Does the voice assistant on the Galaxy S25 sound natural compared to Gemini?

It became clear with the launch of the Galaxy S25 series that Samsung is putting more of its focus on Gemini and less on Bixby. As a result, Gemini was the default voice assistant on the Galaxy S25, which users could activate by pressing and holding the power button. It’s not surprising that Samsung has put Bixby on the back burner.

One of the reasons why Bixby continues to feel behind is that the voice assistant constantly reminds you that you’re talking to AI. That’s because it doesn’t sound as natural as Google Assistant or Gemini. While you can choose between several voices, they all sound robotic, and conversations don’t flow as naturally.

On the other hand, Gemini also has multiple voices to choose from, and they all sound very realistic, as if you’re talking to an actual person. This makes it easier to have naturally flowing conversations without feeling like you’re talking to a computer. This is one of the perks of features like Gemini Live, which lets you have free-flowing conversations where you can interrupt the assistant in the middle of an answer, something I can’t do with Bixby.

One thing that Bixby has that Gemini doesn’t is the ability to use your own voice as an option for the assistant, which you set up by reading a number of prompts to it. This allows it to capture your vocal intricacies and inflections. It works decently well, but it still sounds tinny and robotic.

Still, I prefer using Gemini over Bixby, and the voice is one of the reasons why Google’s virtual assistant is generally better.

The Galaxy S25 series utilizes Bluetooth 5.4, which is one of the latest versions of the wireless communication technology before Bluetooth 6. With this, users can connect to various devices, such as wireless earbuds and headphones, laptops, gaming controllers, and even other phones.

Bluetooth SIG, the body that regulates and establishes Bluetooth specifications, includes security measures and resources in the core specification to ensure that users can establish secure connections. However, the nature of Bluetooth, like many wireless technologies, makes it possible to take advantage of vulnerabilities. Thus, Bluetooth is not foolproof or 100% secure, and can be exploited to take control of your phone.

Don’t worry, but be wary

That said, there’s little reason to worry, but plenty of reasons to remain cautious. Brian Hussman, an independent security researcher, tells Android Central that Bluetooth exploits are not often taken advantage of, which is good news for Galaxy S25 users.

“Bluetooth is notoriously insecure, but it’s not often exploited,” Hussman tells us. “It takes the right knowledge and equipment to pull off something like a MITM (Man-In-The-Middle) attack or to gain control of a device via Bluetooth once you’ve found out how to exploit the device itself.

While it still has plenty of room for improvement, Bluetooth has become much safer and reliable in the past few years.”

Furthermore, Samsung updates the Galaxy S25 on a monthly cadence with security patches that address various vulnerabilities, such as those related to Bluetooth. For example, the April 2025 update included fix SVE-2025-0255(CVE-2025-20946): Improper handling of exceptional conditions in pairing specific bluetooth devices in Galaxy Watch Bluetooth pairing. This vulnerability allowed “local attackers to pair with specific bluetooth devices without user interaction.”

What you can do to remain safe when using Bluetooth

So, while you should be relatively safe when pairing your Galaxy S25 with other Bluetooth-enabled devices, there are things you can do to make sure you’re not putting yourself at risk. The FCC has a list of guidelines on how you can protect yourself when using Bluetooth, including:

• Turning off Bluetooth when it’s not in use.
• Unpairing your phone from a rental car’s Bluetooth and clearing any data.
• Use Bluetooth in “hidden” mode.

That last one is pretty easy, as your phone is only “discoverable” when you’re present on the Bluetooth menu in your phone’s settings. However, you should still be wary of and reject unfamiliar Bluetooth pairing requests. Otherwise, you should enjoy safely pairing your Galaxy S25 to your heart’s content.

What you need to know

• A recent Galaxy S25 FE leak suggests the phone could see a 45W charging upgrade that mirrors the flagships.
• A related rumor regards the alleged Galaxy Tab S10 “Lite,” which might see 25W charging support.
• The Galaxy S25 FE was recently reported to have received Qi2 wireless charging support; however, that listing failed to state its strength.

Rumors suggest Samsung is turning its attention toward its affordable market, and these whispers purport charging details.

