Image: Koei TecmoKoei Tecmo has announced that Ryza, the star of the Atelier Ryza "Secret" trilogy, is coming to WARRIORS: Abyss on 28th March. Perhaps best of all for owners of the Musou roguelite, she's coming as a free update, too.The game has been getting updates since launch in February (there's a second DLC pack launching today, in fact), but we have a feeling that this particular addition to the roster might persuade a few more fans to pick up Omega Force's roguelike spin on its Warriors template.Ryza, if you're not familiar, is popular not just for her adventurous spirit and impressive limbs, but also as the protagonist of the Atelier series' greatest successes.Gust's aforementioned trilogy, starting with Atelier Ryza: Ever Darkness & The Secret Hideout (2019), followed by Lost Legends & The Secret Fairy (2021) and Alchemist of the End & the Secret Key (2023), represents arguably the best the series has to offer. We called the third Ryza game "the perfect end to the best Atelier trilogy."Subscribe to Nintendo Life on YouTube800kWatch on YouTube We were less enthusiastic about Warriors: Abyss, unfortunately, calling it "a decent low-budget spinoff in the long-running hack n slash series, but [not] particularly inspiring" in our 6/10 review. Still, it's great to see KT continuing to support the game, and who's not a fan of Ryza?The most recent Atelier entry, Atelier Yumia, launched just a few days ago - an ambitious game but one that really struggles on the Switch hardware.Interested to see how Ryza fits in with the ranks of Warriors? Does she spark your interest in the game? Let us know down below.In the comments. Filthy minds, the lot of you. Not Abyssmal"I always look forward to the Xenoblade series!"A new day dawns[source x.com]Related GamesSee AlsoShare:01 Gavin first wrote for Nintendo Life in 2018 before joining the site full-time the following year, rising through the ranks to become Editor. He can currently be found squashed beneath a Switch backlog the size of Normandy. Hold on there, you need to login to post a comment...Related ArticlesPSA: Gold Points For Nintendo Switch Purchases Are Now DiscontinuedUpdate: The Golden age is overSquare Enix Publisher Sale Brings Delightful Discounts To A Boatload Of RPGsBen Starr even has some recommendationsSonic Racing: CrossWorlds Acknowledges Closed Network Test Player Feedback"We've read through your comments"

Dont call it a Bluesky conference.Over the weekend, the first in-person gathering devoted to those building with the AT Protocol, or atproto the technology that powers Blueskys growing social network of 33 million-plus users was held in Seattle. At the event, developers, engineers, founders, and even members of the Bluesky team, including CEO Jay Graber, were in attendance. Many in the community were meeting each other for the first time after having only ever communicated online.But although Bluesky is the largest app built on atproto at this time, the social network itself was not the ATmosphere Conferences focus. Here, Bluesky was just another developer albeit a prominent one, given its stewardship of atproto, the social networking protocol that offers a framework for building a decentralized social network.Image Credits:TechCrunchInstead, the conference was dedicated to the protocol itself and its many possibilities, which include not only building other types of social apps, but also building communities, and giving people a way to sign in across apps and web services with an open social identity via the authentication standard OAuth, and more.The conference was about putting users back in control over their data, as well as their algorithms and their overall online experience.In short, the 150+ people in attendance, alongside others in the community who attended virtually, are working to rebuild the web by putting the power back in the hands of the people who actually use the web. That also means, to some extent, taking the power away from the billionaire tech oligarchs the Caesars, as Grabers viral t-shirt mocking Mark Zuckerberg recently alluded to; these tech CEOs now control the majority of our online experience from search to social connection, to communication to productivity, and beyond.Its no surprise then that self-described anarchists, mutual aid devotees, and open source advocates could be found among the atproto conferences attendees.But for some in attendance, longtime idealism has been tempered by the reality of what theyve already built and watched fail, including public products like Twitter and earlier efforts at decentralized apps. This time around, they aim to learn from those mistakes.Kicking off the event, Blaine Cook, the co-author of the OAuth standard and protocol WebFinger, and former lead developer at Twitter, spoke of his time at the social network thats now called X. While there, he coined the word tweet and designed replies before watching Twitter become corrupted by capital and a lack of imagination, he said. Yet he still thinks of Twitter as the most visceral representation of public human communication and ideas that anyone has ever created.Image Credits:TechCrunchCook, who was pushed out of Twitter for trying to decentralize it, compared todays decentralized social web, which includes Bluesky, as