Updated January 22
• Samsung has teased the Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge at Galaxy Unpacked
• We may not see the Galaxy S25 Slim appear in the U.S.
• Galaxy S25 Slim renders have appeared
• A last-minute RAM upgrade has made it to the S25 series
• Samsung says it will release devices that support Qi2 wireless charging in 2025
With a Galaxy S25 Slim reportedly in development, Samsung seems to be saying that any phone Apple makes, it can make thinner. And should the rumored addition to Samsung's Galaxy S25 lineup surface next year as leakers have suggested, 2025 could turn out to be a big year for slimmed-down phones.
We've already heard reports that Apple is working on an iPhone 17 Slim — potentially called the iPhone Air — that would join the iPhone 17 lineup coming out in the fall of 2025. But now reports are surfacing that Samsung has a thin phone of its own in the works, and that it could get the jump on Apple's version by several months.
Right now details about the Galaxy S25 Slim are pretty... um... thin, but a few reported specs are starting to come into focus. Here's what we know about the Galaxy S25 Slim at this early stage and how it could compare to the iPhone 17 Slim, should both thinner phones arrive next year.
During Galaxy Unpacked it was revealed that a new phone was in the works, the Galaxy S25 Edge. While there was very little information about the device, it is possible that this will be the new name for the S25 Slim.
Samsung Galaxy S25 Slim possible release date
Galaxy Unpacked is nearly here, and it will include details for the next generation of Samsung Galaxy phones. The event will take place on January 22, and we have a live blog running regarding all the new leaks and details. however, the bigger question is if we will see the Galaxy S25 Slim at the event.
It's possible that Samsung could preview the Galaxy S25 Slim during the January 22 Unpacked event — some leakers have even floated that idea — but Samsung may not want to distract people from the phones they will be able to buy in January. Nevertheless, we've got a guide on how to watch Galaxy Unpacked in case you want to see whether a Slim model makes an appearance.
Most Galaxy S25 Slim rumors have the phone coming out later in the year. One report has the phone arriving in June 2025 based on when the phone's reported model number showed up in the GSMA IMEI database. Smartprix, the source of the report, says that Samsung tends to enter model numbers into that database six to seven months before the phone's arrival.
Another leaker, posting as @Jukanlosreve on X, gives an early date, forecasting a launch in April. However, the reasoning behind that timing wasn't listed.
But whether the Galaxy S25 Slim actually makes it to a store where you live is another matter. There are suggestions that the U.S. market won't get the Slim, although the U.K. and Australia will according to the sources.
All that said, if the Galaxy S25 Slim does make a surprise appearance at Unpacked on January 22 — and if Samsung sets a shipping date for the new phone — there's a deal right now that lets you save money on any device you'll be able to pre-order at the event. By registering with Samsung, you can save $50 when you pre-order any Galaxy devices launching at Unpacked, with additional rebates of $300 when you register and pre-order plus up to $900 in credit by trading in a device with Samsung.
Samsung Galaxy S25 Slim — or Samsung Galaxy S25 FE?
If it seems puzzling that Samsung would stagger the launch of its main Galaxy S25 lineup and a new Slim model, then maybe it would help to think of the rumored phone as a device we're more familiar with — the Galaxy S25 FE. Samsung routinely launches FE versions of its latest flagships several months after the original phones debut.
That's what Korean publication The Elec claimed back in October, when it reported that the Galaxy S25 FE would be introduced as a slimmer version of the S25 models. "Unlike the three Galaxy S25 series that will be released early next year, the FE model still has a product development period," The Elec reported, according to a translation of the article from the original Korean.
Even with a June launch, though, the Galaxy S25 Slim would be arriving much earlier than your typical FE release from Samsung. The Galaxy S24 FE just started shipping in October, nearly nine months after the rest of the S24 lineup hit the market.
Another line of thought is that a slim phone from Samsung would be an experiment on the company's part, with ETNews reporting that Samsung would produce the Galaxy S25 Slim in limited quantities to test market interest. If enough people buy it, the report continues, Samsung would incorporate a Slim flagship into its Galaxy S26 lineup in 2026.
These types of limited edition phone aren't out of character for Samsung. Late last year, the phone maker rolled out a special edition of the Galaxy Z Fold 6 that's thinner and lighter than the version that arrived globally over the summer. However, this special edition release has been limited to South Korea so far.
Samsung Galaxy S25 Slim design and display
Missing from any reports about the Galaxy S25 Slim is one crucial detail — just how thin a phone are we talking about here?
