Skip to main content

Some big Galaxy S25 news has left us disappointed

Three Galaxy S24 Plus models laying on a table, including the white, gray, and yellow ones.
Joe Maring / Digital Trends

Three Samsung Galaxy S25 smartphones have been certified by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC). While that’s good news because it means the official launch is getting closer, it’s also a bit disappointing because it’s not four new Samsung phones being certified. What do we mean? The devices are almost certainly the Samsung Galaxy S25, Galaxy S25+, and Galaxy S25 Ultra, so where’s the so-called Galaxy S25 Slim?

The FCC certification registers devices by model number rather than name, and lists the SM-S931B/DS, the SM-S936B/DS, and the SM-S938B/DS as new entries. The SM-S931 model number follows on from the Galaxy S24’s model number of SM-S921. The case is the same for the Galaxy S24+’s SM-S926 model number and the Galaxy S24 Ultra’s SM-S928 model number. The letter B signifies the certified model is an international version, while DS denotes a dual-SIM capability.

Recommended Videos

Previous leaks have referred to a mystery Samsung phone with the model number SM-S937B/DS, which has been linked with the Galaxy S25 Slim name. While the model number obviously fits in between the ones listed by the FCC, and the B suggests it’s an international model, why hasn’t it been certified by the FCC along with the other Galaxy S25 phones? At the moment, it’s unclear, and it may simply be that Samsung is holding it back as it knows these records are public. Or it could be the Galaxy S25 Slim is not destined for international release after all, or that the model has been delayed.

What else do the FCC records tell us? It doesn’t seem like there’s going to be any change in charging speed for the Galaxy S25 and Galaxy S25+, with the pair certified with 25-watt chargers and wireless charging. The charging details for the Galaxy S25 Ultra aren’t stated, but it’s highly likely it’ll use the same 45W charging system as the Galaxy S24 Ultra. The FCC records also state the phones will have NFC, Wi-Fi, and 5G support as you’d expect.

One anomaly is the inclusion of Ultra Wideband (UWB) support on all three international Galaxy S25 phones, but not the U.S. version of the Galaxy S25 as spotted by Android Authority. It means the standard Galaxy S25 model will miss out on UWB-reliant features that enable digital car keys or precise tracking data for devices like Samsung’s SmartTag 2, and you’ll need to buy the S25+ or S25 Ultra to get the feature on U.S. phones.

Samsung is expected to officially reveal the Galaxy S25 series at an Unpacked event in early 2025.

Andy Boxall
Andy is a Senior Writer at Digital Trends, where he concentrates on mobile technology, a subject he has written about for…
Miss the Galaxy S25 Edge unveil? Watch the full reveal here
Samsung's new S25 Edge.

Samsung has finally unveiled its thinnest-ever Galaxy S series smartphone, the Galaxy S25 Edge. The Korean tech giant introduced the new handset via an online video presentation that started at 8 p.m. ET on Monday, May 12.

If you missed the 14-minute presentation, you can watch it via the video player embedded at the top of this page. 

Read more
The Galaxy S25 Edge ushers in the era of the thin flagship phone
The Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge on a display rack.

The era of the thin flagship smartphone has arrived with the launch of the Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge, a highly anticipated device teased earlier in the year with the rest of the Galaxy S25 range. Does it live up to expectations? We’ve held it already and were very impressed, but if you want all the spec details before diving into that, we’ve got everything you need to know here. 

The Galaxy S25 Edge is just 5.8mm thick and 163 grams, and therefore very different to the 7.3mm thick and 190 grams of the Galaxy S25 Plus, the model it’s otherwise closely related to, specs-wise. It shares the same 6.7-inch Dynamic AMOLED screen with a 1-120Hz refresh rate and a peak brightness of 2,600 nits, but in a lighter, less fatiguing to hold package. 

Read more
I’ve held the Galaxy S25 Edge, and I’m completely smitten
A person taking the Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge out of a pocket.

The Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge’s reason to exist is its thinness, so it really needs to be something special as otherwise, what’s the point in it being made at all? The great news is, it really is something special and it looks unlike any other smartphone available at the moment.

I fell for its lithe frame during my short initial time with the phone, but is the thinness enough to make it worth considering over another Galaxy S25 model? Here's my early impressions.

Read more