Samsung Galaxy S25+: what to expect

The Samsung Galaxy S+ was never the favorite child of the S-series – not of Samsung and not of buyers. A report from Counterpoint Research last year indicated that the Galaxy S24 Ultra accounted for 52% of total sales, the smaller S24 accounted for 27% while the Galaxy S24+ accounted for only 21% of sales.

And that was with solid upgrades over the S23+: a new LTPO display with QHD+ resolution, 12GB of RAM, and a slightly larger battery. OK, not a stunning upgrade, but it’s a lot more than the S24.

Samsung Galaxy S25+ (approximate renders)

And what is this year’s model? Here’s an overview of what we can expect from the Samsung Galaxy S25+.

Coming at the end of this month

Samsung has set the date for the next Galaxy Unpacked event as January 22. If everything follows the familiar game plan, pre-orders will start the next day and run for about two weeks – open sales usually start on a Friday, so January 31st is a likely date.

Samsung usually offers free storage upgrades for people who pre-order and we expect to see the same this year. If you’re in the US, you can reserve a unit now and get a $50 Samsung credit.

Snapdragon 8 Elite for everyone

The story is that the Exynos 2500 had poor yields, so Samsung had to switch exclusively to Snapdragon. Whatever the truth, it is almost certain that all Galaxy S25 models sold in all markets will be powered by the Snapdragon 8 Elite.

Samsung has also reportedly chosen more efficient RAM to pair with the new chip, though it’s still LPDDR5X, so don’t expect a major upgrade. The expectation is that the base RAM capacity – probably the only capacity option for the Plus – will remain at 12GB. Storage will start at 256GB and there should be a 512GB option.

Thinner body, same battery

Based on the leaked information, the Galaxy S25+ will have a thickness of 7.3 mm and weigh 190 grams, while the S24+ will have a thickness of 7.7 mm and weigh 196 grams. The thin chassis won’t negatively impact battery capacity – you’ll get 4,900mAh with the same 45W wired and 15W wireless charging.

Which is nice, but the competition has moved on – 5,500mAh and even 6,000mAh aren’t so uncommon these days. Samsung is reluctant to commit to faster charging, but at least the 2025 phone could have given it a few hundred milliamp hours more.

Samsung Galaxy S25+ in Magnet Case

As you may have heard, Samsung will adopt the Qi2 standard for the S25 series. However, there’s no word on faster charging speeds, so we’re assuming 15W. Samsung will partially embrace the magnetic side of the Qi2 by using a Magnet Case, although third-party retailers already offer such cases for older S-series phones.

Same display, same cameras

As we mentioned at the beginning, the Plus model already reached 1440+ resolution and an LTPO panel (the S23+ had a 1080p+ non-LTPO display). Also, while the Ultra is getting a new ultra-wide camera, this is not the case for the Plus and vanilla models, so we’re still looking at a 50+10+12MP configuration (and the same selfie camera too).

Samsung is being left behind by the competition – iPhone 16 Pro has a 48MP ultra-wide camera, while Pixel 9 Pro also has a 48MP telephoto camera. A similar tele module can be found in the upcoming iPhone 17 Pro.

One UI is getting a facelift and more AI

Samsung is one of the strongest proponents of AI on mobile and owners of recent S-phones have been able to access Galaxy AI for free. The “free” part may end this year, at least for older models. However, Galaxy S25 buyers can get a free subscription to Gemini Advanced.

Google’s top-tier plan typically costs $20 per month, which includes the most advanced Gemini model and access to 2TB of Google Drive. However, this will be a short-term promo. The S25+ will split the difference and get the Advanced for 6 months, while S25 and S25 Ultra buyers will get three and twelve months respectively.

The Galaxy S25 series will be the first with the stable One UI 7, which will include several AI features like the new Bixby, which will be a “true AI companion.” More importantly, it is also a major change to Samsung’s UI design.

Galaxy S25 Slim threat

The alleged fourth member of the S25 series, the Samsung Galaxy S25 Slim is expected to be even thinner (as thin as 6.5mm), have a 6.66” display, the same Snapdragon 8 Elite and better cameras – 200MP main, 50MP ultra. -Wide and telephoto. See our what-to-expect article for more details.

This begs the question – price aside, why would anyone buy the Galaxy S25+ instead of the S25 Slim? We recently heard that the Slim may be delayed by a few months, launching only in May, so timing may also be a consideration. But other than that, assuming the rumors are true, the Slim will prove to be a better phone. And if they are, we don’t think the S25+ will be able to match the 21% sales figure managed by the S24+.

same price

We haven’t heard from all markets, but leaked pricing information suggests that the Samsung Galaxy S25+ will cost the same as last year’s S24+. The leak specifically states that pricing in Sweden will be the same as last year, so here’s how much the S24 series will cost at launch (we’ve also included Euro pricing, which should remain the same).