Galaxy S25 Ultra release date: rumors, specs, colors, and more
Samsung's highly-anticipated flagship is right around the corner - here's what to expect
📅 The Galaxy S25 Ultra is expected to launch on January 22 in San Jose
📐 The device is rumored to come with a tweaked design, thinner bezels, and upgraded specs
📸 We’ll likely see the same 200MP rear camera as last year
✍️ The S Pen is expected to make a return
📱 Here’s what you need to know about the S25 Ultra
Samsung is hosting its Unpacked event this Wednesday, January 22 to unveil its next round of Galaxy phones. This time, it’s the Galaxy S25, Galaxy S25 Plus, and flagship Galaxy S25 Ultra. All three phones are expected to come with a slew of upgrades that’ll hopefully drive more customers to ditch their old phones, while the S25 Ultra will feature the best traditional smartphone experience Samsung has to offer in 2025.
We’ve been tracking the S25 Ultra leaks and rumors for the past few months leading up to the device’s launch date, and overall, it seems like the phone will get a fair amount of improvements while carrying a familiar experience to last year’s Galaxy S24 Ultra. That’s not a bad thing, mind you; that was one of our favorite phones of 2024, and if the S25 Ultra is anything like it, Samsung could have another hit on its hands.
Galaxy S25 Ultra rumored release date and price
📅 Early February. When is the Galaxy S25 Ultra officially hitting shelves? February 7, according to rumors. A report from FNNews in December suggested that Samsung would launch the entire Galaxy S25 series on that date, which aligns with Samsung’s typical release schedule for its phones. The company usually waits a couple weeks to ship phones following their announcements, and since the S25 Ultra is being revealed on January 22, February 7 as a release date makes sense.
💰 The same price? That’s according to European publisher Dealabs, who claims Samsung will keep the same price for the S25 Ultra as the S24 Ultra in France and Europe. That could mean the phone will start at $1,299 in the United States and avoid a price hike, which has been rumored to occur for some time. Of course, this rumor is pretty sketchy so take it with a grain of salt.
Galaxy S25 Ultra leaked design and colors
📐 Tweaked design. All of the rumors we’ve seen suggest the Galaxy S25 Ultra design will be slightly different than what we saw on the S24 Ultra. The corners are expected to be a bit rounder than before so the phone feels more comfortable to hold, while the sides are expected to get even flatter and emulate the iPhone 16 Pro and Pixel 9 Pro. And yes, the S Pen will return.
🤏 Ultra-thin bezels. We’ve also heard the bezels might be really thin. According to a leak, the S25 Ultra could set a new record for the thinnest smartphone bezels ever, beating out the latest iPhone and Xiaomi phones that hold the record. It’s unclear how thin they’ll be, but they’ll need to be less than 1.15 millimeters thin in order for this rumor to be accurate.
📱 Slightly bigger screen. Thanks to the smaller bezels, the S25 Ultra is rumored to ship with a slightly bigger 6.9-inch Dynamic AMOLED 2X display, adding an extra tenth of an inch compared to the S24 Ultra. The difference won’t be that noticeable in real life, but a bigger screen is always nice for phones of this caliber.
🌈 Seven colors. Rumor has it the S25 Ultra will come in seven different colors, three of which (indicated below) will be exclusive to Samsung.com. The list includes:
Titanium Black
Titanium Gray
Titanium Jade Green (rumored Samsung.com exclusive)
Titanium Jet Black (rumored Samsung.com exclusive)
Titanium Pink Gold (rumored Samsung.com exclusive)
Titanium Silver Blue
Titanium White Silver
Galaxy S25 Ultra leaked specs
🏎️ Better performance across the board. The Galaxy S25 Ultra is expected to come with the new Snapdragon 8 Elite processor, which is considerably faster than last year’s Snapdragon 8 Gen 3. In our OnePlus 13 review, we found the processor to be reliably speedy and capable of impressive performance, so we have high expectations for the S25 Ultra’s speeds. The chip is rumored to come paired with 12GB or 16GB of RAM and up to 1TB of storage.
📸 Same cameras with an ultra-wide exception. We aren’t expecting a huge upgrade iin the camera department for the Galaxy S25 Ultra. The same 200MP camera from the S24 Ultra is likely to be included, as is the 50MP 5x periscope lens and 10MP telephoto. However, the ultra-wide is expected to get an upgrade to a new 50MP sensor that’ll hopefully deliver more reliable results in different lighting conditions. Beyond that, expect a similar shooter setup to last year.
🔋 Battery and charging speed aren’t changing. We also don’t expect the battery and charging speed to get an upgrade on the S25 Ultra. Samsung is rumored to once again include a 5,000mAh battery with 45W wired charging and up to 25W wireless charging. This isn’t a huge deal since the Snapdragon 8 Elite is expected to improve efficiency, but since the OnePlus 13 gets a 6,000mAh battery and 80W charging, it’s difficult not to think Samsung could’ve done more here.
⚡️ Qi2, anyone? Luckily, rumors point to Samsung including Qi2 wireless charging on the Galaxy S25 Ultra, marking the first time an Android phone has shipped with the feature in the United States. Reports have indicated that Samsung could finally include magnetic wireless charging across the S25 series, which could lead to a butterfly effect and force every other manufacturer to include it this year.
🤖 One UI 7 with Galaxy AI confirmed. One feature we know is coming to the S25 Ultra is the version of One UI it’ll run. Samsung confirmed last year that One UI 7 (based on Android 15) will ship on its next Galaxy devices, and we expect the new system to be featured on the S25 Ultra. Along with a tweaked UI and new features like the Now Bar (think Live Activities but on a Samsung phone), Samsung is also expected to double down on AI and introduce new writing, sketching, and data management features to make everyday interactions more convenient.
Galaxy S25 Ultra hands-on review is coming soon
We’re just a couple of days away from the unveiling of the Galaxy S25 Ultra, as well as the regular Galaxy S25 and S25 Plus. The Shortcut will be reporting live from San Jose to cover all the news at Samsung Unpacked, so be sure to subscribe so you don’t miss our hands-on review coverage when it drops!
Max Buondonno is an editor at The Shortcut. He’s been reporting on the latest consumer technology since 2015, with his work featured on CNN Underscored, ZDNET, How-To Geek, XDA, TheStreet, and more. Follow him on X @LegendaryScoop and Instagram @LegendaryScoop.