We expect to see the Samsung Galaxy S25 make its debut around mid-January 2025, according to the rumors so far. And that has me thinking whether the tipped new phone will be a worthy upgrade over the Samsung Galaxy S24 or if it's more of the model to get for people running older Galaxy phones.
For the past few Galaxy S-series generations, Samsung has opted to iterate on its flagship phones, evolving the design language established with the Galaxy S21 into the refined, if arguably a tad dull, aesthetic and proportions of the Galaxy S24. While there have been rumors of a design change coming, renders have rendered some doubt on that, meaning we can expect some tweaks but for the Galaxy S25 to look a lot like its predecessor.
We’ll aim to have a full rundown of the Galaxy S25 versus the Galaxy S24 once the former phone gets an expected official reveal and we’ve had time to test the phones. For now, read on for my thoughts on what the main upgrades could be and if the Galaxy S25 is a phone worth getting excited about in the face of its predecessor.
| Header Cell - Column 0 | Samsung Galaxy S25 rumored specs | Samsung Galaxy S24 specs |
|---|---|---|
| Display: | 6.2-inch AMOLED | 6.2-inch AMOLED |
| Resolution: | 1080 x 2340 pixels | 1080 x 2340 pixels |
| Refresh rate: | 120Hz | 120Hz |
| Chipset: | Snapdragon 8 Elite | Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 for Galaxy |
| Rear cameras: | 50MP wide, 12MP ultra-wide, 10MP telephoto (3x zoom) | 50MP wide, 12MP ultra-wide, 10MP telephoto (3x zoom) |
| Front camera: | 12MP | 12MP |
| RAM: | 12GB | 8GB |
| Storage: | 128GB, 256GB, 512GB | 128GB / 256GB / 512GB (AU only) |
| Battery: | 4,000mAh | 4,000mAh |
Samsung Galaxy S25 vs Galaxy S24: the changes, the upgrades and what may stay the same
As mentioned, all the rumors point to a phone with a display that’ll be marketed at 6.2 inches but may have slimmer bezels than before, meaning the S25’s screen hits its true size rather than gets rounded up to 6.2 inches. A trio of rear cameras in a vertical orientation is expected too, comprising a 50MP primary camera, a 12MP ultra-wide, a 10MP telephoto (with 3x optical zoom), and complemented by a 12MP front-facing camera; basically the same setup as the S24’s camera suite.
Storage capacities and battery sizes are expected to stay the same as before, though it’s rumored that the Samsung Galaxy S25 series could support the Qi2 charging standard, meaning users should be able to attach magnetic wireless chargers and accessories.
So far, so shrug-worthy. But the big upgrades could come from under the hood. That’s because the Galaxy S25 is tipped to use the Snapdragon 8 Elite chipset in every Galaxy S25 model, regardless of region; some rumors claim otherwise, including that a MediaTek chip could be used. But I’d be more inclined to bet on the Qualcomm Snapdragon chipset to be at the heart of the S25 series.
Alongside a new chip, multiple leaks suggest the Samsung Galaxy S25 might have 12GB of RAM, a noticeable hike on the 8GB in the Galaxy S24.
As such, combining a more powerful chip and more RAM should make the Galaxy S25 plenty powerful for snappy AI-powered tasks, including more onboard AI workloads that don’t require a helping hand from cloud-based computing.
From there, I’d expect improvements to Galaxy AI features like Generative Edit, better image processing, and perhaps a whole new swathe of AI-powered tools, though I’d not guess what those could be.
Of course, more power means better gaming performance, not that the last few generations of Galaxy S-series phones have been slouches. Ideally, I’d like to see Samsung team up with Xbox and bring some proper console-quality games to next-gen Galaxy phones.
It’s also reasonably likely that a new chipset will bring in better energy efficiency when AI isn’t being harnessed and lead to an improved battery life without a need to boost the size of the battery.
Overall, the Samsung Galaxy S25 isn’t shaping up to be a phone that’ll shake up what we’ve come to expect from the Galaxy S series. But I hope a chip upgrade will yield a lot more AI functionality, and Samsung will have molded Galaxy AI into feeling more initiative and seamless to use, which wasn’t so much the case with the Galaxy S24. No doubt we’ll find out very soon.