The Galaxy S24 FE that could be thought of as the Slim's predecessor is 8 mm thin, which isn't as thin as the 7.6mm Galaxy S24. Presumably, the goal would to approximate the Galaxy Z Fold 6, which is 5.6mm thin when unfolded.
For what it's worth, the iPhone 16 measures 7.8mm thin, and early reports on the iPhone 17 Slim suggest that phone is trying to match devices like the current iPad Air (6.1mm) or iPad Pro (5.3mm) when it comes to thinness.
As for the display on the Galaxy S25 Slim, the only rumor that's emerged thus far is that it would match the Galaxy S24 FE's 6.7-inch panel.
The first renders claiming to show off the Galaxy S25 Slim have emerged. As you might expect, the model in those renders looks an awful lot like the Galaxy S25 images that we've seen so far. Ironically, you can't really tell how thin the Galaxy S25 Slim is in the renders, as it's the only phone pictured, so there's no point of comparison. That said, the new model is expected to measure 159 x 76 x 6.4 mm (6.26 x 3 x 0.25 inches). For reference, the Galaxy S24 measures 147 x 70.6 x 7.6 mm.
Samsung Galaxy S25 Slim cameras
It's unclear whether the thinner dimensions of a Galaxy S25 Slim would mean that Samsung would have to limit the number of cameras on the device. Apple's iPhone 17 Slim is reportedly going to feature a lone rear camera in an apparent concession to the limited space.
One camera rumor surrounding the S25 Slim suggests Samsung wants to go big in one regard — the new phone will purportedly feature a 200MP main lens, matching the camera spec of the Galaxy S24 Ultra. The Galaxy Z Fold 6 Special Edition that just came out also has a 200MP main camera.
Whether there's enough room for additional lenses on the Galaxy S25 Slim is unclear. But if you want an indication of what could be possible, the Galaxy S25 Ultra is rumored to be upgrading to a 50MP ultrawide lens and telephoto camera with a variable aperture. If Samsung intends for the Slim to be a premium model — and the 200MP main camera suggests that it does — we could see those improvements included in the mix as well.
Samsung Galaxy S25 Slim specs
Other Galaxy S25 Slim specs have yet to emerge in early rumors, including which chipset Samsung intends to use for the phone. It's widely thought that Samsung is planning to turn to the Snapdragon 8 Elite for the rest of the Galaxy S25 lineup, with one leaker insisting Qualcomm's latest silicon will power every Galaxy S25 model. But if the S25 Slim is as thin as it's rumored to be, that could pose heating issues for the Snapdragon 8 Elite, which has proven to be a very powerful chip when we've benchmarked it in a reference device. It's unclear if reports claiming the Snapdragon 8 Elite will power every Galaxy S25 model are only referring to the phones expected to launch at the start of the year, and not the Slim since it's rumored to be arriving later on.
In fact, the leaker predicting an April release for the Galaxy S25 Slim forecasts that phone will use an Exynos 2400 chipset, the same system-on-chip that powers the Galaxy S24 and Galaxy S24 Plus models released outside North America this year. Rumors suggest that Samsung is having issues producing the 3nm Exynos 2500 in large enough volumes to support a phone launch — hence, the idea that the phone maker would turn to an older chipset for a 2025 phone.
Upgraded RAM may be on the cards as well, thanks to Samsung facing issues with the lower-spec memory it was planning to use. The capacity and underlying tech may not change, but the smaller process will hopefully mean cooler and more energy-efficient performance.
Beyond a new chip and RAM, Samsung could be adding Qi2 wireless charging to the Galaxy S25 series, which would presumably include any Slim model. Qi2 is an open-source magnetic charging standard, and would effectively give Samsung the same MagSafe abilities as recent iPhones. At CES 2025, Samsung put out a statement that pledges support for Qi2. "You can expect to see Android devices supporting Qi2 from Samsung Galaxy devices in 2025," the company said.
Galaxy S25 Slim outlook
More details about the Galaxy S25 Slim have to emerge for us to get a sense of where this rumored phone fits into Samsung's product lineup — is it a slimmed-down version of the Ultra or a even more stripped down FE? And just what does it have to offer besides a thinner design?
Assuming reports of a staggered ship date for this model are correct, we have plenty of time to learn more about the Galaxy S25 Slim, even after the rest of the Galaxy S25 lineup makes its expected debut later this month. But between rumors of this device and a new iPhone 17 Slim, it's very clear that thin will be in for 2025.
