Samsung Galaxy S25: what we want to see
Samsung’s Galaxy S handsets are consistently among the best phones of any given year, so they’re always a source of excitement. That’s why, even though the Samsung Galaxy S24, Samsung Galaxy S24 Plus and Galaxy S24 Ultra have only just arrived, we’re already looking ahead to the Samsung Galaxy S25 line.
Furthermore, while Samsung’s latest phones are fantastic, there is also room for improvement, as you’ll see in our Samsung Galaxy S24 review, our Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra review and our hands-on Samsung Galaxy S24 Plus review.
With that in mind, we’ve created a wish list of all the major upgrades we want from the Samsung Galaxy S25 line. But the first rumors about these phones are also coming in, so you’ll find those below too, and every time we hear more about these phones we’ll add those leaks to this article.
Cut to the chase
- What is it? Samsung’s next non-folding flagship
- When is it out? Probably early 2025
- How much is it? Probably more than $799 / £799 / AU$1,399
Samsung Galaxy S25: possible release date and price
Considering that the Samsung Galaxy S24 line landed in January this year, it’s likely that the Samsung Galaxy S25 series will launch in or around January 2025. We expect these phones in early 2025 anyway, while Samsung sometimes releases new models in February, recent generations have always arrived early in the year.
However, these phones could be expensive as it is likely that in at least some regions they will be powered by the upcoming Snapdragon 8 Gen 4, which itself is expected to have a price increase.
For reference, the Samsung Galaxy S24 starts at $799 / £799 / AU$1,399, so that’s probably the bare minimum you can get a Galaxy S25 for. But if the Snapdragon 8 Gen 4 does cost more than the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3, Samsung will likely pass on that price increase to consumers. And of course the Samsung Galaxy S25 Plus and Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra will also cost more than the above price.
The Galaxy S24 Plus starts at $999 / £999 / AU$1,699, while the Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra starts at $1,299.99 / £1,249 / AU$2,199, so you’ll likely pay that much or more for the subsequent models.
Samsung Galaxy S25: news and leaks
There are already some Samsung Galaxy S25 leaks, including the claim that the Galaxy S25 will use a Snapdragon 8 Gen 4 chipset, which could be significantly more powerful than the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 as it could have a clock speed of up to 4 GHz (was 3.39 GHz in the Gen 3 version used by the S24).
We’d expect some models of the Galaxy S25 to use this chipset, but Samsung often equips certain models in certain regions with its own Exynos chipsets, so don’t be surprised if that happens to the Galaxy S25 line as well.
We’ve also heard some claims about the Samsung Galaxy S25 camera from a leaker @Tech_Revewho claimed in multiple posts on variable zoom telephoto lens, which could optically zoom to multiple distances.
In another post, @Tech_Reve also claimed that the Samsung Galaxy S25 will undergo “significant design changes”. So don’t count on these phones looking like the current models.
It’s not clear what form these design changes might take, but they are leaking @BennettBuhner has claimed on
In several other posts on X, @BennettBuhner has also claimed this that the S25 line could have larger batteries than its predecessors, and that the S25 Ultra could have a new 200MP main camera with a larger 1-inch sensor, plus an improved 50MP ultra-wide-angle camera, a 50MP 10x zoom telephoto camera and a 50MP telephoto camera with 3x-5x variable zoom. However, they note that these are incredibly early leaks, so we’ll take them with a grain of salt.
Samsung Galaxy S25: what we want to see
The Samsung Galaxy S25 series could be even more impressive than the Galaxy S24 line, if Samsung makes the following changes.
1. A new design
The Samsung Galaxy S24 and its siblings all look quite similar to their predecessors, and the Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra even looks a lot like the Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra. So we’re hoping for even more substantial design changes with the Samsung Galaxy S25 line.
The good news is that there are rumors of big changes, although it’s unclear what form they will take. But a fresh new design would help build excitement for these upcoming phones, while staying the same could make them feel old.
2. Improved AI
Samsung has packed the Galaxy S24 line with AI tools and features, but as our reviews show, these features are a mix of cool and useless, and can even cause performance issues.
The Galaxy S24 line also lacks some of the Google Pixel 8’s best AI tools, like the ability to sharpen old, blurry shots.
So for the Samsung Galaxy S25, we want more AI tools and improvements to the tools already there.
3. Smarter software
Samsung loves to pack its phones with near-endless features, but this has led to bloated, clunky software, with many of the best features – including AI tools – hidden several layers deep in the settings menu.
This makes the phones complex and unintuitive to use, and we really want Samsung to improve this for the Galaxy S25.
4. No chipset split
The Samsung Galaxy S24 has a Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 chipset if you buy it in the US, but if you buy it most other places you get an Exynos 2400. It’s the same deal with the Galaxy S24 Plus, although the S24 Ultra has a Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 everywhere.
With the Samsung Galaxy S25, we don’t want this split, as it means you essentially get a different phone depending on where you are in the world, and one chipset is inevitably better than the other.
Usually it’s the Snapdragon that’s better, so ideally we’d like to see the Snapdragon 8 Gen 4 used in all regions with the Galaxy S25, but we’d even take Exynos everywhere via different chipsets in different regions. That way it would at least be clearer to buyers which phone they’re getting and whether the reviews they’ve read reflect what’s available to them.
5. The return of 10x zoom
One of the more surprising decisions Samsung made with the Galaxy S24 Ultra was replacing its predecessor’s 10x optical zoom lens with a 5x zoom lens. This wasn’t a terrible decision, as the sensor used was a better 50MP sensor (up from 10MP) and still allowed for a 10x optical quality crop.
However, it did mean that the S24 Ultra’s camera lost a lens that set it apart from its competitors – several of which have their own 5x zoom cameras.
So we would like to see the 10x zoom return to the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra, but with an improved sensor and more megapixels, so that it can perhaps offer a 20x optical quality crop.
If Samsung also increases the number of megapixels in its 3x zoom camera, we can probably get a 5x crop out of it. Or – as a leak suggests – the S25 Ultra could even have both a 10x telephoto and a variable optical zoom, which can switch between 3x and 5x.