Don’t expect the Samsung Galaxy S25 to bring game-changing camera upgrades

Samsung may once again prioritize software over hardware

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Samsungtypically reserves its headline-grabbing camera upgrades for its flagship Galaxy Ultra models, and the company looks set to continue that approach with theSamsung Galaxy S25line next year.

According to a report fromGalaxyClub(viaSamMobile), the standard Galaxy S25 and Galaxy S25 Plus will get the same 50MP wide and 12MP selfie cameras as theSamsung Galaxy S24andSamsung Galaxy S24 Plus. There’s no word yet on the upcoming phones’ ultra-wide or telephoto lenses, but given that Samsung opted to give both the Galaxy S24 and Galaxy S24 Plus identical camera hardware to their respective predecessors, there’s every chance that the Galaxy S25 and Galaxy S25 Plus will fall victim to the same fate.

The Galaxy S25 Ultra, meanwhile, iswidely tippedto sport a 200MP primary rear camera, a 50MP ultrawide camera, a 50MP telephoto camera with 3x optical zoom, and a 50MP telephoto camera with 5x optical zoom. Those upgrades would mark significant telephoto and ultra-wide improvements over the already-impressiveSamsung Galaxy S24 Ultra, which makes the reported lack of upgrades for the standard models all the more disappointing.

Of course, Samsung’s standard Galaxy models have never been billed as thebest camera phones, but we’d been hoping that the Galaxy S25 might offersomecamera hardware upgrades over the Galaxy S24. TheiPhone 15inherited the 48MP wide lens of theiPhone 14 Pro, after all, so why can’t the Galaxy S25 inherit something from the Galaxy S24 Ultra?

Again, GalaxyClub’s report only refers to the Galaxy S25’s wide and front-facing cameras, so there’s still time for the rumor mill to spit out some more promising information related to the phone’s ultra-wide and telephoto lenses. Indeed, the Galaxy S25 line isn’t expected to launch until January 2025 – much can (and surely will) change between now and then.

Soft(ware) power

That said, we think it’s more likely that Samsung adorns the Galaxy S25 and Galaxy S25 Plus with some smart new camera software, as opposed to dramatically improved hardware.

Both the Galaxy S24 and Galaxy S24 Plus launched with then-new AI photography features including Edit Suggestion, Generative Edit and Instant Slow-mo, and although these tools were eventually opened up to older-generation Galaxy models (see ourGalaxy AI compatibilityexplainer for the details), Samsung may opt to give the Galaxy S25 line another suite of temporarily exclusive features.

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Other rumored specs for the Galaxy S24 include aSnapdragon 8 Gen 4 chipset in all regions, a 4,000mAh battery and “significant” design changes (per anow-deleted X postfrom leaker @Tech_Reve), so it sounds like Samsung’s upcoming standard model could still rank among thebest Samsung phonesever made, even if it might not bring dramatic camera improvements to the table.

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Axel is TechRadar’s UK-based Phones Editor, reporting on everything from the latest Apple developments to newest AI breakthroughs as part of the site’s Mobile Computing vertical. Having previously written for publications including Esquire and FourFourTwo, Axel is well-versed in the applications of technology beyond the desktop, and his coverage extends from general reporting and analysis to in-depth interviews and opinion. 

Axel studied for a degree in English Literature at the University of Warwick before joining TechRadar in 2020, where he then earned an NCTJ qualification as part of the company’s inaugural digital training scheme.

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