The latest leaks about the upcoming Galaxy S25 FE come from SammyGuru, who spotted an interesting new TUV listing. According to the listing, the S25 FE is supposedly preparing 45W fast charging support. What’s unfortunate is that this leak doesn’t expand on the phone’s alleged battery capacity, so we’re still left wondering in that regard.

The publication continues, stating the expected Galaxy S25 FE was joined by Samsung’s supposed Galaxy Tab S10 “Lite.” However, as the post notes, the latest leaks aren’t clear.

The recent TUV listing supposedly claims the tablet will offer a minimal 25W charging, but another listing from the FCC alleges 45W. With things so unclear, it’s best not to make any hasty decisions early on.

Balancing FE & ‘Lite’

Funnily enough, there was a leak last week that suggested the Galaxy S25 FE would feature Qi2 wireless charging support. The device was reportedly spotted moving through the World Power Consortium (WPC) for certification purposes. There, the Qi2 wireless standard was noted; however, the listing failed to detail its charging strength. The flagship Galaxy S25 series boasts 15W wireless support, so maybe we’re looking at that here, too.

Samsung’s flagship Galaxy S25 series is also where it seems to want to bring its Galaxy S25 FE closer to—charging-wise, that is. The series, specifically the S25 Plus and S25 Ultra, features 45W wired support. Latest leaks claim the S25 FE will hop over the base S25 in terms of charging, just like last year’s S24 FE, which only had 25W.

Early rumors from April alleged Samsung was creating a Galaxy Tab S10 “Lite,” which is seemingly an even more toned-down variant, under its FE line. While it might also see two-year-old Samsung tech—the Exynos 1380 SoC—a report claimed the company had started testing it with One UI 7. It suggests the device has “progressed” in its development cycle, as rumors purport a fall launch alongside the main Galaxy Tab S11 lineup.

As you step out into the blazing sun this summer, it’s almost guaranteed that you’ll have to squint to see your phone’s display. While smartphone displays have gotten stupidly bright in the last few years, many are still difficult to see in direct sunlight.

That’s where the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra comes in. While some of the best Android phones have brighter displays, the Galaxy S25 Ultra turns the tables by implementing a brilliant anti-glare layer that makes it dead easy to see in the sunlight, and that’s great for anyone who spends a lot of time outdoors, especially this time of year.

But not all is rosy with Samsung’s latest flagship display. While the display excels in several areas, lingering problems from the Galaxy S24 Ultra haven’t been properly addressed. Let’s take a deeper dive into what makes the Galaxy S25 Ultra so good to use outside and why it’s a little tougher to enjoy indoors.

And with Prime Day right around the corner, be sure to check out some Galaxy S25 Ultra deals ↓, as some pretty hot ones are already live.

Comfort is key

In the modern era, all flagship phone displays look good. This applies to most phone specs these days, from performance to camera quality, which means differentiating products usually comes down to one or two categories that a product is strongest in.

Most display reviews and analysis focus too much on lab tests and not enough on the human part of the equation. Most people don’t care about the difference between 97% and 99% color accuracy, and it’s unlikely most people will ever notice that difference anyway, even if you hold two phones next to each other. Instead, I want to focus on the human quotient for these display reviews.

In the case of the Galaxy S25 Ultra, its display is weakest in the comfort category, but it has some standout attributes that are noteworthy. Let’s start with the positive!

Reflectivity

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Samsung’s anti-glare filter, first introduced on the Galaxy S24 Ultra, is one of the best things Samsung has ever done for screen visibility. In the above images, I compare it to the OnePlus 13, our current favorite Android phone, and one with higher peak brightness capabilities than the Galaxy S25 Ultra.

Despite being a brighter display, the OnePlus 13 is harder to see outdoors because of the reflectivity of the glass. The Galaxy S25 Ultra is incredibly clean and vibrant, while it’s just plain difficult to see the OnePlus 13. Now, to be clear, I’m not picking on OnePlus here. Nearly every other phone on the market is just as hard to see, and it’s because almost no other company uses the type of anti-glare glass the S25 Ultra has.

The only problem here is that most screen protectors for the phone don’t have an anti-glare layer applied, meaning everything that makes the display so visible outdoors gets ruined. Make sure you get one like this official Samsung anti-reflection film to keep the display’s best attribute from being ruined!

