Is the AI-first approach a mistake for the Samsung Galaxy S25 series?

For a good couple of years now, we’ve been unable to go through a flagship smartphone launch event without a significant portion of the proceedings being dedicated to AI. The most recent example occurred during Samsung’s unveiling of its latest smartphone selection – the Galaxy S25 series – but the South Korean tech giant is far from the only culprit.

It seems that these days nearly every notable manufacturer has, or is actively developing, its own-brand recipe of the same AI soup to stuff into its smartphones. And, more and more, we’re seeing new phone releases placing less emphasis on hardware improvements and instead pushing these AI features as a reason for users to fork out for a brand-new phone.

Case in point, the Samsung Galaxy S25 series unveiling this week, in which we were treated to an extensive breakdown of the AI capabilities of these latest handsets, followed by a brief run through of minor hardware changes. This setup made it clear that Samsung’s focus was firmly on the AI side of things, with any morsel of physical improvement treated very much as an afterthought.

That’s a problem, because Samsung already released an accomplished set of phones last year, including Galaxy AI features and software support all the way up to 2031. In short, the Galaxy S24 series, especially the Galaxy S24 Ultra, are still among the best phones around – and at many outlets, much better value, too.

And while buying an S24 Ultra brand new will still set you back at least £850, you can save even more by going the refurbished route. I know that buying second-hand feels a little less glamorous than picking up a shiny new handset but going through an established refurbishment company such as Back Market or Amazon Renewed means you can buy a like-new phone that’s been fully vetted. The best deals can be found on phones that shows a few signs of wear but even the excellent condition models tend to be much cheaper than buying new.

In addition to being kinder to your bank balance, considering refurbished phones is also a much better choice for the environment. The yearly phone release cycle that we find ourselves in is a big enough threat to the planet by itself – between CO2 emissions and water consumption in the manufacturing process and the inevitable tons of e-waste on the other side, planet Earth pays a hefty toll for each new generation of smartphone.

This trend towards AI makes things even worse. On top of the impact of general smartphone production, we now have the massive amounts of energy and water being used to keep AI data centres ticking over. I’ve been pretty vocal in my criticism of gimmicky AI additions to smartphone software in the past, and although I’ll happily admit there are some genuinely useful new features – such as Google’s Circle to Search and the various AI-powered photo editing tools offered by several brands now – AI chatbots and image generators simply don’t feel valuable enough to be worth this kind of environmental impact.

Naturally, I’m not the only one thinking about this in the wake of Samsung’s latest announcement. Kewin Charron, a Senior Lead Refurbishment Operations Manager at Back Market, recently spoke on this topic, said: “As the Samsung S25 launches today, it’s a good time to reflect on the impact of constant upgrades. The production of a single new smartphone has a significant environmental impact, generating 186.1 lbs of CO2 per device.

“The truth is, no major improvements have been announced and the rumoured ones have little effect on a device’s functionality or performance.”

Of course, a senior member of one of the most prominent refurbished phone retailers in Europe isn’t exactly an unbiased source when it comes to the argument of buying new phones or second-hand one, but the overall message is sound; we don’t need to upgrade simply because it’s that time of the year again. It’s worth taking stock and looking at what the new phone offers, compared to how much Samsung wants you to pay out.

Even if you are due an upgrade, there’s so much value to be found in going second-hand. The Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra, for instance, can be snatched up on Back Market for just £732 at the time of writing. That’s in excellent condition, with verified parts, almost no signs of use and a battery rated capable of handling daily use. Most important, however, is that it will offer a broadly similar experience to the new S25 Ultra, while costing you hundreds of pounds less.

As one in his position is wont to do, Kewin also went on to extoll the virtues of refurbished phones: “With proper care and upkeep, most tech devices can remain reliable well past their ‘expiry date’

“Opting for a well-maintained refurbished smartphone when an upgrade is necessary is a far better sustainable and financial choice than purchasing a brand-new one. Refurbished devices offer a more sustainable alternative, cutting CO2 emissions by 92% and significantly reducing e-waste.

“Choosing a high-quality refurbished smartphone when upgrading provides comparable performance to new devices while reducing e-waste by up to 89%. Refurbished tech proves we can embrace great technology without adding to the planet’s growing e-waste crisis.”

Our team is currently hard at work putting the new Galaxy S25 series of phones through their paces and we’ll have full reviews of each model coming very soon. It could well be that my time with the Galaxy S25 Ultra changes my tune and I uncover some part of it I think truly makes it worth the upgrade. More likely, however, is that I’ll remain resolute that there’s no better time than now to look past the latest flagships and shop in the refurbished section – for the sake of the planet as much as your wallet.