The first Samsung Galaxy Unpacked of 2025 kicks off the phone New Year, and we're expecting big updates for the Samsung Galaxy S25 family, with the premiere Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra leading the way. I've attended more than a dozen Unpacked events (and I even worked with Samsung at a few), so I'll have the best analysis and news as it breaks from Samsung's conference in San Jose, CA.
We haven't heard much that will differentiate Samsung's new phones from last year's Galaxy S24 lineup, though we're expecting Galaxy AI to be the feature Samsung talks about the most, so there could be surprises in store and previews of what's to come in the months and years ahead. At the least, we're expecting a new powerful Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite chipset for Galaxy, following Qualcomm's tradition of making custom chips just for its biggest Android and foundry partner.
If you want to watch the event yourself, you can check out our guide on how to watch Samsung Galaxy Unpacked 2025. For all the news and rumors ahead of Unpacked, you're in the right place, so read on.
Good afternoon or morning or evening, depending on where you are, I (Roland Moore-Colyer) am here to chat about the Galaxy S25 rumors so far and what we can expect to see at the first Samsung Galaxy Unpacked event of 2025, which takes place on January 22.
So what's all the fuss about? Well as mentioned, this Unpacked is very likely be one that's fully focused on the next-generations Galaxy phones. We're not expecting much else in terms of hardware.
This could be disappointing to some as the Galaxy S25 family as a whole has been tipped to be somewhat of an iterative upgrade over the Galaxy S24 lineup, which brought in Galaxy AI.
There's no murmur on any wearables at this Galaxy Unpacked. But as we had the Galaxy Ring launch mid last year, alongside the Galaxy Z Fold 6 and Galaxy Z Flip 6, there's already enough wearables from Samsung to keep us ticking over for now.
I'd predict osme AI upgrades for the Galaxy Ring and Galaxy Watch series, though how these will manifest isn't clear.
Speaking of Galaxy AI, I'll buy a hat and eat it if there's no mention of new AI features for the Galaxy S25 series. I'm expecting a host of upgrades and new features, likely an improved Generative Edit being one of the first upgrades out of the gates.
I'd also like to see Galaxy AI better integrated across the One UI operating system, as my colleague and Senior Editor Philip Berne noted in his Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra review, Galaxy Ai feels somewhat fiddly to access and use.
Right before I muse more on AI and other bits, first dsome new: just about every single Samsung Galaxy S25 spec has been shown up in what appears to be a new leak. Check them out in the tweet below.
25 pic.twitter.com/rW5EGZJbY9January 17, 2025
So going by those 'leaked' specs, it looks like there's not going to be a lot change with the Galaxy S25 series as a whole. 12GB or RAM for the standard S25 looks promising and should help with snappy AI workloads. And the Snapdragon 8 Elite for Galaxy would appear to be a custom version of an already powerful chipset, so there's scope for that to bring some serious performance grunt to the table,
In reference to those seemingly leaked specs, it's over to my colleague and staff writer Jamie RIchards for some context on the tipped Snapdragon chipset.
Snapdragon after all
There's been some back and forth in the months leading up to Samsung Galaxy Unpacked about which chipset the Galaxy S25 lineup would make use of. Some tipsters pointed to Samsung's troubled Exynos line of chipsets for the new flagships, but production issues seem to have taken too much of a toll for these proprietary processors to make it into this year's lineup.
The latest major specs leak (courtesy of noted tipster @MysteryLupin) points to the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite for the Samsung Galaxy S25, S25 Plus, and S25 Ultra. As Qualcomm's flagship chipset, the Snapdragon 8 Elite is one of the fastest mobile platforms on the market, which bodes well for the S25 series' performance.
From my perspective, I'm hoping the new Qualcomm chipset brings in a big uptick in gaming power for the Galaxy S25, especially the Ultra. Apple's A18 Pro and the A17 Pro before it allowed for true console-quality games to be played on the iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro, so I'd like to see Samsung manage the same, especially since it used to work closely with Microsoft; imagine proper Xbox games on the Galaxy S25 running natively.
Throwing the ball back over to Jamie, as we take the specs conversation over to the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra cameras and their rumored upgrades.
A new Ultra ultrawide?
Keen photographers will be looking to the Galaxy S-series Ultra's somewhat iconic quad-camera system, and if the latest rumors are anything to go by, there is one key upgrade on the way. We're expecting to see the Galaxy S25 Ultra equipped with a new 50MP ultra-wide camera, up from the 12MP ultra-wide found on the S24 Ultra.
Sure, it's not a revolutionary improvement, but this should lend well to a more consistent camera experience across the phone's four optical zoom levels.
