By the looks of it, Samsung's mobile device launch strategy won't change drastically anytime soon. The Galaxy Z6 and Galaxy S24 FE launch events are behind us, and with only a couple of months left before the end of the year, the next big thing from Samsung will be the Galaxy S25 flagship series.
We all expect Samsung to announce the Galaxy S25 lineup in early 2025. The tech giant hasn't said anything officially, but much has been rumored and revealed through leaks in recent months.
As usual, the series should consist of a base model, a Plus, and an Ultra, but our focus now is on the top-tier variant. Below is a roundup of all the relevant bits and pieces of information about the Galaxy S25 Ultra that have emerged so far through credible sources.
Galaxy S25 Ultra design
By all credible accounts, one of the biggest changes the Galaxy S25 Ultra will bring pertains to the exterior design. Gone will be the boxy frame with sharp corners, and in its place, the Ultra phone will feature a flatter frame with more rounded corners. The front and back panels will also be perfectly flat.
This move will make the Galaxy S25 Ultra look more modern and in line with the rest of the flagship series. But it won't be the only aesthetic upgrade for the Ultra series in 2025.
Leaks also suggest that the Galaxy S25 Ultra camera rings look similar to the Galaxy Z Fold 6's and have fine ridges circling the lenses.
The Galaxy S25 Ultra will retain the S Pen, and early fan-made renders based on supply chain information say the S Pen holster is located on the left side.
Lastly, Samsung appears to have put a lot of work into slimming the S25 Ultra bezels. The frame, which should be made from titanium, will be narrower than the Galaxy S24 Ultra frame. The Galaxy S25 Ultra will reportedly measure 162.8 x 77.6 x 8.2 mm. In contrast, the Galaxy S24 Ultra measures 162.3 x 79.0 x 8.6 mm.
Galaxy S25 Ultra display
Because of these design changes and thinner bezels, Samsung will supposedly fit a slightly larger display on the Galaxy S25 Ultra — one that measures 6.9 inches instead of 6.8 inches.
We also expect Samsung to apply a similar anti-reflection coating on the Galaxy S25 Ultra's display as it did on the S24 Ultra. It's a fantastic feature, and we don't think the company will abandon it next year.
As far as specifications go, it is possible that Samsung will use M14 OLED panels for the Galaxy S25 Ultra. The Samsung Display division already supplied OLED panels from the M14 generation to Google and Apple for the Pixel 9 and iPhone 16, respectively. M14-generation panels are more efficient and brighter than the M13 OLED panel used by the Galaxy S24 Ultra.
Based on what the Galaxy S24 Ultra already enjoys, other display specs for the Galaxy S25 Ultra might include an LTPO backplane, a QHD+ resolution, and a variable refresh rate of 1-120Hz.
Update: While some leakers believe the Galaxy S25 Ultra will use M14 display materials, new information has come to light through the Samsung supply chain that suggests the Galaxy S25 Ultra display will use M13 materials instead.
Although the Galaxy S25 Ultra's screen should feature some improvements compared to the S24 Ultra's screen, it might not be as advanced as initially hoped.
Galaxy S25 Ultra internal hardware
There's been a lot of talk about the choice of chipsets for the Galaxy S25 series. And now that the Galaxy Tab S10+ and Tab S10 Ultra use a high-end MediaTek chip for the first time in the lineup's history, the possibility of Samsung using a MediaTek SoC, i.e., the Dimensity 9400, for its next-gen flagship phones seems higher than ever.
Some reports say it's more likely that Samsung will use the Exynos 2500 SoC, developed in-house, in some regions, and the Snapdragon 8 Elite (a.k.a. Snapdragon 8 Gen 4) chip in others. Other market watchers believe Samsung could go all-in on the Snapdragon solution for the entire S lineup next year.
Either way, chances are that the Galaxy S25 Ultra, in particular, will be powered by the Snapdragon 8 Elite chip in every market.
Qualcomm's Elite chip was announced at the end of October, boasting the “fastest mobile CPU in the world.” It is equipped with new Oryon CPU cores, the primary of which boasts a 4.32GHz maximum frequency.
The Snapdragon 8 Elite chip has the fastest Hexagon NPU for on-device multimodal gen AI assistance. Overall, the chip is said to boast 45% single-core and multi-core performance improvements, 62% faster web browsing, and 45% faster NPU performance.
In terms of power savings, the 3nm Snapdragon 8 Elite boasts 44% CPU and 40% GPU energy-saving improvements.
Connectivity features include UWB and AI-enhanced Wi-Fi 7.
Furthermore, the Galaxy S25 Ultra could sport 16GB of RAM, up from 12GB, although a 12GB RAM base option might also exist. As for storage, the Galaxy S25 Ultra should be offered with 256GB, 512GB, and 1TB.
We don't expect battery specifications to change. Based on existing data, the Galaxy S25 Ultra will have a 5,000mAh unit with 45W fast charging capabilities.
Galaxy S25 Ultra camera specifications
Samsung's next-gen Galaxy S25 Ultra flagship might not bring many changes in the camera department, but it won't reuse existing hardware everywhere.
One significant upgrade could consist of a higher-resolution ultrawide camera. The Galaxy S25 Ultra is said to sport a 50MP ultrawide shooter with a 1/2.52″ optical format, an f/1.9 aperture, and 0.7um pixels.
Aside from the ultrawide sensor, the Galaxy S25 Ultra will likely be equipped with a 200MP main camera, a 10MP 3x telephoto shooter, another 50MP 5x telephoto camera, and a 12MP selfie unit.
Galaxy S25 Ultra software
Everyone has high hopes about the upcoming One UI 7.0 update, as it is said to be the biggest in the history of Samsung's proprietary One UI skin for Android. It's not out yet, not even in beta testing, but at SDC, Samsung said One UI 7 should go public early next year.
At launch, the Galaxy S25 Ultra will run Android 15 and One UI 7.0 at the very least, or likely an updated version called One UI 7.1.
Tipster @UniverseIce claims the Galaxy S25 Ultra will perform admirably thanks to a combination of fresh software (One UI 7.1), more RAM, and the Snapdragon 8 Elite chip.
One UI 7 is expected to bring a fresh redesign with smoother animations, new icons, and better background blur effects.
At SDC24, Samsung said the three core design principles of One UI 7 are:
- Simple. Aiming for purposeful simplicity across the UI.
- Impactful. Creating a new signature impression for One UI.
- Emotive. Creating UI elements, like a new blur engine, that creates a positive emotional response from users.
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Given Samsung's dedication to Generative AI features, we can expect the Galaxy S25 Ultra to run the existing AI tools faster than any other Galaxy phone that precedes it but also introduce new or updated Galaxy AI tools.
As for firmware support, we're confident Samsung will support the Galaxy S25 Ultra with at least seven major OS upgrades for seven years.
Galaxy S25 Ultra release and price
Samsung hasn't announced the date of the next Galaxy Unpacked event, but the Galaxy S25 Ultra will likely be revealed in January or February next year.
Pricing details are also unknown, but there are some factors that could change the Galaxy S25 Ultra's launch price, primarily the cost of high-end chipsets.
The upcoming 3nm chips proved to be harder to manufacture, and although they are poised to bring incredible performance, they might also cost more.
Market watchers say that the Snapdragon 8 Elite / Snapdragon 8 Gen 4 may cost around 20% or ~$40 more than the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3, which could translate to a higher launch price for the Galaxy S25 Ultra.
For reference, the Galaxy S24, Galaxy S24+, and Galaxy S24 Ultra went on sale at the end of January 2024 for $799, $999, and $1,299, respectively.
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