In an amortized loan, as the months progress, the payments remain the same over the life of the loan. However, a larger portion of each payment goes toward paying down the principal over time, while the interest portion of each payment decreases. Therefore, the correct answer is:
The payments stay the same, but the principal is paid down more quickly.
This characteristic is due to the way amortization schedules work, where initially more of the payment goes toward interest, and as the loan is paid down, more of the payment contributes to the principal balance.