What to anticipate on Wednesday

Samsung’s first huge launch of 2025 is nearly right here. Galaxy Unpacked will happen on January 22 at 1PM ET in San Jose, CA, the place Samsung’s “Subsequent Huge Factor” (to borrow a 14-year-old marketing slogan) can be revealed. What precisely can be on faucet? Properly, other than a couple of positive bets and a few doubtless leaks, solely these sworn to a blood oath below an NDA know for sure. However listed below are the probably merchandise and options we’ll see. Spoilers: There can be telephones.

Galaxy S25, S25+ and S25 Extremely

Very like Apple reveals its newest iPhones at its first fall event, Samsung usually launches its mainline Galaxy S flagships at its first Unpacked shindig of the year. You possibly can guess the farm that there will be Galaxy S25 telephones at this occasion. And given Samsung’s current pattern of launching three tiers of flagships — standard, Plus and Ultra — you possibly can guess we’ll see that once more. (Samsung may technically change the model names, however the three-layered lineup is virtually assured.) There’s even an FCC certification (first spotted by 91Mobiles) to dispel any doubts.

The diploma of certainty falls sharply as soon as we dig into the telephones’ options. A delicate redesign with rounded corners, flatter edges and thinner bezels seems doubtless based mostly on a leaked video posted to Reddit and images from respected tipster Ice Universe. However this isn’t anticipated to be the era the place Samsung’s hiring of a former Mercedes-Benz designer will result in drastic aesthetic modifications.

Android Headlines additionally posted plenty of pictures of the purported Galaxy S25, S25+ and S25 Extremely that affirm the comparatively minor redesign. The location additionally claims the display measurement for the Galaxy S25 and S25+ are unchanged from final 12 months at 6.2 and 6.7 inches, respectively. The Extremely will get an ever-so-slightly larger show at 6.9 inches.

A minimum of within the US, the cellphone is virtually assured to make use of Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8 Elite processor, which the chip-maker revealed in October. (Qualcomm even listed Samsung among the many corporations launching units with that processor “within the coming weeks.”) Like nearly each flagship processor nowadays, the Snapdragon 8 Elite is constructed for on-device generative AI, which aligns with Samsung’s Galaxy AI blitz in current fashions.

We don’t know whether or not the corporate will break up its S25 processors between Snapdragon (US and different markets) and Exynos (in all places else), however Ice Universe has claimed it will likely be all Snapdragon this era. That will be a superb factor, given what’s typically a obtrusive efficiency and battery life disparity favoring Qualcomm. There could be priority, too: though the overwhelming majority of Galaxy S generations have had completely different processors regionally, the S23 had the identical “Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 for Galaxy” chip globally.

Samsung is rumored to stay with last-generation OLED shows (made with M13 natural supplies) as an alternative of the brighter and extra environment friendly M14 OLED panels used within the iPhone 16 Pro and Google Pixel 9. Logic suggests Samsung would need its greatest do-it-yourself display in its greatest telephones — particularly when its rivals are already utilizing it. Nevertheless it may follow the cheaper panels to maintain the invoice of supplies down. Maybe it calculated that higher shows don’t make for higher generative AI (the obsession of almost each tech firm proper now), whereas the most recent Qualcomm chip does.

Talking of AI, anticipate Samsung to commit a maybe agonizingly lengthy portion of the occasion to generative AI options. The hit-or-miss DigiTimes reported final month that the Galaxy S25 sequence will embody “an AI Agent that gives customized clothes recommendations and transport info.” What that may appear like in follow is anybody’s guess, however I’m unsure I need to know.

The telephones will run Samsung’s One UI 7 on prime of Android 15. We all know this as a result of Samsung mentioned in October that its person expertise (based mostly on Android 15) will launch on the next Galaxy S flagships. It’s already obtainable in beta for Galaxy S24 phones. Samsung has mentioned that One UI 7 can be its “first built-in AI platform.” It added that Galaxy telephones “will turn out to be true AI companions” which might be capable of perceive pure language derived from speech, photographs and textual content.

