IT General

Samsung just dropped its baseline flagship for 2025: the Galaxy S25. With a slimmer profile, capable chipset, and a triple-camera setup, the smartphone gives direct competition to the base iPhone 16. Let's find out how the two flagships compare.

It's another year of refinements for Samsung with the announcement of the Galaxy S25 series. The hardware remains great, but the company hasn't given much of a reason to upgrade, unless you're interested in personalized AI features. I've gone hands-on with all three phone, and have some thoughts.

Since the launch of the Galaxy S24 series last year, Samsung has integrated AI into its software a lot—both through Google's suite of AI features and through Samsung's own. Google made an appearance on Samsung's latest Unpacked event to show off some improvements to both Gemini and Circle to Search, and not everything is Samsung-only.

Samsung has just unveiled the Galaxy S25 series of smartphones, and as usual, there's one device that outshines the others. The Galaxy S25 Ultra has arrived, and it's pretty impressive.

It's Samsung Unpacked time. Samsung tends to host two major flagship releases every year, and we're well into 2025, which means it's time for the first one. Samsung just hosted its first event, and there's a lot of exciting announcements—including the new Galaxy S25 and Galaxy S25+ devices.

Looking for the biggest, most powerful smartphone you can get your hands on? Well, look no further than the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra – or the Apple's iPhone 16 Pro Max?

With Samsung's Unpacked 2025 event now behind us, we now have two brand-new current generation powerhouse smartphones on the market: The new Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra and Apple's iPhone 16 Pro Max.

Should you finally leave the Apple ecosystem behind you? Or is sticking with iOS over Android still the way to go? Lets take a look at what Samsung announced and then compare the Galaxy S25 Ultra and the iPhone 16 Pro Max.

Galaxy S25 Ultra vs. iPhone 16 Pro Max: Specs

Both the Galaxy S25 Ultra and the iPhone 16 Pro Max are powerhouses.The Galaxy S25 Ultra is powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite and the iPhone is powered by Apple's Apple A18 Pro chipset. Both were designed for maximum performance and processing power as they were built with each smartphone's new AI feature set in mind.

In Mashable's previous hands-on comparison of both previous generations of smartphones, the Galaxy S24 Ultra and the iPhone 15 Pro Max, the iPhone eked out ahead of the Galaxy phone in performance tests. While we wait to get hands-on with the Galaxy S25 Ultra, we will say this: Both smartphones are so powerful that the vast majority of users will not be able to tell the difference. In fact, many users of either smartphone will likely never even utilize the full extent of either's processing power.

There is one variable here where the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra may come ahead of the iPhone 16 Pro Max. The former comes packed with 12GB of memory as opposed to the latter's 8GB. Yes, Apple's chipsets are known for making the best of whatever RAM is included with a device. However, for hardcore multitaskers, this may be something to keep an eye on when it comes to the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra.

Galaxy S25 Ultra vs. iPhone 16 Pro Max: Cameras

Cameras are areas where you really see differences between the Galaxy S25 Ultra and iPhone 16 Pro Max.

On paper, the Galaxy S25 Ultra has the iPhone 16 Pro Max's number. The Galaxy S25 Ultra has 200MP wide, 50MP ultrawide, and 50MP telephoto cameras. The iPhone 16 Pro Max only has 48MP wide, 48MP ultrawise, and 12MP telephoto cameras, respectively. The more megapixels often equates to more detailed and higher resolution photos.

But, again, while that sounds good on paper, there's more to a good photo than megapixels. Other factors play a role as well, such as the camera's lens and sensor.

As we previously mentioned, Mashable compared the Galaxy S24 Ultra and the iPhone 15 Pro Max before. But, we also did a more extensive test comparison on the cameras and resulting photography from both previous generations as well. We found that more often than not, the majority of us felt that the iPhone 15 Pro Max produced a better photo with richer color, despite the Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra having more megapixels.

Will the Galaxy S25 Ultra outdo its predecessor in the camera department? It's possible! However, it will likely come down to individual taste as to which smartphone produces the better quality photo.

