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Samsung's full Galaxy S25 family release schedule might be out of the bag now

By Adrian Diaconescu

Published: Dec 23, 2024, 3:41 AM

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Leaked Galaxy Unpacked 2025 event poster

In theory, we still don't know an awful lot for sure about the undoubtedly fast-approaching Galaxy S25 family of ultra-high-end smartphones. In practice, many of the key S25, S25 Plus, and S25 Ultra specs and features are essentially etched in stone already, and the same goes for Samsung's Unpacked announcement event date following a rock-solid recent leak.

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What remained (somewhat) unclear even after that January 22 date reveal was the rest of the company's launch schedule for its next-gen Android flagship trio, which is where a new Korean media report (translated here) from a typically very reliable publication comes in today. This aims to break down the entire S25 series release timeline, and believe it or not, that could even include the first-ever Slim model.

Save the date(s), everybody!

January 23 - announcement;
January 24 - pre-order start;
February 3 - pre-order close;
February 4 - sales start for pre-order customers;
February 7 - official release for all.

Does that schedule sound a little... iffy and unnecessarily convoluted? That's because these dates are only good for Samsung's homeland of South Korea, with the Galaxy S25 family launch schedule likely to look a little bit like this in the US, for instance:

January 22 - announcement (1 pm Eastern, 10 am Pacific Time);
January 22 - pre-order start;
February 5 - official release.

Now that makes a lot more sense, doesn't it? Of course, you shouldn't take all those dates (and especially the event times) for granted just yet, but recent history, common sense, and this very credible report from Korea all bring me to the same general predictions.

Samsung always takes exactly two weeks between a flagship announcement and its commercial debut stateside, and in recent years, the company has made a habit of kicking off pre-orders very quickly after the formal launch of a new addition to the Galaxy S family. In short, you might as well circle these dates in your calendars with red because there's almost no way any of them will prove inaccurate (by more than a day, at least).

Is the S25 Slim coming in January?

While a bunch of insiders and tipsters have predicted in the last couple of months that the Galaxy S25 Edge will launch in Q2 2025, this new report seems to suggest the January 22 Unpacked event shall usher in a grand total of four Samsung high-enders.

Yes, there's apparently a good chance the S25 Slim will join the S25, S25 Plus, and S25 Ultra next month, but I highly doubt all four of those phones will also go on pre-order right away and start selling in early February.

We don't know a lot about the S25 Slim, but we know it's going to be thinner than the S24. | Image Credit -- PhoneArena

Instead, the Galaxy S25 Slim is likely to be commercially released at a later point in time, and perhaps more importantly, in much lower numbers and in fewer countries than its more "conventional" siblings. Today's report doesn't bring a lot of new information on this first-of-a-kind device to the table, mind you, merely pointing out its profile will undercut the 7.6mm thickness of the "vanilla" Galaxy S24, which only adds to the mystery surrounding a product that could be described as highly experimental in nature albeit nowhere near as groundbreaking as, say, a first-gen foldable or an upcoming tri-fold model.

Previously, the S25 Slim has been tipped to carry an "Ultra" camera system on its back, which could match or even eclipse what the Galaxy S25 Ultra offers in the same department, thus justifying (at least in part) a fairly extravagant price point.

Adrian, a mobile technology enthusiast since the Nokia 3310 era, has been a dynamic presence in the tech journalism field, contributing to Android Authority, Digital Trends, and Pocketnow before joining PhoneArena in 2018. His expertise spans across various platforms, with a particular fondness for the diversity of the Android ecosystem. Despite the challenges of balancing full-time parenthood with his work, Adrian's passion for tech trends, running, and movies keeps him energized. His commitment to mid-range smartphones has led to an eclectic collection of devices, saved from personal bankruptcy by his preference for 'adequate' over 'overpriced'.

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