When Samsung announced that its Galaxy S25 series would be light on camera hardware changes, I wasn’t sure how to feel. No, there was nothing wrong with the cameras on the Galaxy S24 series, but it’s always tougher to get excited about a phone when you know it’s going to feel a lot like its predecessor. However, just because Samsung didn’t overhaul its trio (or quartet on the Galaxy S25 Ultra) of powerful sensors doesn’t mean it kept things the same.
Instead of refreshing its hardware, it took a longer look at the Galaxy S25’s camera software and devised a new wrinkle to take on Apple: camera filters. Yes, what’s old is new again — you can finally relive the days of early Instagram when all you had to do was slap a heavy filter on an image and watch the likes roll in. There’s more to it, but the real question is how Samsung’s camera filters compare to Apple’s Photographic Styles. And, on that front, I have some thoughts.