored experience. To personalize the updates in Now Brief, head to Settings > Galaxy AI > Now Brief and tap "Content to include." On the next screen, you can choose the type of content you wish to appear in the Now Brief. For instance, if you don't want YouTube Shorts to show up, simply tap on the toggle to its right. To personalize the Now Bar, head to Settings > Lock screen and AOD > Now Bar, and under Live notifications, tap on "View more." Now, you can disable the feature for the apps you don't want popping up on your lock screen. Cross-App Gemini Extensions For those who missed the Galaxy S25 launch event and just got their unit off the shelf at a retail store, the phones now support cross-app Gemini functionality. So, you can invoke the AI assistant and ask it to perform multi-step tasks that involve accessing data from several apps. For instance, you can ask Gemini to make a list of popular burger joints near your house and save it in Samsung Notes. While Samsung says that Gemini can also access third-party apps like WhatsApp and Spotify, I couldn't do so on my unit. Close Switch to QHD+ Screen Resolution The Galaxy S25+ and the S25 Ultra have a QHD+ panel, but by default, their resolution is set at FHD+ (2340 x 1080). Of course, the lower resolution improves the battery life, but if you want the best viewing experience, head to Settings > Display > Screen resolution and select the QHD+ option. Enable Extra Brightness All models in the Galaxy S25 lineup have incredibly bright screens, but they only reach peak brightness under direct sunlight in the default adaptive brightness mode. To take manual control over the brightness and ensure it reaches the maximum level (even indoors), you must do two things. Head to Settings > Display and turn off "Adaptive brightness." Next, enable the "Extra brightness" toggle. Use the Expert Raw Camera Module While the Camera app on the Galaxy S25 clicks fantastic pictures, it doesn't allow you to adjust the shutter, ISO, EV, or color balance manually. If you want to control all these settings and, more importantly, shoot in the RAW image format, download the Expert RAW module via the Camera app. Simply open the default Camera app, tap More at the bottom right corner, and select Expert RAW from the pop-up menu. The app will redirect you to the Galaxy Store, where you can download Expert RAW. Once installed on your device, you can access it via the Camera or as a separate app in the app drawer. The New Audio Eraser Works Well Next up on the list of the hidden Galaxy S25 features is the new Audio Eraser. It uses machine learning to recognize vocals, wind noise, and background disturbances in a video, allowing you to tune them up or down (similar to the Audio Magic Eraser on Google's Pixel phones). The feature is available in the native Gallery app. To use Audio Eraser, open the video in the Gallery and hit the pencil icon in the bottom left corner. Next, hit the speaker icon in the bottom right corner and select Audio Eraser. Now, you can either drag the sliders below the Voices, Wind, and Noise buttons to adjust the intensity of sounds in the video or press the Auto button and let Galaxy AI take care of it. You can even compare the results with the original sound in the video by tapping the "Hear original" button at the top left. Make Video Highlights With Auto Trim in the Gallery The new Auto Trim feature uses AI to extract key moments from selected videos and create a new video, reducing the time it would take to trim the videos manually. In the Gallery, tap on the hamburger menu in the bottom right corner and select "Go to Studio." Tap on "Start a new project," select the videos, and hit Done in the top right corner. On the following screen, hit the scissor icon at the bottom left of the screen. The Auto Trim feature uses AI to analyze the shots and compile the highlights in the form of a relatively shorter video. You can also change the length of the video by selecting the Short, Long, or Custom Duration options. Instantly Enhance Image With Remaster Though not a new feature, Remaster remains one of the lesser-known features of Samsung smartphones. On the Galaxy S25, you can use the Remaster feature to instantly improve a picture. What needs to be done to enhance the picture -- whether it is removing shadows, reflections, or adjusting