The MacRumors Show: Samsung's 2025 Challenge to Apple

[thefrost]

AI is a major focus for the S25 lineup

I wonder how many times AI was mentioned. I didn't bother watching the event.

Samsung also previewed the all-new "Galaxy S25 Edge," a super-thin variant of the S25 set to launch in the first half of 2025. It appears to be positioned as a direct rival to Apple's upcoming "iPhone 17 Air," which is expected to be the thinnest iPhone ever at just 6mm and a radical departure from previous devices with a 6.6-inch display with ProMotion, a single speaker, a single rear camera, and Apple's custom 5G modem.

Samsung must have hired someone to look at the Apple leaks. I also bet the Samsung fanboys will brag that Samsung made a thinner phone first. I mean it's not technically out yet but should be coming before the iPhone 17 lineup does.

Finally, Samsung unveiled its upcoming "Project Moohan" AR/VR headset, which it has designed in collaboration with Google. It is intended to compete with Apple's Vision Pro and bears a striking similarity to it in terms of design.

A great example of "Can I copy your homework? Sure but change it a little bit so it's not obvious you copied."

 

[8667132]

Your camera is enhanced with ai, your voice or noice canceling is enhanced with ai, you name it.

This is an interesting point, because I was battling something today that has plagued the iPhone for years (maybe other phones as well because of physics) but why can't AI do something useful like remove the green lens flare dot in the Camera? That to me is a million times more useful than Genmoji and would be a small but useful piece of AI in the real world. Probably doesn't create for great marketing though 🤣

There are a lot of potential really useful features that could be created thanks to the advances in machine learning technology but Apple are opting for the silly stuff (apart from Writing tools maybe which has real world use cases)

 

[Dark_Omen]

I think an issue with AI usage stems from 25% of the population being unable to do basic functions on their iPhone without some kind of assistance.

 

[@Brett]

Samsung has all the AI Apple promises for this year and next year now. It’s working in all languages. The galaxy is also 40% faster in AI as Apple’s iPhone 16 pro. I really think it’s peak iPhone from now because Apple is stuck on a braindead Siri. Don’t see Siri improving soon and definitely not in different languages. I think Apple is about two years behind and the gap is widening.

All of Samsung AI is from Google. And comparing a new smartphone to one that has been out for a few months hardly seems surprising. Siri enhanced will be out this year and I still think Apple will have the better approach and use case.

 

[8667132]

Only thing AI is useful is quickly pulling up proof read/writing tool, otherwise, Apple non-Intelligence is pretty dumb.

But why do we have to enable all the childish baggage that comes with Apple Intelligence to get writing tools? Surely these sorts of things should be independent?

 

[Dr McKay]

Don't Google Pixel phones count? Here in the UK we even have Kevin Bacon extolling their brilliance on TV.(sic)

My average non techie colleagues all use samsung if they don’t have an iPhone, none of them have any idea what “Android” is, or USB-C. They will ask me if I have a “Samsung charger”, and I have to repeatedly explain its USB C, that every android handset uses the same connector, and even iPhone for the last 2 generations, they will stare at me blankly and ask “So will your charger work on mine?”. They will then ask me a few days later if I have a “Samsung charger”

 

[I7guy]

I’ve always used this argument as well, but I believe it’s actually catching up with them a bit more this year.

Apple Tests Key Technical Level in Worst Start Since 2008

Based on the numbers coming out of China, I doubt the upcoming earnings report will be rosy. What's most important is their guidance. It's going to be an interesting year.

It’s a cycle and it’s happened before. And the critics jump on the bandwagon of “apple is doomed”, when in reality it’s another cycle. It should be apple has better insight than Nokia and blackberry.

 

[Col795]

RCS Green Bubble text receipts is what pushed me over the edge. I’m freeeeeeeeee. I’m liberated…….🥲

 

[cicalinarrot]

Luckily, most people don't care and will never use any of the AI features anyway.

Luckily? It's the only actually new thing on the new iPhones.
And it really felt like it should have only been a software upgrade for the last three generations.

 

[Moukee]

I beg to differ. Most people didn't care about a camera on their phone, nor did Kodak care about cell phones with cameras. Things change as people evolve how they use their devices. Google had the Nexus with NFC chip for payments back in 2010. People didn't care. Apple released Apple Pay in 2014, some people cared, most didn't. Now in 2025 people complain if a retailer doesn't take Apple Pay. Can't discount what features people want or don't want at any given time.

But if people don't care about these AI features now, then it won't matter for the S25 vs. iPhone 17..? Maybe for the S27 vs. iPhone 19.

 

[9081094]

All of Samsung AI is from Google. And comparing a new smartphone to one that has been out for a few months hardly seems surprising. Siri enhanced will be out this year and I still think Apple will have the better approach and use case.

All of Apple AI is from ChatGPT and Google (glass). Samsung has a good working personal assistant now which integrates with all apps in most common languages and also available in Europe. The other big win is that it’s also working on their older devices.

I think Apple is two years behind on the software now because the rumored improved Siri will be available in iOS 19.4. That’s April next year. Wondering what Samsung is able to pull off by that time.

 

[Abazigal]

All of Apple AI is from ChatGPT and Google (glass). Samsung has a good working personal assistant now which integrates with all apps in most common languages and also available in Europe. The other big win is that it’s also working on their older devices.

I think Apple is two years behind on the software now because the rumored improved Siri will be available in iOS 19.4. That’s April next year. Wondering what Samsung is able to pull off by that time.

We will see how much Samsung intends to charge for their AI features after 2025, and how many people are actually willing to pay for them.

Samsung finally breaks silence on Galaxy AI's fate after 2025

Samsung mobile chief T.M. Roh has said that the company will consider launching more advanced AI features for paid subscribers in the future.

www.androidauthority.com

In the long run, it may well be that Apple's AI features end up being the most financially sustainable (because they either run on-device or handoff to other vendors), and therefore stick around the longest because Apple is able to keep offering them for free (or in the case of chatGPT, take a cut of subscription revenue), while the competition is not able to keep doing the same. For example, Samsung lacks the ability to continue monetising their user base after the initial sale of the S25, while Apple still has Apple Pay, the App Store and subscription revenue.

As the whole openAI vs Deepseek saga just demonstrated - sometimes being first doesn't necessarily mean anything when you are in a marathon. What matters is who's left when the dust has settled, and who has the more sustainable business model which lets said company continue doing what they are doing year after year after year.