more akin to a jungle something that makes sense for the individual creatures within it, but is seemingly chaotic to outside observers. Thats especially true in these early days where multiple protocols are in use, including not only atproto, but also ActivityPub (which underpins apps like Mastodon and Threads), nostr, Farcaster, and others. Even the webs inventor, Tim Berners-Lee, is working on decentralized technologies designed to give the power back to the users.Ive known in my bones for almost decades now that a more free social system was both possible and inevitable, Cook told the audience, and its always a revolution thats really stuck with me. Cooks speech set the tone for the event: one that acknowledges the missteps of the past but also holds hope for the future.Later, Bluesky CEO Jay Graber spoke of the promise that the web once held, and how she later grew pessimistic as it turned into a tool to surveil and control instead of liberate and create.Image Credits:TechCrunchWe have built a civilization of the mind in cyberspace, but weve ended up giving over our lives to large, centralized platforms whose CEOs have styled themselves as self-made monarchs of the kingdoms that weve built for them with our data and our time, said Graber.We have to remember where the power really lies because we gave them that power and we can take it back. At her speechs conclusion, the audience erupted with applause and hoots that lasted a good half a minute.This was no mere developers conference. This was a movement.Other presenters showed off their projects, detailed various aspects of the atproto technology, and spoke about whats ahead. Some proposed solutions to current issues.Speakers at the event contributed their specific expertise, whether that was addressing the challenges around online communication, finding pathways to funding, or even experimenting with wild ideas, like running Bluesky on a Raspberry Pi single-board computer.BlackSky founder Rudy Fraser hit an emotional note on Saturday when talking about using atproto to build communities. His project today offers moderation and support that makes social media a safer place for Black users, including those migrating from the online community known as Black Twitter. Eventually, BlackSky may run on all of its own atproto-based infrastructure and offer its own consumer-facing client.However, conference attendees were reminded that new technologies alone arent the answer theres a need for a whole ecosystem of support and funding for these efforts, too.Image Credits:TechCrunchFor instance, technologist and feed builder ndra Rininsland spoke up on Sunday about the struggles the trans community has faced and continues to face even on open social platforms.One part of the challenge is that the people who run moderation services like Bluesky labelers (who flag or auto-hide posts you dont want to see) are often personally and financially burdened by their efforts. They can burn out and break down, as Rininsland said she had twice.But despite this, she still expressed optimism, pointing to projects like Northsky Social, which is building on the ideas put forth by BlackSky to use atproto to create a safer social media experience for the LGBTQIA+ community.Theyre ambitious goals, but were trying, Rininsland said. Trans people wont be silenced by this or any other administration. And if it means we have set up an entire parallel infrastructure, our entire damn social network, then you bet your asses well do that. Unlike the so-called Careless People who built Facebook, the atproto community aims to mitigate the harm that introducing new technologies can bring, and theyre looking to experts who can help guide them as they build.On Sunday, Erin Kissane, a content and editorial strategist who once wrote a 40,000-word essay on how Facebook contributed to the genocide in Myanmar, joined remotely (while under the weather, no less!)to share with attendees her deep understanding of how to build safer online communities.Image Credits:TechCrunchAt a time when much of tech is unwinding its diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) initiatives in the interest of catering to the Trump administrations policies, Kissanes advice went in the opposite direction.She advised builders to actively seek out theintelligent and informed perspectives of the most vulnerable people in groups that youre building for before and during rollouts and changes.If you can keep the most vulnerable people safe, you can keep everyone safe, said Kissane.These are not radical ideas, but have become politically charged issues.As the event concluded, some attendees left to immediately begin hacking on projects with connections they formed over the weekend. Promises to continue talking and connecting were made, and an active Discord chat filled with people who have now met in person. I go to a lot of events in [San Franscico], Tessa Brown, the co-founder of secure chat app Germ Network, told TechCrunch. And its like everything started today, and everything is just the future. Theres no lessons from the past.By comparison, Brown added, everyone here is just so thoughtful about how we got to this momentIt feels very different. TechCrunch reported from the ATmosphere Conference in Seattle, Wash.

