The rumor mill has basically guaranteed that we'll see the Samsung Galaxy S25 early next year, but now we've got the first official details about this phone, coming from a message from Samsung itself.
Samsung's quarterly earnings report for Q3 2024 mentions the Galaxy S25 series by name, saying that it's part of the Samsung mobile division's greater focus on premium products going forward, including Galaxy Z foldables.
The S25 is apparently "the first half of next year," which encompasses the expected January 2025 release date, but could also hint at a later launch, perhaps if Samsung decides it's advantageous in some way.
The report also says the S25 "plans to enhance the Galaxy AI experience to drive innovation in everyday life," which suggests the new model will focus more on its software than its hardware upgrades, despite a number of rumored changes such as a larger display on the base model, a rounder back panel for the Ultra and Snapdragon 8 Elite chipsets.
Samsung XR isn't dead
News of the Galaxy S25 wasn't the only interesting nugget of info from this report. It also refers to an XR device, originally teased to launch this year by Samsung, Google and Qualcomm, that is expected to be Samsung's response to the Apple Vision Pro that launched back in February.
Samsung's report mentions the XR device in the context of "strengthen[ing] the connectivity experience between our products," which perhaps means this will be a complementary device to a Samsung phone, tablet or laptop rather than a standalone gadget.
The only other detail we get is that it is due to launch "in the future," which is still rather vague for our liking but at least indicates the project isn't dead. But other reports signal that a March 2025 release could be in the cards.
If that wasn't enough evidence that Samsung XR is coming, a new Android Authority report says there are now mentions of XR headset support in the Google Play Store app. We've not heard of any other big Android brands working on XR headsets, so this is likely Google laying the groundwork for when Samsung's ready.
A cheaper foldable is still an option
There's already a lot pointing to Samsung's new devices, but a report from Juklanlosreve on X (via 9to5Google) says that during a recent conference call, Samsung discussed the option of making a more affordable foldable phone.
While Samsung has recently said cheaper foldables aren't on the horizon, it's seemingly still considering them, given it said “We are considering ways to lower entry barriers so that more customers can actually experience foldable products, given the high satisfaction among existing foldable users.”
Samsung also said in this call that it's "preparing new form factors", which could refer to a triple-fold phone like the Huawei Mate XT, or perhaps a rollable phone that can expand and contract its display to suit the user's needs.
These will only appear when "they achieve a level of quality and experience that satisfies customers in real-life use environments," so we can assume it could still be some time before we see an all-new Samsung foldable on the market.
For more on what we've heard about Samsung's upcoming flagship phones, check out our Galaxy S25 and Galaxy S25 Ultra hubs for the latest. And if the idea of that cheaper folding phone appeals, then have a look at our Galaxy Z Fold 6 FE hub for rumored details about Samsung's alleged budget foldable.
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