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Samsung has sent out invitations to its next Galaxy Unpacked event, where the South Korean firm is widely-tipped to unveil a new iteration of its flagship Galaxy S lineup. The hotly-anticipated event will be held in San Jose, California on January 22.
In the invitation, Samsung promises to showcase "The Next Big Leap in Mobile AI Experience".
Samsung introduced its first Artificial Intelligence (AI) experiences with the Galaxy S24, S24+, and Galaxy S24 Ultra last year. Dubbed Galaxy AI, this suite of AI-powered features offers real-time translations during phone and video calls, summaries of handwritten notes, the ability to resize and adjust people in photos using generative AI, and Circle to Search to instantaneously launch a Google search for whatever you've highlighted on-screen.
Ahead of the announcement of its brand-new smartphones, Samsung is already offering a range of savings and offers on its Galaxy S25, Galaxy S25+, and Galaxy S25 Ultra
SAMSUNG PRESS OFFICE
Samsung has teased that its upgraded AI features will be "more natural and intuitive" and will "change the way Galaxy users interact with the world." Even more exciting, Samsung is offering anyone who registers for more information about the incoming Galaxy S25 series a chance to win 25x voucher worth £500 to spend on Samsung.com — that promises to be a pretty hefty discount on the new flagship phone.
If you answer a quick survey from Samsung, you'll be treated to a £50 voucher to spend on the new Galaxy too.
It's one of a number of incentives listed on the Galaxy Unpacked website. Samsung is offering a "Price Promise" across its Galaxy S25, Galaxy S25+ and Galaxy S25 Ultra handsets. "Find it cheaper within 7 days at selected online retailers and we’ll refund the difference," it has pledged to early-adopters.
Galaxy Unpacked will be held in San Jose, California and streamed live on the Samsung website and YouTube channel to tune-in from anywhere
SAMSUNG PRESS OFFICE
Samsung also highlights its supercharged trade-in offers, with up to £670 in credit available to spend on the next entry into the bestselling Galaxy S lineup if you send your existing phone to Samsung. Of course, the exact amount that you'll be able to discount the (as yet unannounced) Galaxy S25, Galaxy S25+ and Galaxy S25 Ultra will depend on the make, model, and condition of your current phone.
However, it's worth noting that Samsung usually offers some money — even if your handset is broken.
Even if you complete the survey to unlock the £50 discount, trade-in to further slash money off the new Galaxy S, or are lucky enough to win one of the £500 vouchers up-for-grabs for those who register with Samsung ahead of time... buying a new handset outright still isn't cheap.
Samsung is clearly aware of this, since it also highlights the ability to spread the cost of buying a SIM-free phone with its monthly payment options at checkout.
What do we know about the incoming Galaxy S25 lineup, and is it worth registering for an early discount?
Based on the latest whispers from the supply chain, @OnLeaks shared high-resolution renders showcasing the alleged design of the incoming Galaxy S25 Plus, pictured above
The incoming Samsung Galaxy S25 series is expected to include four distinct models:
- Galaxy S25: The standard handset with a 6.2-inch FHD+ display and 50MP wide-angle camera
- Galaxy S25+: Identical to the regular Galaxy S25, but with a larger 6.7-inch Quad HD+ display and battery
- Galaxy S25 Ultra: Flagship device with a 6.8-inch QHD AMOLED screen, 200MP main camera, and up to 16GB RAM and 1TB storage
- Galaxy S25 Slim: New variant for 2025 with an ultra-thin design measuring just over 6mm in thickness, featuring innovative ALoP (All Lenses on Prism) technology to reduce camera bump size
It's unclear whether the sleek new Galaxy S25 Slim will launch alongside the other three models in the Galaxy S25 lineup, or whether it won't arrive until later in the year — possibly when the "FE" variation of the Galaxy S series lands on store shelves — as tipsters seem to disagree on the timings.
But most leaksters agree there will be a new entry in the Galaxy S lineup this time around, and we won't just see successors to the Galaxy S24, Galaxy S24+, and Galaxy S24 Ultra announced this time last year.
According to reliable leakster @OnLeaks, this is what we can expect from the Galaxy S25 design, with its slimmer bezels around the all-screen design and more pronounced rings around the triple-camera lenses
The announcement of the Galaxy Unpacked follows months of speculation and leaks about the new flagship series, which will be powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite chipset.
There's speculation that Samsung will increase the amount of RAM across all models to better handle Galaxy AI. As a result, Galaxy S25 and S25+ will purportedly feature at least 12GB of RAM, while the maxed-out Galaxy S25 Ultra could have at least 16GB.
