This year, it’s all about the Galaxy S25 and S25 Ultra. However, will smart glasses be Samsung’s “one more thing”?
Time is cyclical. We’re already back at the part of the year when Samsung is due to announce its new family of flagship devices for the year. The company is expected to announce the Galaxy S25 to a day of fanfare in San Jose, CA, on Wednesday, January 22. The maelstrom begins at 10 AM PT / 1 PM ET for those joining us live.
You can follow with Samsung’s keynote here at Gizmodo, where we’ll have the news when it hits. Samsung will be streaming the event on Samsung.com and its official YouTube channel.
What to expect from the Galaxy S25
January’s Unpacked event will introduce the Galaxy S25 in two sizes and the Galaxy S25 Ultra, a third phone considered the ultimate Samsung-flavored smartphone because of its bells and whistles. Much to the chagrin of some of you reading, the “bells” usually include AI software enhancements, which is how every manufacturer on the platform attempts 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 display sizes as before. The Galaxy S25 will have a 6.2-inch screen, and the Galaxy S25+ will be just a bit bigger at 6.7 inches. The enormous Galaxy S25 Ultra is still set to be the biggest in the lineup with a 6.8-inch display. Samsung’s schtick this year will focus on how much thinner and lighter its phones are compared to the iPhone 16 Pro Max.
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 the Galaxy S25 has something to outperform the rest of its Android colleagues—especially where AI is concerned. Phones in this generation will have to prove they are powerful enough to run on-device AI tasks while delivering improved camera algorithms, gameplay frame rates, and streamlined software.
Let’s be honest: it’s all about AI this year for every device maker, whether we want it or not. AI will be a massive portion of the keynote since Galaxy AI took up a large portion of the show last year. There may be an AI companion that Samsung trots out at this month’s Unpacked that differentiates itself from Google’s AI efforts. An interesting leak that made it out at the last minute seemingly confirms this. It points to a little “oi Google Gemini” command, which comes out to, when translated from Portuguese, “Hey Google Gemini.” This suggests that Samsung and Google remain in cahoots about this AI thing, though there’s plenty of mention about what Samsung will do to offer something different. The most significant feature seems to be a daily brief that collects data from your Samsung apps and offers colorful data summaries. This sounds like one of those features that will likely require a ton of commitment to the Samsung device ecosystem if you’re going to get anything out of it, namely its wearables.
What to expect from the Galaxy S25’s camera
There isn’t much to be excited about regarding the camera system in 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 their reddest and shadows deep throughout. One leaker has maybe “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 primary camera on the Ultra is also slated to have the same 200-MP sensor and super zoom capabilities as the last two generations. If it ain’t broken, why should Samsung try to fix it?
We’re still unsure whether there’s any truth to the chatter about 360-degree camera capabilities on the Galaxy S25 Ultra as if to compete with the iPhone’s Spatial Video offerings.
What to expect from Samsung wearables
After the Galaxy S25 smartphones take the stage, Samsung will shift the spotlight to other sides of its gadget business. Wearables have been a significant focus for the manufacturer, especially since the introduction of the Galaxy Ring. But it seems too soon for Samsung to tease anything about the next generation of its finger-dwelling gadget.
If the Galaxy Ring is mentioned at Unpacked, it will be to promote its availability in larger sizes. Samsung may also announce a second-generation ring later this year, as it did at the Galaxy S24’s Unpacked showcase, but I don’t expect that.
We have more of a chance of hearing about these supposed XR glasses. With this early Unpacked event, Samsung might try to beat Meta to the smart glasses hype. The company has been spotted working with Google and Qualcomm on a prototype for a 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 tradeshow. Samsung is known to ride the hype train at the right time, and this would be the time to introduce itself as a glasses-maker.
Whatever is next, “Over the Horizon” (the name of Samsung’s title song; you probably have a ringtone of it on your Samsung phone), we’ll cover it here at Gizmodo. Tune in very, very soon. It’s almost too soon.