Eye comfort settings

Samsung’s blue light filter, which the company calls “Eye Comfort Shield,” helps block blue light by reducing the intensity of blue subpixels. This makes the display appear much yellower and does a good job of reducing blue light emissions.

You can see this in action in the image above, which I captured with a microscope using a pure white image on the screen. Note how the intensity of the blue subpixels is notably reduced when Eye Comfort Shield is enabled.

By default, the mode will automatically adjust blue light based on the time of day. During daylight hours, blue light will be close to the default setting as if the mode were disabled. At night, the blue light will be automatically reduced to help better match the circadian rhythm of the human body, since most natural blue light only occurs during the day from sunlight.

Unfortunately, Samsung’s only real eye care solution is blue light blocking, a problem that you’ll learn more about in the brightness section below.

Color accuracy and depth

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When the Galaxy S24 Ultra first launched, the display was considered “washed out” by some long-time Samsung fans. Samsung answered by adding in a vividness slider and enhancing the colors of the display. These same tweaks also made it to the Galaxy S25 Ultra.

The color calibration looks identical between both phones, but the Galaxy S25 Ultra does a better job of keeping colors more accurate when viewing the screen from an angle than the S24 Ultra does.

Samsung’s AMOLED panels on both the Galaxy S24 Ultra and Galaxy S25 Ultra exhibit color banding that’s not seen on most other modern flagship phones. The main problem is that Samsung continues to use 8-bit panels in their phones despite the entire industry switching to 10-bit as the standard.

For the test, I used an 8-bit and 10-bit gradient comparison image found on GitHub. On the Galaxy S25 Ultra’s panel, there’s little to no difference between the 8-bit and 10-bit gradients. The OnePlus 13 shows additional colors throughout all the gradients, although the green gradient showed up best on camera.

Many users have complained about color banding on wallpaper and other images, even ones taken with the Galaxy S25 Ultra’s camera, since that camera can capture 10-bit images. And while Samsung absolutely needs to upgrade their displays to 10-bit to keep up with the pack, I want to commend them for not stooping to using color dithering to fake 10-bit color. Some other companies, like Xiaomi, use color dithering to fake deeper colors and it’s painful for some users because of the flickering pixels.

Brightness and dimming

Everything this phone tells you about its brightness levels is a lie. Setting the brightness slider at 100% never actually means 100% brightness under any circumstance.

Normal “100%” brightness, like most phones, doesn’t come close to the advertised peak brightness. That’s normally reserved for the dedicated “sunlight mode” that gets activated when a bright light, like the sun, shines on the screen’s light sensor. We can force this by holding a flashlight up to the display and measuring the nit output. Even in sunlight mode, the display tops out at around 2,000 nits.

At normal 100% brightness, this number sits at around 800 nits, which is surprisingly low for a modern phone. Extra brightness mode brings this number up to around 1,500 nits, which is closer to an expected value from “100% brightness,” but that’s not the biggest problem with this display’s brightness capabilities.

Instead, that comes down to Samsung using Pulse Width Modulation (PWM dimming) to control brightness. This means there is no point in time where the Galaxy S25 Ultra’s display hits its maximum brightness potential, the way the Galaxy S24 FE’s display does, for example.

Worse yet, Samsung is still using a very low frequency 480Hz PWM rate for the Galaxy S25 Ultra’s display. Phones like the Honor Magic 7 Pro use 4320Hz PWM dimming and, even then, Honor’s phones only use this at low brightness to keep colors accurate and pixels evenly lit.

Despite all this, the Galaxy S25 Ultra’s display still suffers from mura, an effect that means pixels are not evenly lit across the entire panel.

At 20% brightness, a grain pattern is clearly visible on the Galaxy S25 Ultra’s display. While you can see it at varying ranges of brightness, it’s most visible at low brightness levels and was a problem even back when the Galaxy S24 Ultra launched. While we thought Samsung had fixed this in the S25 Ultra’s display, clearly the problem has not gone away.

Compare it with the OnePlus 13’s display above on the same flat grey background at the same brightness level, and you’ll see the difference. The OnePlus 13’s pixels look evenly lit across the board, while the Galaxy S25 Ultra’s have a clear “dirty” or grainy pattern.

Some people are more sensitive to this than others, and the effect tends to be worse on some colors than others. In other words, your mileage may vary depending on what you do and how much this effect annoys you.

