Samsung Galaxy S25: Design, specs, pricing, and release date
by Stephen Radochia · Android PoliceThe wait is over, and the Samsung Galaxy S25 lineup is here. The company unveiled its new phones during its Galaxy Unpacked event in San Jose on January 22nd. Despite a full slate of new hardware, Samsung focused on software enhancements and improvements to Galaxy AI during its presentation, with multimodal, agentic AI functionality taking center stage. Samsung is attempting to bring AI out of the abstract, making it about more than just funny cat pictures. The company hopes its nifty conversational language assistant and more intuitive software routines make your life easier and an upgrade to a new Galaxy device more attractive.
There is plenty of new hardware and features to review, so let’s see what will be on store shelves when the phones are released on February 7th.
Samsung Galaxy S25: Design and specs
Chipset bump and rounded corners
As expected, Samsung refreshed the look of the S25 Ultra, ditching the sharp, Note-esque aesthetic of the last few Ultra-branded devices. While some might have preferred Samsung stick with the boxier S24 Ultra design, the S25 Ultra follows current trends from rivals like Apple and Google. Plus, it comes without the cost of the embedded S Pen. Smaller bezels have allowed Samsung to fit a 6.9-inch display in the same footprint as the Galaxy S24 Ultra. Unfortunately, the S pen loses Bluetooth functionality, meaning it can no longer function as a remote shutter.
The Galaxy S25 Ultra has a new frame, bringing its thickness down to 8.2mm, compared to 8.6mm last year. The Galaxy S24 Ultra weighed 233g, and Samsung has got that down to 218g for the S25 Ultra. The S25 Ultra also features second-gen Gorilla Armor, exclusive to the Ultra model.
Samsung has kept the same display dimensions for the smaller phones despite rumors of an increase on the entry-level S25. The S25+ has a 6.7-inch panel, while the smaller S25 has a 6.2-inch display. The Galaxy S25+ and S25 also have a thinner frame than their predecessors, trimming to 7.3mm and 7.2mm, respectively. While the S25 Ultra and S25+ feature QHD+ displays, the S25 is limited to FHD+ like previous models.
The entire Galaxy S25 lineup is powered by the Snapdragon 8 Elite for Galaxy, a 3nm chipset that promises impressive performance in all areas, from AI to gaming. Compared to other Snapdragon 8 Elite-powered devices, it's a slightly modified chipset, and Samsung highlights collaborating with Snapdragon to enhance its cross-app AI integrations. Samsung also claims image processing improvements with more functions handled on the device without cloud support.
All models of the Galaxy 25 feature 12GB of RAM. There is no longer an 8GB variant of the base S25. Unfortunately, rumors of a RAM increase to 16GB for the S25 Ultra were inaccurate, with Samsung sticking to 12GB of RAM.
Battery sizes remain unchanged from the Galaxy S24 lineup. Samsung claims the improved battery efficiency of the Snapdragon 8 Elite chipset has enhanced battery performance at the existing capacities. The S25 Ultra retains its 5,000mAh battery, while the S25+ and S25 include 4,900 and 4,000mAh cells, respectively.
Wired charging speeds are also unchanged, with 45W for the S25 Ultra and S25+, while the S25 is limited to 25W wired charging. Wireless charging and wireless powershare are available on all models, but Samsung has not confirmed the speeds.
Samsung offers a variety of colors for all models. The S25 Ultra is available in Titan Black, Titan Gray, Titan Sliverblue, and Titan Whitesilver, with several Samsung-exclusive colors available through its website. The Galaxy S25+ and S25 come in Icyblue, Navy, Mint, and Silver Shadow, with other colors available through Samsung only.
Galaxy S25: Software
AI, AI, and more AI
When we tested One UI 7, it was clear that AI would be Samsung’s priority for 2025. Samsung is doubling down with the Galaxy S25 series, introducing an array of new AI functionalities meant to take AI out of the abstract and put it to work, making your life easier. Cross-app action lets you pull information and interact with several Google or Samsung apps from a single prompt. Your Galaxy S25 can look up an event in your calendar and draft a text to a friend reminding them of the date without requiring multiple steps or user input.
