Samsung Galaxy S25 Plus preview: Refinement over revolution
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Samsung Galaxy S25 Plus Intro
There are just a few days remaining until we finally see Samsung unveil its new Galaxy S25 lineup, which will consist of three devices: Galaxy S25 Ultra, Galaxy S25 Plus, and, of course, the regular Galaxy S25.
Unsurprisingly, the Galaxy S25 Ultra will be the top flagship that everyone in the Android sphere will be lusting after, but as usual, the smaller and more affordable flagship also deserve their time in the spotlight.
Over the past few years, Galaxy S Plus phones have been the awkward middle children, neither having the best specs and features of the Galaxy S Ultra nor the compact size of the Galaxy S flagship. Yet, every year, the Galaxy S Plus has consistently been the best-value device in Samsung's flagship roster, and interestingly, the company has only improved the Plus lineup and brought it closer to the Galaxy S24 Ultra in terms of specs.
Is the Galaxy S25 Plus going to be another hidden top-value gem in Samsung's flagship arsenal for 2025? Let's explore.
Table of Contents:
Samsung Galaxy S25 Plus Specs
Here are the Galaxy S25 Plus versus Galaxy S24 Plus specs based on the leaked specs:
| Galaxy S25 Plus | Galaxy S24 Plus |
|---|---|
| Size and Weight 158.4 x 75.8 x 7.3mm 190gr | Size and Weight 158.5 x 75.9 x 7.7mm 196 g |
| Display 6.7-inch | Display 6.7-inch |
| Processor Snapdragon 8 Elite (all markets) 12GB RAM 256GB/512GB | Processor Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 (US) Exynos 2400 (RoW) 12GB RAM 256GB/512GB |
| Software One UI 7 Android 15 | Software One UI 6.1 (will be updated to One UI 7) |
| Cameras 50MP main camera 12MP ultra-wide 10MP telephoto (3x optical zoom) 12MP selfie camera | Cameras 50MP main camera 12MP ultra-wide 10MP telephoto (3x optical zoom) 12MP selfie camera |
| Battery Size 4,900 mAh | Battery Size 4,900 mAh |
| Charging Speeds 45W wired 15W wireless | Charging Speeds 45W wireless 15W wireless |
| Prices Same as S24 Plus or slightly higher | Prices 256GB for $999 512GB for $1,119 |
Galaxy S25 Plus Design and Display
The Galaxy S25 Plus will remain similar to the Galaxy S24 Plus in terms of overall aesthetics, with a mostly flat design with right edges. Armor aluminum is most likely to remain the material of choice for the frame, and Gorilla Glass Victus at the front and back seems like a given.
Rumors indicate the Galaxy S25 Plus will feature a slimmer 7.3mm body, down from its predecessor’s 7.7mm thickness. This makes it one of Samsung’s most compact Plus models yet, all while maintaining its Armor Aluminum build and IP68 water and dust resistance.
The device is expected to adopt a ring-like camera lens design, reminiscent of the Galaxy Z Fold 6, offering a fresh aesthetic touch to the standard flagship lineup. The overall design remains in line with Samsung’s flat-edged approach, complete with a punch-hole front camera and standard bezels, ensuring a clean and modern appearance.
The device is expected to adopt a ring-like camera lens design, reminiscent of the Galaxy Z Fold 6, offering a fresh aesthetic touch to the standard flagship lineup. The overall design remains in line with Samsung’s flat-edged approach, complete with a punch-hole front camera and standard bezels, ensuring a clean and modern appearance.
Size-wise, the new phone will be a smidgen shorter and narrower, but you won't notice that in real life. What you might notice, though, is the significantly thinner body of the Galaxy S25 Plus. Samsung has successfully thinned the phone without sacrificing any of the essential hardware inside, like the battery.
The Galaxy S25 Plus will most certainly be available in these original colors:
- Navy
- Ice Blue
- Silver Shadow
- Mint
We expect some extra colors to be up for grabs on Samsung.com.
Display-wise, the Galaxy S25 Plus will employ a similarly sized 6.7-inch 1440p screen as its predecessor, with HDR support and a 1-120Hz adaptive refresh rate. Essentially, nothing seems to be changing from a pure hardware standpoint. We hope that Samsung has found a way to further boost the peak brightness, which will improve the outdoor legibility.