Galaxy S25 Ultra vs. iPhone 16 Pro Max: Battery

The Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra has a slightly larger battery at 5,000 mAH when compared to the iPhone 16 Pro Max's 4,685 mAH battery.

However, despite the same being true with their predecessors as well, Mashable found that the iPhone 15 Pro Max had a slightly longer battery life than the Galaxy S24 Ultra.

The chipset powering each device plays a role here, so it's very possible that the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite chip and its reported efficiency can outdo the iPhone 16 Pro Max here with battery life.

Galaxy S25 Ultra vs. iPhone 16 Pro Max: Price

Interestingly, one has the upper hand here for being a slightly more affordable option.

Both Samsung and Apple's base model devices, the Galaxy S25 and iPhone 16, start at $799. However, for the premium models of the current generation of smartphones, those prices diverge. 

The base iPhone 16 Pro Max with 256GB of storage space is priced at $1,199. That's $100 less than Samsung's $1,299 pricing for the base Galaxy S25 Ultra with the same amount of storage space.

As I'll get into, if one of your main priorities is getting the best bang for your buck, the Galaxy S25 Ultra may not have too much over the iPhone 16 Pro Max to warrant spending the extra $100 bucks.

Which one to get?

Both the Galaxy S25 Ultra and iPhone 16 Pro Max are among the most powerful smartphones on the market. So, which one should you get?

That's really going to be up to your personal preferences. Aside from their differences, both smartphones have plenty of similarities too. For example, both the Galaxy S25 Ultra and iPhone 16 Pro Max have 6.9" displays and were designed with processing power specifically with AI capabilities in mind.

Are you willing to jump ship from Apple's iOS walled ecosystem and start anew on a more open Android device or vice versa? Does Apple Intelligence or Samsung's AI features speak to you more? At the end of the day, the decision between the Galaxy S25 Ultra and iPhone 16 Pro Max will be less about the actual hardware and more about the operating system running and software available on each device.

At its Galaxy Unpacked event on Wednesday, Samsung lifted the lid on the Galaxy S25 lineup.

As usual, there are three phones here: Galaxy S25, S25 Plus, and S25 Ultra.

We all pretty much knew that's what would be featured at the show, and that's what we got. Just like last year, the prices start at $799, $999, and $1,299 for the Galaxy S25, S25 Plus, and S25 Ultra, respectively.

Samsung Galaxy S25 base model

Samsung's $799 base model is going to be the least specced-out of the bunch, but not by much. Here's what you get for eight Benjamins:

• 6.2-inch AMOLED display with 120Hz adaptive refresh rate

• 12GB RAM

• 128GB, 256GB storage

• Snapdragon 8 Elite for Galaxy processor

• Three rear cameras: 50MP wide, 12MP ultra-wide, 10MP telephoto

• 4,000mAh battery

Of particular note here is the RAM, which has been bumped up from a base of 8GB on the Galaxy S24 to 12GB on the S25. That's consistent across all three phones, so you're not losing out on RAM by going with the cheapest option this year. The new processor should also provide better performance than last year's model, but without proper testing, we don't know that for sure yet.

Samsung Galaxy S25 Plus

Like in previous years, the S25 Plus is really just a bigger S25. It has a 6.7-inch display with the same refresh rate, the same RAM, and the same processor. The camera specs are identical, as well. The biggest difference, other than physical size, is the presence of a larger 4,900mAh battery. Oh, and you can get more storage, with an additional 512GB option on top of the 256GB base storage in the S25 Plus.

Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra

Those who spend extra to get the $1,299 S25 Ultra are getting not only the biggest phone of the bunch, but the best cameras, too. On top of that, its 5,000mAh battery is the biggest of the three S25 phones, so it should last the longest. Of course, we'll have to test that to find out for sure.