Discord announced on Tuesday that it rebuilt its Overlay feature from the ground up.The new Overlay makes streaming games on Discord more user-friendly on the streamers end. In its legacy form, streamers could toggle the Overlay display to use Discord while playing games, but this would bring up the entire Discord client in the center of the screen, blocking the stream and making for a clunky user experience.In the new version of Overlay, users can add specific Discord widgets that will appear around the screen for easy access, making it possible to see messages and adjust sound and video settings without pulling up the entire Discord client. These widgets can be customized for opacity, sizing, and placement on the screen.Image Credits:DiscordIf another friend is streaming at the same time, the picture-in-picture widget lets you watch their feed from your own Overlay, which could be helpful for people playing online games collaboratively. Users can also see other users webcam videos if theyre in a live chat.Discord says that the Overlay feature will be compatible with more games and will operate with smoother performance.Image Credits:DiscordDiscord is also unveiling some updates to its Desktop app. Dark mode enthusiasts will be pleased to learn that the platform is getting more free dark themes, so you can toggle between slightly different shades of black and grey (Ash, Dark, and Onyx to be specific). The new UI density options will also let users customize word spacing.These updates are geared more toward power users, especially creators who may use in-server livestreams as ways to make money. But even for casual users playing games with some friends, these quality-of-life upgrades should be welcomed.

Chaos has launched Chaos Arena, a new virtual production tool that allows artists to bypass game engines and use their normal pipeline to put ray-traced 3D content on LED walls in a matter of minutes. Arena aims to deliver fully path-traced quality renders in real-time, accurately capturing lighting and seamlessly blending virtual environments with physical sets.Virtual production has been transformative, but the current process is full of crashes and rebuilds that can cost studios thousands of dollars per minute, said Christopher Nichols, Director of Special Projects at the Chaos Innovation Lab. Arena will not only let artists use the same assets from pre to post, but adds in a level of real-time path tracing and stability that wasnt possible before today. This is exactly what Hollywood needs to rein in budgets and kick off the next big wave of independent filmmaking.Arena was designed to help studios quickly move their 3D scenes from popular tools like Maya, Houdini, Blender and 3DS Max onto LED screens, without a game engine. Artists can build their assets, bring a V-Ray scene file into Chaos Arena, and start their virtual shoots. Chaos is also working on USD and MaterialX support, to allow artists to bring in assets or shaders from outside of the Chaos ecosystem.Arena is powered by Chaos Vantage, one of the first path tracers to support NVIDIAs DLSS 4 ray reconstruction/upscaling technology, a suite of neural rendering tools designed to boost FPS and image quality. By implementing DLSS 4s new denoiser algorithm (built on a new AI transformer model) users can enjoy a noticeable improvement in the visual fidelity of wires, hairs and interior scenes without upgrading their current RTX cards. This boost ensures that even after denoising and/or upscaling, users will see perfect anti-aliasing of objects and textures as fine as 1 to 2 pixels.Virtual production is reaping the benefits of the latest wave of technological advancement, added James Blevins, co-founder of MESH and former post-production supervisor on The Mandalorian. Arenas utilization of DLSS 4 has given me and my productions the opportunity to get great environmental work to the wall as quickly as possible. It really feels like a tool thats enabling the art department.Arena is available now and priced on a daily or annual rate. Arena can also be tested in a trial format that includes a watermark.Source: Chaos Journalist, antique shop owner, aspiring gemologistL'Wrenbrings a diverse perspective to animation, where every frame reflects her varied passions.

