News, leaks, release window, and rumored price

Gadgets don’t stay new forever. Sure, that shiny Galaxy S24 Ultra you’re reading this on right now feels like the hottest smartphone around, but in less than a year, it’ll be replaced by something newer, faster, and — presumably — better. If you’re holding off for Samsung’s next round of non-foldable flagships, the Galaxy S25 already has plenty of rumors floating around. 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?

This far out from launch, the rumor mill doesn’t have much in the way of concrete evidence regarding Samsung’s plans for its next flagship lineup. The smartphone giant hasn’t shown much interest in revolutionary changes lately; the Galaxy S24 series doesn’t look that different from the Galaxy S21. As such, we’d expect a similar outcome for the Galaxy S25 lineup: slim display bezels, island-style camera lenses, and flat edges along the sides.

However, there is one big difference rumored to be coming to next year’s entry, and it comes down to screen sizes. While the Galaxy S25+ and Galaxy S25 Ultra are likely to keep their already-large displays intact, the Galaxy S25 could be heading in that direction as well. One leaker reported the S25 is moving to a larger 6.36-inch screen, a pretty big jump from the 6.2-inch panel seen 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 — and this might be an example of Samsung listening to its fanbase.

As for specs, it’s easy to predict Samsung relying on Qualcomm’s upcoming Snapdragon 8 Gen 4 chip, at least stateside. Abroad, the company could turn to its own in-house Exynos chips once again. Back in 2022, we heard Samsung was attempting to build a new dedicated SoC for Galaxy devices beginning with the Galaxy S25.

That said, Samsung and Qualcomm have continued to partner together since those initial reports, with the past two years being 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. Until rumors start flying about next-gen chips from Samsung, it’s safe to assume some Galaxy S25 models will be powered by the Exynos 2500.

The rest of the specs sheet should be a layup: loads of RAM, plenty of storage options, and beefy batteries to keep the party going all day. Samsung could take a page out of its competition’s playbook and work towards faster charging speeds, particularly on the smallest S25. While the S24+ and S24 Ultra do support 45W charging speeds under certain conditions, the S24 is stuck at 25W.

And 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 on this year’s lineup, Samsung won’t have as many excuses if it doesn’t support the newest wireless charging standards come next winter.

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 this year, but adding more AI-powered experiences into the mix feels all too obvious. It’s possible Samsung starts charging for these tools following the Galaxy S25 launch, too; the company has only promised to keep the platform free through the end of 2025, which would fall well before the launch of the Galaxy S26.

Aside from Samsung’s own platform, it also sounds like the device will launch with support for Google’s next-gen Gemini Nano on-device LLM. It feels like we got something of 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 given moment, but it also seems just as likely that we have no idea what’s coming next.

As you might imagine, the Galaxy S25 will also support seven years of OS and security upgrades, just like its predecessor. Samsung has a proven track record at updates — this isn’t the company we all complained about a decade ago — so in addition to those OS cycles, expect to see future features come to the S25 series in a timely manner.

Samsung Galaxy S25: Cameras

Please Samsung, address your motion blur

Samsung’s camera quality is hit or miss. You can get some really impressive shots from the Galaxy S24 Ultra, thanks in part to the sheer amount of lenses included on the back of the phone. However, the device — like most recent Samsung flagships — really struggles with motion. While that’s likely a processing issue, something the company could fix on past and future devices alike, we also haven’t seen much movement on new sensors. Unfortunately, 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 same main sensor from the Galaxy S23 for the following two generations of hardware. It’s not a bad lens necessarily, but seeing the Galaxy S25 and S25+ with years-old hardware is pretty disappointing, particularly at these prices. Factor in the lack of a 1-inch sensor available in the US, and camera fans might want to start thinking about importing their next device from Europe.

Samsung Galaxy S25: Price and release date

Could expensive phones get even more expensive?

This year, the Galaxy S24 Ultra got a price hike up to $1,300, 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. Regardless of whether you think the S24 Ultra delivers $300 worth of additional value over the S24+, it’s clear the market sees these two phones as completely different options.

We did hear rumors last fall of a potential price hike for all S25 models thanks to increasing costs from Qualcomm. With the Snapdragon 8 Gen 4 set to be the first Qualcomm mobile SoC to include an Oryon CPU — a custom in-house architecture — don’t be surprised if costs continue to increase for your next phone. At the very least, you’ll be able to use it for longer than ever before.

This is a pretty bizarre rumor, so take it with a grain of salt, but it’s possible the Galaxy S25 series is paired up with a thinner version of the upcoming Galaxy Z Fold 6 at launch. This far away from 2025, though, anything’s possible.

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 at bat. This could be the lineup that reinvigorates not just the brand, but smartphones as a whole. Or it could be another very good device worth upgrading to if you’re rocking older hardware — really, only time will tell.

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  Samsung Galaxy S24

  $700 $800 Save $100

  The smallest of Samsung’s 2024 flagships packs possibly the most significant upgrades of the series, with a significantly brighter and 1-120Hz adaptable refresh rate screen, cameras that finally match the S24+, and an even more polished build than the last two years. 

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  Samsung Galaxy S24+

  With a plethora of AI-powered tools, a brighter screen, and a sleek one-piece design, the Samsung Galaxy S24+ offers the big screen and fuller features of the S24 Ultra without its price tag being nearly as much of a gut punch. Seven years of updates and the continued revisions of One UI 6.1 help the software shine on a phone with largely the same hardware.

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  Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra

  It’s not an overhaul by any means, but even small changes like (finally) swapping back to a flat touchscreen and seven years of system updates help the Galaxy S24 Ultra stand apart from its predecessors. Galaxy AI’s suite of features are front and center, as well as Google’s latest utilities like Circle to Search, and this AI craze even brings its magic to the Ultra’s cameras for after-the-fact super slo-mo.