As for specs, here are the basics:

• 6.9-inch AMOLED display with 120Hz adaptive refresh rate

• 12GB RAM

• 256GB, 512GB, 1TB storage

• Snapdragon 8 Elite for Galaxy processor

• Rear cameras: 200MP wide, 50MP ultra-wide, 10MP/50MP telephoto

• 5,000mAh battery

All models will see Galaxy AI upgrades

In the age of creeping AI, software features took on a bigger role in this presentation than hardware improvements. Samsung highlighted AI agents that can do multimodal things across different apps, all in one action. For instance, you can ask the phone's AI to find a certain type of recipe and add that recipe to your phone's notes app, all in one go. Circle to Search has also been improved, with the new ability to recognize URLs and phone numbers on your screen.

Samsung highlighted some AI features for photography and videography, such as an improved version of generative editing that can detect and remove shadows of objects you removed from photos. Audio Eraser (something that appeared in Pixel phones a couple of years ago) can identify and lower the volume of certain elements in the backgrounds of videos, too.

So, in summary, you get more RAM on the base model, a better processor, and a bunch of AI enhancements, among other small odds and ends. To top it all off, no prices were raised for any of the models, either.

SAVE $100: As of Jan. 22, get the JBL Soundgear Frames at Woot for $99.99, down from their usual price of $199.99. That's a discount of 50%.

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Imagine never having to remember to take your headphones with you when you leave the house again. That can be a reality with You the JBL Soundgear Frames, which are both sunglasses and built-in "headphones" that let you listen to music and even make calls. And you can get them for half off right now at Woot.

As of Jan. 22, you can get the JBL Soundgear Frames for just $99.99 at Woot, down from their usual price of $199.99. That's a discount of 50%. The deal runs through the next 11 days, or until the glasses are sold out.

SEE ALSO: Take 63% off the JBL Live 660NC headphones with 50 hours of battery life

While some smart glasses are all about camera recording or giving you overlays (RIP Google Glass), JBL sought to create a product that's all about listening – and talking, if you like. These flexible and lightweight plastic frames can be custom-fitted with prescription frames, or you can wear them like they are. Connect to a Bluetooth device like your phone and queue up some tunes or a show to listen to on the go with audio only you can hear.

Alternatively, use one of the multiple mics on board to make calls (and do so discretely) while out and about. Tap the JBL logo on the temples to answer calls, skip songs, or adjust volume. Wherever you go, enjoy excellent sound that no one would believe is coming from a pair of glasses.

If you're interested in do-it-all glasses, this is a great price — and the novelty of combo glasses and a speaker might be worth something, too.

Severance's Season 2 premiere introduced viewers to one of the show's strangest new characters: Miss Huang (Sarah Bock), the Severed floor's new, teenaged deputy manager.

SEE ALSO: I went to the 'Severance' pop-up in Grand Central. It was wild.

Seeing a character this young at the heart of Lumon Industries immediately set off alarm bells in Severance fans' heads, especially when Miss Huang proved to be as coldly managerial — and frankly, uncanny — as Mr. Milchick (Tramell Tillman) himself. After all, what could a child possibly be doing at Lumon? And how is she already so bought into the company's ethos?

Theories about Miss Huang's true identity cropped up all over social media. One fan theory suggests that Miss Huang is a child who died in a car crash — perhaps during her prior stint as a crossing guard? — and was then resurrected by Lumon. Bock revealed in an interview with ELLE that a stranger DMed her about Miss Huang being a robot.

SEE ALSO: The 15 most WTF moments from 'Severance' Season 2, episode 1

However, Lumon Industries' LinkedIn page — which has existed since Season 1 — may have just revealed Miss Huang's whole deal. And while it's not as far-fetched as, say, resurrection, it still has devastating implications for Severance's worldbuilding.

On Jan. 20, Lumon Industries celebrated Miss Huang's hiring with a post saying, "Felicitations are in order for this quarter's Wintertide Fellow: Ms. Huang. Her green outlook is precisely what Lumon aims to cultivate as an organization. She will be invaluable on our severed floor."

Cursed! Credit: Screenshot: LinkedIn

Besides the skin-crawling corporate language, two words stick out here: Wintertide Fellow, which sounds like Lumon-speak for "winter quarter intern." The term "fellow" also pops up in a Lumon Management Program video released on the LinkedIn page on Jan. 21, in which Mr. Milchick also refers to Miss Huang as a "fellow in training."