the skin tones -- is not something you've to worry about either. Simply swipe up on a picture in the Gallery and select the Remaster option. User the Connected Devices Features For first-time Galaxy S series buyers, the lineup offers various ecosystem-based features. The S25 series also offers several of them, including Quick Share, Music Share, Camera Share, Storage Share, Link to Windows, Multi Control, and Samsung DeX, among others. For example, you can share files with any Android device, access files on your Galaxy Book through the smartphone, or use it as a high-quality camera for video calls, all using Samsung's connected devices features. Video Brightness Yet another hidden feature on your Galaxy S25, Video Brightness, temporarily increases the screen's brightness to add more vibrance to the colors while watching videos. The feature works for the video player and content streaming apps like YouTube, Netflix, and Google TV. To enable the feature, head to Settings > Advanced Features > Video brightness, and select Bright. Use the McAfee Anti-malware Software You might not know this, but Samsung is in a partnership with McAfee. As a result, the Galaxy S25 comes with McAfee anti-malware software pre-installed. To give your phone a quick scan, go to Settings > Device care > App Protection. Then, hit the "Scan phone" button. The anti-malware scan takes a few moments, depending on the number of apps. That's one less app you need to download on your brand-new smartphone (especially if it's a 128GB variant). Customize the Gaming and Performance Profile The Galaxy S25 lets you select the gaming and general performance profile, something that can be handy if you're trying to maximize the phone's battery life or gaming performance. To set the gaming performance profile, open the Gaming Hub app, press the three dots at the top right corner, and select Game Booster. On the following screen, tap the Game optimization option (at the top) and select from the available options: Performance, Balanced, or Battery Saver. If you wish to tweak the phone's general performance profile, head to Settings > Device care > Performance profile, and choose from the available options: Standard (which provides a balance between processing power and battery life) or Light (which prioritizes battery life). Create a Unique Wallpaper Using AI The Galaxy S25 series lets you create wallpapers using text-to-image AI models. It doesn't allow you to type up a description but asks you to select or tweak certain variables in a command (something that simplifies the process for all users). To create a personalized AI-generated wallpaper, go to Settings > Wallpaper and Style> Change wallpapers, and select the "Create with AI" option. Then, select Generative. Now, select the theme of the wallpaper from the given options. I've chosen Bloom as an example. Now, select the highlighted words and choose from the available options. Finally, hit on Generate. In a few seconds, Galaxy AI will prepare some new wallpaper for you based on the phrases you selected. Tap on Set and follow the on-screen instructions to apply the AI-generated wallpaper on your Galaxy S25. Get a QI2-Compatible Wireless Charging Case The Galaxy S25 supports Qi2.1 charging but lacks the Magnetic Power Profile (or the in-built magnetic ring) in its casing. To take advantage of the wireless charging standard, you need a Qi2-enabled magnetic protective case to place your phone on a Qi2 charger (that holds your phone in the right place). For this, you can get Samsung's Qi2-enabled magnetic cases or third-party cases from Spigen or dbrand. Enable Wireless Power Sharing Your Galaxy S25 supports wireless power sharing, letting you charge another device (that supports wireless charging) with the smartphone. All you've to do is enable the "Wireless power sharing" option in the Battery settings menu, rest your Galaxy S25 face down, and put the other device at the back panel's center. That's it. Those were the 15 hidden Galaxy S25 tips and tricks to help you explore your brand-new smartphone and better understand the lesser-known features. Still confused between the new Galaxy S series devices and how they compare to the old ones? Check out our detailed comparisons between the Galaxy S25 and Galaxy S24 or Galaxy S25 and Galaxy S23 to make up your mind.

