It's all about the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra — yes, I know Samsung just launched the Galaxy S24 Ultra back in January, but that doesn't stop the rumor mill from operating at full capacity. I'm usually a Pixel guy, but once upon a time I was a Samsung stan, so could the company win me back?
There are rumors everywhere, but we don't know a lot of official information about the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra. But thanks to Samsung's predictability and a few leaks dripping in the basement, we can paint an abstract picture of the tidings to come.
Here’s everything that we know so far about Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra, from the release date and price to the games and more.
Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra price and release date
Samsung is a little less predictable when it comes to the Galaxy S series. In previous years, the Samsung Galaxy S launched around February to March, but we saw a release in January this year.
However, given the launch window of recent years, the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra is likely set to launch in early 2025. I imagine it will stay within that January to March window, but anything can happen.
The Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra's price bumped to $1,299 this year, whereas its predecessor cost $1,199. I hope that since this year's model got a price hike, the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra will maintain that price.
However, according to analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, the S25 Ultra's new Snapdragon 8 Gen 4 is expected to be priced 25-30% higher than the Gen 3. It's unclear how that change will affect the S25 Ultra's overall price. Though it might mean another price hike.
Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra design
We got that sleek new titanium frame in the Galaxy S24 Ultra, but where will the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra go next? We might get a size bump.
According to known leaker Yeux1122, via their company source, the Samsung Galaxy S25's screen will increase from 6.2 inches to 6.36 inches. Another rumor adds that the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra will jump from 6.8 to 6.9 inches.
However, it's unclear whether that'll affect the phone's size or the display. Those bezels can likely shrink down even more. But if the phone's size increases, there's more to work with internally (bigger battery, anyone?).
Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra specs
The biggest oomph to the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra will be the Snapdragon 8 Gen 4 chipset, which Qualcomm confirmed would drop in October. It's technically not confirmed to be present in the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra, but the release window lines up too perfectly not to.
We've seen leaks of the Snapdragon 8 Gen 4 benchmarks, which claim that the chipset hit a single-core score of 3,500 on the Geekbench overall performance test. That crushes the iPhone 15 Pro's A17 Pro score of 2890, matching the rumored iPhone 16 Pro's A18 Pro performance. If true, that's one hell of a kick.
A leak from Sawyer Galox suggests that the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra will benefit from faster UFS 4.1 speeds. That means that the storage's transfer rates will increase, translating to quicker boot times for the phone and apps. This would also improve overall performance.
Didn't I just ask for a larger battery? According to Digital Chat Station, three phones are being developed with larger 5,500 mAh batteries to accommodate the new Snapdragon 8 Gen 4. Guess who's getting the Snapdragon 8 Gen 4? That's right. The Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra might get an even longer battery life, beating its current 16 hours and 45 minutes.
Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra camera
The Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra is already a champ with its 200MP main sensor and 100MP Space Zoom sensor on its cameras. But we're getting more upgrades (allegedly).
Leaker @Tech_Reve claims that the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra will receive upgrades to its primary lens and its telephoto lens. That's not a lot to go on, but the ultrawide lens will get an upgrade from 12MP to 50MP. That's quite the leap if true. The leaker correctly predicted the Galaxy S24 Ultra's jump from a 12MP to 50MP telephoto lens to their credit.
To add to the claim of the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra's telephoto lens acquiring "variable capabilities," leaker @ISAQUES81 claims that Samsung is trying to provide smoother zooms with fixed focal lengths between 4x to 5x zoom and 6x to 7x zoom.
On top of the confusion, @ISAQUES81 also claims that there will be three cameras instead of four, removing the second telephoto lens. However, leaker Ice Universe states that the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra will still have four cameras and might upgrade its 3x lens. Upgrades are always welcome.
Outlook
There's nothing more important to me in a phone than the cameras, which is why I love Pixels so much. However, with the potential upgrades to the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra, it might be time to switch.
However, even the current price of the Galaxy S24 Ultra is daunting. I don't even want to imagine what the new Snapdragon 8 Gen 4 will do to the Galaxy S25 Ultra's price. I hope it's relatively affordable. If not, I'll look at it from the sidelines longingly.
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