Disney+ has released a new trailer for Doctor Who Season 2, which showcases the Doctor and his companion Belinda Chandra as they adventure across time and space.In Season 2, the Doctor and Belinda face great dangers, bigger enemies, and wilder terrors than ever before on their way back to Earth.Ncuti Gatwa stars as the Doctor, alongside Varada Sethu as Belinda Chandra and Millie Gibson as Ruby Sunday. Previously announced guest cast includes Rose Ayling-Ellis, Christopher Chung, Rylan Clark, Alan Cumming, Anita Dobson, Freddie Fox, Michelle Greenidge, Jonah Hauer-King, Ruth Madeley, Jemma Redgrave, and Susan Twist.Russell T Davies serves as showrunner, executive producer, and writer. Joel Collins, Phil Collinson, Julie Gardner, and Jane Tranter also executive produce.The series is produced by Bad Wolf, with BBC Studios for Disney Branded Television, BBC One, and BBC iPlayer.Doctor Who Season 2 premieres April 12 on Disney+ where available, and exclusively on the BBC and BBC iPlayer in the UK. New episodes will premiere weekly.Check out the trailer now:Source: Disney+ Journalist, antique shop owner, aspiring gemologistL'Wrenbrings a diverse perspective to animation, where every frame reflects her varied passions.

Breakdown & ShowreelsDune Prophecy: UI Reel by Territory StudioBy Vincent Frei - 25/03/2025 Inside the Bene Gesserits secret technology! Territory Studio designed intricate UI elements for Dune: Prophecy, visualizing the manipulation of bloodlines and archival mechanics. Explore their work in this really cool showreel!Click on the picture to watch the reel.WANT TO KNOW MORE?Territory Studio: Dedicated page about Dune: Prophecy on Territory Studio website.Mike Enriquez & Terron Pratt: Heres my interview of Mike Enriquez (Production VFX Supervisor) & Terron Pratt (Production VFX Producer). Vincent Frei The Art of VFX 2025

Feodora-adobeNewsGovernment needs to fix tech staff hiring process, says Whitehalls AI bossGiving evidence to the Science, Innovation and Technology Committee, tech experts highlighted the lack of clarity on data exchange, the need for the new Government Digital Service to execute, and a lack of actual tech expertsByLis EvenstadPublished: 25 Mar 2025 15:31 The Science, Innovation and Technology Committee has questioned tech experts on the governments plans for the digital centre of government or the new Government Digital Service (GDS).The committee examined the role of the new centre and whether the governments digitisation of public services will be successful.Earlier this month, prime minister Keir Starmer promised a potential 45bn in savings should the government get digital services right, and pledged to send teams into government departments to ensure they are utilising technology and artificial intelligence (AI).This is part of the governments blueprint for digital government, published in January 2025, which promises agile technology delivery, upskilling of civil servants and a focus on AI.Giving evidence to the committee, the governments head of AI, Laura Gilbert, said there are currently a lot of people in senior digital, data and technology (DDaT) roles in government who she would not consider technology people, adding, I wouldnt hire them.Its very difficult to hire technologists well. The way the civil service hires for this sort of role is not suitable for this sort of purpose. Its really hit and miss, she said, adding that having CVs with the right buzzwords and programming languages checked off doesnt necessarily make those people the right fit for the job.The system doesnt have a way to hire that assures that people [can] do the job. Until that changes, its going to continue to be very difficult.She added that to become an AI engineer in the governments AI incubator, she puts potential hires through a four-hour coding test, testing their skills in a real scenario, while the civil service is still doing behaviour-based interviews and trying to apply that to technical roles.Gilbert said she is also concerned about the prime ministers announcement that, by 2030, one in 10 civil servants will be in a digital role.Will they really be digital skills? Would Google hire them? Because thats the standard we should be going for, she said.The committee also questioned the potential 45bn in savings, a figure that comes from a Bain & Company report published in January 2025.Gilbert said the methodology for coming up with those numbers is perfectly good but, as with everything else, its guesswork.She said there is a front-loaded part where there are easy gains on quite big projects you can spin up that dont rely on keeping legacy systems afloat, but a lot of it will be long-term projects that need people and money, and she doubts the government will ever get to a point where they can say theyve saved exactly 45bn.Former