So maybe Miss Huang isn't a Lumon experiment. Maybe she's simply a teenager with an internship. No robots, no resurrection, just (likely unpaid) child labor. Frankly, that's sinister enough in itself, especially considering what it might mean for Severance's wider world.

Back in Season 1, Severance revealed that Harmony Cobel (Patricia Arquette) had a shrine to Kier Eagan. On it was a photo from her time at the Myrtle Eagan School for Girls, an experience which likely indoctrinated her into the cult of Kier and set her up for a life serving the Eagans at Lumon. Perhaps Miss Huang comes from a similar school or background, and she is also being primed for a life as a corporate Lumon cog.

With that in mind, Miss Huang's presence in Severance Season 2 is less a mystery for the audience to crack and more a disheartening reminder of Lumon's insidious mechanisms of control. Severance is one such mechanism, but so is the Eagan school-to-Lumon job pipeline we've seen with Cobel and likely Miss Huang. Now, with Miss Huang, we could be looking at a future Cobel or Milchick type — and that's a frightening thought.

Severance Season 2 is now streaming on Apple TV+, with a new episode every Friday.

SAVE 47%: The Samsung Q-series HW-Q6CC soundbar is on sale at Walmart for $199, down from the usual price of $379. That's a savings of $180.

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If you've been making do by watching movies with audio from your TV's built-in speakers, you're probably not getting the full experience. Most TVs come with speakers that lack in quality, but it's an easy fix. By adding a soundbar, you'll be back in business — and there's a quality soundbar almost half off today to help you get there.

As of Jan. 22, the Samsung Q-series HW-Q6CC soundbar is on sale at Walmart for just $199, marked down from the typical price of $379. That's a 47% discount and a savings of $180.

SEE ALSO: Rate your favorite smart home gear for a chance to win a $250 Amazon gift card

With trusted sound from Samsung, the superior audio capabilities of the Q-series soundbar will complete your TV setup. Using 3.1 Ch. Dolby Atmos Sound, the soundbar gives enhanced quality while watching your favorite shows and movies. You can also activate Game Mode, which gives you synched directional audio while making split-second decisions.

Using an HDMI eARC connection, the Samsung moves advanced audio from your TV to the soundbar with no delay. With enhanced voice clarity, the Samsung soundbar can be a great addition for those who've come to rely on closed captioning while watching TV. Plus, the soundbar comes with a Tap Sound function, which means you'll be able to tap your Bluetooth-enabled phone to the soundbar to start listening.

If your winter watching plans could use a sound upgrade, today's sale price on the Samsung Q-series soundbar is worth checking out. Not only will you save $180 off the list price, you'll be getting a huge improvement over your TV's built-in speaker system.

Imagine a world where heartless corporate overlords consider their workforce to be so disposable that they will work them to death and then clone them to do it again. That's the setup for Mickey 17, the latest from Academy Award–winning writer/director Bong Joon-ho (Parasite).

Robert Pattinson stars as Mickey Barnes, who works as an "expendable." As teased in the first trailer for this dark sci-fi comedy, it's his job to be killed over and over, like a kind of human crash test dummy. No worries. As he explains in the new trailer, he'll just be "printed out again." But life (and death) changes for Mickey 17, when he falls for Nasha (Blink Twice's Naomi Ackie) and meets his Multiple (also Robert Pattinson). This throws the corporate leaders (Toni Collette and Mark Ruffalo) into execution overdrive, spurring what looks to be a class rebellion.

Fans of Parasite, Okja, and Snowpiercer know well that class conflict is Bong Joon-ho's sweet spot. We can't wait to see what the Oscar winner has coming our way now.

Mickey 17 is in theaters only on March 7, 2025. 

Netflix had a really good year, so your year is about to get a bit worse.

The streaming service saw a jump in subscribers to 19 million in the last quarter of 2024, putting it at 302 million global subscribers — more than any other streaming service in the industry. According to CNN, a large part of that jump is due to its successfully hosting the Mike Tyson and Jake Paul boxing match in November, an event that became the most-streamed sporting event ever.

