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The Samsung Galaxy S25 launch date has been announced, as new renders leak
Leaks suggest the phone will be available to pre-order at the end of January
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Your support makes all the difference.We don’t have long to wait until Samsung unveils its next flagship smartphone line-up at its annual Unpacked event. Taking place in just two weeks time, the Galaxy S25 series could also be joined by the tech giant’s first pair of smart glasses, poised to rival Meta’s Ray-Ban specs.
The Samsung Galaxy S25, S25 Plus, and S25 Ultra are expected to introduce even more AI-driven features, building on the already groundbreaking smarts of the Galaxy S24. Other upgrades could also include improved camera capabilities and a fresh new design with curved corners.
While the S25 line-up is expected to be revealed this month, the latest rumours suggest that the phones won’t be released until February. Samsung could also introduce MagSafe-like charging to its new handsets, challenging the iPhone’s ecosystem. Additionally, the S25 Ultra is tipped to launch with the Snapdragon 8 Elite chipset, helping it handle advanced AI capabilities.
Below, we’ve rounded up all the latest leaks and rumours about the Samsung Galaxy S25, including the suspected release date, price, camera capabilities, specs and more.
Samsung Galaxy S25 release date: When will the new smartphones launch?
Samsung has finally confirmed the exact launch date for the Galaxy S25 and S25 Ultra. The tech giant has announced that Galaxy Unpacked will be taking place on Wednesday 22 January at 6pm GMT. If you pre-register your interest on the Samsung website, you’ll be able to claim £50 off the new handset when it is released.
But what about the pre-order date and release date? On 23 December 2024, South Korean news outlet FNNews claimed the Samsung Galaxy S25 line-up will be released on 7 February – two weeks after the reveal date. The news outlet said the device will likely be available to pre-order on 24 January, two days after Galaxy Unpacked.
Samsung Galaxy S25 price: How much could the handsets cost?
The Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra didn’t increase in price in the UK like it did in the US, with Samsung sticking with its £1,249 price for the base model in the UK. But could that change this year for the S25 Ultra?
The rumours so far suggest the S25 Ultra will use a Snapdragon 8 Elite chipset, and that might result in a more expensive smartphone. Chris Patrick from Qualcomm (the company behind the chipset) revealed in a Q&A that the chipset will cost more, compared with previous versions, but we don’t know if that means Samsung will pass on the cost increase to consumers. Reliable leaker Ming-Chi Kuo says the chip will cost 25-30 per cent more than the previous generation, which could bump up the price of the S25. Rumours suggest the base S25 and S25+ will remain the same price as the S24 and S24+ (£799 and £999, respectively).
Samsung Galaxy S25 design and display
The Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra is about to get a curvier design, according to reliable tech insider Ice Universe. The leaker also claims the phone will be the thinnest Galaxy device made in recent years, with thinner bezels.
Despite this, the Samsung Galaxy S25 line-up is still expected to get larger displays. According to a Samsung leaker, the S25 will get a larger 6.36in display, while another leaker claims the S25 Ultra will increase to 6.9in, putting it on par with the iPhone 16 Pro and 16 Pro Max.
In terms of colours, the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra will reportedly come in titanium, black, green and blue, with pink, blue/black and jade being sold exclusively by Samsung, according to supply chain analyst Ross Young.
On 6 January 2025, German tech publication WinFuture released official-looking marketing renders of the Galaxy S25 Ultra and S25 Plus inside Qi2 wireless charging cases. The renders feature the same design as the leaks have suggested.
Samsung Galaxy S25 cameras
As with most previous releases in the series, the camera is apparently the big showstopper on the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra. The latest leaks, discovered on a Camera FV-5 listing, suggest the ultrawide lens will gain a 50MP sensor – a big leap over the 12MP sensor found on the S24 Ultra – and will reportedly use four-in-one pixel binning to produce 12.5MP shots.
The quad-camera setup will also reportedly boast a 200MP main camera, a 50MP telephoto 5x lens and a 10MP telephoto 3x sensor.
Samsung Galaxy S25 specs
While Samsung hasn’t said which chipset will power the Galaxy S25 Ultra, it’s almost certain to be the Snapdragon 8 Elite, which Samsung has said will be inside its upcoming smartphones. Samsung insider Ice Universe believes every S25 phone will feature the Snapdragon 8 Elite chipset, making all three phones huge powerhouses. The leaker also states the company will finally say goodbye to Exynos chips for its smartphones worldwide.
Other spec leaks suggest the S25 Ultra will boast 16GB of RAM, up from the 12GB on the S24 Ultra. A leaker on X claims the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra will come in three different configurations. Sadly, he suggests the base storage model will still only have 12GB of RAM and come with 256GB of storage.
There will also allegedly be a 512GB storage model with 16GB of RAM, while the 1TB model has been rumoured to feature 16GB of RAM. These handsets will get progressively more expensive, in line with the amount of storage offered.
Samsung Galaxy S25 battery
In terms of battery life, the S25 Ultra will reportedly feature the same 5,000mAh battery used since the S22. That’s not a huge issue, given the S24 Ultra lasts such a long time and charges in a snap.
The more interesting rumour, however, is that the S25 Ultra could boast an Apple-like MagSafe charging system. On 9 December, a leaker on X claimed all three S25 smartphones will feature Qi2 wireless charging. The standard uses magnets to ensure accessories align properly. This would offer faster 15W wireless charging speeds.
On 11 December, however, a Finnish publication leaked information from a carrier regarding the official accessories launching with the S25. One of the accessories included a case with a magnet, hinting that customers would need to buy the case to use the Qi2 wireless charging (otherwise all cases would have the magnet). If true, that would mean Samsung isn’t implementing Qi2 natively, but relying on a separate case for the magnetic charging tech to work.
The verdict: Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra leaks and rumours
The Samsung Galaxy S25 series doesn’t look like a huge upgrade on paper. It could feature a curvier design, MagSafe-style charging and a more powerful Snapdragon 8 Elite chipset, but the 5,000mAh battery is suspected to be staying the same, and most of the changes feel more like refinements than breakthroughs. The Ultra’s camera updates could be nice, but we’ll still need to wait to see what Samsung has in store for One UI 7.1.
Best Samsung Galaxy deal
Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra: Was £1,249, now £899, Laptopsdirect.co.uk
You can currently save £350 on the Galaxy S24 Ultra – a huge phone with a giant display that’s ideal for getting work done. The S-Pen stylus slides out of a compartment in the frame and lets you stay productive with note-taking, while Galaxy AI features mean you can instantly transcribe meetings with dozens of speakers into neatly formatted minutes.
Looking for a new smartphone? We’ve rounded up the best phones from Apple, Samsung and more