civil servant turned consultant Richard Pope, director of Richard Pope and Partners, added that it is really hard to digitise an analogue service and not save money, so there will naturally be savings.But projects predicated on saving money tend not to work very well for the public, he added.He is also concerned that the government has publicly focused too much on AI as the saviour.I wonder if ministers have painted themselves into the corner with AI a little bit, because its almost like AI has become synonymous with savings, he said, adding that there are other digital products, services and systems that may not sound as flashy, but work well, and that to achieve the savings predicted, the government needs to use the full scope of digital.Both Pope and Gilbert are concerned by the lack of clarity around what the government is trying to do in data exchange.Pope said that in the past five years, GDS has done five different data exchange projects, and the governments blueprint signals that another one is in the works.Gilbert is concerned that the value around the data programmes so far has been really low and not far-reaching. She says the plans around the data library and data sharing need to be really clear on why its being done and what problem it is trying to solve, whether that is data exchange within government, public data, personal data, what the outcomes will be, and where the money is being spent.The practical implementation is very important. There is a real lack of clarity on what people are trying to do in the system, she said.Pope added that the new GDS needs to show that it can exercise influence across the system and focus on delivering good services for civil servants and the public, particularly getting to grips with old, end-of-life systems.Theres a lot of unmaintained technology the government relies on to do its job. Its not good enough at the moment, and we obviously need to fix that. We need to do that at the same time as delivering value to the public, he said.While the governments plans for digitisation focus heavily on cyber security and legacy systems, Pope said it is important to think a bit more holistically and focus on digital public infrastructure and what is needed to deliver what works cross-government. The experts also pointed out that while the remit of the new GDS is a good one, should it work, it will be difficult to get right.Pope said that historically, GDS has been focused on citizen-facing services, as opposed to businesses and the wider economy, which has been left out.Gilbert added that the proof will be in the implementation.The other thing is, how are we tracking whether its delivering on that remit in a way that does not involve lots of written documents and involves actual outcomes? she said.Read more about government and technologyIn his plans to reform the state, prime minister Keir Starmer is pushingfor artificial intelligence to take on tasks for civil servantsand calling time on NHS England.As the prime minister sets out plans for the use of artificial intelligence to take over civil service tasks, Computer Weekly looks at potential challenges and concerns around the decision.Changes to government digital spending will includestaged fundingwith regular review and a pathfinder programme to test new funding models suitable for digital projects.In The Current Issue:Can a future digital NHS survive another change?Digital twins drive efficiency across machines and infrastructureDownload Current IssueSLM series - Memgraph: The SLM-knowledge graph combo CW Developer NetworkHonor Magic7 Pro, a smartphone with an eye for AI Inspect-a-GadgetView All Blogs

archy13 - stock.adobe.comNewsETSI launches first post-quantum encryption standardEuropean telco standards body launches its first post-quantum cryptography cyber standard, covering the security of critical data and communicationsByAlex Scroxton,Security EditorPublished: 25 Mar 2025 14:45 The European Telecommunications Standards Institute (ETSI) has this week debuted its first post-quantum cyber security standard, designed to guarantee the protection of critical data and communications in the quantum-enabled future.Responding to the potentially existential threat to current encryption methods posed by large-scale quantum computers which will likely be able to efficiently solve the complex maths relied on by current asymmetric public key cryptography (PKC) ETSI has developed specification TS 104 105 or, to give it its full name, Efficient quantum-safe hybrid key exchanges with hidden access policies to help ensure that only authorised users are able to access sensitive data.The standard defines a scheme for Key Encapsulation Mechanisms (KEMs) with Access Control (Kemac) dubbed Covercrypt that ETSI claims will ensure pre- and post-quantum security through