Whatever you do, don’t buy a Samsung Galaxy S phone right now

Samsung makes some of the most reliable Android phones money can buy, especially with its Galaxy S handsets. If you want to buy into a family of Android phones you can rely on year after year, even at the cost of innovation, few do it better than Samsung.

The current Galaxy S25 series is the epitome of this. While the S25, S25 Plus, and S25 Ultra may not be the most groundbreaking smartphones, they’re still objectively good. They’re well-built, feature-rich, and — most importantly — reliable.

However, I’m here to tell you that you absolutely shouldn’t buy any of these Galaxy S phones. As dependable as they may be and as much as some people may like them, buying a Galaxy S25 right now would be a big mistake. Here’s why.

The reason for my non-buying advice is simple: Samsung Galaxy Unpacked is right around the corner. Like, right there.

Earlier this month, Samsung confirmed that its next Unpacked event will take place on Wednesday, February 25. Although the company didn’t explicitly say what’s going to be announced, it’s almost certainly where we’ll see the Galaxy S26 series (along with a new pair of Galaxy Buds). With new phones just a few days away, the Galaxy S25 series finds itself in a weird spot. While the S25 models are still very good, buying one right before the Galaxy S26 arrives doesn’t make much sense.

There are a few reasons for this, some of which relate to the upgrades we’re expecting for the Galaxy S26 family. Although this year’s phones are unlikely to be dramatic improvements over the Galaxy S25 line, a few reported changes may be worth the wait.

The biggest of these is the Galaxy S26 Ultra’s rumored “Privacy Display.” Using a new type of OLED panel and light control mechanisms, the S26 Ultra will let you see your phone’s content normally when looking at the screen head-on, but people glancing at it from an angle will see a black screen that hides whatever you’re looking at.

While this might sound nefarious on the surface, there are plenty of practical use cases for this technology. Maybe you’re reading a sensitive work-related email on an airplane. Perhaps you’re texting a family member about a personal matter on the bus. We’ve all probably wanted a bit more privacy while using our phones in public, and the S26 Ultra is on track to deliver precisely that.

As we’ve seen with the last several Galaxy S generations, the Galaxy S26 series is building on the Galaxy S25 family’s foundation while slightly improving it, rather than reinventing the wheel. That’s been Samsung’s status quo for a while now, and it doesn’t seem like it’s any different this year.

If the Galaxy S26 series isn’t going to be a significant upgrade over the Galaxy S25, why bother waiting? Why shouldn’t you go out and buy a Galaxy S25 right now?

While the S26 phones won’t be that different from the S25 models they’re replacing, they’re still going to be Samsung’s latest; the phones with the newest chips, freshest designs, most recent software, etc. Even if the S26 family isn’t a giant upgrade, it’s still that: an upgrade.

More importantly, they’re upgraded phones you’ll likely be able to buy at extremely low prices. Samsung has a long history of offering highly competitive pre-order promotions for its Galaxy S smartphones, and while specific pre-order deals for the S26 have yet to be announced, we can expect them to be pretty darn great.

For context, Samsung offered $100 and $200 gift cards depending on which Galaxy S25 model you pre-ordered last year.  That was on top of free storage upgrade offers and enhanced trade-in values. Depending on what phone you traded in, Samsung was offering up to $900 in instant discounts with Galaxy S25 pre-orders. We’ll almost certainly see similar promos for the Galaxy S26, and you can already get a head start on the savings with a $30 credit you can redeem using the widget above.

Simply put, Samsung will likely make it very easy to pre-order a Galaxy S26 model for substantially less than the retail price. Considering that, there’s no reason to buy a Galaxy S25 today when you’ll be able to get a Galaxy S26 for less in just a few short days.

Furthermore, if you don’t want to deal with the hassle of pre-order promotions, the Galaxy S25 series should also see substantial discounts following the S26’s release — making the decision to buy now all the more ill-advised.

It’s because of all of this that I say you shouldn’t buy a Galaxy S phone right now. I don’t think you’d be disappointed with a Galaxy S25 if you bought one today, but why cheat yourself out of a newer phone for less, or the same phone for less, by waiting just a little longer? That’s what this ultimately comes down to.

Don’t buy a Galaxy phone right now; wait until February 25. You’ll be glad you did.