Samsung Galaxy S25: News, leaks, release window, and rumored price

Gadgets don’t stay new forever. That shiny Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra you’re reading this on might feel like the hottest smartphone around, but in a couple short months, it will be replaced by something newer, faster, and presumably better. If you’re waiting for Samsung’s next round of non-foldable flagships, there are plenty of rumors about the Galaxy S25. Whether you’re after the smallest of the bunch or an experience worthy of the “Ultra” branding, here’s everything we know about the Galaxy S25 series.

Samsung Galaxy S25: Design and specs

Could Samsung finally break the mold?

The Galaxy S25 Ultra, now with a curvier chassis.

Now that we’re nearing launch, we’ve started getting glimpses of what the entire Galaxy S25 lineup might look line, including word of a shake-up for the Ultra model. If you’re a fan of rounded corners, it’s nothing but good news. Next year’s phablet might join the two smaller Galaxy S models in a palm-friendly, rounded shape, ditching the sharp, Note-esque look of the last few Ultra-branded devices. While some might prefer that Samsung stick with its current design, it follows current design trends from rivals like Apple and Google. Plus, it comes without the cost of the embedded S Pen.

The Galaxy S25 Ultra is also rumored to be getting a new frame, which could bring its thickness down to 8.4mm, a slim upgrade from the 8.6mm S24 Ultra. In addition to the slimmer design, leaks suggest Samsung is making the Galaxy S25 Ultra lighter. The Galaxy S24 Ultra weighed 233g, and we hear Samsung will bring that down to 219g for the S25 Ultra.

The Galaxy S25+, the middlest child.

For the smaller phones, although it sounds like the Galaxy S25+ will keep its current display size, the Galaxy S25 could head in that direction. We heard rumors suggesting the Galaxy S25 Ultra’s smaller bezels allow Samsung to fit a larger display in the same footprint. It would be a modest increase to 6.86 inches, but enough to make a difference.

One leaker reported the S25 is moving to a larger 6.36-inch screen. This is a big jump from the 6.2-inch panel on the Galaxy S24. It’s no secret larger phones are more popular than small ones, no matter how many tech writers cry out otherwise. This might be an example of Samsung listening to its fan base.

As for specs, it’s easy to predict Samsung relying on Qualcomm’s newly-announced Snapdragon 8 Elite chip, at least stateside. Abroad, the company could turn to its in-house Exynos chips once again. In 2022, we heard Samsung was attempting to build a new dedicated SoC for Galaxy devices, beginning with the Galaxy S25.

Samsung and Qualcomm have continued to partner since those initial reports. The past two years have been filled with all sorts of noise regarding whether the company would or wouldn’t pursue custom cores for its CPU. Frankly, it’s been difficult to keep track.

The Galaxy S25 in its smallest form.

It seems like Samsung has been exploring all options for its SoC choices recently. We heard the brand is considering swapping back to a global Qualcomm launch, mixing and matching with the forthcoming Exynos 2500 (assuming it can build enough chips in time for a launch), and debating a partnership with MediaTek. We’ll have to wait for something more concrete. For now, the most recent word on the matter suggests a Qualcomm-exclusive launch in 2025, but we’ll have to wait and see just how things shake up.

The rest of the specs sheet should be a layup: loads of RAM — with a boost up to 16GB for AI purposes — plenty of storage options, and beefy batteries to keep the party going all day, with the thinner S25 Ultra holding onto its 5,000mAh cell. Samsung could take a page from its competition’s playbook and work towards faster charging speeds, particularly on the smallest S25. While the S24+ and S24 Ultra support 45W charging speeds under certain conditions, the S24 is stuck at 25W.

While we’re at it, Qi2 and its magnet-based accessories should be a given in 2025. While we were heartbroken to see it not make the cut in this year’s lineup, Samsung won’t have as many excuses if it doesn’t support the newest wireless charging standards come next winter.

Finally, let’s address colors. In October, the color names for the S25 lineup leaked in full, suggesting the addition of “sparkling” blues and greens for the S25 and S25+ alongside blacks and grays. Unfortunately, leaked renders of these devices don’t quite seem as sparkly as some might have hoped. There’s always a chance for a little more pop in person, but we wouldn’t hold our breath. As for the Galaxy S25 Ultra, look for blacks, blues, and grays, once again wrapped in titanium.