hybridisation.In laymans terms, it will lock and anonymise session keys based on user attributes, and enables those who meet the encapsulation policy requirements to retrieve them while keeping those who dont away.ETSI said its standard also heralded a breakthrough in efficiency it takes a few hundred microseconds to encapsulate and decapsulate said keys. It can supposedly be easily and readily integrated into existing security products, the body added.ETSIs latest specification marks a significant milestone in the transition to post-quantum cryptography, said Matt Campagna, chair of the Quantum Safe Cryptography (QSC) working group at ETSI. This standard is fundamental to the quantum future, we are empowering organisations to safeguard their sensitive data both for today, and for the decades ahead.The work weve done in the Cyber QSC working group underlines our commitment to providing secure, future-proof solutions that can withstand emerging threats, while also helping to build a healthy industrial ecosystem and a sustainable economy, he said.Read more about post-quantum securityScepticism over quantum still abounds, but for cyber professionals it brings both unprecedented capabilities and significant threats,demanding careful attention.NIST has launched the first three quantum-resistant encryption algorithms organisations are encouraged to adopt them as soon as they can.Tests carried out at Finnish telecom operator Telia will support the building ofa secure quantum network.ETSI said organisations should begin to use quantum-resistant encryption as soon as possible to future-proof their data security, safeguard their most sensitive data and remain compliant with yet-to-emerge standards.The launch of the standard comes in the wake of guidance issued by the UKs National Cyber Security Centre, which similarly urged organisations to begin exploring their migration pathways to post-quantum cryptography (PQC).The NCSCs advice which can be accessed in full here sets out a three-phase schedule that will help key industries move to quantum-resistant encryption over the next decade.The agency said that at-risk organisations such as financial institutions, healthcare providers, operators of critical national infrastructure and public sector organisations should have the core of a migration plan in place by 2028, before beginning high-priority upgrades and then moving on to a complete PQC migration by 2035.The NCSC said much of this work involved the sort of activity that would accompany any large-scale IT migration, and in security terms, activity that should already be at the heart of any business security practice so those that are sufficiently on the ball should think about using PQC migration as an opportunity to build additional resilience into their IT systems.The agency also noted that the ultimate cost of PQC migration could be significant, so it is essential that organisations begin to budget accordingly.In The Current Issue:Can a future digital NHS survive another change?Digital twins drive efficiency across machines and infrastructureDownload Current IssueSLM series - Memgraph: The SLM-knowledge graph combo CW Developer NetworkHonor Magic7 Pro, a smartphone with an eye for AI Inspect-a-GadgetView All Blogs

ZDNET's key takeaways The Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra is a premium flagship meant for users who want the most out of their phone, with a starting price of $1,299. Key improvements include new Galaxy AI features, a Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite chipset, and a 50MP ultrawide lens. No major shifts to camera hardware, battery size, and charging speeds leave a lot to be desired. more buying choices During Amazon's 2025 Spring Sale, the 256GB Galaxy S25 Ultra is available for $1,090. The 512GB model is also on sale and can be bought for as low as $1,187. This second deal only applies to the Titanium Gray option. Other options are $1,195.Samsung's Big Bad Galaxy phone is here, and it may be the least surprising device I've tested so far. The Galaxy S25 Ultra, which starts at the same bold price as last year, $1,299, remains the company's do-everything handset. This premium Android phone is now Samsung's best phone overall, with a more durable display, an upgraded camera lens with some handy editing tricks, and the latest Qualcomm processor keeping things running. Oh, and yes, AI is everything, everywhere, all at once.Also: The 95+ best Amazon Spring Sale tech dealsWhile last year's Galaxy S24 series ushered in Samsung's Galaxy AI era, this year feels more like the company cementing itself as the leader in the smartphone space, besting Apple and even Google (for now) on features and capabilities. How decorative that honor is ultimately depends on how invested you are in using AI.I've spent the two weeks