Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra
Galaxy S25 Series Supports Satellite SOS, But Only on Verizon
As previously announced by Verizon, the new Samsung Galaxy S25 series will support NTN satellite SOS service in remote areas of the US without land-based cellular service. The service works similarly to Apple's "Emergency SOS via satellite" feature. Verizon notes that the service "might not work in parts of Alaska". Verizon has partnered with Skylo to offer this service. Google's Pixel 9 series of phones also supports this technology and Verizon will provide it for those phones as well, bringing its flagship Android phones up to par with iPhones in this aspect. Unlike Google, Samsung has not announced plans to enable this service for non-Verizon customers. Verizon is also working with AST SpaceMobile to being satellite connectivity to all existing phones, but AST's service may not be fully operational until the end of 2026. Therefore this service from Verizon brings similar functionality to at least some of its Android phones now.
Samsung Refines Flaships with More AI in Slimmer Shapes
Samsung has taken the wraps off the Galaxy S25 series. The new models are slimmer than the S24 series, while offering better performance, better battery life, and greater durability. Samsung is also loading in more AI features, including more multi-modal features, more on-device AI for privacy, and AI that's connected better across Samsung and Google apps. This will be enhanced with a future update that adds Screen Share and Live Video for Google Gemini. This will let you show Gemini what's on your screen — or in front of you — and get advice on that. Samsung's One UI 7 software also introduces Now Bar, a lock screen feature that provides live updates, such as sports scores, in a way similar to Apple's Dynamic Island. A new Audio Eraser feature lets you eliminate unwanted noise while editing video, using AI. A new Virtual Aperture feature lets you create depth of field in Expert RAW mode. Video also gets more professional with Log capture for color grading. The wide-angle camera gets an upgrade from 12 megapixel to 50 on the Ultra model. The S25 series is powered by the Snapdragon 8 Elite for Galaxy, which improves on the standard Snapdragon 8 Elite with features that improve the quality of scaled images, and increase power efficiency of the display. It's paired with a 40% larger vapor chamber to improve cooling and boost sustained performance. Samsung promises seven generations of OS updates and seven years of security updates. The S25 Ultra is protected by titanium and Corning Gorilla Armor 2 glass, which is more anti-reflective and more durable (surviving drops up to 2.2 meters onto concrete). Pricing remains unchanged, starting at $800 for the S25, $1,000 for the S25+, and $1,300 for the Ultra. Pre-orders are open today, with the phones shipping on February 7th. Each is available broadly in four colors, with an additional three colors available only from samsung.com.
Samsung Galaxy S25 Approved by FCC with Satellite Connectivity
The FCC has approved a new Samsung phone that is almost certainly next year's Galaxy S25 flagship model. While the public approval documents contain little interesting detail and few surprises, they do confirm that the phone will include specific support for satellite service in the upper L-band (band 255). Verizon all but announced this capability when they recently announced that their own new satellite service would support "upcoming Galaxy devices" from Samsung. Apple and Google already offer phones with this feature, known in the industry as NTN (Non-Terrestrial Networks). The FCC approval also confirms mmWave 5G, Bluetooth 5.4, Wi-Fi 6E, NFC, and wireless charging. The approvals for the S25+ and S25 Ultra include UWB, but the one for standard model does not seem to. Not mentioned is Thread support. The model approved today is the "SM-S931U"; last year's S24 for the US was the SM-S921U and the S23 was the SM-S911U.
