The Galaxy S25 is on its way, expected to be one of Samsung's best phones yet. Although the launch is still some time off, we have some early clues about what to expect.
The Galaxy S25 will likely make the necessary improvements to remain among the top Android phones, especially in AI features, building on what the Galaxy S24 offered.
Leaks suggest what might be included, and we've compiled our Wishlist for the Galaxy S25 Ultra. Here's what we know so far about the Galaxy S25, Galaxy S25 Plus, and Galaxy S25 Ultra.
Samsung Galaxy S25: Design and Display
Samsung might change up the Galaxy S25 design by increasing its display size. The Galaxy S25’s screen will grow from 6.2 inches on the Galaxy S24 to 6.36 inches, matching the rumored iPhone 16 Pro size. This would make the phone slightly larger to fit the bigger screen, as Samsung has already slimmed down the S24’s bezels.
Apart from a larger display, the rest of the design should remain familiar. The Galaxy S25 and S25 Plus will likely use the same armor aluminum frame, with the titanium frame remaining exclusive to the S25 Ultra. However, new leaks could bring more changes.
Samsung claims that all three versions of the Galaxy S24 have 2,600-nit displays, but reviews suggest they didn't quite reach that brightness. Samsung will probably try to improve this feature with the Galaxy S25.
Additionally, Samsung needs to avoid display issues like the Mura effect seen on the Galaxy S24, which causes a cloudy appearance at low brightness.
Samsung Galaxy S25: Performance
Early leaks suggest the Galaxy S25 will get a significant speed boost with Qualcomm’s next chipset. It’s expected to use the Snapdragon 8 Gen 4, which could reach speeds of up to 4.26GHz. This new chip, using a 3-nanometer process, would make the Galaxy S25 faster and more efficient, potentially outperforming competitors.
The Galaxy S24’s Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 chip already impressed with its 3.3GHz speed, and the Gen 4 is expected to be even more powerful and efficient. This improvement could lead to longer battery life, as seen with the Galaxy S24 series.
However, the increased power might require larger batteries, which could affect overall battery life or charging speeds. There’s also a rumor that the Galaxy S25 might use the Exynos 2500 chip instead of Qualcomm’s. But, it’s more likely that Samsung will use both the Exynos 2500 and Snapdragon 8 Gen 4, similar to the Galaxy S24. Typically, Snapdragon versions perform better, but this time, the Exynos-powered S25 might be more efficient due to a new chip design.
Samsung Galaxy S25: Cameras
Samsung has been a leader in smartphone cameras, with the Galaxy S23 Ultra topping the best camera phones list in 2023. However, the Galaxy S24 Ultra faced criticism for downgrading to a 5x optical zoom camera, showing a noticeable difference in zoom quality compared to the S23 Ultra.
To regain its reputation with the Galaxy S25 Ultra, Samsung is rumored to introduce significant camera upgrades. These include a new main camera, a 50MP ultra-wide camera (up from 12MP on the S24 Ultra), and a new telephoto camera with variable zoom capabilities. This could mean a camera that adjusts to different zoom levels, similar to the variable aperture seen in the Xiaomi 14 Ultra.
There are conflicting reports about whether the S25 Ultra will have a triple camera setup instead of four cameras. Some leaks suggest Samsung might remove the 3x telephoto zoom, while others indicate it will keep the four-camera design.
For the Galaxy S25 and S25 Plus, there are fewer rumors, but one hint is that Samsung might switch to using a Sony camera sensor instead of its previous ISOCELL sensor. Whatever changes Samsung makes, it needs to compete strongly with the iPhone 15 Pro Max, which currently leads the best camera phones list.
Samsung Galaxy S25: Battery
The Galaxy S25 could set new battery life records, especially if the Snapdragon 8 Gen 4 chip is as power-efficient as rumored. With the chip's 3-nanometer manufacturing process, the S25 might last even longer than the S24, which already had improved battery life.
We anticipate the S25 will likely have the same battery capacity as the S24. While there's talk about Samsung using stacked batteries, there's no solid evidence for it yet. Leaks suggest the S25 Ultra will stick with a 5,000 mAh battery.
Charging speed is an area that needs improvement. The S24 had 25W wired charging, but we hope the S25 gets an upgrade, especially considering the S24 Plus and Ultra had 45W charging. The entire S25 series could benefit from faster charging, especially with the OnePlus 12 offering a full charge in just 30 minutes.
Samsung also needs to boost wireless charging speed. The S25 line has been stuck at 15W wireless charging since the S9, while competitors like the OnePlus 12 boast 50W wireless charging. An upgrade is overdue.
Samsung Galaxy S25: GALAXY AI FEATURES
Samsung needs to add more Galaxy AI features to the Galaxy S25 after introducing some with the S24.
There haven't been leaks about new Galaxy AI features for the S25 yet. However, a Samsung exec mentioned enhancing Bixby with generative AI. The big question is whether these features will stay exclusive to the S25 or become available on older models. Many S24 AI features are already rolling out to older Samsung phones through software updates.
Final Thoughts
Samsung faces a big task with the Galaxy S25. The flagship phones need to step up, especially considering the minor improvements from the Galaxy S24, apart from performance and battery life. With Galaxy AI features trickling down to older models like the S23, it's crucial for the S25 to bring significant upgrades, particularly in camera quality and charging speed.