We also hope that the Galaxy S25 Plus and Galaxy S25 will score the same anti-reflective coating that the Galaxy S24 Ultra debuted last year. This feature will boost the legibility in broad daylight.
Biometrics-wise, we're certainly getting the same ultrasonic fingerprint scanner and face unlock.
Galaxy S25 Plus Camera
With the Galaxy S25 Plus, we will most certainly get the same camera system as the Galaxy S24 Plus… and Galaxy S23 Plus… and Galaxy S22 Plus. That's right, say hello and "welcome back!" to the 50MP main, 12MP ultrawide, and 10MP telephoto with 3X optical zoom.
Thus, the only upgrades we might see would have to be on the software and AI side. In fact, according to the rumors, AI will enter the camera stage more prominently, improving colors and image brightness significantly.
There are rumors that we might see better macro and low-light video, but it's unclear if this feature will be a Galaxy S25 Ultra or will arrive on the Galaxy S25 Plus and Galaxy S25 as well.
Rumors also point out we might get LOG video-recording on all Galaxy S25 devices, which allows for significantly more leeway in terms of post-processing flexibility. We could also get a new Audio Eraser feature, which could isolate voices and music or minimize ambient noise from videos.
Regardless, we're anticipating some changes here.
Galaxy S25 Plus Performance & Benchmarks
The Galaxy S25 Plus will come with the Snapdragon 8 Elite, a 3nm chipset, which will be powering the phone in all regions around the world. That's great, as it will ensure cohesion and performance parity regardless of the region, which was not necessarily the case in previous years, when Exynos was powering some versions of the phones in select areas.
From our experience with the Snapdragon 8 Elite, it is a proper powerhouse, especially in terms of graphics. It's a properly good fit for the Galaxy S25 Plus, which will not only put it on par with the iPhone 16 lineup, but could even help it get comfortably ahead performance-wise.
Rumors have it we'll see 12GB of RAM as native on the Galaxy S25 Plus, similarly to the Galaxy S24 Plus. The same applies to the storage––256GB and 512GB versions will be available, with no hardware options to expand this; if you need more, you will have to get the Galaxy S25 Ultra, which will be available with up to 1TB of storage.
Galaxy S25 Plus Software
The Galaxy S25 Plus will arrive with Android 15 and One UI 7 out of the box. The latest software update is already available in beta and comes with a solid visual refresh and some new features that boost the user experience. Read more about this in our One UI 7 review.
The One UI 7 beta did not have any new AI features, but we expect some cool new Galaxy AI features to get announced alongside the Galaxy S25 series.
In terms of software support, we expect Samsung to deliver seven years of major software updates as well as security patches to the Galaxy S25 Plus.
Galaxy S25 Plus Battery
No changes are expected on the battery front for the Galaxy S25 Plus. This means one thing: a 4,900mAh battery will be making the rounds inside the phone, which is just as much as the Galaxy S24 Plus had in store. Still, just a smidgen smaller than the 5,000mAh battery that is making the rounds in the Ultra flagship.
With the Snapdragon 8 Elite in tow, we hope that the battery life will be noticeably better than the Galaxy S24 Plus.
The Galaxy S25 Plus will likely once again boast 45W wired charging and 15W wireless charging. We've been harboring hopes for faster 25W Qi2 wireless charging, but the rumor mill isn't responding nicely to those hopes.
Should you buy it?
All things considered, it appears that the Galaxy S25 Plus will unsurprisingly be an incremental improvement over the Galaxy S24 Plus.
Should we be worried that Samsung has been announcing basically the same phone for a couple of years now? Well, yes and no. On one hand, it's the Galaxy S25 Ultra that will be the star of the show, so a mediocre evolutionary upgrade for the mid-range device is expected.
On the other hand, with a thinner design, possibly brighter display, and a powerful Snapdragon 8 Elite chipset, it’s shaping up to be a polished, reliable device nonetheless. While it may not offer groundbreaking innovation, the focus on refinement ensures that the Galaxy S25 Plus will meet the needs of those seeking a dependable and high-performing Android flagship.
If prices remain unchanged, so a $1,000 for the base model, we might be once again looking at a dependable phone that will clash well with the likes of the iPhone 16 Pro and Pixel 9 Pro.
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