SEE ALSO: Netflix scores exclusive broadcasting rights for FIFA Women's World Cup

Netflix added more sporting events in December, including two Christmas Day NFL games — featuring a halftime performance from Beyoncé. This, along with the success of the second season of Squid Game and WWE Raw live broadcasts, has led Netflix to do the one thing we all hate: raise its standard monthly membership cost.

The cost of a monthly Netflix membership without ads is increasing from $15.49 to $17.99, the cost of a standard account with ads is increasing from $6.99 to $7.99, and the premium tier is increasing from $22.99 to $24.99. Netflix last raised its subscription price in October 2023.

"As we continue to invest in programming and deliver more value for our members, we will occasionally ask our members to pay a little more so that we can re-invest to further improve Netflix," the company’s letter to investors said, according to The Verge.

Many of us struggle to get up in the morning, especially on a cold Monday. While a cup of freshly brewed coffee helps, I've discovered that nothing motivates me to get out of bed faster than the prospect of playing video games.

We're going back to the wilderness for Yellowjackets Season 3, and based on the new trailer, the Yellowjackets past and present are in for a gnarly time.

SEE ALSO: 'Yellowjackets': 10 burning questions we have for Season 3

In the past, the stranded soccer players are recovering from their first winter in the wilderness, with Natalie (Sophie Thatcher, Heretic) in charge. But her leadership may not last for long! Looks like Shauna (Sophie Nélisse) and Misty (Samantha Hanratty) have it out for her, especially since Natalie might be hiding Coach Ben (Steven Krueger), who burned down the Yellowjackets' cabin in the Season 2 finale.

Meanwhile, in the present, the adult Yellowjackets strive to cover up their secrets, which could lead to them turning against one another. Case in point: a scene in the trailer where it looks like Misty (Christina Ricci) straight-up stabs Shauna (Melanie Lynskey) in the back.

That's just the start of how gnarly the Yellowjackets Season 3 trailer gets. Also on the menu are shots of broken teeth chowing down on flesh, new cast member Hilary Swank finding out just how "insane" the Yellowjackets are, and more looks at the Yellowjackets' ritualistic cannibalism. Buzz buzz!

Yellowjackets Season 3 premieres Feb. 14 on Paramount+ with the Showtime plan.

It's almost time for the next big round of Samsung phones.

This week, the Korean tech giant is set to announce at least three new handsets at its latest Galaxy Unpacked event in San Jose, Calif. The event is on Wednesday, Jan. 22 at 10 a.m. PT/1 p.m. ET. Most importantly, you can watch it live from wherever you are. That's been true of these events for several years, and as always, you can choose your viewing method from the following options:

• Samsung's website

• Samsung's YouTube channel

SEE ALSO: What to expect at Samsung Galaxy Unpacked

As for what to expect from the newest edition of Samsung Galaxy Unpacked, this is more than likely going to be a very phone-centric presentation this year. Leaks and rumors have indicated that Samsung will roll out the Galaxy S25 line (base, S25 Plus, and S25 Ultra), with a heightened focus on AI features, some of which have already been leaked.

Other announcements are also possible, but expect the phones (and their AI gimmicks) to be the stars of the show.

Under the Trump administration, OpenAI and other members of the tech sector are making a push to establish AI dominance in the U.S.

On Tuesday, the ChatGPT maker announced The Stargate Project, a $500 billion venture to invest in AI infrastructure. OpenAI, Oracle, Japanese company SoftBank, and Emirati firm MGX lead the venture as initial equity funders, with British chipmaker Arm, U.S. chipmaker Nvidia, and longtime OpenAI partner Microsoft also contributing as technology partners.

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Stargate will be building data centers to support the massive computing power required for running and developing AI models and has already broken ground in Texas. OpenAI is deploying $100 billion immediately to kick off the project.

SEE ALSO: Seth Meyers recaps the tech billionaire VIP-ness of Trump's inauguration

"This infrastructure will secure American leadership in AI, create hundreds of thousands of American jobs, and generate massive economic benefit for the entire world," said the OpenAI announcement. "This project will not only support the re-industrialization of the United States but also provide a strategic capability to protect the national security of America and its allies."

