Tech stock Apple (AAPL) has long been considered the leader in mobile technology, but Samsung (SSNLF) has been gaining on it in recent days. In fact, Samsung is rolling out a new phone that may prove troublesome to the Apple lineup, as well as some new AI tools that may swamp the tech giant as well.
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The first major problem for Apple from Samsung is the S25, a new phone line that features three models, according to a report from CNBC. The S25, the S25+ and the S25 Ultra are their names, and price points for each are $799, $999 and $1,299 respectively. Preorders for all three models have already started.
One of the biggest features about the S25 lineup is its processor. The report noted that the new processors are both fast and boast low power consumption, which is vital for a mobile platform that really only has its own battery to work with, power-wise. The camera has also been improved, and there are even some aesthetic changes as well, including “rounded corners” rather than the sharper ones seen in earlier models.
Apple Intelligence Takes a Back Seat to Samsung
A report from ZDNet, meanwhile, brought out the elephant in the room: Samsung’s artificial intelligence (AI) tools. The word from ZDNet is stark and terrifying for Apple, featuring the phrase “…Samsung may have just lapped it with the Galaxy S25 series.”
The first major improvement from Samsung was the Personal Data Engine, which uses your own data as a large language model (LLM) to learn and grow with you personally. Multi-App Commands also stepped into play, allowing Gemini to do things like look for a specific event’s time, and then add that time to the calendar. Finally, AI Select allows for a range of new functions, including being able to make a GIF out of a video while watching that video. These are not, the report noted, features that Apple offers, and may put Apple farther behind.
Is Apple a Buy, Hold or Sell?
Turning to Wall Street, analysts have a Moderate Buy consensus rating on AAPL stock based on 18 Buys, seven Holds and four Sells assigned in the past three months, as indicated by the graphic below. After a 14.94% rally in its share price over the past year, the average AAPL price target of $242.11 per share implies 8.19% upside potential.