Good, but not the best

While the Galaxy S25 Ultra represents the best Samsung phone the company has ever made, that doesn’t mean that every component is the best the company has to offer. The display on the Galaxy S25 Ultra shines particularly bright outside, where the anti-glare filter makes it more easily visible than any other phone I’ve ever used. It’s a brilliant spot of engineering that I wish more phones would copy!

But while blue light control and color accuracy are good, Samsung’s continued use of 8-bit panels means color banding is more common on the Galaxy S25 Ultra than on any other competing phone in this price range. Luminance consistency and brightness management are also mediocre, with noticeable grain at low brightness and low-HZ PWM dimming at all brightness levels.

While the display looks good on the surface and does a great job of highlighting the strengths of AMOLED — vibrant colors, deep blacks, and no ghosting — the quality of the panel Samsung is using leaves a lot to be desired for a $1,300 phone. Even budget Android phones offer better dimming methods and faster PWM rates, native 10-bit depth, and no mura.

Does this mean the Galaxy S25 Ultra’s display is bad? No, not at all, but there’s plenty of room for improvement on the Galaxy S26 Ultra.

Hey! Do you want a phone that costs too much, has a sub-par camera, a tiny battery, and isn’t as durable? If so, the Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge is your dream phone.

This phone is a certifiable 100% bona fide flop. Samsung made too many compromises because someone at the company decided that people wanted a thin phone and were willing to spend a whole lot of money on it. It almost sounds like a script for a comedy.

Sadly, it’s not. It’s another example of Samsung testing the waters to see what we can be convinced we want, except this time it failed. But that’s okay; Samsung can afford to fail.

The phone apparently isn’t selling very well, but that isn’t surprising. Samsung going ahead with the idea, even though it’s kinda dumb, isn’t surprising either. The company does this sort of thing and has been successful in the past. You only really know if an idea is worthwhile after you try it.

Samsung’s willingness to do dumb shit brought us the Galaxy Note. If you like using your Apple Pencil, you need to thank Samsung for reminding us that there are times when your finger just won’t cut it. When the first Galaxy Note launched, it was a flop too. T-Mobile actually canceled its version after it was announced and sent to reviewers — I know because they sent me one. Making a big ass phone with a stylus sounded stupid at the time.

Nobody is saying that today; the Galaxy Note has evolved into the best phone Samsung has ever made. Fight me. The company is going to do the same with book-style foldables and has already generated almost all the interest there is for them, simply by saying “YOLO” and doing it. I love it when Samsung does that, and I hope they never stop. Giving us 10 bad ideas is worth it when that good one hits.

That’s why the company decided phones needed to be thinner. Somewhere down the line, they will have perfected a way to do it without all the necessary drawbacks of today’s tech. My opinion? Forcing a design to be this thin means battery tech has to be improved. A flop of a thin phone is step one to having a battery that’s smaller, safer, and lasts longer.

Having said all of this — and I really do mean it all, I understand why this phone was built — let’s take a look at what we actually got: a phone nobody was asking for and nobody should buy.

It’s thin. I don’t think it’s the thinnest phone ever, but you can’t deny that it’s thinner than anything else you can buy today (excluding foldables). However, it’s thin at the expense of other features that make a phone good.

I predicted this last January when I said making a phone very thin using today’s tech would mean you need to sacrifice battery life. I was slightly off; you also sacrificed camera quality, performance, and durability. But mostly the battery.

Right now, the batteries are brand new, and you hear people say they almost last all day or will last all day if you manage it correctly. In 90 days, it will be “I can get by topping it off at dinner time,” and in 180 days, people will need to charge it even more often. That’s how batteries work; the more you use them, the less you can use them.

As someone who used a Pixel 4 for a year, let me tell you that it only gets worse from here. A smartphone is useless without any gas in the tank.

Surprisingly, that’s not enough to kill a phone at launch. People will want it because it’s thin and can get by using a cable and a charger. What killed the S25 Edge was its $1,000+ asking price.

Samsung can pretend that they didn’t compromise to make a phone this thin, but even the people saying that know the truth. This is a prototype of the next big idea, and the only way for it to get better is to build it and work through it all. If it sticks around, we might love what it turns into.