testing the S25 Ultra and wasn't too surprised to find myself both fascinated and bored. After all, this is now Samsung's fifth iteration of the S-series Ultra model, and the changes year-over-year have been modest, to be generous. But if you're currently using a three- to four-year-old handset and considering an upgrade, take this first-hand testimonial to heart. (And if you're an enthusiast, it'll matter just as much to you.) details View at Samsung The Galaxy S Ultra has always been a big-phone, two-handed affair, and that holds this year. When I first unboxed the S25 Ultra, it felt like the fanciest calculator ever (and I mean that in a nice way), with its round edges and tall stature. Coming from the OnePlus 13I reviewed back in January -- which, on paper, is relatively similar in size -- the S25 Ultra had a bolder and more striking presence. From left to right: iPhone 16 Pro, Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra, and Google Pixel 9 Pro XL. Kerry Wan/ZDNETFortunately, the device is not as top-heavy as I remember previous models being, even though Samsung encased the four rear cameras with thicker rings this time around. In fact, the S25 Ultra is lighter than its predecessor by 16 grams, earning it the title of the thinnest Galaxy S Ultra ever. You should still opt for the slimmer S25 and S25 Plus if that's the form factor you're after, and you'll likely hear more about the "thinnification" of phones later this year. Furthermore, if small phones are your style, refer to our roundup of the best small phones of 2025.Also:This midrange Galaxy phone can deliver a similar experience to a flagship - and it's on saleThe other notable design upgrade with the S25 Ultra is the Corning Gorilla Armor 2 layered over the front display. It doesn't take away from the anti-reflection surface treatment that made headlines on last year's S24 Ultra, yet promises improved drop protection and scratch resistance. I believe it. My S24 Ultra last year had numerous micro scratches after just days of testing, while my S25 Ultra review unit has remained pristine so far -- even after I removed the privacy screen protector I initially installed on it.Now, if only Samsung could bring back the glory days ofpsychedelic Aura Glowfinishes because theseS25 Ultra colorsare uninspiring. Perhaps it's the nature of titanium finishes or the harsh reality that consumers are more likely to opt for safer colors with black, white, and silver hues than poppy and bright. Regardless, you'll want to slap on a case to give your S25 Ultra even a touch of personality.Under the hood is a new Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite chip for Galaxy, which is an overclocked variant of the processor powering competing Android phones in 2025 like the OnePlus 13 and Honor Magic 7 Pro. The most notable benefit of the chipset comes in the form of AI experiences -- specifically, a 40% increase in NPU performance compared to last year's Snapdragon 8 Gen 3.Also: Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra vs. OnePlus 13: I compared the best Android phones, and it was very closeIn layman's terms, on-device AI features should take up less bandwidth and power to operate while also functioning quickly. I saw the results in person, placebo effect or not, as my S25 Ultra can swiftly remove subjects (along with their shadows) from the background of photos via Generative Edit and pull up Gemini search results in a matter of seconds. I ran a couple of response tests with the iPhone 16 Pro (running Siri and ChatGPT) and Google Pixel 9 Pro (running Gemini), and the Galaxy S25 Ultra was the clear front-runner.You can also credit the performance to the enhanced Gemini app, which can now be fired up with a long press of the power button. Previously, Samsung phones were limited to Bixby -- or Google Assistant, if you made some sketchy backend modifications -- so this change is a breath of fresh air. It makes transitioning from any other Android phone with Gemini as the default assistant much more burdenless.Speaking of which, the new Gemini-Bixby hybrid AI agent, as Samsung confusingly presents it, can handle natural-sounding, conversational chains of actions, such as looking up the upcoming schedule of your favorite sports team and adding the date(s) to your calendar. While the agent-like capability mainly works across Google and Samsung apps, some third-party services like Spotify are supported, too.Also:The 20+ best Amazon Spring Sale phone dealsThe important thing is knowing how to phrase your commands. For example, when I asked the AI agent to createa Spotify playlist for road trips and send it to my wife, it responded that it was unable to do so. When, instead, I asked it to findsongs that were good for road trips, it curated the list and drafted a modifiable text