Smartphones

Audio Eraser, Nightography Video on the Samsung Galaxy S25 series

Plus other content creation things

Published

January 23, 2025

Rodneil Quiteles

The AI capabilities of the Samsung Galaxy S25 series extends even to content creation. Two standout features are Audio Eraser and Nightography Video.

Audio Eraser

Perhaps one of the most impressive additions to the Galaxy S25 series’ content creation suite, Audio Eraser lets you take any of your videos and adjust the audio levels to your liking.

The tool doesn’t just reduce noise. It gives you a pretty granular control of the sound present in your video.

You can adjust the volume levels of Speaker, Music, Wind, Nature, and Crowd. This could prove to be one of their most useful and powerful tools for content creation. Audio Eraser might just be one of the most powerful and most useful addition to Galaxy AI.

Nightography video

Gotta hand it to Samsung for sticking with “nightography.” Now, it extends to video performance. With their “Next Gen ProVisual Engine”, the Samsung Galaxy S25 series is able to capture better video in night and low light scenarios.

With it, they are promising less noise and more details. It performs double-analysis noise removal to make sure your low light videos come out as crisp as possible. This analysis happens in real-time.

There’s also what they call the Custom STF (Spatio-Temporal Filter) that distinguishes between moving and stationary objects and applies noise reduction as needed.

It even supports 10-bit HDR for a wider dynamic range for your videos.

New 50MP Ultra Wide camera

New on the Galaxy S25 series is the 50MP Ultra Wide camera. It promises increased resolution and brightness range, better performance under different lighting conditions, and four times better detail than the Galaxy S24 Series.

It’s also the same camera that Samsung utilizes for macro shots. Those are for when you want to get really up close to tinier subjects.

Galaxy Log/ Virtual Aperture

Onto more shooting tools, the Galaxy S25 series has Galaxy Log and Virtual Aperture.

Galaxy Log will spot overexposed areas of your shot during preview. While recording, it promises to deliver Dynamic range for vibrant, true to life videos.

And while editing, you can apply color correction with exclusive LUTs (Look Up Tables) for control precision.

Visual Aperture, meanwhile, is an AI-powered tool that mimics the function of adjusting your aperture to adjust the look of your shot as you tinker with the aperture values presented. This helps in achieving what many call a “cinematic look” which is achieving some depth of field on your shot.

Generative Edit & Portrait Studio

Generative edit and Portrait Studio are both features introduced in the Galaxy S24 series. For the Galaxy S25 series, they have been refined.

Generative edit is now more accurate whether that’s applying magic erase or extending your image.

Meanwhile, Portrait Studio will now provide more realistic portraits. They are promising accurate and natural tones along with true-to-life-facial expressions.

Hardware and Performance

The entire Galaxy S25 line is equipped with the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite SoC that’s especially tuned for Galaxy.

As for hardware changes, the Galaxy S25 series is slimmer and lighter compared to the Galaxy S24 series. The corners and edges have also been rounded for a better grip. For durability, there’s improved titanium and Corning Gorilla Armor 2.

Colorways

The Samsung Galaxy S25 Series come in various color options:

Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra:

Titanium Silverblue, Titanium Whitesilver, Titanium Gray, Titanium Black. With online exclusives being the following: Titanium Blackgold, Titanium Jetblack, Titanium Jadegreen.

Meanwhile, the Galaxy S25+ and Galaxy S25 share the following color options:

Navy, Icyblue, Mint, and Silver Shadow. Online exclusives are: Blueblack, Coralred, and Pinkgold.

Smart now accepts pre-orders for the Samsung Galaxy S25 Series

News

Google will force Android users to use Gemini next month

Google Assistant will be retired as well.

Published

August 6, 2026

Luigi Leonardo

What is Google’s voice assistant called? Technically, there are two possible answers: Google Assistant and Gemini. Despite Google’s push for Gemini, the ubiquitous Google Assistant is still a common option for most users. However, the company will soon take that choice away as the voice assistant will retire in favor of Gemini.

First reported by 9to5Google, Google has sent emails to users, declaring that Google Assistant will no longer be an option for Android users starting September 4. On that date, the company will slowly roll out an update to get rid of the assistant’s availability on device.

Google also makes it clear that Gemini will be “the assistant experience on Android” moving forward. If you’re used to Google Assistant to help you with handsfree use, you’ll have only one option soon. This also affects other peripherals including smartwatches and audio accessories.

Of course, there are a few exceptions. Devices that can’t support an AI-powered assistant like Gemini are mercifully spared of the forced transition. Likewise, devices in countries that don’t support the AI assistant are also saved.

Despite the tepid reception of AI today, Google remains adamant about pushing Gemini to more users, regardless of whether they want it or not. In fact, a forced move like this will likely inflate the numbers that more devices are using Google’s AI software than ever before, while conveniently hiding the fact that most users never really had much of a choice.

News

OnePlus officially leaves the United States and Canada

The brand’s smartphones are now sold out in the United States.

Published

August 5, 2026

Luigi Leonardo

Once upon a time, OnePlus used to be the darling child of smartphone users on a budget. For a more meager price than a flagship, users can enjoy flagship specs on a uniquely designed phone. Who can forget the iconic OnePlus One?

Unfortunately, prices have a way of catching up. Though the brand’s phones are still perfectly good, more options have already emerged as alternatives for a so-called flagship killer, including OnePlus co-founder Carl Pei’s Nothing.

Now, marking the brand’s next step, whatever that is, OnePlus has officially left the North American market. As of today, the company has sold its last smartphone in the United States and Canada. Going on the official OnePlus website will warrant a Sold Out sign for both the OnePlus 15 and 15R. If anything, users can still get a handful of earbuds and cases.

As with everything that sells out, if you really want to cop one of the last remaining models in America, you can grab one off a third-party retailer, but who knows until when that will last?

This isn’t just a stocking issue, either. In July, the company already confirmed that it is pulling out of the region starting this month. It’s a sign of internal restructuring happening inside OPPO and all the brands under its umbrella. There’s also a rumor that OnePlus was relegated to being a sub-brand of OPPO once again.

Features

GadgetSnaps: Westminster Abbey

A thousand years of history, unfolded with the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold8 Ultra

Published

August 4, 2026

MJ Jucutan

Graphics by Vincenz Lee | GadgetMatch

Westminster Abbey isn’t just another stop on the London tourist trail.

It’s the stage for coronations, royal weddings, and burials that span nearly a thousand years, all still playing out under the same vaulted ceilings that have been standing since before most countries had names.

Once you get past the crowds and the audio guides, a quieter version of the abbey starts to show itself: worn stone steps, poets resting a few feet from kings, light that shifts across the nave like it’s in on the performance too.

While losing track of time in Poets’ Corner (yes, me, playing amateur historian for an afternoon), I unfolded the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold8 Ultra and decided the abbey deserved more than a quick tourist snap.