What about that ‘slim’ Galaxy S25?

In addition to the Galaxy S25, S25+, and S25 Ultra, we’ve started hearing word of a “slim” Galaxy S25 that could arrive following the launch of this initial trio. Word of this model — which sounds a lot like the rumored plans for Apple’s fourth iPhone — first started appearing in October, suggesting it could take the spot of the Galaxy S25 FE. Since then, we’ve seen a fourth S25 model added to the GSMA website, pointing towards a summer 2025 release. That’s practically all we know at the moment, but much like the recently-unveiled Galaxy Z Fold Special Edition, there’s enough smoke here to assume that these rumors are, at least, partially correct.

Samsung Galaxy S25: Software

AI, AI, and more AI

It sure doesn’t feel like Galaxy AI is going anywhere. We’ll have to wait and see what makes One UI 7 tick when it launches post-Android 15 later next year. However, it sounds like a full redesign is on its way, alongside more AI-powered experiences. It’s possible Samsung will charge for these tools following the Galaxy S25 launch. The company has only promised to keep the platform free through the end of 2025, which would fall before the launch of the Galaxy S26.

Aside from Samsung’s platform, it sounds like the device will launch with support for Google’s next-gen Gemini Nano on-device LLM. It feels like we got a preview of what Gemini Nano is gearing up to be at Google I/O, with support for detecting and researching what’s on your screen at any moment. It also seems likely that we have no idea what’s coming next.

The Galaxy S25 will also support seven years of OS and security upgrades, like its predecessor. Samsung has a proven track record at updates — this isn’t the company we complained about a decade ago. In addition to those OS cycles, expect to see future features come to the S25 series in a timely manner. And speaking of, seamless updates might finally be on the way, allowing your device to update in the background like Google’s Pixel, rather than having to install and update in between reboots.

Samsung Galaxy S25: Cameras

Please, Samsung, address your motion blur

Samsung’s camera quality is hit or miss. You can get impressive shots from the Galaxy S24 Ultra, thanks in part to the number of lenses on the back of the phone. However, like most recent Samsung flagships, the device struggles with motion. While that’s likely a processing issue, something the company could fix on past and future devices, we haven’t seen much movement on new sensors. It doesn’t seem like that’s changing any time soon.

As we heard before the launch of the Galaxy S24, Samsung seems intent on reusing the main sensor from the Galaxy S23 for the following two generations of hardware. It isn’t a bad lens, but seeing the Galaxy S25 and S25+ with years-old hardware is disappointing, particularly at these prices. Factor in the lack of a 1-inch sensor available in the US, and camera fans might want to think about importing their next device from Europe.

As for the other sensors on the Galaxy S25 Ultra, it sounds like things might improve. We heard that Samsung is moving its 3x telephoto and ultrawide lenses to 50MP sensors, up from 10MP and 12MP, respectively. That 3x zoom level is staying the same, and it’ll continue to exist alongside the 50MP 5x zoom lens. While it doesn’t sound like anything is changing for the smaller phones, Samsung is reportedly working on improved algorithms for its processing. We’ve heard it plenty of times, but this could be the year things improve.

Samsung Galaxy S25: Price and release date

Could expensive phones get even more expensive?

The Galaxy S24 Ultra got a price hike up to $1,300 this year, while the Galaxy S24 and S24+ stuck to $800 and $1,000, respectively. Unless Samsung brings its titanium chassis to all three phones next year, those seem like good prices to hold on to. Regardless of whether you think the S24 Ultra delivers $300 worth of additional value over the S24+, the market sees these two phones as different options.

Last fall, we heard rumors of a potential price hike for all S25 models thanks to increasing costs from Qualcomm. With the Snapdragon 8 Elite set to be the first Qualcomm mobile SoC to include its custom Oryon CPU, don’t be surprised if costs continue to increase for your next phone. At the very least, you’ll be able to use it longer than ever before.

Could this be the Galaxy that shakes things up?

It’s no secret that the Galaxy lineup has been in a bit of a rut for the past few years, but with the Galaxy S25, Samsung has another shot. This could be the lineup that reinvigorates the brand and smartphones. It could also be another good device worth upgrading to if you’re rocking older hardware. Only time will tell.