Samsung's first big launch in 2025 is just around the corner. Galaxy without packaging will take place on January 22 at 1:00 pm ET in San Jose, California, where Samsung's “Next Big Thing” will take place (take Marketing slogan from 14 years ago) will be revealed. What exactly will be heard? Well, except for a few forks and some likely information leaks are probably known only to those who took a blood oath under a non-disclosure agreement. But here are the most likely products and features we'll see. Spoilers: There will be telephones.
Galaxy S25, S25+ and S25 Ultra
Much like how Apple unveils its latest iPhones on his first autumn eventSamsung usually releases the main Galaxy S flagships on its first party of the year without packaging. You can bet the farm that's there will The event will feature the Galaxy S25 phones. And given Samsung's recent trend of releasing three tiers of flagships – standard, plus and ultra — you can bet we'll see this again. (Technically, Samsung could change the brand names, but a three-layer line is virtually guaranteed.) There are even FCC Certification (first spotted To 91Mobile phones) to clear up any doubts.
The degree of confidence drops sharply when we delve into the features of phones. The subtle redesign with rounded corners, flatter edges and thinner bezels is most likely based on a leak. video posted on Reddit and images from authoritative tipster Ice Universe. But this is not expected to be the generation in which Samsung hiring a former Mercedes-Benz designer will lead to radical aesthetic changes.
Android headers Also posted a lot of photos rumored Galaxy S25, S25+ and S25 Ultra, confirming a relatively minor redesign. The site also claims that the Galaxy S25 and S25+ screen sizes are unchanged from last year at 6.2 inches and 6.7 inches respectively. The Ultra gets a slightly larger display at 6.9 inches.
At least in the US, the phone is almost guaranteed to be used. Snapdragon 8 Elite from Qualcomm processor that the chipmaker unveiled in October. (even Qualcomm listed Samsung is among the companies that will release devices with this processor “in the coming weeks.”) Like almost every flagship processor these days, the Snapdragon 8 Elite is designed for on-device generative artificial intelligence, which corresponds to Samsung Galaxy AI Blitz in the latest models.
We don't know if the company will distribute its S25 processors between Snapdragon (US and other markets) and Exynos (rest of the markets), but Ice Universe has already done so. declared this will be all Snapdragon of this generation. This would be a good thing, given that there is often a clear difference in performance and battery life in favor of Qualcomm. There will also be a precedent: while the vast majority of Galaxy S generations had different processors in different regions, the S23 had the same “Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 for Galaxy” chip worldwide.
Samsung is rumored to be sticking with the latest generation of OLED displays (made from M13 organic materials) instead of the brighter and more efficient M14 OLED panels used in iPhone 16 pro And Google Pixel 9. Logic dictates that Samsung would want the best home-made screen in its best phones, especially when its competitors are already using it. But you could stick with cheaper panels to cut down on material costs. Perhaps they've calculated that better displays don't make for better generative AI (an obsession at just about every tech company right now), while Qualcomm's newest chip does.
Speaking of artificial intelligence, expect Samsung to devote a possibly excruciatingly long portion of the event to the generative capabilities of artificial intelligence. Random incident DigiTimes reported Last month, the Galaxy S25 series will include “an AI agent that provides personalized clothing suggestions and transportation information.” What this will look like in practice is anyone's guess, but I'm not sure I want to know.
Phones will work One UI 7 from Samsung on top of Android 15. We know this because Samsung said in October that its user interface (based on Android 15) would be launch on the next Galaxy S flagships. It is already available in beta for Phones Galaxy S24. Samsung said One UI 7 will be its “first integrated artificial intelligence platform.” The company added that Galaxy phones “will become true artificial intelligence companions” capable of understanding natural language based on speech, images and text.
In the foreground: Ice Universe. claims (by using Android headers) it is “confirmed” that the Galaxy S25 Ultra will only have an upgrade to the ultra-wide sensor – to 50 MP from 12 MP in last year’s model. The source says the S25 Ultra will feature a 200MP main sensor, 10MP 3x zoom, and 50MP 5x zoom.
Samsung will add Qi2 wireless charging standard to its new flagships – and this comes straight from the mouth of the consortium (the so-called Wireless Energy Consortium). However, the leader chunvn8888 (aka “yawn”) speaks Samsung phones will not have built-in magnets instead of native Qi2 MagSafe in everything but name charger. Considering this is Qi2's main selling point, this will be disappointing news. Instead, Samsung will sell a case with a Qi2 magnetic ring to enable this, according to the source. (Gotta move those accessories, baby!) Is it really Qi2 if you need a case?
There are rumors buzzed about the rumored Galaxy S25 Slim with, you guessed it, a thinner design that will join the trio at some point this year. This is what Apple also rumored to be working on. Leaks Last week, a bunch of renderings were released comparing different size options to each other. A mail from Ice Universe the S25 Slim measures 6.4mm. However, given that FCC certifications seem to only apply to the familiar trio of flagships, this phone (if it's even in development at all) may not arrive until later in the year.
Galaxy Ring 2, Samsung XR and AR glasses
DigiTimes reported In December, Samsung will show off (or maybe just tease) the Galaxy Ring 2 and augmented reality (AR) glasses during its January Unpacked event.
The Taiwanese publication reports that the Galaxy Ring 2 will add two more sizes to the previous nine. original modelwhich was only launched in July. The second-generation wearable health tracker is said to add new artificial intelligence features (surprise!) and updated sensors for more accurate measurements. The Galaxy Ring 2 is rumored to last longer than the current model's maximum of seven days.
DigiTimes is also laying claim to Samsung's AR glasses, which the company has. confirmed that he is working on – will look like regular prescription glasses and weigh about 50g. It says the futuristic glasses will use Google's Gemini Artificial Intelligencewhich matches what we already know about Samsung partnership with Google and Qualcomm on Android XR. But given the lack of rumors about glasses in the supply chain, it's likely that any mention at the event will be little more than a teaser, a la a grand reveal… smelly render for the first Galaxy Ring at Unpacked 2024.
We also know that Samsung is working with Google and Qualcomm to develop an Android XR (extended reality) headset codenamed Project Moohan. The “lightweight” and “ergonomic” headset will feature a “state-of-the-art display”, video pass-through and natural multimodal input. Google renders show a wearable device resembling Apple Vision Pro for $3,500.
Since Google has only recently started offering a developer kit and API for its platform, any look at it on Unpacked is unlikely to indicate an imminent release or a deep dive into its hardware.
Engadget will have full coverage of the first Samsung Unpacked event in 2025. More to come on January 22!
Update January 13, 2025 12:58 pm ET: This article has been updated with alleged images and more details about the Galaxy S25, S25+ and S25 Ultra from Android Headers.
Update January 14, 2025 3:20 PM ET: This story has been updated with additional information about One UI 7.
Update January 17, 2025 12:45 pm ET: This article has been updated with more details about the Galaxy S25 processor and the history of the Galaxy S series processors.
Update January 19, 2025 12:15 pm ET: This article has been updated with more information about the Galaxy S25 Slim rumors.