Got a new Galaxy S25? Try out these tips and tricks to get the most out if it

If last year's introduction of Galaxy AI features with the Galaxy S24 was a taste of the future, then today's Galaxy S25 offers a full-scale culinary feast. A full meal with dessert rather than just a snack, the new S25 Galaxy AI features are not just for the basics like transcribing and summarizing conversations -- although that's included -- but for supporting a fuller more interactive relationship with your phone. Go ahead, ask what restaurant has the best thin crust pizza or what's needed to repair your car's squeaking brakes. That's because the S25 focuses as much on widening the scope of its AI menu as easing its use. Shifting AI into high gear with a wide variety of new and improved tasks is likely just the start as AI becomes part of a phone's every task, ability and feature. There's definitely a lot to absorb if you're just getting acquainted with your new Galaxy S25. That's why I'm going to tell you exactly the features you need to try first on the Galaxy S25, along with a handful tips and tricks to help you along the way. And yes, these also work for the Galaxy S25 Plus and Galaxy S25 Ultra, as they share the same set of features. All in all, the S25's new hardware takes a back seat to software and AI processing of your every whim. I explore the newfound power of handheld AI with a Galaxy S25 Ultra using AT&T's 5G service and what follows are my favorite 13 things it can do. My choices include everything from asking for dining recommendations to reading Web sites to fine-tuning photos. The Galaxy S25 goes all in on artificial intelligence with the Google Gemini preloaded and integrated with Samsung's Calendar, Notes and Reminder apps that can turn the phone into a companion and friend. Gemini's options are minimal and available from a link in the app's upper right, starting with giving the AI app the ability to listen without unlocking the phone. After selecting "Gemini on lock screen" I was set for quick questions and trivia night cheating. I started by typing questions and moved on to talking to Gemini with a long press of the phone's side button. It took a couple seconds to recommend the best current movies but when I asked for "vegan ramen noodles in my area," it included several that touted meat dishes. Gemini Advanced takes AI to a higher level with links to Gmail and Google Docs as well as 2TB of online storage that normally costs $20 per month; the S25 comes with a six month free trial. Later, the system delivered a surprisingly cogent explanation about the material properties of Roman concrete, an essay I wish I had when I was a student. The S25's One UI 7 brings a new and tighter look to the phone's lock screen with widgets for a variety of items. They can be customized in the "Wallpaper and style" section. It's easy to add a widget to surface the language translator, news, weather or other rapidly changing items. Personally, I'm more interested in the battery's charge level and the Device Care optimization that can free up gobs of system memory. The Galaxy S25's new Now Bar is a big step forward for those who don't want to unlock their phones to see some basic information. Similar in scope to the iPhone's Dynamic Island, the small oval bar mixes entertainment control buttons with items that range from the weather to time to news. Aside from the "Good Morning" message, it's useful and serious. Open the "Lock Screen and AOD" (Always On Display) and tap the link for Now Bar in the middle. Pick the items you want included and make sure that the "Now brief" toggle is enabled when done. The home screen dynamics on the S25 are a mixed bag with lots of flexibility but missing some S24 options, like the 4 x 5 and 5 x 5 grid options; only the 4 x 6 and 5 x 6 are shown. Still, it's easy to add active elements by pressing on an empty part of the screen and tapping Widgets below. There're several choices, including design details like resizing the app icons and adding widget labels. I went a few steps further by adding the Daily Activity widget to track my walking and calories burned for the previous week. I finished by locking the Home Screen. The other day I was on a crosstown bus so bumpy that I could not keep the phone stable enough to read my favorite site. So, I let the phone read the pages to me. To hear all about it, I put my ear buds in and went to Galaxy AI's browsing assist. After firing up the read highlights aloud option, I made sure it would read in English; there are a variety of downloadable language packs available. The reading voice is generally fluid and understandable although some of the cadence is off and it only works with Samsung's Internet Browser and sites without pay walls. In addition to sharper and less grainy night photography, the S25 brings an array of AI-based photo tools. My favorite is the camera's adjustable virtual aperture that rather than manipulating the optics, digitally mimics changing the lens's aperture. With the phone's camera app open go to