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Galaxy S25 leaked release date for January 5? No, I don’t think so

By Abdullah Asim

Updated: Nov 14, 2024, 5:04 PM

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Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra concept render by Technizo Concept

*Header image is referential and showcases a Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra concept render. | Image credit — Technizo Concept

With the iPhone 16 out of the way the entire smartphone industry is looking to Samsung in anticipation of what it will do to compete. As such, even the smallest of hints and nudges get to share the spotlight for what might be true about the upcoming Galaxy phones. One such ordeal happened recently when an online survey allegedly from Samsung seemed to leak the release date for Galaxy S25.

The survey seems to indicate that the new phones will be available starting January 5 of next year. While it would’ve been nice to get our hands on the redesigned Galaxy S25 Ultra sooner than expected, it is very unlikely to be the case.

The specific line from the survey that kicked off the speculation reads, “After completing the survey, you will receive a voucher for a 10% discount when purchasing the Galaxy S Series 2025 from 5/1/2025 (valid nationwide at all Samsung stores).”

This has been translated from Vietnamese so there might be some inaccuracies, but the survey basically seems to know when the phones will be available for purchase. There are two reasons this is very likely not the case.

Industry insiders do not back this claim

You know what is confirmed? More AI. | Image credit — Technizo Concept

A January 5 release date is not being backed by any of the major industry insiders who often come through with accurate leaks. In fact, one such insider has rejected the claim altogether and says that they can say with certainty that this leak is false. They also say that the survey was posted by a retailer who has no idea what they’re talking about. I’d link this insider’s post here but I’d like to keep it rated ‘E’ for everyone.

Other tipsters like Ice Universe or Evan Blass haven’t given any credence to the January 5 leak either. If there was any credibility to the survey’s mentioned date at least one of them would have probably said so.

CES takes place on January 7

I’m going to miss the sharp corners on Ultra phones. | Image credit — PhoneArena

The Consumer Electronics Show (CES) is taking place from January 7-11. It is highly unlikely that Samsung would want to release its phones just before CES 2025 as it would clash with the event and rob the S25 of constant media coverage.

The Galaxy S25 lineup is not only seeing a design change for the Ultra this year but also reportedly running on Snapdragon across all models around the globe. These are two events that will also draw more media attention to the phones, especially the Snapdragon processors. Previously most regions around the world had to make do with the slower Exynos chips save for the S23 family.

Apple, arguably Samsung’s biggest competitor, had an underwhelming iPhone 16 launch this year and the latter likely wants to capitalize on that as much as possible. As such, announcing its flagships models two days before CES 2025 would be quite the marketing blunder.

So, when do the S25 phones come out?

A lot of people think that Samsung will likely announce the S25 lineup in January like last year but I wager that this year’s release might take place in February instead. For starters, there’s the aforementioned clash with CES 2025.

But the bigger reason, and what makes me think that a February release is likelier, is the U.S. election. It has been a tumultuous few months leading up to the election and president-elect Donald Trump is supposed to be sworn in on January 20. I think it would be an understatement to say that the media will be busy with that whole business.

The Galaxy S22 and S23 were both announced in February and I think Samsung will go back to that release window for the S25. Not least because the survey talked about making a better product for the consumer.

If Samsung is planning some last-minute changes to the S25 lineup then a February release makes a lot more sense. Ultimately, it’ll very likely be one of the best smartphones worth buying for the foreseeable future.

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Abdullah is an ardent believer in the future of VR, and can't wait to see what more it brings to the table as technology improves. He enjoys covering new software releases in the XR industry, as well as major news about hardware and companies focused on VR.