The Samsung Galaxy S25 and Galaxy S25 Plus should be two of the best and most exciting phones of the year — but I barely care about them.

Samsung’s other phone, the Galaxy S25+, is not as extraordinary as its ultimate sibling, the Ultra. It’s hard to get excited about another smartphone, even if it is a solid buy. With seven years of software support,

Samsung’s Galaxy S-series is in its software era. Maybe the whole smartphone industry is, too, save for a few phones with hinges (Samsung’s included). But overall, we have exited the hardware-driven innovation cycle and are firmly in the midst of a software-based one.