More, then Expert Raw. If it's your first use, download Samsung's 500MB Expert Raw app. At the app's Expert Raw Labs section and turn on all the controls to allow the new software to take over. Back at the camera screen, tap the yellow F stop area to open the vertical slider on the right for changing the aperture's setting. The results are nothing short of amazing with the ability to get the foreground (like a piece of fruit) in focus, while the background is out of focus at low F stop numbers or get a sharp shot of a house with a high F stop. Regardless of whether you're removing a shadow or an annoying beachgoer in the background, whenever you use Samsung Generative AI image editing, the result has an "AI-Generated content" watermark in the lower left corner. This was the case when I removed a passing car from my street scene, but like a temporary tattoo, the watermark can disappear. Begin by tapping on the interface's editing pencil, opening on the 4 circle More menu and going to the Object eraser. After circling the watermark tap Erase and presto, it's gone. Since its inception, Samsung's Knox security software has protected a phone's sensitive data in a secure encrypted folder that's great for stashing photos, videos, IDs and anything private. It's now easier to set it up by going to the Secure Folder that's in the More portion of the "Security and privacy" Settings section. Once the folder is set up, pick a method for opening it, like fingerprint, PIN or pattern. I set it up to secure the folder when my phone's lock screen starts up, but if you have the tendency to forget passwords, make sure the bottom switch is enabled so that you can recover data access via your Samsung account. When you're battling aliens or lapping at Le Mans, squeezing every last ounce of phone performance can be the difference between winning and losing. To make the S25 game-friendly, go to the Gaming Hub app and tap the three dot link in the upper right to get to the Game Booster page. It's a cornucopia of gaming enhancements, starting with the "Gaming motion smoothness" setting; boost it to 120Hz refresh rate. Then, hit the "Customizations for individual games" to tailor the settings for each game you've installed. Start by resetting the "Game optimization" level to Performance and then double the frame rate because I need every advantage I can get. Watch out, these changes can sap the phone's battery. The good news is that the S25 Ultra can charge its 5,000 mAh battery in a little over an hour using a 45W power adapter. If you're charging from the lock screen, One UI 6's circular battery level indicator has been replaced by One UI 7's larger pill at the screen's bottom to show the charge level and how much time remains until a full charge. When charging from the Home Screen, a green icon momentarily pops up in the upper right followed by a trilling sound. A good tip is that to get the most out of fast charging, you'll want to turn battery protection off at Settings, Battery, Battery Protection, but this can shorten its lifespan. There are three levels of battery protection available: Basic, Adaptive and Maximum. Either way, the phone can feel like a hot potato after a quick charge. It's a risk you take, but it might be helpful when used sparringly. Using your finger to unlock a Galaxy phone can be a time-consuming task, but there's a trick to speeding up the analysis of your finger's pattern and -- hopefully -- opening the phone. Go to the "Security and privacy" section and open "Screen lock and biometrics" followed by entering your PIN. After opening Fingerprints, turn off the "Show animation when unlocking." It's there to divert your attention while the phone processes the data. Without the animation overhead, the unlocking process is streamlined, but before you leave the page, enable "Fingerprint always on." Samsung's Wallet app does more than consolidate all your plastic money, IDs, and digital payments into one screen by incorporating Samsung Pay. The combination is protected with the phone's Knox security but adds flexible payment options available for got-have things (like a Galaxy S25) you want but can't afford at the moment. At this point, you'll need to enter personal information, but all the fees are spelled out. More than instant digital gratification, think of it as a way to leave the cards at home yet still shop freely. Other than the larger screen, the S25 Ultra model has the S25 and S25 Plus beat by including the latest S Pen stylus for drawing, writing and tapping. The new design is a step back by lacking Bluetooth radio, forget about using it as a remote camera shutter release. It can still do lots of helpful things, so start at the Settings' Advanced Features and tap on the S Pen section to get to all its major options. In addition to turning handwriting into digital text and taking notes with the screen turned off it's a great way to doodle or air draw when bored. A nice trick is set the phone to open the Notes app to have it ready for writing whenever the pen is removed.