These beefier specifications will enable Samsung to shift more Galaxy AI tasks from its servers to the device itself. Apple has taken a similar approach with its Apple Intelligence features.
Processing AI requests on-device improves speed, privacy — since none of your personal data leaves the handset, and means you can continue to use these features when you haven't got a Wi-Fi or mobile data connection, like on a flight.
All S25 models are expected to run on Android 15 with Samsung's totally-redesigned new OneUI 7 overlay.
One UI 7.0 brings Writing Assist tools to every corner of the operating system. Just select the text you want to adjust, and Galaxy AI will offer to proofread for spelling and grammar mistakes.
💙 like this post to witness the next evolution of #GalaxyAI
— Samsung Mobile (@SamsungMobile) January 6, 2025
A true AI companion is coming — are you ready for #GalaxyUnpacked? pic.twitter.com/djbjSNo82Q
It can also adjust the tone of your writing — helpful if you need to make an email or cover letter sound more formal, or want to add some fun into your text.
Not only that, but One UI 7.0 also includes Theft Detection Lock, which made its debut on Google Pixel devices earlier this year, and uses a combination of sensors inside the handset to detect when a phone has been snatched from the owner’s hand.
As soon as this happens, One UI 7.0 15 will lock the screen — preventing thieves from getting into the device.
Now Bar lets you cycle through a range of background processes on your Galaxy S handset, with a preview of countdown timers, ongoing workouts, and playback controls for music all available directly from the lockscreen or in the new pill-shaped bubble at the top of the handset during normal use SAMSUNG PRESS OFFICE The biggest shake-up to the design of One UI comes in the shape of the Now Bar.
This pill-shaped bubble sits in the status bar at the top of the screen at all times — expanding when tapped to offer more information and quick actions. If you've locked your phone, the Now Bar sits at the bottom of the screen for easy access to various functions without unlocking the device.
Samsung's Now Bar, which will be coming to Galaxy S devices compatible with its new One UI 7.0 upgrade, bears a resemblance to the Dyanmic Island introduced with the iPhone 14 Pro — and now available across every handset stocked in the Apple Store APPLE PRESS OFFICE Now Bar highlights ongoing activities that might be running in the background, like Interpreter, Music, Recording, Stopwatch, Samsung Health, Notes, Emergency sharing and Bixby. If the Now Bar seems a little familiar... it's likely because the software feature bares a striking resemblance to the Dynamic Island introduced with the iPhone 14 Pro and 14 Pro Max in September 2022.
S25，S25+，S25 Ultra pic.twitter.com/x7TupwE1GJ
— ICE UNIVERSE (@UniverseIce) October 9, 2024
According to the latest whispers, Samsung isn't straying too far from the formula it used with the Galaxy S24 lineup. From the front, expect the all-new Galaxy S25 series to sport an edge-to-edge design with a small circular cut-out for the front-facing camera.
The borders around the screen will be thinned, but don't expect this to result in larger displays. Instead, Samsung is likely to use the opportunity to shrink the footprint of the handset.
Internally, every model in the Galaxy S25 lineup is tipped to house magnets that support MagSafe-style charging and a slew of magnetic accessories, like car mounts and PopSocket-like holders. Samsung can't use the term “MagSafe”, since it's a trademark owned by Apple, but it will markets its phones on the same basic mechanisms.
Both the Galaxy S25 and Galaxy S25+ will rely on aluminium for the rest of the case design, while the Galaxy S25 will follow in the footsteps of its predecessor and use titanium for its frame.
In terms of colours, we're hearing that Galaxy S25 and Galaxy S25+ will ship in Silver Shadow, Sparking Blue, Moon Night Blue, and Sparkling Green. Meanwhile, the Galaxy S25 Ultra could get four finishes: Titanium Black, Titanium Blue, Titanium Grey, and Titanium Silver.
● Exclusive S25U colors
— Galaxy Flash (@GalaxyFlash2025) January 1, 2025
These are the closest real colors , before the launch of the S25U pic.twitter.com/l3f5JTbfF3
Samsung has remained pretty consistent with the pricing for its most recent Galaxy S smartphones, so we wouldn't expect a massive overhaul to that formula.
Like thier predecessors, we'd expect the Galaxy S25 to start from £799, larger Galaxy S25+ from £999, and the all-singing, all-dancing Galaxy S25 Ultra from £1,249. This would keep Galaxy S25 prices roughly in line with what we've seen from Apple and Google smartphones.
The next Galaxy Unpacked event will be streamed on Samsung's website and YouTube channel, beginning at 6pm GMT on January 22. GB News will bring you news on everything announced at the event, so stay tuned.
