The Samsung Galaxy S24 series is one of the best collections of Android smartphones currently on the market. The S24, S24 Plus and S24 Ultra are three differently priced but equally impressive handsets with great cameras, up to date software, premium build and top performance.
That’s why there is such anticipation building for the Galaxy S25 phones. They look set to be the first major Android release for the UK market in 2025 with a 22 January launch date rumoured.
Fans will be looking out for how these devices could have improved on the already-great S24 but realistically, those phones were already so good, it’s unlikely that Samsung will bring anything truly new and innovative to the S25. The S24’s marketing and software leant heavily on new Galaxy AI features, some of which were fun, but we mostly felt they were there to disguise the fact not much was new from the S23.
New leaks suggest Samsung is changing the design of the S25 to tempt phone shoppers into parting with their hard-earned cash. This video was posted to YouTube and allegedly shows the Galaxy S25 Ultra with much curvier looks than the austere, straight-edged Galaxy S24 Ultra, which was similar to the preceding S23 Ultra and S22 Ultra.
The video has been backed up by photos of the supposed device that were shared with Android Authority. The images show the same device with rounded off corners where the S24 Ultra had very sharp edges.
The corners of the display are also rounded, something we haven’t seen on Samsung’s Ultra phone since 2021’s S21 Ultra.
Samsung fans could be hoping this is accurate. The Ultras are always enormous phones, and having the sharp edges means they can be difficult or even uncomfortable to hold in one hand for too long. Rounded corners and glass could make the S25 Ultra seem slimmer even if it’s physically the same size.
The leaks show it probably will be, with a large, flat screen. More rounding appears to be happening in the software too, with Samsung’s One UI 7 update on show in the video. If accurate, the firm has given its Android skin, which here will be based on Android 15, a lick of paint. Icons have been tweaked and redesigned with different colours and the controls in the quick settings have been overhauled to look a little more circular in places.
We expect the S25 Ultra to pack in the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite chipset, the silicon that is rivalling the MediaTek 9400 found in Android rivals such as the Oppo Find X8 Pro. It is also rumoured to have an improved camera set up.
This means the S25 Ultra is unlikely to take a price dip below the S24 Ultra’s bank account busting £1,249. Hopefully all will be revealed as rumoured in January.
