Samsung Galaxy S25 Rumors We Hope Are True (And One That's Disappointing)

Now that the Galaxy S24 is available, Samsung fans are looking ahead to the next model in the flagship series — the Samsung Galaxy S25. With rumors surfacing about the upcoming handset, what can we expect to see from the Galaxy S25 series? Samsung's most recent premium model, the Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra, offers some nifty AI features and impressive camera specs. Rivaling the iPhone 15, the S24 is known for its long battery life, slick design, and fast performance, powered by Qualcomm's leading chip, the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3.

Samsung lovers know the company doesn't just release one handset per flagship iteration. The company's latest series, the S24, S24+, and S24 Ultra, all feature the same processor, but the premium models showcased an upgraded camera set, better resolution, and increased storage options. As rumors begin to arise in the tech space about the upcoming S series, a clearer picture is beginning to emerge of what to expect from the Galaxy S25. Let's dive into what to expect from Samsung's next flagship series.

Avid Samsung fans will know of the company's close relationship with Qualcomm's Snapdragon chipsets. Most recently, the company has followed Qualcomm's Snapdragon 8 Series, including the S23's Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chip and the S24's Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 chip. So, it would come as a shock if the smartphone giant didn't feature Qualcomm's upcoming chip: presumably to be called the Snapdragon 8 Gen 4.

Due to arrive in October 2024, the Snapdragon 8 Gen 4 is set to feature the company's Oryon CPU — a Windows-based CPU that rivals Intel and AMD in performance. The development was announced by Qualcomm's current CMO Don McGuire in a post on X at MWC in late February. Qualcomm also mentioned the industry-leading Oryon CPU in October 2023, stating that it will make its way to smartphones in 2024.

Assuming all goes as planned, we may be seeing a record-breaking chip across smartphones. According to a post from well-known leaker Digital Chat Station on the microblogging site Weibo, Qualcomm's upcoming chip (codenamed Tongzi) could reach a clock speed of up to 4GHz. Qualcomm's current chip, the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3, features a clock speed of 3.3 GHz, falling quite shallow of the rumored Gen 4's speeds. Apple's current strongest chipset, the A17 Pro, still doesn't reach the expected speed, clocking at 3.78GHz. One thing's for sure, the S25 shouldn't have any issues tackling high usage demands.

Bixby, Samsung's equivalent of Google's Assistant and Siri, could be getting an AI upgrade, according to reports from CNBC. Vice president of Samsung's mobile business, Won-Joon Choi, stated the company envisions Bixby "becoming more smarter in the future" when talking about the development of AI and LLMs like ChatGPT. Although no specific time has been given as to when we may expect Bixby's upgrade, Choi says the company is "working so hard" to deliver the new Bixby, so we may get to see it in action on the Galaxy S25.

The company isn't new to integrating AI into its latest handsets. Galaxy AI, announced earlier this year, features a suite of AI features already available on your smartphone. Although Samsung's current AI developments revolve around the camera and translation features, the company is now looking to redefine Bixby as a multipurpose AI assistant. Beyond basic commands like checking the weather, a generative AI upgrade may head in the direction of Microsoft's Windows 11 Co-Pilot, capable of image generation and demonstrating productivity-enhancing features.

The Samsung Galaxy S24 series, released in late January 2024,welcomed a new phase of smartphone photography thanks to Galaxy AI. Users were greeted with a suite of AI photo editing options, including Generative Edit and Instant Slow-Mo. With an emphasis on AI, there wasn't much development on the hardware side. Like the previous S23 model, the Galaxy S24 offered a 50 MP primary rear camera with a 12 MP ultra-wide camera and a 10 MP telephoto lens for capturing distance objects. Similarly, both Ultra models featured a 200 MP primary camera for crisp definition.

As for the Galaxy S25 Ultra, we can expect the same 200 MP primary camera as featured on the S24 Ultra. But according to a now-deleted tweet from the now-deleted account belonging to seasoned leaker @Tech_Reve on X, we may be seeing an improved 50 MP ultra-wide camera on the S25 Ultra. As for the Galaxy S25 and Galaxy S25+ models, rumors point towards Samsung ditching its current Isocell camera sensors in replacement for Sony ones, which may also result in some changes to the camera. While nothing has been confirmed yet, it's safe to say the S25 series will likely develop its onboard photography and feature a handful of camera upgrades for fans to get excited about.

Though it's too soon to say whether this rumored change will be made in an effort to prevent another price increase, it seems the Galaxy Ultra variant may ditch at least one hardware feature starting in 2025. That's according to a long tweet from the account @ISAQUES81 on X, which claims that Samsung will remove the 3x telephoto lens from the Galaxy S25 Ultra, the highest-end variant of the S25 family — assuming the company doesn't make any radical changes to its lineup going forward.

Galaxy S25 Ultra – Camera News

A prototype of the S25 Ultra is already having its cameras tested by Samsung... and there are 3 new aspects that I'd like to share with you first-hand about the new model's cameras.

It seems that Samsung is trying to be bold, which I think is... pic.twitter.com/J5GUfID29k

— Sperandio4Tech (@ISAQUES81) May 12, 2024

Assuming this rumor proves true, that would leave the Galaxy S25 Ultra with the ultra-wide, periscope, and primary cameras. This move wouldn't be surprising because of the upgrades the camera technology has seen over recent years. Put simply, the 3x telephoto camera may have been made redundant from Samsung's point of view by the Ultra's main camera, which itself may be powerful enough going forward to crop in a 3x shot without a noticeable loss of quality. Whether that proves to be the case is another matter, of course. 

Photographers and enthusiasts alike may see such a move as incentive to ditch Samsung entirely in favor of the Pixel or iPhone, both of which have arguably exceeded the Galaxy's flagship camera capabilities for years. Similarly, it's just as possible that Samsung may be merely entertaining the idea, and could ultimately choose to retain the telephoto lens in the S25 Ultra.

If Samsung follows its usual strategy, we hope to see the S25 series no later than early 2025. Looking back, Samsung released both the S23 and S22 models in February following its mainstream event Galaxy Unpacked. So if the pattern continues, we can expect to see the announcement of the S25 at Galaxy Unpacked 2025.

Out of the two Galaxy Unpacked events per year we normally see, the initial event (which showcases around January to February time) has grown closer to the beginning of the year. The Galaxy S24 saw its debut at Galaxy Unpacked 2024 which took place on January 17, 2024. This contrasts with the 2023 event, taking place on February 1, and Galaxy Unpacked 2022, which streamed on February 9. If the trend continues, we can expect to see the S25 series' announcement not long into the new year.

Despite recent pushbacks to the initial Galaxy Unpacked events, we might not witness too much of a pushback to avoid collisions with CES 2025, which debuts January 7–10 next year. Nonetheless, if there are no delays in manufacturing, Samsung users can expect to see the latest addition to the S series at the start of next year.