When it comes to cameras, I'm hoping the Samsung takes a hard look at the photos the Galaxy S24 phones kick out and makes some tweaks to its computational photography.
While Samsung has curtailed some of the color saturation excess found in yesteryear's Galaxy models, right now phone photography from Samsung, Apple, Google and perhaps OnePlus, is all a little flat, with processed photos that look very similar and lack the contrast between shadows and highlights to really sing; at least in their default shooting modes.
So I'd like to see Samsung let the next-gen Galaxy cameras sing and not let image processing even everything out excessively,
It's late in the night UK time, where I am, so I'll be back in the morning to talk more about Galaxy Unpacked and the tipped Galaxy S25 range. And expect some chat about AI.
Until, then farewell.
Good morning, I'm back to chat Galaxy Unpacked. And let's kick things off with a little overview of how to watch the showcase tomorrow.
Samsung Galaxy Unpacked kicks off at at 10am PT / 1pm ET / 6pm GMT on Wednesday, January 22, and there are a number of ways to watch the livestream.
Samsung Galaxy Unpacked will be available to watch on Samsung's website, Samsung Newsroom, and the Samsung YouTube channel.
Of course, we'll be reporting and breaking down the reveals and updates as we hear them, both here on our live blog and through our dedicated Samsung Galaxy phones coverage.
To slightly mix things up a bit, we've seen a tipster claim that Samsung will launch four foldable phones this year. If that holds true, then it could make this Unpacked seem a little tame.
Supposedly, Samsung has plans to launch a Galaxy Z Fold 7, Flip 7, a cheaper foldable phone, and a tri-folding phone; the latter would get my attention.
Now a public service announcement: this is your last call to secure a Samsung Galaxy S25 reservation and score a bonus while you're at it.
Over to our Deals Editor Alex Whitelock: "Why reserve? Well, you'll not only secure yourself a guaranteed slot once preorders go live but also get a handy $50 in-store credit and the chance to win $5,000 in a sweepstake. These gifts will stack on top of whatever preorder promotions that Samsung decides to offer tomorrow so it's a handy bonus that's well worth signing up for.
"To sign up, all you need to do is head on over to Samsung and provide an email address. This particular promotion is completely free and doesn't lock you into a preorder - so there's no real commitment if you change your mind tomorrow."
Check out the box below.
So there have been rumors of the so-called Samsung Galaxy S25 Slim, which as its name would suggest will be a slimmer version of the Galaxy S25 or S25 Ultra.
I doubt we'll see that phone pop up tomorrow, and I'm not 100% convinced it'll be a thing. The Galaxy phones are already pretty svelte without feeling like they'd leap out of one's hands, so I'm not sure I can see Samsung mess with that formula too much. I could be wrong, of course.
Right we're a little over 24 hours away from Galaxy Unpacked 2025... let's have a quick rundown of things thus far.
We're expecting to see three new phones at the Unpacked showcase, in which our Editor-at-Large Lance Ulanoff and our Social Editor Viktoria Shilets will be attending in person in the USA's San Jose.
These phones are tipped to be iterative upgrades over the Galaxy S24 lineup, Expect new colors, a new chipset across the board, likely 12GB of RAM for all the phones, new colors, and new AI features.
Don't expect any major design changes. But do expect new Galaxy AI features and improvements.
Don't place any bets on wearables being present as we had the Galaxy Ring debut less than a year ago.
And forget seeing a Galaxy S25 Slim, as I don't think that phone is happening.
Do expect a whole host of AI upgrades to filter into the heart of the Galaxy phones, and be retrofitted into older models; that's my prediction at least. And I suspect AI upgrades will filter intp the wider Galaxy ecosystem; I'd like these to play nice with other Android-based systems but I won't be holding my breath.
There could be some word on the virtual reality headset Samsung is working on with Google but the tips and rumors have been a little scant on that laterly, so don't hold your breath.
And there you have it, that's a rapid fire summary of what to expect from Samsung in a little more than 24 hours. Phew.
Hello there, Jacob Krol – TechRadar's Managing Editor, News – here and taking things over. And it's an exciting time as we're less than 24 hours from Samsung's first Galaxy Unpacked of 2025 kicking off.
The event will start at 10 a.m. PT / 1 p.m. ET / 6 p.m. GMT on January 22, or 5 a.m. AEDT on January 23 if you're in Australia. Samsung should also have quite a bit to show off in the smartphone realm. As with previous events, you can already reserve whatever will be announced and score $50 in Samsung credit.
It's pretty much a win-win, even if you're only a little interested, and you can score it here.
