What to expect from Samsung’s Galaxy Unpacked event next week
Welcome back to the newsletter. As we make changes, expect at least two issues per week, with an occasional special issue. The newsletter will continue to be available on Engadget.com, but if you are not subscribed, You should do that.
Next week Samsung will unveil its next Galaxy family of phones. No, not the foldable devices, but the traditional S-series devices. In terms of track record, we can expect three S25 devices: Standard, Plus and Ultra.
It’s unlikely there will be a major change to the aesthetics, but we expect some subtle differences – rounded corners, flatter edges and (of course) thinner frames. On the inside, at least in the US, the S25 series will likely be powered by Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8 Elite, which is designed for on-device generative AI. The chip promises 45 percent faster single- and multi-core performance and uses 27 percent less power than the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3, so it could also improve battery life.
Some rumors point to a Galaxy S25 Slim with a – you guessed it – slimmer design. Everything is very trendy. However, since the FCC certifications only appear to cover the usual flagship trio, this device may not hit the market until later in the year. (If any.)
Expect a lot of AI excitement too. One rumor suggests that the Galaxy S25 series will “include an AI agent that provides personalized clothing suggestions and transportation information,” although Google and countless third-party apps already fully service the latter. I’d invest money in a tedious bragging segment from Samsung and its AI tricks – many of which will fall by the wayside. One request: please steal the pixels Add me Photo function.
We’ll be reporting live from Samsung’s first Unpacked event in 2025. Mark your calendars for January 22nd!
– Mat Smith
Get this delivered straight to your inbox every day. Subscribe right here!
The biggest tech stories you missed
According to Bloomberg, the iPhone 17 Air will be 2mm thinner.
The rumored ultra-thin iPhone we’ve been hearing about for the past few months will get Apple’s Air branding. In his Power On newsletter: BloombergMark Gurman said that the iPhone 17 Air will be about 2 millimeters thinner than any other phone model.
“It will feature a base A19 chip and a single-lens camera system,” notes Gurman, and will serve as “a testing ground for future technologies.” A single-lens camera could be an interesting decision, as three sensors are the standard for Apple’s highest-end phones.
Now how about a MacBook mini?
After eight years in office.
Sonos CEO Patrick Spence is leaving the company after its disastrous app launch last year, which left core features missing from the redesign. Back in May 2024, the company launched a mobile app that was full of bugs and missing features like alarm clocks and sleep timers. Some customers even complained that entire speaker systems stopped working after updating to the new app. Sonos’ share price has fallen by around 13 percent since the app’s launch. Sonos laid off more than 100 employees in August as the company tried to fix its software, and revenue fell 16 percent in its fiscal fourth quarter ended Sept. 28.
Spence’s payout package includes $7,500 per month through June, $1.9 million in cash compensation and shares in Sonos. I want to mess up an app update.
Sharing the Instagram alternative was briefly considered “spam”.
According to users at Bluesky and 404 Media, Meta appeared to block links to Pixelfed, a decentralized photo-sharing platform, on Facebook. A small group of posts that linked to pixelfed.social were deleted, citing Facebook’s community standards for spam.
There’s more incentive for users to abandon Instagram: Meta just announced dramatic changes to how it moderates speech on its platforms. The company last week ended both its third-party fact-checking program and changes to its hateful conduct policy. A Meta spokesperson said removing the posts on Pixelfed was a mistake and they would be restored.