message. My AI advice: if a prompt doesn't work, try and try again. Kerry Wan/ZDNETConsidering the Galaxy S24 series introduced Google's Circle to Search feature, and the S25 series is doing the same for the enhanced Gemini-Bixby experience, it wouldn't be farfetched to say that Samsung, not Google, makes the best AI phone on the market right now.Some other new Galaxy AI tools, like AI Select and Now Brief, only reinforce that statement. The former is an adaptive, context-aware screen selection tool, and the latter gives daily summaries of the weather, calendar events, and news.Also: The big-screen Samsung tablet I recommend for watching movies is $220 offI just wish Now Brief showed me more than just political news; even after two weeks since setting my topic preferences within my Samsung News app to technology and sports, the app still treats my mornings with the generic "Uplifting Morning Prep" Spotify playlist and latest scoop on the US president signing executive orders. The new 50MP ultrawide lens pulls in four times more detail than the previous generation's 12MP sensor, according to Samsung. Kerry Wan/ZDNETOne of the key reasons to buy a Galaxy Ultra phone continues to be the camera, though Samsung hasn't improved the specifications much this year -- at least on paper. The only hardware change is the 50-megapixel ultrawide lens (up from 12MP), which, from my two weeks' worth of shots, yields greater detail and vividness, especially when capturing macro photos.The rest of the lenses, such as the 200MP wide, 50MP 5x telephoto, and 10MP 3x telephoto, are identical to last year's S24 Ultra, but several internal contributors like the improved ISP of the Qualcomm chip have made the S25 Ultra's output more true to real life, especially when it comes to face tones and details in low light.Also: You can ask Google Maps questions now, thanks to GeminiThere's a bigger focus on the software side of things, with Samsung introducing helpful photo and video features like 10-bit HDR video recording by default to capture a wider dynamic range, a new Audio Eraser feature that lets you adjust the volumes of various frequencies (classified as audio subjects like voices, wind, and noises), and the ability to record in Galaxy Log mode.The latter feature allows you to spot overexposed areas better and adjust the dynamic range while recording videos. It also allows you to apply LUTs in post for better color and light control.ZDNET's buying adviceMy two weeks of testing theSamsung Galaxy S25 Ultraconfirms several things for me. While most aspects of the phone, such as the vibrant, glare-free display and versatility across the cameras and AI features, are easy to appreciate, the upgrades this year feel iterative and safe.In ways, Samsung has even taken a few steps back, with the S Pen stylus no longer supporting Bluetooth controls and gestures, and the company opting for Qi2-ready cases instead of embedding the actual technology within its phones. Samsung may reason the absence of magnets with added weight and bulk, but it's inexcusable when Apple continues to make the iPhone slimmer while offering similar functionality.Also:This tiny power bank is one of my everyday essentials, and it's 20% off ahead of Amazon's Spring SaleIt's understandable that early adopters and tech enthusiasts might feel underwhelmed by the S25 Ultra; when you brand your phone as "Ultra," it should, theoretically, lead the market in multiple aspects. In today's landscape, however, Samsung needs to give us a bit more than just a new chip and some software features. Otherwise, it's becoming harder and harder for me to justify spending $1,300 on a phone.But for consumers who are coming from an S21 series, Pixel 6 or 7, or even an older iPhone, Samsung's new flagship handset checks almost every box. Just make sure to survey your local carrier or retailer for a generous trade-in deal before you make the investment. When will this deal expire? It's unknown exactly how long this deal will last as an expiration date wasn't given, but don't expect it to last for very long. Act fast and take advantage of the discounts while they last.Deals are subject to sell out or expire at any time, though ZDNET remains committed to finding, sharing, and updating the best product deals for you to score the best savings. Our team of experts regularly checks in on the deals we share to ensure they are still live and obtainable. We're sorry if you've missed out on a deal, but don't fret -- we constantly find new chances to save and share them with you onZDNET.com. Show more Looking for the next best product? Get expert reviews and editor favorites with ZDNET Recommends.Featured reviews

Signal is in the news for all the wrong reasons. Here's what to know about it and why it remains a top choice for protecting conversations.