Galaxy S25 Ultra release date is almost here - 5 upgrades I'm hyped for
We're getting closer to Samsung Unpacked in January. These are the five upgrades I'm most excited for in the S25 Ultra.
📅 Samsung is reportedly launching the Galaxy S25 Ultra on January 22
👀 Plenty of rumors have made their way around about the phone
🏎️ We expect faster performance, better cameras, and AI features
5️⃣ These are the five biggest upgrades that I’m excited for
The Galaxy S25 Ultra is one of the most anticipated phones of 2025, right next to the ultra-slim iPhone 17 Air and the mysterious Galaxy Z Fold 7. The device will showcase the latest camera technology, high-end performance, and a design that we praised in our Galaxy S24 Ultra review. It’ll also be among the first phones in Samsung’s lineup to give Apple Intelligence a run for its money, all thanks to new artificial intelligence features in One UI 7.
I’ve used the S24 Ultra on and off throughout 2024, and it’s been one of my favorite phones to come back to thanks to its crazy camera capabilities, the S Pen, and its gorgeous screen. Of course, no phone is perfect, and my issues with the S24 Ultra are where I’d love to see Samsung make the most improvements with the S25 Ultra.
Here’s my Galaxy S25 Ultra wishlist of upgrades that I’m excited to (hopefully) see Samsung add to its next high-end flagship.
1. Longer battery life
The Galaxy S24 Ultra can last for a full day on a charge, but I’ve had plenty of days where the 5,000mAh battery inside would nearly die by dinner time if I was using it a lot. The S25 Ultra is expected to come with the same battery, but rumor has it that the new Snapdragon 8 Elite processor will give the device some serious efficiency gains.
This means that the phone will not only be faster than last year, but it could last noticeably longer on a charge. I really hope that comes to pass. If I’m buying a nearly 7-inch, $1,300+ flagship phone, I want it to last longer than a day. My iPhone 16 Pro Max can cruise through a day and still have juice left over, so here’s to hoping Samsung follows suit and boosts the Galaxy S25 Ultra battery performance.
2. Galaxy/Bixby/One UI AI
Samsung has said that it’s making AI a focal point of its next Galaxy S devices, and we expect to see a lot of new artificial intelligence-powered features on the S25 Ultra. That’s evident by One UI 7 which includes features like writing tools, spelling and error checks, summarizations, and call transcripts.
We don’t know what Samsung might have up its sleeve for AI on the Galaxy S25 series itself, but we’ve heard that Bixby could be getting completely revamped with generative AI to make it more helpful and easier to use. Combined with all the AI features in One UI 7 and built-in access to Google Gemini, it seems likely that Samsung is gearing up to compete with Apple Intelligence for the best AI experience on a smartphone.
It’ll take time before we know who does AI the best on phones. Apple hasn’t rolled out all of Apple Intelligence just yet, Google is still working on Gemini, and Samsung is only gonna start rolling out its own AI with the Galaxy S25 series. That being said, it’ll be interesting to see what Samsung cooks up, and that has me intrigued to give it a shot when I review the S25 Ultra.
3. Better wide-angle photos
Samsung is rumored to replace the 12MP ultra-wide camera from the S24 Ultra with a new 50MP sensor on the S25 Ultra, and that’s a huge deal. Oftentimes, ultra-wide cameras are forgotten about on smartphones. They perform worse than the main and telephoto cameras do, and at night, they fall apart due to small apertures that can’t let in a lot of light.
Fortunately, the S25 Ultra might improve that dramatically with a new ultra-wide camera. We don’t know the exact specs of the camera beyond its 50MP sensor, but any improvement is welcome in my book.
4. A more ergonomic design
Samsung is expected to carry over a majority of the design attributes of the Galaxy S24 Ultra to the S25 Ultra, including the floating cameras on the back and the squared-off sides. But if you use the S24 Ultra for a long period of time, it can becomes uncomfortable with its boxy corners and rigid tapers.
According to Galaxy S25 Ultra leaks, Samsung will allegedly improve these aspects of the design with softer corners and edges so it feels nicer to hold in your hand. It’s still going to be big and wide with a huge 6.86-inch screen, but it’ll feel more manageable. That will be perfect for those who might buy the Galaxy S25 or S25 Plus because they don’t think they can hold the huge S25 Ultra for that long.
5. Qi2 wireless charging
This one’s a long shot, but let’s hope Samsung includes Qi2 wireless charging on the Galaxy S25 Ultra and the rest of the lineup. The updated standard, which is faster than normal Qi charging and comes with magnets for perfect alignment, has been around for years but hasn’t been adopted by almost any smartphones. The Galaxy S25 could be the first to support the standard in the US, which would make the wireless charging experience of the S25 Ultra significantly better.
We’re expecting Samsung to announce the Galaxy S25 Ultra on January 22 during an Unpacked event. Be sure to subscribe to The Shortcut so you don’t miss out on all the news as it happens.
Max Buondonno is a writer 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.