The Most Anticipated Phones Of 2025
Every year brings a new complement of phones that seriously improve on their already-amazing versions, and 2025 looks to be a stellar one.
With useful AI becoming mass market but only available on the most advanced phones, many of us will be looking to upgrade to make the most of these new capabilities. Which phones should we be setting our sights on? Here are the ones we’re looking forward to holding in our hands in 2025.
Samsung Galaxy S25
We won’t have to wait too long for the launch of Samsung’s flagship S series – it looks set to be revealed on 23 January 2025. As the first launch of the year, it sets the tone for the rest of the year. We’re likely to see here what we’ll see throughout the year: a few improvements in design and hardware – in this case, a visual syncing of the regular and Ultra versions, and the Snapdragon 8 Elite processor (Qualcomm’s newest chipset). But the focus will be on AI features.
There’ll also be a new interface, with Samsung’s One UI 7 software, making the phone experience smooth and intuitive. We’re also expecting a slim version of the phone to be trialled, as Apple first did.
OnePlus 13
An underdog phone brand with a growing number of loyal customers, there’s already sizeable interest in the OnePlus 13. It’s been on sale in China for a month, and is expected to get its global release in the coming weeks. Because it’s already out, we’re clear on what to expect: it has the Snapdragon 8 Elite chipset, a 6.82in, flat AMOLED screen, an impressive 6000mAh battery with 100W wired charging and 50W wireless, and an ultrasonic under-display fingerprint sensor. Once again, they partner with photography experts Hasselblad for the camera, and deliver market-leading water and dust resistance, making it a durable option.
Apple iPhone SE 4
The first major Apple release of 2025 is expected to be the Apple iPhone SE 4 in March. This phone is due for a serious upgrade so expect an OLED screen instead of a TouchID screen, and a sizeable 6.1 inch screen rather than a 4.7 inch version. You might not get the iPhone’s top end features like all the photo-taking functionality, but you can expect a 48-megapixel camera, an edge-to-edge screen, and its Action button. With any luck, it should support Apple Intelligence, making it the most accessible way to make use out of the soon-to-be-released technology.
Apple iPhone 17
Always the smartphone highlight of the year, Apple’s launch event in September will unveil the next iteration of the UK’s most popular phone. In addition to making the most of the soon-to-be released Apple Intelligence, these phones will have a high refresh rate, making for even smoother graphics. And the all-important camera? It’s expected to have a whopping 24MP selfie camera, in response to the popularity of the lens.
We can expect four versions: the regular, Plus, Pro and Pro Max. That said, rumours swirl that the Plus version will also get a change in dimensions, and potentially become the ‘iPhone Slim’ or ‘iPhone Air’ (like its premium MacBook range). This would have a thinner design, being 6mm thick instead of the 8.25mm design of the current iPhone 16 Pro. The trade off? It would only have one rear camera instead of the two found on the regular iPhone, meaning the much-loved telephoto camera won’t be present.
Google Pixel 9a
Like the iPhone SE, Google’s entry level phone may well be released in March, making it the month for a budget-phone showdown. The newest of the A-series is expected to have a slightly larger screen, Google’s Tensor G4 chip and a bigger 5000mAh battery. The main camera is expected to be reduced from 64MP to 48MP, but presumably that won’t make much difference as its in-built editing capabilities improve.
If you’re keen to know what the Google Pixel 10 has in store, it’s still early days as the 9 was only launched in August. But expect its AI to allow helpful features for editing photos, like ‘Speak to Tweak’ and ‘Sketch to image’.
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