5 things Samsung must do to beat Apple in 2025

As we approach the end of the year with no further announcements scheduled until 2025, it’s time to revisit two of the biggest players in the phone industry in the US and compare the last 12 months for each.

He Galaxy S24 Ultra turned out to be both a blessing and a curse for Samsung, and Galaxy Z-fold 6 confirmed that this is the case. Samsung phones are great, but they struggle to stand out from the competition. Every competitor is looking to improve various features of the Galaxy, and so far Samsung hasn’t changed course.

On the contrary, Apple had a year to remember. The success depends on who you ask, and the answer will likely depend on how useful they find it. Apple Intelligence. Instead of an immediate launch, this year served as a months-long introduction to artificial intelligence, done the Apple way. One of the best results is notification summaries, which I find useful for sorting incoming messages.

Samsung and Apple have had successful years in absolute dollar terms, but they have opposing views on the future. Samsung is likely to introduce Galaxy S25 Ultra next month, but so far leaks suggest the same. It won’t help in the future, so here are five things I hope Samsung does to beat Apple next year.

Stop playing it safe

Samsung has been playing it safe in recent years, and rightly so. The PR nightmares surrounding the Galaxy Note 7 and the original Galaxy Fold sapped the company’s appetite for repeating the experience, and while the approach worked for years, the competition has caught up with it.

Latest leaks suggest that the series Galaxy S25 It will be more of the same. It’s hard to recommend the Galaxy S24 Ultra or Galaxy Z Fold 6 as they’re quite heavy, even though they’re great phones.

Samsung’s risk-averse approach has made sense so far. Enormous success followed thanks to superior products coupled with professional marketing. However, we’ve seen this story before: Samsung is one of the biggest brands in history, but no company is invincible. Companies like RIM and Nokia failed to recognize the competition, and the story speaks for itself.

It’s time for history to repeat itself in a good way: Samsung has the opportunity to surprise the world, and I hope 2025 is the year it does so.

Shock the world again

Do you remember the Galaxy Note Edge? Or Samsung’s first foldable phones? What about the original Galaxy Note or the Galaxy S22 Ultra, the first phone to pack everything Samsung has except a foldable screen? Each of these phones did something different and ushered in a new era for Samsung, and now the line needs it again.

Samsung has been following the same design language for many years now. While it started out different and fresh, it became more dated, especially as other phones caught up and surpassed it in hardware specs. The best phones are thinner and lighter, charge faster, last longer, and have better cameras.

It takes up to two years of development to launch a new smartphone, but since the last three generations of phones have followed the same process, now is the perfect time for Samsung to truly surprise the world. Like Thor in AvengersA neutron star awaits its rebirth. It all starts in an area that will probably surprise us: foldable phones.

Launch of the next generation Galaxy Fold

The key issue for Samsung is that while it hasn’t launched Huawei’s first foldable smartphone, it is undoubtedly a driving force in the foldable category. Just as the Galaxy Note ushered in the big screen era, the Galaxy Fold ushered in the foldable era. Unfortunately for Samsung, it underestimated the competition.

Firstly, Galaxy Z-fold 6. This is Samsung’s largest mobile device. It has a large screen and is equipped with an S Pen. It also has a narrower front screen, taller form factor, and less intuitive multitasking than its competitors. For every positive there is a negative, and with each passing month this form factor becomes harder to recommend.

Samsung had such a strong advantage that it did not recognize the threat posed by its competitors. If there’s a clear example of the opposite of the Galaxy Z Fold 6, it’s the Honor Magic V3: thin, light and fantastic, with worse multitasking and a less streamlined user interface. The Magic V3 shows Samsung just how thin it can make a foldable phone.

Then there’s OnePlus. He OnePlus Open last year it beat the competition, and a year later it’s still better than Samsung’s best product this year. It charges much faster, has better battery life and a better camera. OnePlus even beat Samsung in multitasking. Oh, and it’s even cheaper. Of course, it’s not available on carriers, and the support network isn’t as extensive as Samsung’s, but it’s an attractive alternative.

The answer for Samsung likely lies in the next generation of larger-screen devices. Forget about a folding screen with a crease. What about a rollable screen, presumably with virtually no creases? We’ve already seen this with laptop and phone concepts, but Samsung has the marketing prowess to get consumers to buy.

Subtlety is in fashion in the Galaxy S series

I like the features of the Galaxy S24 Ultra, but it’s a pretty big phone. This year has shown that such a trade-off isn’t necessarily worth it, especially since my current favorite phone is Android. Oppo Find X8 Proit’s lighter, has a better camera, and lasts much longer than Samsung’s best models.

Both the Galaxy S24 and Galaxy S24 Plus share the same proven design. The Candy Bar phones may not change much beyond their current state, and Samsung’s design language is familiar thanks to the distinctive camera frame and overall design language. There are some adjustments that could be made, but I think the Galaxy S24 Ultra is where Samsung needs to improve.

Every year Samsung reduces the weight and thickness of its phones a little, and the same should happen in 2025. I also hope Samsung has addressed the weight imbalance between the top and bottom halves of the phone; Although it is a significant improvement over previous generations, the large size makes it difficult to operate with one hand. Samsung needs to improve this situation, preferably using a new design language for its Ultra phones.

Create the right artificial intelligence for your smartphone

Think Galaxy AI. What features come to mind? Many of these features are created by Google, rather than artificial intelligence improvements and features that Samsung created on its own. Apple’s marketing around Apple Intelligence will further raise customer expectations for AI, and with Google also promoting Gemini and its own devices, Galaxy AI will get lost in the mix.

I’d like to see Samsung implement an AI approach that will bridge the gap between Gemini and Apple Intelligence. The former is more useful for information research and generative AI, while the latter focuses on using AI to improve your daily life. There’s a sweet spot to fill, and Samsung has the scale and resources to achieve it.

Unless Samsung puts significant effort into developing its own artificial intelligence (and it may already be too late), its competitors will have a significant advantage. Apple Intelligence will continue to improve, Google has a number of Gemini improvements likely planned, and ChatGPT Full speed ahead.

Will Samsung follow any of these recommendations? This is the golden question and we will continue to ask it next year. One way or another, the competition, namely Apple, will not stop, and I hope that next year we will finally see the awakening of Samsung’s star.