The Galaxy S25 Ultra is going to be the best and most expensive version of the Galaxy S25 series. As such, it’s the star of leaks and rumors. But not all Samsung fans will want to buy the big Ultra, despite the design cosmetic changes that should make it easier to hold and operate.
Some buyers will choose the cheaper Galaxy S25 and S25 Plus, and I can’t blame them. The size of the iPhone 16 Plus is the main problem of the phone in my view.
But if you plan to buy the cheapest Galaxy S25 model, you might get surprising downgrades compared to last year’s models. Or, put differently, you won’t get some of the upgrades you’d expect from Samsung. That’s according to FCC listings for the three phones that revealed some of their specs.
Surfaced by 91 mobiles, the FCC listings aren’t a surprising find. This documentation usually leaks a few months before the launch of a new phone. All device vendors must file similar certification papers with regulators around the world.
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The FCC documentation mentions three codenames for the Galaxy S25 phones: SM-931U (Galaxy S25), SM-936U (Galaxy S25 Plus), and SM-938U (Galaxy S25 Ultra). According to the documentation, all phones should feature 5G, Bluetooth, dual-band Wi-Fi, GNSS, and NFC. However, only the Galaxy S25 Plus and S25 Ultra will have UWB support.
The FCC docs also offer battery details that indicate the kind of charging speeds the three phones will have to offer. The Galaxy S25 Plus and Ultra will work with 45W chargers, but the Galaxy S25 will only support 25W wired charging.
If the base Galaxy S25 is expected to lack UWB support and 45W wired charging, the FCC listings offer a surprising downgrade that you won’t like. The base Galaxy S25 model will support 9W wireless charging speeds instead of the 15W speed available on the base Galaxy S24.
As a longtime iPhone user, I’ll say that wired charging speeds of around 25W aren’t a big deal. That’s what I’ve been used to for the past few years. But wireless charging speeds going down to 9W isn’t great news. Comparatively, MagSafe supports 15W, and Apple has just upgraded it for the iPhone 16 models, which go up to 25W.
The FCC documentation does not cover the full specs for the three phones. Rumors do say all models will run on Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8 Elite chip and feature battery sizes similar to their predecessors. These might be more important details to buyers choosing the base models.
However, the FCC listings suggest that the Galaxy S25 could always go for other downgrades or lack certain upgrades, which could help Samsung cut some costs. That said, the Galaxy S25 Plus should be a better deal, as it should match the Ultra’s specs, aside from the size differences.
Samsung will reportedly unveil the Galaxy S25 series in mid-January, with the phones hitting stores by early February.