As my colleague Roland Moore-Colyer said earlier, you can bet that Samsung will talk a lot about its Galaxy AI feature set. Likely telling us how folks with Galaxy phones have been using it and setting up the stage to unveil even more features.
We could see expansions of features Samsung's already rolled out within the Galaxy AI umbrella, like an improved 'sketch to image,' which debuted on the Galaxy Z Fold 6 and could see improvements across the board. Plus, with rumors of a fancy new chip and more RAM standard across all the Galaxy S25s, it should provide plenty of power for on-device processing.
I, for one, always appreciate that Samsung doesn't generally divvy up features or make you get the best of the lineup. If the tech giant doesn't stray from this formula, you can expect a bevy of new features across the rumored Galaxy S25, S25 Plus, and S25 Ultra – meaning, you can pick the one that best suits your needs versus spending the most for all the features.
While there have been countless rumors about Samsung's next Galaxy S lineup, and just a few days ago, reported full specs were spotted, there is always the chance the Unpacked event could deliver some surprises.
And I am hoping it might be a splash color as last year Samsung pushed the Ultra lineup into its Titanium era. The silver titanium shade of the S24 Ultra remains one of my favorites, but I'm hoping for a pop this year or maybe for Samsung to deliver an excellent online exclusive color once again. Further, considering Samsung was second with titanium after Apple, it should take a page out of the back again, offer some vibrant shades like the iPhone 16 or 16 Plus, and even look at Google's Pixel lineup for inspiration.
While the star of Samsung's first Galaxy Unpacked of 2025 will likely be a trio of smartphones, there is a good chance some attention will be paid to its lineup of wearables like the Galaxy Watch Ultra or the Galaxy Ring.
In fact, the January 2024 Galaxy Unpacked was the event where the Galaxy Ring was first teased, so one year later might be the time for an update. While it's unlikely for a new generation, especially as Samsung just rolled out two new sizes for its first-generation Ring, we could see some new software features or even deeper integration with the rest of the ecosystem.
Alongside hardware and Galaxy AI features, it's likely that Samsung's next set of smartphones will be the first to ship with its next user interface. Dubbed One UI 7 by Samsung and first announced at the tech giant's Developers Conference in 2024, it brings with it several new features and some UX changes.
While it did roll out in beta in December to devices like the Galaxy S24, this will most likely be the first entirely new device to launch with Samsung's latest Android flavor.
Since AI is the buzzword in tech these days, One UI 7 will bring improved writing tools that can work in nearly any app and ushers in AI-powered call transcriptions.
Are you hoping for more than just Galaxy phones tomorrow? Don't hold your breath for any live products, but maybe we'll get a hint. Samsung has built a habit recently of dropping hints about upcoming new product lines at the end of major Unpacked events, so we'll be keeping an eye out for any secret slides that make it into the slideshow.
We're hoping for some sort of information about Samsung's upcoming smart glasses, Project Moohan. Google has been open about working with Samsung directly to build a version of Android that will work across AR and VR technology, for so-called XR capabilities. Will Samsung drop hints about an Apple Vision Pro competitor tomorrow, or will we have to wait longer?
Last minute rumors have started to suggest we may see something tomorrow, though it won't steal thunder from Samsung's big handset launch. I'm guessing we'll get a hint with a proper introduction closer to mid-year 2025, as Samsung's own Developer Conference and Google I/O draw near.
Good morning, Roland Moore-Colyer here again to take you through the run up to Galaxy Unpacked today. So get ready for last-minute leaks and rumors.
So a quick little last-minute rumor: we have an idea of the perks you might get if you choose to pre-order a Galaxy S25.
Over to writer James Rogerson: "According to French site Dealabs (via Phone Arena), Samsung will offer a free storage upgrade if you pre-order one of its Galaxy S25 devices. So, in other words, you could get a 256GB model for the price of a 128GB one, a 512GB model for the price of a 256GB one, or a 1TB model for the price of a 512GB one.
"The actual storage capacities that are available to choose from will probably vary depending on which phone you pick, though, with rumors suggesting that the Galaxy S25 itself will be available in 128GB, 256GB, and 512GB capacities, the Galaxy S25 Plus in 256GB and 512GB versions, and the Galaxy S25 Ultra in 256GB, 512GB, and 1TB configurations."
Jamie Richards, TechRadar's staff writer for all things phones, here with some more updates as we head into Samsung Galaxy Unpacked.
We've been hearing that the Samsung Galaxy S25 lineup will get the Snapdragon 8 Elite chipset for some time now, but I'm personally wondering if we'll see Samsung and Qualcomm continue their present arrangement by equipping the phones with a special, overclocked version of the chipset, just for Galaxy.