On the digital camera entrance, Ice Universe claims (through Android Headlines) it’s “confirmed” that solely the ultra-wide sensor will see an improve within the Galaxy S25 Extremely — to 50MP from 12MP in final 12 months’s mannequin. The leaker says the S25 Extremely will follow a 200MP principal sensor, 10MP 3x zoom and 50MP 5x zoom.

Samsung will add the Qi2 wireless charging standard to its new flagships — and that comes straight from the horse’s (aka, the Wi-fi Energy Consortium’s) mouth. Nevertheless, leaker chunvn8888 (aka “yawn”) says Samsung’s telephones gained’t have built-in magnets for Qi2’s native MagSafe in everything but name charging. Provided that’s the principle advantage of Qi2, this might be disappointing information. As a substitute, the leaker says Samsung will promote a first-party case with a Qi2 magnetic ring to allow that. (Gotta transfer these equipment, child!) Is it actually Qi2 if you happen to want a case?

Rumors have buzzed about an alleged Galaxy S25 Slim with a — you guessed it — slimmer design becoming a member of the trio in some unspecified time in the future this 12 months. That’s one thing Apple is also rumored to be working on. Leakers have posted quite a few renders this previous week evaluating how the completely different measurement choices might examine to one another. A post from Ice Universe places the S25 Slim at 6.4mm. Nevertheless, given the FCC certifications solely seem to cowl the acquainted trio of flagships, that cellphone (if it’s within the pipeline in any respect) might not arrive till later within the 12 months.

Galaxy Ring 2, Samsung XR and AR glasses

DigiTimes reported in December that Samsung would showcase (or possibly simply tease) the Galaxy Ring 2 and augmented actuality (AR) glasses throughout its January Unpacked occasion.

The Taiwanese publication says the Galaxy Ring 2 will add two extra sizes to the 9 from the original model, which solely launched in July. The second-gen wearable well being tracker is claimed so as to add new AI options (shock!) and up to date sensors for extra correct measurements. The Galaxy Ring 2 can also be rumored to last more than the present mannequin’s most of seven days.

DigiTimes additionally claims Samsung’s AR glasses — which the corporate has confirmed it’s working on — will appear like common prescription glasses and weigh round 50g. It says the futuristic glasses would use Google’s Gemini AI, which aligns with what we already find out about Samsung’s partnership with Google and Qualcomm on Android XR. However given the shortage of provide chain rumors surrounding the glasses, it’s doubtless that any point out on the occasion would quantity to little greater than a teaser, a la its grand reveal of… a stinkin’ render for the first Galaxy Ring at Unpacked 2024.

We additionally know Samsung is co-developing an Android XR (prolonged actuality) headset — codenamed Venture Moohan — alongside Google and Qualcomm. The “light-weight” and “ergonomically designed” headset can have a “state-of-the-art show,” passthrough video and pure multi-modal enter. Google’s renderings present a wearable harking back to Apple’s $3,500 Vision Pro.

Since Google solely lately started providing a developer equipment and API for the platform, any glimpse of it at Unpacked wouldn’t doubtless embody an imminent launch or deep dive into its {hardware}.

Engadget can have full protection of Samsung’s first Unpacked occasion of 2025. Extra to return on January 22!

Replace, January 13 2025, 12:58PM ET: This story has been up to date with purported photographs and extra particulars on the Galaxy S25, S25+ and S25 Extremely from Android Headlines.

Replace, January 14 2025, 3:20PM ET: This story has been up to date with some extra details about One UI 7.

Replace, January 17 2025, 12:45PM ET: This story has been up to date with extra particulars on the Galaxy S25’s processor and the historical past of processors within the Galaxy S sequence.

Replace, January 19, 2025, 12:15PM ET: This story has been up to date with extra details about the rumored Galaxy S25 Slim.