Time is cyclical. We’re already back at the time of year when Samsung has to announce its new family of flagship devices for the year. The company is expected to announce the Galaxy S25 during a fanfare day in San Jose, California on Wednesday January 22. The maelstrom begins 10 a.m. PT / 1 p.m. ET for those joining us live.
You can follow Samsung’s keynote here on Gizmodo, where we’ll have the news when it happens. Samsung will broadcast the event on Samsung.com and its official YouTube channel.
What to expect from the Galaxy S25
January’s Unpacked event will feature the Galaxy S25 in two sizes and the Galaxy S25 Ultra, a third phone considered the ultimate Samsung-flavored smartphone due to its bells and whistles. Much to the chagrin of some of you reading, “bells” usually include AI Software Improvementsthis is how each manufacturer of the platform tries to differentiate itself from its Android daddy, Google.
Everything Samsung will announce about the Galaxy S25 series has been leaked. The phones have already passed through the FCC. Samsung is sticking to the same screen sizes as before. The Galaxy S25 will have a 6.2-inch screen and the Galaxy S25+ will be just a bit larger at 6.7 inches. The massive Galaxy S25 Ultra is always fixed being the largest in the range with a 6.8-inch screen. Samsung’s move this year will concentrate on how its phones are thinner and lightercompared to THE iPhone 16 Pro Max.
THE The Galaxy S25’s chip will undoubtedly be powerful. Now that the Snapdragon 8 Elite exists, Samsung and Qualcomm will likely collaborate on the chip to ensure that the Galaxy S25 has something to surpass the rest of its Android colleagues, especially when it comes to AI. Phones in this generation will need to prove they are powerful enough to run on-device AI tasks while offering improved camera algorithms, gaming frame rates, and streamlined software.
Let’s be honest: This year, it’s all about AI for every device maker, whether we like it or not. AI will feature prominently in the keynote since Galaxy AI took up much of the show last year. Samsung may be introducing an AI companion at this month’s Unpacked that differentiates itself from Google’s AI efforts. A interesting leak which was revealed at the last minute seems to confirm it. It points to a small command “oi Google Gemini”, which when translated from Portuguese means “Hey Google Gemini”. This suggests that Samsung and Google remain in cahoots on this AI story, although there is plenty of mention of what Samsung will do to deliver something. different. The most important feature seems to be a daily briefing that collects data from your Samsung apps and offers colorful data summaries. This looks like one of those features that will likely require a lot of commitment to Samsung’s device ecosystem if you want to get anything out of it, namely its wearables.
What to expect from the Galaxy S25 camera
There’s not much to get excited about about the camera system on the Galaxy S25 Ultra or the rest of the Galaxy S25 family. It will still be the same slightly saturated camera algorithms, with reds looking the reddest and deep shadows everywhere. A leaker may have “confirmed” that only the Galaxy S25 Ultra’s ultra-wide camera will get a significant update this year to enable more detailed wide-angle photography. The Ultra’s main camera is also expected to have the same 200 MP sensor and super zoom capabilities as the last two generations. If it’s not broken, why should Samsung try to fix it?
We’re still not sure if there’s any truth to talk of the Galaxy S25 Ultra’s 360-degree camera capabilities, such as to rival the iPhone’s spatial video offerings.
What to expect from Samsung wearables
After the Galaxy S25 smartphones hit the scene, Samsung will focus attention on other aspects of its gadget business. Wearables have been an important priority for the manufacturer, especially since the introduction of Galaxy Ring. But it seems too early for Samsung to comment on the next generation of its finger gadget.
If the Galaxy Ring is mentioned at Unpacked, it will be to promote its availability in larger sizes. Samsung could also announce a second-generation ring later this year, as it did with the Galaxy S24. Unpacked display case, but I didn’t expect it.
We’re more likely to hear about these supposed XR glasses. With this first Unpacked event, Samsung could try to beat Meta to the smart glasses hype. The company was seen working with Google and Qualcomm on a prototype of pair of smart glasses. Smart glasses were the name of the game at CES 2025, the same way smart rings stole the show at last year’s annual show. Samsung is known for jumping on the hype train at the right time, and now would be the time to introduce itself as an eyewear maker.
Whatever comes next, “Over the Horizon” (the name of Samsung’s title song; you probably have a ringtone for it on your Samsung phone), we’ll talk about it here on Gizmodo. Tune in very very soon. It’s almost too early.