4 smartphone AI features that I think are actually useful

The smartphone industry has changed a lot over the past few years. While brands once focused on hardware innovation, from introducing new form factors to better batteries and cameras, most companies have now shifted to packing their phones with software-driven features, mostly AI-powered tools. The biggest and most recent example of this is the Samsung Galaxy S25 series. But let's be real: smartphone makers are flooding their devices with AI features, and not all of them are actually useful. While brands love to brag about AI features on their phones, only a handful of them truly make a difference in day-to-day use. Here are some AI features that I actually use daily -- and that are genuinely worth having. Related Galaxy AI's half-baked tools offer too little to sell me on new Samsung phones And new Galaxy phones have little else Posts The AI features covered in this article were used on the Google Pixel 9 Pro, Samsung Galaxy S23, and OnePlus 13, though they're available on most flagship Android smartphones. 4 Circle to Search makes looking things up easy It lets me find info instantly without leaving my screen First introduced with the Galaxy S24 in 2024, Circle to Search has quickly expanded to more Android phones and become one of my most-used features. It works exactly as it sounds: instead of switching apps or typing out search queries, I can just circle anything on my screen and instantly get results. This is especially useful on social media -- if I come across a pair of shoes, a watch, or any other product I don't recognize, I can simply draw a quick border around it and instantly pull up details (and even shopping links if I'm tempted to buy it). Close But it's not just for shopping. Circle to Search also helps break down unfamiliar images or concepts using Google's AI-powered contextual search. Plus, it's a huge time-saver for translations. Rather than copy-pasting text into a translator, I can trigger Circle to Search, select the text, and get instant translations. Google has also been continuously improving Circle to Search, recently adding song search, making it even more useful. Safe to say, this is one AI tool I genuinely can't go without. Related 7 ingenious ways to use Google's Circle to Search feature Search what's on your screen with ease Posts 1 3 Object eraser helps me fix photos instantly Fixing pictures is easy without paid editing apps I'm no pro photographer, but I like my photos to look clean, and that's where Object Eraser comes in. It's become one of my go-to AI tools because I no longer need to hide unwanted objects while taking a shot. I know I can easily remove them later with just a few taps. And the best part is that this feature is completely free. Many Android phones, including OnePlus, have this built-in. And even if yours doesn't, Google Photos offers Magic Eraser for free. Sure, it's not always perfect -- sometimes the edges look a bit off -- but most of the time, the results are surprisingly clean. Object Eraser has definitely changed how I take and edit photos. 2 AI writing tools make my life so much easier Perfect for quick edits, summaries, and replies One of the most useful AI features on my phone has to be the AI writing tools. As someone who sends a lot of emails and texts every day, this feature has been incredibly helpful. The ability to proofread my messages, fix small grammatical errors, or even restructure entire sentences has come in really handy. Plus, being able to switch the tone to sound more professional or friendly makes a big difference. These tools can also generate key pointers or summaries, which helps me sift through long press releases and emails much faster. While some AI features feel unnecessary, AI writing tools are genuinely useful for someone like me who writes a lot. 1 AI-generated wallpapers keep my home screen fresh I love having unique backgrounds with zero effort I'm someone who likes changing wallpapers every week or so, but finding new ones is harder than it sounds. While the best wallpaper apps offer tons of options, scrolling through them takes forever. This is where AI-generated wallpapers come in, and it's a feature I've been using a lot on my Samsung Galaxy S23. This feature allows me to generate a wallpaper that fits my mood or style. Sure, it still needs some work since you can't describe exactly what you want yet, but experimenting with different styles usually gives me the perfect wallpaper. It's a fun, easy way to keep things fresh, and it's available on most mid-range and flagship Google and Samsung phones. These AI features actually make a real difference to me There are tons of AI tools out there, and with every new smartphone launch, the list keeps growing. But not all of these features feel useful to me. While there are plenty of Galaxy AI tricks worth trying, these are the ones that genuinely make a difference in my daily use and actually make my phone more helpful. Google Pixel 9 Pro The Pixel 9 Pro is a compact addition to Google's lineup, offering a smaller form factor while retaining all the AI and camera capabilities of the Pro series. It shares dimensions with the standard Pixel 9 but brings premium features like the Pixel 9 Pro XL, making it a standout in Google's high-end range. $999 at Amazon $999 at Best Buy $999 at Google Store Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra Samsung's Galaxy S25 Ultra leaves the Note-like design behind for the very first time. With flat edges, curved corners, and a massive 6.9-inch display, this is a modern flagship through and through -- and yes, that S Pen is still here too. $1300 at Samsung $1300 at Best Buy $1300 at Amazon