Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra exposed in online listing already – specs suggest a display boost

In the world of cyclical smartphone launches, a year isn't a long time. The Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra was announced on 17 January, but we're already talking about the next-gen device. We're not expecting that to launch until January 2025, but we've already seen the device being registered on IMEI, and a full set of specifications.

One side of this story - the IMEI side – you can take as a certainty (via Android Headlines). A device with the codename SM-S938U has been registered, declaring itself as the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra.

This was registered on 6 June 2024 and while this might seem like a run-of-the-mill listing, the more conspiratorial among you might think it's Samsung trying to own some of the headlines during Apple's WWDC – at which Apple Intelligence was announced.

The fact that the Galaxy S25 Ultra exists shouldn't be a surprise. So far, we've heard that there could be a camera upgrade, it could get an AI battery boost as part of a bigger move into AI. But now we have the suggestion of all the specs for the phone too, which is where you need to take a pinch of salt, because some of this may well be speculation.

The details come from @BennettBuhner on X, who says that we're looking at a 6.9-inch display, which most interestingly could be in line for a bump to 3,000 nits. The Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra has a peak brightness of 2,500 nits, for context. Beyond that, the prediction of a Snapdragon 8 Gen 4 for Galaxy would seem logical.

On the camera front, we've already heard that Samsung is looking to bring better supporting sensors, to join the 200-megapixel main camera, and that could see it aligning on three 50-megapixel sensors – as well as a rumoured shift to squircle lens openings on the rear of the phone, as part of a redesign to give the phone a visual lift.

The battery is said to expand to 5,000mAh, but the exciting part is 65W wired charging – Samsung currently languishes at 45W, so a boost there would be great. It's also said to support Qi2 wireless charging at 25W.

That all sounds like a comprehensive hardware package, but in the modern era, it's not only hardware that's important. With Apple joining the AI race, offering a smarter and more personalised smartphone experience will be key. It's already being suggested that the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6 will introduce new AI features, which will likely make up a part of the Galaxy S25 Ultra too.

The race for the best smartphone is about to get a lot more interesting. The Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra was very well received, but there's no time for complacency - the S25 UItra has to take a big step forward to stay in contention.