Things are not looking good for the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra. If the latest information is to be believed, this year"s Google Pixel 9 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro will have a lead over Samsung"s upcoming top-of-the-line flagship. Display analyst Ross Young has revealed that Samsung may have settled for the M13 OLED materials rather than the latest M14 OLED materials due to cost concerns. If true, the Galaxy S25 Ultra will pack the same display as this year"s Galaxy S24 Ultra.
The decision will put next year"s flagship behind this year"s flagship phones from competitors, such as the Pixel 9 Pro and the iPhone 16 Pro. Both the Pixel 9 Pro and the iPhone 16 Pro models use the M14 OLED materials, which, according to the analyst, offer "red deuterium host, 20-30% higher efficiency, longer lifetime, higher material cost," and other improvements.
Samsung Display, the display wing of Samsung Electronics, develops the M14 OLED display materials. However, Samsung"s choice not to use the latest technology in its upcoming premium flagship while competitors are already using it makes things weird.
Confirmed with materials suppliers that the S25 Ultra will use M13 rather than M14 materials for cost reasons.
— Ross Young (@DSCCRoss) October 25, 2024
It is speculated that the South Korean OEM may have canceled its plans to use the M14 OLED materials inside the Galaxy S25 Ultra to avoid a price hike. The chipset pricing was tipped to be increasing this year, and the recently launched Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite processor, which is rumored to be powering the entire lineup, has already shown signs of a price hike with a $250 price tag. The price hike is attributed to the 3nm process that was used to manufacture the Snapdragon 8 Elite, which is quite expensive than the 4nm process.
The new details by Ross Young also contradict a previous leak, in which some Samsung executives claimed that the Galaxy S25 Ultra will pack the highest-level display and cameras. For now, take this information with a pinch of salt since it isn"t official.