- Samsung Galaxy S25 Slim may skip the US at launch
- Leaks say it won’t come to the US, but don’t reveal why
- Similar to how the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold SE also skipped many regions
Having already had to prepare ourselves for the long-awaited Samsung Galaxy S25 Slim probably not launching at Wednesday’s Galaxy Unpacked event alongside the regular Galaxy S25, S25 Plus and S25 Ultra; Instead, leaks say it will launch around May, now it looks like the Slim might not even reach all markets: in particular, skipping the US, if the leaks are to be believed.
The first comes from reputable tipster Evan Blass, who took to his private historically reliable” that came to Salgo to tell them that while the S25 Slim will arrive in 39 markets, the US will not be among them, but the UK and Australia will be.
All leaks should be taken with a pinch of salt, especially the Phone Arena leak, as we cannot name or verify the claim of the source of the information, but this would not be the first “slim” Samsung device to feature a launch limited in recent years.
For example, the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6 Slim, which ended up being called the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6 SE (Special Edition), was only released in South Korea and China when it arrived last year. The S25 Slim appears to have a slightly wider launch, but again not as wide as Samsung’s flagship devices.
The only question we are left with is why would you skip the United States specifically? Since Samsung’s home market is South Korea, it makes sense for it to limit some launches to just that market, or to South Korea and a handful of nearby Asian territories, as we saw with the Galaxy Z Fold 6 SE. However, if its launch is broader, skipping the United States (the third largest market for smartphones behind India and China) seems strange.
The only justification we can think of is that Samsung is concerned about potential US tariffs that incoming President Trump has threatened to impose on various US imports, especially those from China, where many smartphones are made. If Samsung plans to produce the S25 Slim in a region where Trump is imposing tariffs on imports, then it may decide that it won’t be worth launching the phone in the US, and while we wait and see precisely what the plans are of Trump, Samsung could be taking the path of under-promising and over-delivering if the tariffs do not have the expected impact.
A Slim by any other name would be just as thin
Beyond borrowing from its more limited release, the S25 Slim may also copy the name of the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6 Slim, that is, not be called Slim. This is according to Blass, who in a separate post asked why we expect the so-called Galaxy S25 Slim to be branded when the Z Fold 6 Slim is not.
That’s not to say the S25 Slim won’t be a thin device: leaker Digital Chat Station on Weibo says the Slim and the rumored iPhone 17 Air will be between 5 and 6mm thick. Compared to the 7.8mm thick iPhone 16 (read our iPhone 16 review) and the 7.6mm Samsung Galaxy S24, but a name that doesn’t simply focus on being less thick may mean it will come with some additional hardware changes and upgrades over the base model.
Such an update has already been the subject of rumors suggesting that it will feature a 200MP main camera instead of the 50MP expected on the base Galaxy S25 smartphone.
For now we’ll have to wait and see what Samsung has up its sleeve for the S25 Slim, but if you’re in the US you probably don’t want to hold your breath because you’ll be able to get your hands on it in 2025.
