Update: Wednesday January 1, with details on the Galaxy S25 chipset and performance implications.Galaxy S24 Ultra on show at Galaxy Unpacked, January 17 2024, London, United Kingdom.EWAN SPENCESamsungs Galaxy Unpacked event in January 2024 saw the launch of the current Galaxy S24 Ultra flagship, alongside the other S24 handsets, the debut of Galaxy AI, and a preview of the Galaxy Ring. With the first Galaxy Unpacked of 2025 expected to happen in a few weeks, how will the upcoming Galaxy S25 Ultra build on the success of 2024? Which features will help the handset stand out from the crowd?Qualcomm or Exynos For Galaxy S25 Ultra?Update: Wednesday January 1. The Samsung community has been waiting to see if the Galaxy S25 family will have their preferred option of Qualcomm's Snapdragon 8 Gen 4 across the portfolio or if some territories would adopt the slower Samsungs own Exynos 2500 chipset.Another round of benchmark testing online through Geekbecnhwhose results are publicly availableshows the various Galaxy S25 models all sporting the preferred Snapdragon option. This should positively impact each handset's battery life and overall performance, as well as leverage Qualcomms custom AI-focused hardware.While this has not been conclusively stated by the South Korean manufacturer, it follows reports that Samsungs mobile processor development team were not able to complete the necessary work to have the Exynos 2500 chipset ready for the Galaxy S25 family due to South Koreas strict limits on weekly working hours. Instead, the advanced chipset should debut on the Galaxy Z Flip7, due in the Summer of 2025.Samsung logo in the window of the Samsung Experience Store on Oxford Street in London (Photo by Olly ... [+] Curtis/Future via Getty Images)Future via Getty ImagesMORE FOR YOUGalaxy S25 Ultra DisplayThe look of the Galaxy S25 Ultra will iterate on the current S24 Ultra, a sharper edge to the corners is one of the few visible changes to the design. The display should have one unexpected strength, debuting Cornings second generation of Gorilla Glass Armour.The first-generation featured on the Galaxy S24 Ultra offered a notable increase in protection. Yet it was the anti-reflective coating, helping the S24 Ultra display quality in brightly lit indoor areas and under strong sunlight, that gathered critical acclaim. As the protection increases, so will the view of the pixels.Galaxy S25 Ultra CameraMuch of the Galaxy S25 Ultras main camera system will carry over from the Galaxy S24 Ultra. Forbes contributor Pail Monkton has highlighted one upgrade new users will see: the ultrawide camera will have an increased sensor size of 50 megapixels, offfering broad equality with the camera choices in the Pixel 9 Pro and many of the upcoming 2025 flagships. Crucially, this should allow for more detail in photography, and allow 8K recording when in use.Galaxy S25 Ultra And Galaxy AIThe launch of the Galaxy S24 ULtra was tightly bound with Galaxy AISamsung's push into generative AI softwareand the S24 family were the top-selling AI-powered handsets in the first half of 2024. That allowed Samsung to set the commercial tone of generative AI for the year, following Googles scene-setting to the industry with the Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pros Google AI facilities.Google has set the scene for the second generation of smartphone AI with Gemini and is pushing this and the Pixel 9 family online. Samsungs powder will stay cool until the S25 family launches, and you can expect the S25 Ultra and Galaxy AI to offer a potent package thanks to the increased performance on-device and a year of AI development work.Galaxy S25 Ultra Safety FeaturesAlthough the hardware that allowed for car crash detection was present in the Galaxy S24 Ultra, it was never turned on by software. Looking through the current beta of the OneUI software that will debut with the S25 Ultra, the team at Android Authority has discovered new references pointing to car crash detection software. The software should be there, and the hardware is present, so will this be the year to have it turned on?Galaxy S25 Ultra Satellite ConnectivitySamsung has spent many years working on satellite connectivity for its Galaxy handsetsindeed, it was expected to be announced as a Galaxy S24 Ultra feature. That did not come to pass. With the increased focus on this channel, both through Samsungs beta code and Googles code contributions to Android integrating the principle deeper into the code, this is another feature that many are waiting for.When Will We See The Galaxy S25 Ultra?Samsung is widely expected to hold the next Galaxy Unpacked event on January 22nd 2025, with pre-orders opening a few days after the launch, and the S25 handsets shipping on February 7th.Now read the latest thoughts on a mysterious fourth handset that will join the Galaxy S25 Ultra, the mysterious Specia Edition...