What to expect at the Samsung Galaxy S25 Unpacked event

Samsung’s big Galaxy S25 launch is just around the corner. the The first Galaxy Unpacked event of 2025 It was confirmed on January 22 at 1 PM ET in San Jose, California, where Samsung’s “next big thing” (to borrow 14 year old marketing slogan) will be revealed. What exactly will be on tap? Well, except for a few sure bets and some possible Leaks, only those who took a blood oath under a non-disclosure agreement know for sure. But here are the most likely products and features we’ll see.

Galaxy S25, S25+ and S25 Ultra

Much like Apple unveiling its latest iPhones in First fall eventSamsung usually launches its flagship Galaxy S phones in The first unpacked dance party of the year. You can bet the farm there will Galaxy S25 phones will be at the event. Given Samsung’s recent trend of launching three tiers of flagship phones – Standard, Plus and Ultra -You can bet we’ll see that again. (Samsung can technically change brand names, but the three-tier lineup is practically guaranteed.) There’s even FCC certification (Firstly spotted by 91 mobile) to dispel any doubts.

The degree of certainty drops sharply once we delve into the phones’ features. It seems likely there will be a subtle redesign with rounded corners, flatter edges and thinner bezels based on a leak. video Posted on Reddit and the pictures From the reputable Ice Universe company. But it is not expected that this will be the generation to which Samsung belongs Hiring a former Mercedes-Benz designer It will lead to drastic aesthetic changes.

At least in the United States, phone use is practically guaranteed Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite processor The processor, which the chipmaker unveiled in October. (Qualcomm even included Samsung is among the companies that will launch devices with this processor “in the coming weeks.”) Like almost every major processor these days, the Snapdragon 8 Elite is designed specifically for on-device generated artificial intelligence, which is compatible with Samsung Galaxy AI Blitz In modern models.

We don’t know if the company will split its S25 processors between Snapdragon (US and other markets) and Exynos (everywhere else), but Ice Universe has He claimed It will be all Snapdragon this generation. That would be a good thing, given the blatant performance and battery life disparity in Qualcomm’s favor.

The phone will turn on Samsung One UI 7 interface On top of Android 15. We know this because Samsung said in October that its user experience (based on Android 15) would be Launching on the upcoming flagship Galaxy S. It is already available in beta version for Galaxy S24 phones.

Samsung is rumored to stick with last-generation OLED displays (made from M13 organic materials) rather than the brighter, more efficient M14 OLED panels used in… iPhone 16 Pro and Google Pixel 9. Logic suggests that Samsung wants its best homemade displays in its best phones — especially when its competitors are already using them. But they can stick with cheaper panels to lower the bill of materials. You may have calculated that better displays don’t lead to better AI (which is the obsession of almost every tech company right now), while Qualcomm’s latest chips do.

Speaking of AI, expect Samsung to devote a very long portion of the event to generative AI features. Hit or loss Digi Times I mentioned Last month, the Galaxy S25 series will include an “AI agent that provides personalized clothing suggestions and transportation information.” What that would look like in practice is anyone’s guess, but I’m not sure I want to know.

On the camera front, the world of ice Claims (via Android addresses) It has been “confirmed” that only the ultra-wide sensor will see an upgrade in the Galaxy S25 Ultra – to 50MP from 12MP in last year’s model. The leaker says the S25 Ultra will stick with a 200MP main sensor, a 10MP 3x zoom, and a 50MP 5x zoom.

Samsung will Add Qi2 wireless charging standard to its new flagships – and this comes straight from the horse’s mouth (aka the Wireless Power Consortium). However, leaker chunvn8888 (aka “yawn”) He says Samsung phones will not have the built-in magnets of the original Qi2 module MagSafe is in all but name shipping. Instead, the leaker says Samsung will sell a first-party case with a Qi2 magnetic ring to enable this. (You’ve got to move those accessories, baby!)

Rumors have buzz About the alleged Galaxy S25 Slim with a thinner design – you guessed it – joining the trio sometime this year. This is an Apple thing It is also rumored to be in the works. However, since the FCC certifications seem to only cover the familiar trio of flagship phones, that phone (if it’s in the works at all) may not arrive until later in the year.

Galaxy Ring 2 and Samsung XR and AR glasses

Digi Times I mentioned In December, Samsung will be showing off (or maybe just teasing) the Galaxy Ring 2 and augmented reality (AR) glasses during January’s Unpacked event.

The Taiwanese publication says that the Galaxy Ring 2 will add two additional sizes to the nine Original modelwhich was only launched in July. The second-generation wearable health tracker is said to add new AI features (surprise!) and updated sensors for more accurate measurements. The Galaxy Ring 2 is also rumored to last longer than the current model’s maximum of seven days.

Digi Times It also claims Samsung’s AR glasses – which the company owns She confirmed that she is working on it – They will look like regular prescription glasses and weigh about 50 grams. It says that future glasses will be used Google Gemini Artificial Intelligencewhich is consistent with what we already know about Samsung Partnership with Google and Qualcomm On Android XR. But since there are no rumors about the supply chain surrounding the glasses, it’s likely that any mention at the event will be nothing more than a teaser, similar to the big reveal… stinky makes For the first Galaxy episode In dismantling 2024.

We also know that Samsung is co-developing the Android XR (extended reality) headset – codenamed Project Moohan – alongside Google and Qualcomm. The “lightweight” and “ergonomically designed” headphones will feature a “state-of-the-art display”, pass-through video and natural multimedia input. Google’s renders show a wearable device reminiscent of Apple’s $3,500 Vision Pro.

Since Google only recently started offering its development kit and API for the platform, any glimpse of it at Unpacked likely won’t include an imminent release or a deep dive into its hardware.

Engadget will have full coverage of Samsung’s first Unpacked event of 2025. More to come on January 22!