Introduction
Samsung concludes 2025 with notable successes, driven by the Galaxy S25 series achieving higher sales than previous generations and its foldable lineup gaining unprecedented popularity.
Despite this, challenges remain. While the S25 phones sold well, their incremental upgrades gave the impression of stagnation, and the innovative S25 Edge experiment ultimately failed.
On the foldables front, the Z Flip7 and Z Fold7 delivered essential improvements, and the Galaxy Z TriFold attracted attention, even if it remains more a showcase than a mass-market product. Let’s explore the highlights in detail.
Winner: Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra
The Galaxy S25 series had a strong year, setting a pre-order record in South Korea with 1.3 million units – a record for the S series, though still shy of the all-time Galaxy Note10 lead.
Several months post-launch, the Galaxy S25 Ultra outsold its siblings, accounting for 5.08 million of the total 9.16 million S25 units sold. The vanilla S25 followed with 2.41 million, and the Plus model lagged at 1.67 million.
By June, the S25 series had surpassed the S24’s sales by 12.2% in the same period, led primarily by the Ultra’s 7.1% sales increase over its predecessor. While camera upgrades were modest—introducing only a new 50MP ultra-wide lens—and the S Pen lost Bluetooth functionality, the S25 Ultra remains the most popular Ultra model in several years.
Winner: Samsung Galaxy S25
The Galaxy S25 showed the most significant improvement, outselling the S24 by 11.6% as of June. Though less popular than the Ultra, the vanilla S25 far outperformed the Plus, boasting a 58% sales lead with 6.07 million units sold against 3.85 million.
Upgrades were limited, with the main enhancement being the increase to 12GB RAM, while base storage remained at 128GB. Our previous comparison noted nearly identical user experience between the S24 and S25, except for noticeably better performance from the Snapdragon 8 Elite chipset, which is now the sole chip powering the S25 series globally.
Loser: Samsung Galaxy S25+
The Galaxy S25+ delivered lackluster sales and may be considered a survivor rather than a success. Official confirmation is lacking, but indications show Samsung intended to discontinue the Plus line in favor of the Edge series next year. However, with the rumored cancellation of the S26 Edge, the S26+ could return, though expectations remain low.
Loser: Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge
The Galaxy S25 Edge suffered poor sales, effectively ending Samsung’s experiment with ultra-slim devices. This reflects broader market trends, exemplified by disappointing iPhone Air sales, which have deterred manufacturers from pursuing ultra-thin form factors due to weak consumer demand and diminished resale value.
Winners: Samsung Galaxy Z Fold7 and Z Flip7
According to Counterpoint Research, global foldable shipments grew 14% in Q3 2025 compared to the previous year, with the Z Fold7 and Z Flip7 leading Samsung’s folding phone sales. Samsung’s foldable shipments rose 32% year-over-year in Q3, securing a commanding 64% market share ahead of Huawei’s 15%.
Though the thickness difference compared to competitors like the Honor Magic V5 is minuscule, the Z Fold7’s 8.9mm thickness and 215g weight make it feel like a conventional smartphone when closed.
Notably, about 30% of Z Fold7 buyers in the U.S. switched from an S Ultra model, and this foldable outsold the previous generation by over 50%. The Z Flip7 attracted more users from other brands than any earlier Galaxy Flip, crowning them as 2025’s foldable winners. Improvements are underway for the next generation.
Winner: Samsung Galaxy Z TriFold
The Galaxy Z TriFold, though not the first tri-foldable (preceded by Huawei Mate XT Ultimate), is expected to be the best-selling tri-fold in 2025 due to greater availability and a more accessible price. Launched on December 12, most sales will spill over into 2026.
Samsung employed a more conservative approach to protecting the vulnerable folding screen compared to Huawei, a strategy whose results remain to be seen.
Though production will be limited, the TriFold represents a rare moment of genuine innovation for Samsung in 2025.
Loser: Exynos Chipsets
Only the Galaxy Z Flip7 featured the Exynos 2500, but its success is unlikely tied to the chipset. Delays prevented Exynos 2500’s readiness for the S25 launch, while other Exynos-equipped models shipped with the older 2400 chip.
Looking forward, reports indicate a bleak future for Exynos with the upcoming 2600 chip expected only in South Korean Galaxy S26 units, partly due to Qualcomm’s requirement that 75% of global S26 sales use Snapdragon processors and insufficient production yields for wider deployment.
While Exynos has performed adequately in mid-range Galaxy A models, its struggles in flagship phones highlight Samsung’s ongoing chipset challenges.
Loser: Samsung Galaxy S25 FE
The Galaxy S25 FE was a modest update featuring a chipset upgrade from Exynos 2400e to 2400, which brought minor performance gains but no major leap forward.
Charging improved slightly with a new 45W system powering a larger 4,900mAh battery, enabling 63% charge in 30 minutes compared to 56% previously. However, full charge times remained at 1 hour and 10 minutes.
A price increase positioned the S25 FE too close to the S25+, weakening its appeal despite the S24 FE being well-received the previous year.
Loser: Samsung Galaxy Z Flip7 FE
The cheaper Z Flip7 FE failed to gain significant traction, hampered by an outdated design and older Exynos 2400 chipset with only 8GB RAM. While the concept of an affordable foldable remains attractive, the Flip7 FE missed the mark.
Winners: Samsung Galaxy A56 and A36
Though exact numbers are unavailable, the Galaxy A36 and A56 were highlighted in a Q2 report by IDC as key contributors to Samsung’s growth. The A56’s U.S. launch filled a previous gap between budget A3x models and more expensive S FE devices, although availability was delayed until mid-July and some bootloop issues impacted user experience.
Losers: Samsung Galaxy Watches
Samsung did not release a new Galaxy Watch Ultra in 2025, opting instead to reissue the 2024 model with doubled storage from 32GB to 64GB and a new color variant.
The redesigned squircle shape for the Galaxy Watch8 and Watch8 Classic was met with widespread criticism, particularly as the 46mm Classic features the same 1.34” display as the smaller 40mm Watch8, a downgrade from the 1.5” panel on the previous Watch6 Classic despite the larger case size.
