Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra leaks: What’s new and exciting!

With the buzz around S25 Ultra leaks heating up, it’s the perfect time to get excited about Samsung’s next flagship. The hire of a former Mercedes-Benz design guru has many wondering how this will shape the Galaxy S25 Ultra.

Trying to decide if you should grab the S24 Ultra now or wait for the S25 Ultra? Leaks suggest the new model will have a cooler design and some awesome new features. If you’re into cutting-edge tech and sleek designs, the S25 Ultra might just be worth the wait. Stick around to see what makes this phone the one to watch!

1. S25 Ultra camera leaks

Tipster Ice Universe has shared that the Galaxy S25 Ultra is getting a 50MP ultrawide camera with a brighter F/1.9 aperture lens. This is a big step up from the 12MP ultrawide on the Galaxy S24 Ultra. It should bring a noticeable improvement, especially for close-up macro shots.

Autofocus is something I always look for in ultrawide mobile cameras, and it’s surprising how many brands skip this feature. The S25 Ultra is likely to include autofocus for better macro photos. Plus, it should be able to record in 4K at 60fps and 8K at 30fps, just like the S24 Ultra’s 5x telephoto camera.

S25 Ultra leaks also mention that while the new 50MP sensor will be the same size as the 12MP one in the S24 Ultra, each pixel will shrink from 1.4µm to 0.7µm. Though smartphone cameras have improved in low light, ultrawide lenses still tend to lag behind. This is often due to primary cameras having bigger sensors, wider apertures, and pixel binning. Samsung could fix this with a lower-resolution mode or the larger F/1.9 aperture, which would capture 34% more light than the S24 Ultra’s F/2.2, improving low-light performance.

This upgrade would bring Samsung’s ultrawide camera closer to Apple’s iPhone 16 Pro and Pro Max, which jumped from 12MP to 48MP. However, Apple didn’t increase the aperture, keeping it at F/2.2. Also, the iPhones still don’t support 8K video recording despite the new higher-resolution sensors.

2. S25 Ultra design leaks

The Galaxy S25 Ultra’s biggest design change is the flat sides. On the S24 Ultra, only the top and bottom were flat, with slightly rounded sides. Now, all 4 sides are flat. Some customers miss the curved edge screen and want it back. But that doesn’t mean Samsung should ditch this new flat design. Why not offer both? A flat and a curved version of the Ultra, like they did with the S6 and S6 edge back in the day.

With former Mercedes-Benz designer Hubert Lee involved, the design might feel familiar. It’s a bit like how the Buds 3 Pro resemble AirPods Pro. The S25 Ultra is now going for a rounded look, like the Galaxy Note 7. It’s a big change from the sharp edges of the S24 Ultra that many of us liked.

That said, don’t take these renders as gospel just yet. Ice Universe points out that these images are based on CAD drawings and could be off in a couple of ways. For one, the bezels might not be shown accurately, and the lens rings appear to be borrowed from the Galaxy Z Fold6, which might not be the case.

What’s more, the Galaxy S25 Ultra is going to be lighter than the S24 Ultra, weighing in at just 7.7 ounces. For comparison, the Galaxy S24 Ultra is 8.2 ounces, and the iPhone 16 Pro Max is 8 ounces. Part of the weight drop comes from the fact that the S25 Ultra is slightly smaller in nearly every dimension. Despite the thinner bezels, it keeps the same screen size, with dimensions of 6.41″ x 3.06″ x 0.32″, according to the latest S25 Ultra leaks.

Colors

SamMobile revealed photos of the SIM card trays for the device, highlighting 4 shades: black, dark blue, gold, and silver. Following Samsung’s usual naming style, reports refer to these as Titanium Black, Titanium Blue, Titanium Gold, and Titanium Silver.

Back in October, Ice Universe mentioned on X that the Galaxy S25 Ultra would feature 4 colors: Black, Green, Blue, and Titanium. Additional variations might appear later, potentially introducing new tones a few months post-release.

It’s unclear if Samsung will include any store-exclusive finishes. There’s a chance unique options could surface when the device officially hits the market.

3. Battery rumors

Sawyer Galox on X mentioned that Samsung still has faith in the Exynos 2500. The company is reportedly testing it with plans to use it in the Galaxy S25 and S25 Plus. One reason for this could be the high cost of the Snapdragon 8 Elite/Snapdragon 8 Gen 4. As for the Galaxy S25 Ultra, it’s expected to feature the SD8G4 worldwide.

Qualcomm just unveiled the Snapdragon 8 Elite, and it’s a beast. With clock speeds hitting an impressive 4.32GHz, it’s the fastest phone chip out there. To put it into perspective, the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 tops out at 3.4GHz, and MediaTek’s Dimensity 9400 reaches 3.63GHz, giving Qualcomm a clear edge.

4. Samsung S25 Ultra release date and price

Since it’s still early days, we don’t have a solid release date for the Galaxy S25 phones just yet. But looking at past trends, the Galaxy S24 series dropped on January 17, and the Galaxy S23 series came out on February 1. So, it’s pretty likely that the Galaxy S25 series will hit the shelves in January 2025. There’s plenty of time for more S25 Ultra leaks to provide further details.

As for the Galaxy S25 Ultra’s price, there’s no concrete info yet. I think it might stay around the same range, but some rumors suggest a possible increase, mainly due to Qualcomm’s chip prices. The Galaxy S24 Ultra launched at $1,299.99, so I wouldn’t be surprised if Samsung kept it at that price point. While I don’t expect a discount, a slight price bump isn’t out of the question. For now, it’s all just speculation until we get some official news.

Recap

If you’re like thousands, torn between picking up the S24 Ultra now or waiting, those upcoming enhancements might just make the S25 Ultra worth the holdout.

I’ll definitely be keeping an eye on more S25 Ultra leaks and updates as we get closer to the release. The S25 Ultra’s blend of innovative features and fresh design has me eagerly anticipating its debut. Let’s see if it lives up to the hype! In the meantime, check out my comparison of the new iPhone 16 and iPhone 15 to see how they stack up!