It’s the battle of the maximal phones as Samsung readies the Galaxy S25 Ultra, its answer to the iPhone 16 Pro Max.
If you’re after a huge screen, unmatched brightness, more cameras and sensors than you’ll know what to do with, and some seriously smart AI (and you’re not afraid to spend big to get it), then Samsung’s upcoming powerhouse could be the perfect fit.
With its release date fast approaching, we’ve trawled through the torrent of rumours and leaks to give you an idea of what to expect.
Here’s everything we know about the Galaxy S25 Ultra, the flagship that could be the best Android phone of 2025.
When is the Samsung Galaxy 25 Ultra release date?
There’s not long left till the new model hits shelves. It’s widely expected that Samsung will stick to its pattern of launching the flagship early in the year at its annual Unpacked event, devoted to the Galaxy S range.
When exactly? The latest reports indicate it could be unveiled as soon as January 22, 2025. Alongside the full Galaxy S25 range, the gala event could feature the latest pair of Galaxy Buds and the Galaxy Watch 8 series.
How much will the Samsung Galaxy 25 Ultra cost?
Of course, the S25 Ultra won’t come cheap. We wouldn’t be surprised if Samsung stick’s to the same prices, starting from £1,249 for 256GB of storage and going up to a whopping £1,549 for 1TB.
What features will the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra have?
Based on leaked renders and cases, the S25 Ultra might be shifting to a slightly curvier design, matching the look of the latest iPhone and Google Pixel. If you weren’t enamoured with the sharper, almost pointy corners on its predecessor, this could be a welcome change.
Cameras
Those same leaks also suggest the new model will again pack four cameras on the back. That’s one extra snapper than on the regular S24 and the iPhone 16 Pro Max. The main upgrade here comes in the form of a 50MP ultrawide (up from 12MP previously).
Apart from that nice little boost, Samsung appears to be sticking to the same camera specs: a 200MP main camera, a 50MP periscope camera (likely with 5x optical zoom), and a 10MP telephoto camera (likely with 3x optical zoom).
Galaxy S25 Ultra camera specifications have been confirmed.
— ICE UNIVERSE (@UniverseIce) September 9, 2024
The only upgrade is the ultra-wide-angle sensor, 50MP 0.7um ISOCELL JN3 sensor, the main camera 200MP HP2 (small process upgrade model unchanged), 3x is still 10MP IMX754, 5x is still IMX854 50MP 0.7 um
Display
In terms of its stature, the S25 Ultra will still be a beast of a phone. At a rumoured 6.9 inches, the screen could be even larger than last year’s model (6.8 inches) – and the same size as the gargantuan iPhone 16 Pro Max.
To top it off, the display could be as dazzling as ever, with 2,600 nits of brightness (unchanged from the S24 Ultra) and a smooth 120hz variable refresh rate. The latter means you’ll be able to check your notifications and widgets even when the screen is locked, thanks to its always-on display.
In non-political news, I got more Galaxy S25 colors which are at much lower volumes:
— Ross Young (@DSCCRoss) November 7, 2024
S25 and S25+
Coral Red
Pink Gold
Blue/Black
S25U
Titanium Blue/Black
Titanium Jade Green
Titanium Pink Gold
Performance and battery
In terms of sheer power, Samsung has already confirmed that it will use the top-of-the-range Snapdragon 8 Elite processor in future products, so it seems like a shoo-in for the S25 range. The same chip can be found inside flagships from Asus, Oppo, and Xiaomi.
The jury is out on whether the new phone will feature 12GB or 16GB of RAM, but both are higher than the 8GB of RAM housed in the iPhone 16 Pro Max. As such, you should be able to switch between multiple apps, stream high-quality video and play the most powerful mobile games without missing a beat.
Samsung Galaxy S25 series uses the Snapdragon 8 Elite chip. Not the Exynos 2500 and Dimensity 9400
— ICE UNIVERSE (@UniverseIce) October 23, 2024
Meanwhile, the battery capacity is expected to remain at 5000mAh, with support for 45W wired charging, putting it on par with other flagships.
That’s the crux of the regular features – a massive screen with exceptional brightness, four high-quality cameras, good enough battery life, and top-class performance. But, these days, that’s not enough.
Al and software
If the S24 is anything to go by, Samsung will bombard users with AI perks to match those on the latest iPhones and Pixels. We can only hope that this time the S25 gets some exclusive tricks that aren’t available on other Samsung phones.
Don’t get us wrong, we’re not complaining about the likes of voice recording and AI transcription, live call translation, and the mind-boggling, bordering on deepfake, photo-editing tricks. It’s just that those were also on the cheaper S24 range at launch – and some of them have even come to the older S23. Hence, the S25 Ultra will need something special to distance it from the pack.
For its part, Samsung may have already hinted at a potential AI upgrade for the Galaxy series. Won-joon Choi, executive vice president of Samsung’s mobile division, teased that the Bixby personal assistant might soon get a boost with generative AI capabilities.
Beyond AI, satellite connectivity could also make its debut on the Galaxy S25 series. Apple has been putting this feature to good use since the iPhone 14, so it’s no surprise that Samsung may be looking to follow suit. Seven years of OS upgrades should also come as standard.