After all, the Galaxy S24 series comes equipped with the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 for Galaxy chipset, and those two extra words may now act as a mark of quality for would-be consumers. The Snapdragon 8 Elite is already proving to be one of the most powerful mobile chipsets ever made, so a turbo-charged Galaxy version could give Samsung the edge in performance.
Sticking with some insight from my colleague Jamie, he had been pondering the following...
The very latest rumors suggest that we won't be seeing price hikes for the Samsung Galaxy S25 series, which will be a relief to budget-conscious Galaxy fans.
As I discussed in a previous TechRadar feature, I've mainly been hoping that Samsung doesn't raise the price of the S25 Ultra, which is sure to be one of the most powerful, but also most expensive, smartphones on the market. It'll be much easier to recommend an S25 Ultra that starts at the same $1,299 / £1,249 / AU$2,199 as its predecessor.
I'm going to interrupt Jamie's musing and flag what appears to be a leak showing off the Samsung Galaxy S25 series and their boxes.
As James Rogerson reports: "Shared by @yoboigucci2 (via Phone Arena), these images feature a Samsung Galaxy S25 in a gray shade (likely to be called Silver Shadow officially), a Samsung Galaxy S25 Plus in a blue shade (which will reportedly be called Navy), and a Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra in what might be the rumored Titanium Pink Gold shade.
"The designs match what we’ve seen before, which is to say they look a lot like the Samsung Galaxy S24 series, except with larger rings around the camera lenses, and – in the case of the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra – curvier corners."
Here is the blue Galaxy S25 on the left with the S25, S25+ and the S25 Ultra on the left.You don't have to see unpacked event just for the looks of these phones. These are the phones. pic.twitter.com/RMtpVwU1E7January 22, 2025
Welcome to Unpacked morning in America, as the West Coast wakes up ready to see what Samsung has in store. Today's event is in San Jose, CA, but I'm here in NYC covering the news live, while our Editor-at-Large Lance Ulanoff and our video expert Viktoria Shillets monitor the event first hand.
I've been to almost every Samsung Unpacked event since the Galaxy SII, when Samsung made waves by inviting every major phone carrier on stage at once to announce the same phone, a feat that had never been done before. Will today's news be just as exciting and earth shaking?! Eh, probably not.
We'll have hands-on time with all of the new devices later, but for now we're going on rumors and leaks to fill us in. We're not expecting a huge update this time around, but the hardware inside the Galaxy S25 family - especially Qualcomm's Snapdragon 8 Elite chipset - will get this phone ready for the AI future that's to come, so hopefully Samsung will have a lot to say on the future of mobile AI, beyond the normal photography party tricks.
We're less than two hours from the Galaxy Unpacked live event, and we're still hearing new rumors about upcoming Samsung products, but will they make an appearance today? The latest rumor concerns Galaxy Buds, saying that Samsung is going to use cameras on Galaxy Buds for some sort of sensor detection on a future version of its totally wireless earbuds. Samsung used similar sensors on its original wireless earbuds, the Gear IconX lineup.
Will we see any other new accessories today? We haven't heard rumors about exciting phone case concepts, but Samsung is always open to surprises, and may have something on display that it isn't crowing about. We'll have our editors on the scene snoop around for the goodies. Samsung loves to partner with famous artists for international cases, so maybe we'll see a Basquiat case today.
In addition to new phones today, we're also expecting a fresh update for OneUI, Samsung's flavor of Android, but the real software story will predictably be the Galaxy AI. The Samsung Galaxy S25 series is tipped to bring with it a new approach to Galaxy AI.
Samsung has teased that a "true AI companion" is coming, likely possibly referring to an upgraded version of Bixby, the company's mobile AI assistant.
Samsung has long referred to Bixby as an AI companion, but it doesn't actually use machine learning and generative tools, as far as we know. That could change with this generation of OneUI and Galaxy phones.
Hopefully, a renewed focus on simplicity and efficiency extends to both Samsung's AI and operating system. I've been asking for Samsung to put Bixby in charge of my Galaxy phone features to make them all easier to find, let's see if Bixby is finally ready to listen!
We're 30 minutes away and the excitement is building! Our Editor-at-Large Lance Ulanoff has planted himself near the front of the SAP Center in San Jose, CA, where Samsung is expected to announce everything it is unpacking in the whole wide Galaxy.
At this point in the show, it's fun to look for celebrity guests who might be in the crowd. Our man on the scene Lance is no stranger to celebrities, so he'll be looking for Samsung fans, promotional partners, and anybody else who might be around.