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Samsung demonstrated several natural language conversations with its improved AI agent. Cross-app action is currently limited to Google and Samsung apps, Spotify, and WhatsApp. Still, APKs have been sent to developers, and Samsung expects other apps to allow integration.
As we’ve seen from the One UI 7 beta, the Now Bar is Samsung’s answer to Apple’s Dynamic Island. It can display suggested actions or control music. Now Brief is a curated feed about your day that highlights upcoming events and weather and makes suggestions based on several data points, such as whether you should set an earlier alarm for your meeting.
With all this information flowing back and forth, security and personal privacy are concerns. Samsung’s Personal Data Engine employs post-quantum cryptography to protect your information, even as new threats to personal data emerge. The new Knox Matrix dashboard displays security across your device network since the Galaxy S25 can process data points from your smart home devices and smartwatch.
Audio Eraser for Videos allows users to scrub through video content and isolate independent sounds using AI. Galaxy AI also improves photo editing by considering artifacts left by items you remove, such as shadows left by people you’ve edited from a photo.
As expected, the Galaxy S25 series is slated for 7 years of major One UI upgrades and 7 years of security updates.
Samsung Galaxy S25: Cameras
No major changes
There aren’t many changes to the Galaxy S25 lineup’s cameras, except for the S25 Ultra. The Ultra picks up a 50MP ultrawide lens for 2025, up from 12MP on last year’s phone. The zoom levels remain the same on the Ultra, with 3x and 5x telephoto zooms, and it still features the same 200MP primary sensor. The S25+ and S25 maintain last year’s triple camera setup, with a 50MP primary lens, 12MP ultrawide, and a 10MP 3x optical zoom. It’s disappointing to see the smaller Galaxy phones on camera hardware from two years ago, but Samsung claims its AI enhancements improve the performance of the existing lenses. All models feature a 12MP front-facing camera.
Despite the lack of changes, we’re hoping the Galaxy S25 lineup is better at capturing motion than its predecessors; perhaps an area where image processing on the Snapdragon 8 Elite shines.
Samsung Galaxy S25: Price and release date
Samsung is keeping the exact base pricing across the entire Galaxy S25 lineup. The Galaxy S25 Ultra still starts at $1,299, with prices of $999 and $799 for the S25+ and S25. The base model of the S25 Ultra features 256GB of storage, with 512GB and 1TB variants available. The S25+ comes with 256 or 512GB of storage, while you’re limited to 128 or 256GB on the S25.
Pre-orders start on January 22nd, and the phones will be released on February 7th. As always, we expect aggressive Samsung trade-in offers during the initial pre-order period.
Is it enough for you to upgrade?
The Galaxy S25 lineup hasn’t changed much on the outside, but Samsung fans will notice a significant departure from the company’s software. One UI 7 is a visual departure from previous generations, and with the Galaxy S25, Samsung is leaning into upgrades to Galaxy AI, making it more prevalent throughout the user experience. It’ll be interesting to see how buyers react, and we’ll have comprehensive reviews of all three Galaxy S25 models.
Samsung Galaxy S25
Samsung's Galaxy S25 keeps things small without sacrificing power. With a Snapdragon 8 Elite processor, 12GB of RAM, and all sorts of tools courtesy of Galaxy AI, this is everything you expect from a modern flagship squeezed into a relatively svelte chassis.
Samsung Galaxy S25+
Samsung's Galaxy S25+ finds just the right middle ground between its two siblings. With a 6.7-inch display, up to 512GB of storage, and 12GB of RAM, this smartphone includes practically everything you could ask for in the modern AI age, without driving up the price.
Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra
Samsung's Galaxy S25 Ultra leaves the Note-like design behind for the very first time. With flat edges, curved corners, and a massive 6.9-inch display, this is a modern flagship through and through — and yes, that S Pen is still here too.