To my point, compared to the Galaxy S24 Ultra, the Galaxy S24 comes with a smaller, lower-res primary camera, no periscope zoom, and no macro mode, which isn’t great, but also isn’t exactly surprising given the whopping $500 price gap between the two. Some might say that’s because the Ultra model is overpriced. And by “some” I mean me.
Other obvious omissions on the vanilla Galaxy S24 are the smaller display and battery, which is a deliberate design decision – still the keyword here is “decision”. No one said the vanilla flagship should always be smaller than the premium model.
Samsung has been playing cheap (Apple-style) tricks with its smaller flagship phones for too long now
The Galaxy S24 was purposefully made worse than the larger, more expensive phones in the lineup.
In the age of AI, RAM matters more than ever, as Artificial Intelligence is starting to occupy vast amounts of memory on our phones, which could result in phones with less RAM getting less AI features, worse performance… or both.
However, if you dig a little deeper, you’ll find out that Samsung has managed to one-up Apple by choosing to go with a slower storage chip in the vanilla Galaxy S24 compared to the Galaxy S24+ and Galaxy S24 Ultra – UFS 3.1 vs UFS 4.0. It’s another “small detail”, which ultimately can affect performance.
And of course, how can I forget the fact that only the Galaxy S24 Ultra comes exclusively equipped with the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3, while the vanilla models get a mix of Qualcomm and Exynos chips – depending on where you live.
All of the above has long been considered a “bad look” by enthusiasts like me, which is why I avoid recommending the vanilla Galaxy S24 to people who want a small phone, but also the best Samsung has to offer.
But that’s where the Galaxy S25 comes in!
Long overdue: Samsung’s compact Galaxy S25 flagship will finally be worth it (if you’re OK with the smaller battery / shorter battery life)
Leaked Galaxy S24 renders show identical design to that of the Galaxy S24, but you can expect a few upgrades that make a real difference.
Luckily, as I already mentioned, a lot of the above-mentioned cost-cutting tricks are about to go away with next-year’s Galaxy S25 model, which is now more or less month away from becoming official.
The result is (hopefully) going to be a noticeably better compact Samsung flagship compared to the Galaxy S24, and especially compared to the larger Galaxy S25+.
Here’s a clear breakdown of the upgrades that can make this happen:
- Fast UFS 4.0 storage (or newer) – finally (!) coming to the vanilla Galaxy flagship, faster storage can and will make opening apps faster; gaming will be smoother; file transfer will be swifter; smoother video playback (like 4K/8K); and even faster software updates
- 12GB of RAM – as we’ve learned throughout the years, an Android phone can never have too much RAM, and the Galaxy S25 will finally get what feels like a fair amount of RAM that’s able to help future-proof the phone; RAM massively affects performance when doing things like opening/reopening apps, editing photos/videos, gaming, and much more
- Auto-focus in the UWA camera for macro photography – although it might seem like small thing (no pun intended), being able to capture tiny objects/subjects with your phone can be super handy at times – for example, I’ve used the macro focus on my phone to get pictures of bedbugs at a hotel, which is good evidence to have before going down at reception
- “MagSafe” is now expected to come to Galaxy for the first time via the Qi2 wireless charging standard (at least according to recent leaks), which should make the Galaxy S25 more practical when it comes to using accessories like magnetic power banks, wallets, and more
- A class-leading chip with incredible performance, the Snapdragon 8 Elite should make the Galaxy S25 quite a bit faster, but also much more efficient, which means better battery life – at least if you’re lucky to get the Snapdragon variant of the phone (Exynos is not going away)
- Finally, a nice rumor to hear is that prices are expected to stay consistent with last gen Samsung flagships, which means the vanilla Galaxy S25 should start at $800 in the US, or “only” €900 in Europe
Overall, given how slow Samsung has become when it comes to major upgrades (apart from the area of AI), I’d say this list of improvements would be a major win for the 6.2-inch Galaxy S25 model and those who like smaller phones.
I happen to fall into that same category of users who hate carrying a brick in their pockets, which is why this long-overdue appreciation for the smallest Galaxy flagship is much appreciated by me.
Still, the compact Galaxy S25 won’t be a the mini “Ultra” Galaxy flagship you might be dreaming of
Leaked dummy models of the Galaxy S25 Ultra.
This includes the camera system, which is expected to stay virtually the same – at least in terms of hardware, which is a bit of a shame considering all three of the cameras on the back of the Galaxy S24 could do with an upgrade. Especially given the competition from the iPhone 16, Pixel 9, and of course, the more innovative Chinese flagships from Vivo, Oppo, and Xiaomi.
The Si/C battery tech has allowed phone-makers like OnePlus, Xiaomi, Vivo, and Oppo to pack 6,000 or even 7,000 mAh batteries into their phones without having to make them thicker or heavier.
Combined with the noticeably more efficient Snapdragon 8 Elite chip, this has proven to make a dramatic difference in battery life, as some Android flagships now match/surpass the iPhone 16 Pro Max in that regard.
Choosing to leave this upgrade out and (presumably) wait until next year to include it in the Galaxy S26 series, might be the most “Apple” thing Samsung will do with the Galaxy S25 series. But… It is what it is.
I suppose the good news is that apart from the camera system and the comparatively small battery capacity, the Galaxy S25 might excel in all other areas, while still having a great (if not the best) camera, and (I’d guess) improved battery life thanks to the more efficient chip. Even 20% extra juice at the end of the day would be a win in my opinion – given the conservative batteries.
The Galaxy S25 might not be the best compact flagship of 2025, but it’s going to be the best compact Galaxy phone by far
The Xiaomi 15 series have been a major battery upgrade thanks to using Si/C batteries – something we won’t see on the Galaxy S25 series.
While some of the upgrades the Galaxy S25 is reportedly getting might be coming thanks to Samsung’s generosity, like the macro-capable ultra-wide-angle camera, and the unchanged $800 starting price (which, in this day and age, seems like an upgrade), others seem a bit more forced by the circumstances.
Those would be the reported 12GB of RAM, which (I’d bet) would’ve been 8GB if Samsung didn’t want/need to push Galaxy AI even further – especially now that Apple is also competing in this area.
The faster storage speeds expedited to finally hit the Galaxy S25 also seem like something Samsung had to add in order to stay competitive rather than because of generosity.
However, the bottom line is that it really doesn’t matter – upgrades are upgrades, and even if they are reluctantly added or long overdue, they are going to make the Galaxy S25 a far better small flagship phone than the Galaxy S24, and much more similar to the Galaxy S25+.
Given the history of lesser vanilla Samsung flagships compared to their larger counterparts, this would be a change to celebrate.
Now is the Galaxy S25 going to be “the best compact phone” of 2025? I doubt it. Even if it’s a stellar upgrade in isolation, brands like Vivo, Oppo, and Xiaomi are doing way more to attract those who want compact phones. A good example is the Xiaomi 15, which has a class-leading camera system, a whopping 5,400 battery, and 90W fast-charging – all in a 6.3-inch body.
I guess I’m looking forward to the moment Samsung can pull that off.