This week, Samsung not only debuted its new Galaxy S25 series smartphones (including a surprise Galaxy S25 Edge Reveal), but we saw a number of big tech news stories that you might have missed.
Openai teased its operator agent, Netflix raised its prices (again), and Tiktok was banned and disenfranchised — but its fate still hangs in the balance as its rivals move in. You can catch up on all this and more by scrolling down.
After you’ve wrapped up this week’s ICYMI, check out our picks for the 7 new movies and TV shows to stream this weekend (January 24).
7. Samsung Galaxy Unboxed Shown S25 Series …
(Image credit: Philip Berne / Future)
Another year, another Samsung Galaxy unpacked to unpack (sorry!). This latest edition saw the Korean giant launch the Samsung Galaxy S25, Galaxy S25 Plus and Galaxy S25 Ultra. At the same time, a fourth device – the Galaxy S25 Edge – was teased at the end of the presentation as ‘coming soon.’
So what’s new? All three new smartphones boast the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite Chipset, 12GB of RAM and a range of new Galaxy AI features, including now Brief and Audio Eraser. The Ultra has enjoyed an iPhone-like redesign, and Samsung has added Galaxy Z Fold 6-style camera rings to every model in the lineup. The Galaxy S25 Edge, meanwhile, will be a super-slim version of the (we think) 6.2-inch Galaxy S25, but Samsung hasn’t shared any official details about that phone yet (apart from its name).
We were on the ground at Galaxy Unboxed and have already handled all three new S25 devices, so check out our hands-on Samsung Galaxy S25 Review, Hands-on Samsung Galaxy S25 Plus Review and Hands-On Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra Review for our First impression.
6. … and play us new Galaxy AI goodies
(Image credit: Future/Jacob Krol)
The launch of the S25 series was really about Galaxy AI, Samsung’s umbrella name for all the AI features packed into these new, sleek, futuristic phones. By detailing all the AI capabilities before the phones, Samsung seems to think that the AI capabilities are more important than the actual phone specs, so what is the Korean company so excited about?
Now cards and now the two prominent features of Galaxy AI are essentially like super powered notifications. Because they link to all the other apps on your phone, not to mention all your other Samsung devices, you’ll find that they can start suggesting things you need to do before they need to be done, or things you may have to be aware of, As heavy traffic on the way home.
Security is obviously a big concern with AI, and Samsung is keen to emphasize the new personal data engine. This keeps all your personal data on your device as the AI works its magic on it, so you don’t have to worry about it leaking onto the cloud.
5. Fitbit issued a warning about its batteries
(Image credit: Future)
A tough 2024 for Fitbit has paved the way for an even more rocky start to 2025. While you’d have hoped your best Fitbit could help you through your New Year’s resolutions for Kickstart January, the company is actually firefighting.
The company warned users that Fitbit Sense and Versa 3 are both at risk and could pose a potential risk to users. The update is already rolling out, but it’s not all good news. Customers are encouraged to check their device eligibility and will receive a notification asking them to update their firmware.
The update reduces the risk of the affected batteries overheating, but comes at the cost of reduced capacity, meaning your device needs to be charged more often.
It’s not ideal, and Fitbit is offering $50 to affected customers as compensation. With Google sunsetting Fitbit in favor of the Pixel Watch line, perhaps they should spend that money on a new smartwatch.
4. Tiktok and other apps went dark and returned
(Image credit: Shutterstock / Daniel Constant)
Tiktok went offline for a day before being allowed to return to the US thanks to an executive order signed by Donald Trump, though there are still questions about how long it will stick around. Plus, it wasn’t the only dish that went dark.
Marvel Snap and Capcut went dark—alongside other Bytedance-owned ventures—despite some (like Marvel Snap’s own developers) believing their software would be exempt from the ban. This prompted a wave of backlash from apps and their rivals – Marvel Snap is looking for a new publisher, and Instagram announced edits (its own Capcut rival).
There’s still some question as to what Tiktok’s fate will be, but it looks like plenty are bracing for it to be banned in the US again if a sale doesn’t go through, so you might want to be ready for that.
3. Netflix got a price increase – again
(Image credit: Shutterstock / maxshot.pl)
Here we go again: Netflix gets a price hike in the US effective immediately – Yippee …
The standard plan with ads increases $1 from $6.99 to $7.99 per month, the standard (no ads) plans jump to $17.99 from $15.49, and the premium plan will set you back $24.99 per month instead of $22.99.
Netflix said it “occasionally will ask our members to pay a little more so we can reinvest to further improve Netflix” as a way to wave away criticism. While the increase isn’t massive (and hasn’t yet made its way to the UK or Australia), these slow and steady increases have made the service significantly more expensive over time, leading us to wonder if we should just ditch that streaming service once and for all .
2. Openai’s first AI agent arrived
(Image credit: Openai)
AI agents will be a big trend in 2025, and Openai will officially ship its first one, called ‘operator’ from January 23, 2025, as a research sample for ChatGpt Pro subscription. The gist here is that it’s computing by agent, basically an AI that can perform web tasks for you as it resides in a browser. It uses GPT-4O’s advanced reasoning visuals to let it browse the web and understand different elements.
Essentially, as seen in a shared demo, it can fill out forms for you, find a restaurant, and then book it for you on OpenTable. Openai even says it can self-correct, though we’ll have to see how that looks in practice. It’s early days, but the operator is exciting, and Openai is also working on other AI agents.
1. Oscar nominations received AI backlash
(Image credit: A24)
The Brutalist—up for 10 Oscars—and Netflix’s Emilia Pérez—up for a record 13 Oscars, the most ever for a foreign film—came under fire this week over their use of Respeecher, an AI voice-changing tool.
It was used to make the Brutalist actors like Adrien Brody and Felicity Jones sound more truly Hungarian and to increase the singing range of Emilia Pérez Lead Karla Sofìa Gascón by combining her voice with French pop star Camille.
The film’s creative team has argued that AI simply enhances the incredible performances of these actors in the same way that traditional editing does, and that while AI was used to help speed up the editing process, it still required the care and attention of human editors. However, it leaves a sour taste in many people’s mouths, especially after the great 2023 Hollywood strike that revolted against the use of AI in films – with some calling for those films to be disqualified for using AI.
