Samsung didn't reinvent itself in 2025 — but it got a lot right

Samsung does not always get everything right. But, for the first time in a few years, it felt the company had a solid 2025 — at least when it comes to its flagship phones.

It delivered almost the right upgrades in areas that actually mattered, and for once, it finally felt like the company was paying close attention to consumer feedback.

So, what did Samsung actually get right in 2025?

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By  Stephen Radochia

Slimmer, lighter, better

Less bulk, more polish

Samsung did not radically redesign any of its premium devices this year, but it put them on a diet, making them slimmer and lighter.

And that helped in dramatically improving their in-hand feel.

The Galaxy S25 Ultra is only 8.2mm thick, making it 0.4mm thinner than the S24 Ultra. Plus, it weighs only 218g, making it noticeably lighter in-hand than the 232g S24 Ultra.

The best part? Samsung pulled off this slimmer, lighter design without making any compromises in battery life, camera, or durability.

The Galaxy Z Fold 7 took things to another level altogether.

At just 8.9mm thick and 215g, it's not only Samsung's thinnest and lightest foldable yet, but also one of the slimmest book-style foldables on the market. When unfolded, the Fold 7 only measures 4.2mm.

For comparison, the 2024 Galaxy Z Fold 6 measures 12.1mm when folded and 5.6mm when unfolded.

Again, Samsung managed to deliver this sleek and light design without making any noticeable hardware downgrades. The Z Fold 7 packs a more durable display, and it even comes with a higher-resolution 200MP primary camera.

No wonder both the Galaxy S25 Ultra and Galaxy Z Fold 7 have been selling exceptionally well.

Thermal management done right

Cooler under pressure

Samsung has always used the best Qualcomm chip on its flagship phones and foldables.

However, it has also skimped on using a robust cooling system, which made its flagship phones run hot under load.

With the Galaxy S25 Ultra this year, the company addressed this issue to a large extent by using a 40% bigger vapor chamber vs. the S24 Ultra.

That helps the phone in keeping the Snapdragon 8 Elite's temperature under control when pushed hard.

On its own, this upgrade might not sound like a big deal. But it's far more impressive when you consider that Samsung managed to fit a larger cooling chamber into a phone that's noticeably slimmer and lighter than its predecessor.

Unfortunately, the same advantage does not extend to the Galaxy Z Fold 7, as it lacks a vapor chamber entirely. That said, the foldable makes up for it with its super-slim design.

Plus, the graphite sheets and thermal pads do a relatively good job of dissipating the heat over the Z Fold 7's larger chassis.

Software updates, done right

Faster One UI updates

Samsung started 2025 on the wrong note, fumbling big time with its Android 15-based One UI 7 rollout.

In the last few years, it has typically released major One UI updates within two to three months of a new Android build dropping.

However, One UI 7 only began reaching flagship Galaxy phones in April 2025 — more than six months after Google pushed Android 15 to Pixels.

And that was after multiple last-minute bugs delayed the rollout.

Samsung bounced back strongly from this fiasco and even went ahead and adopted Google's Trunk Stable development approach.

The result?

The Galaxy Z Fold 7 and Flip 7 were the first non-Pixel devices to launch with Android 16-based One UI 8. And the Galaxy S25's stable update went live in mid-September, much earlier than other flagships.

Thanks to Trunk Stable development, the company was able to kick off the One UI 8.5 beta just days after Android 16 QPR2 went live.

It also marks the first time an Android skin has been built on top of a major Android Quarterly Platform Release.

With Google planning to release bigger Quarterly Android updates going forward, this is a bigger deal than it might seem.

Samsung proved it can still innovate

A throwback to Samsung of the past

For the last few years, it felt like Samsung had stopped innovating.

The company released flagship devices with only the usual yearly upgrades: a slightly brighter display, a faster chip, marginal camera improvements, and little else.

In 2025, though, we finally got a glimpse of the Samsung of the past, known for its innovation and technological prowess.

It did not unveil anything radically new, but it showed that it could push boundaries and raise the benchmark again.

Despite flopping badly, the Galaxy S25 Edge proved that Samsung could build an impressively slim flagship phone without major compromises.

The Galaxy Z Fold 7 reinforced the company's leadership in foldables, the segment it helped pioneer.

These devices showed that if it intends to, Samsung can still launch devices with cutting-edge hardware and features.

More importantly, they proved that the company hasn't lost its technological edge to its Chinese rivals. It simply hasn't always chosen to use it.

Samsung finally feels like Samsung again

Samsung did not radically reinvent itself in 2025, nor did it get everything right. But it made several right moves and proved that, when pushed, it can still innovate.

With a more challenging 2026 ahead, the company must carry the same momentum forward and avoid getting complacent again, if it wants to be a trendsetter again, instead of one that follows them.