Biggest smartphone launches in 2025 — including a more affordable iPhone

Several major smartphones are releasing in 2025 — and one of the most anticipated models won’t be a bank-breaking flagship.

The world’s leading smartphone manufacturer, Samsung, will be first out of the gates with the launch of its new top-end S-series smartphones this month.

The Galaxy S25 range is expected to be announced at the Galaxy Unpacked Event scheduled for 22 January 2025.

The series is expected to add more AI-powered capabilities, improved cameras, and Qi2 wireless charging support — potentially with magnetic lock-in.

Reputed leaker Ice Universe maintains that Samsung will ship all Galaxy S25 models with a Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite chip and completely drop its own Exynos processors for this round of flagships.

Reports also suggest the line-up may include a new Slim model in addition to the regular, Plus, and Ultra variants.

However, Samsung may only tease this smartphone at the main S25 event and launch it separately later in the year.

The ultra-slim model is expected to feature a 6mm thickness while still being packed with top-end hardware and a sizeable battery not far off from the Ultra model.

The South Korean giant should also launch its Fold 7 and Flip 7 foldables sometime around mid-2025, although these are not expected to feature any major upgrades.

Winfuture.de claims to have obtained the first leaked official renders of the smartphones — including the S25 Ultra — in clear silicone covers.

Apple’s new affordable model

Samsung’s biggest rival and the world’s most valuable listed company — Apple — reportedly also has some exciting releases planned.

The first is its fourth-generation mid-range smartphone, expected to debut in March 2025.

A report from Fixed Focus Digital on Weibo claims that Apple will drop the “SE” moniker it has used for its three previous more affordable models, and instead, the new model could be dubbed the “iPhone 16E”.

The phone will reportedly take its design cues from 2022’s iPhone 14 but only be available in black and white. It is also expected to feature an OLED screen and action button.

Other anticipated hardware includes a single 48MP rear camera, a USB-C port, and Face ID sensors.

Concept-phones.com has created two renders showing what the iPhone 16E could look like, based on current reports about its design.

9to5 Mac’s Michael Burkhardt expects the iPhone 16E will be priced at $599 (R11,100) in the US, $200 (R3,700) cheaper than the base iPhone 16’s $799 (R14,805) price tag.

The latter costs R20,999 in South Africa, so if Burkhardt’s expectation pans out, the iPhone 16E is unlikely to be priced at less than R16,000 locally.

Apple reportedly also plans an ultra-slim model for its iPhone 17 flagship line-up to replace its Plus variant.

Should it stick to its typical release schedule, these models will be launched in September.

Some reports suggest the slim model could be called the iPhone 17 Air, as Apple uses this term to describe its thin-and-light variants of the iPad and MacBook.

The other Androids

Several Android smartphone makers also have exciting releases in the pipeline for the year ahead.

Google is making a big switch with its Pixel 10 smartphones in 2025 — shifting from Samsung to TSMC for its chip fabrication.

While the company’s Pixel phones are generally well-regarded for their cameras and software, they are often criticised for slower performance and shoddy battery life.

These factors have been blamed on Samsung’s fabrication, which has also created issues with the Exynos chips used in its S-series sold in some countries.

Unfortunately, Google does not officially sell its Pixel smartphones in South Africa, although it is possible to import them with relative ease through Amazon.com.

Google has gradually expanded the list of countries where it sells Pixel smartphones over the past few years.

Most recently, it added several East European countries and Malaysia to its list. Considering the small sizes of some of these markets, South Africa could be on the cards for 2025.

Chinese players such as Honor, Xiaomi, and Oppo, which offer some of the best-performing smartphones and good value for money, will certainly be launching attractive devices locally in the coming year.

One particularly enticing prospect is Honor’s triple-folding smartphone, which was confirmed to be in the works late last year.

The company has started offering its flagship Magic models — including foldables — in South Africa, so it would not be completely unprecedented if the product makes its way to local shores.

Honor’s former parent Huawei launched the world’s first triple-folding smartphone in China last year, which proved to be a major hit despite its R50,000 price tag.