President Trump spoke about the project with OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, Oracle co-founder and CTO Larry Ellison, and SoftBank CEO Masayoshi Son standing by his side on Tuesday. "What we want to do is we want to keep it in this country... China is a competitor, others are competitors. We want to be in this country, and we're making it available."

The motivation behind Stargate is to continue to be the global leader in AI investment. "I'm gonna help a lot through emergency declarations because we have an emergency, we have to get this stuff built. So they have to produce a lot of electricity. And we'll make it possible for them to get this production done easily, at their own plants if they want," Trump continued.

That said, The Stargate Project was already underway before Trump took office, as first reported in March 2024 by The Information. According to the outlet, OpenAI and Microsoft had been drawing up plans for building a supercomputer to support the increasing need for large amounts of computing power.

Now, the plan has evolved under Trump's support and partnerships with chipmakers, which is critical for developing and improving AI models.

Not all of Trump's new tech buddies are excited about the Stargate venture. Newly appointed DOGE (Department of Government Efficiency) officer Elon Musk, who is also embroiled in a lawsuit with OpenAI replied to its X post, "They don’t actually have the money."

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Whatever the case, we're sure to learn more details about Stargate soon.

SAVE $120: As of Jan. 22, you can get the Samsung Galaxy Ring for $279.99 at Amazon. That's $120 off the list price of $399.99.

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$399.99 Save $120.00 Get Deal

The first Samsung Galaxy Unpacked event of the year is just moments away, and with it comes anticipation for the newest additions to the Galaxy lineup — and unexpected Samsung deals from retailers like Best Buy and Amazon.

As of Jan. 22, Amazon’s offering a $120 discount on the Samsung Galaxy Ring, bringing the price to $279.99 from $399.99. (This discount is easy to miss — look underneath the price, and you should see “save $120 at checkout.”)

SEE ALSO: Samsung Galaxy Unpacked 2025 live blog: Galaxy S25 series, AI tools, and more

This Mashable Choice Award winner has a sleek, lightweight, scratch-resistant design and a seven-day battery life, making it ideal for anyone who’s always on the go and wants a reliable fitness tracker that isn’t too bulky.

“The Samsung Galaxy Ring is so good, it has made me consider the unthinkable: dropping my beloved Apple Watch Series 9 for the Korea-based tech giant's new wearable,” Mashable’s East Coast Tech Editor, Kimberly Gedeon, wrote in her review.

It tracks sleep, heart rate, steps, and more. And, the best part is that you don’t need a subscription to see your fitness data (though you will need a phone compatible with Samsung Galaxy AI).

Tired of manually copying files between operating systems or relying on cloud storage? Here's how I use Syncthing to seamlessly sync files between my Windows and Linux machines without compromising privacy or dealing with storage limits.

Nintendo recently revealed the Nintendo Switch 2. We're still waiting on details such as specifications, pricing, and availability, but we do know how it looks. One more detail has now been made public: a new mechanism for detaching the Joy-Con controllers.

Snow is falling in Florida as a "historic snowstorm" brings dangerous conditions across 1,000 miles of Interstate 10 from central Texas to northern Florida, according to AccuWeather. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis declared a state of emergency Sunday ahead of what forecasters predict could be one of the Gulf Coast's worst storms in over a century.

In the wake of this rare snowfall, it's transformed the Sunshine State into an otherworldly winter wonderland, and social media is buzzing with stunning photos of icy beaches, snow-dusted palm trees, and surreal frozen landscapes.

SEE ALSO: How to see snow totals for Florida, Texas and other states online

Ever wanted to see a gator basking under the gentle touch of a snowflake or orange trees blanketed in snow? It’s surreal and stunning. Sure, it’s a stark reminder of the existential climate crisis fueled by government inaction and corporate greed, but hey, at least it makes for some pretty wild visuals.

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Beyond the surreal pictures, the winter storm's unexpected snowfall has also sparked a flood of hilarious memes, proving that even in extreme weather, the internet’s sense of humor never freezes (my fault, twin).

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Before you ask, yes, the Waffle House is still open.

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