Synology has long been a leader in the Network Attached Storage space, and with the launch of its new 2025 lineup, it’s raising the bar for small to medium-sized businesses, creative professionals, and IT enthusiasts. The latest “Plus” series desktop models bring significant upgrades in networking and performance, providing a powerful, scalable, and versatile foundation for modern data management.
This guide will introduce you to the new Synology DiskStation DS925+, DS1525+, and DS1825+. We’ll explore what defines the 2025 series, how it compares to other Synology lines, and discuss important updates to hardware support that make this the most flexible generation yet.
What Defines the 2025 Plus Series?
The Synology “Plus” series has always been the sweet spot in the DiskStation lineup, offering an ideal balance of robust performance, versatile features, and future-proof scalability. These models are designed for users who have outgrown entry-level solutions and require the power to handle more demanding tasks like multi-user file sharing, comprehensive backups, 4K video surveillance, and even light virtualization.
The 2025 generation builds on this legacy with two key upgrades across the board. First is the standardization of multi-gigabit networking, with all new models featuring dual 2.5GbE ports right out of the box. This provides more than double the speed of traditional Gigabit Ethernet, eliminating network bottlenecks for faster file transfers and more responsive applications. Second is the continued use of powerful and efficient AMD Ryzen™ processors with ECC memory, ensuring data integrity and providing the horsepower needed for smooth multitasking within the Synology DiskStation Manager (DSM) environment.
A Closer Look at the Models
While sharing a common powerful foundation, each model in the 2025 Plus series is tailored to different capacity and expansion needs.
Synology DS925+: The Compact Powerhouse
The DS925+ is a 4-bay NAS that packs impressive performance into a compact chassis. It’s the perfect starting point for small businesses or creative professionals needing a centralized data hub. With the ability to scale up to 9 drives using a DX525 expansion unit, it offers plenty of room to grow.
Synology DS1525+: The Versatile Mid-Ranger
The DS1525+ offers a step up with 5 internal drive bays and the ability to connect two expansion units, scaling up to a massive 15 drives. This model is an excellent all-rounder, providing greater initial capacity and a dedicated network upgrade slot for an easy, optional 10GbE module, making it ideal for teams with growing data libraries.
Synology DS1825+: The High-Capacity Hub
As the largest desktop model in the series, the DS1825+ starts with 8 drive bays and can expand to 18 drives. It is designed for businesses with significant storage requirements. Its key advantage is a flexible PCIe 3.0 slot, which allows for high-bandwidth networking upgrades, including support for 10GbE and even 25GbE adapter cards, making it the most adaptable model for demanding, high-speed network environments.
Synology RS2825RP+: The Rackmount Workhorse
The RS2825RP+ is a versatile and cost-effective 3U 16-bay rackmount server designed for central data storage in business environments. It delivers impressive performance with over 3,519/1,790 MB/s sequential read/write speeds and can scale up to 28 drive bays with an RX1225RP expansion unit. Featuring a powerful AMD Ryzen V1780B CPU, built-in 10GbE, and critical redundant power supplies, it’s the ideal choice for businesses needing a reliable, server-closet-ready data management hub
A Welcome Change: Expanded Third-Party Drive Support
For the past few years, Synology has encouraged the use of its own branded drives to guarantee performance and reliability. However, in a significant change, the compatbility list for hard drives for 2025 models only shows Synology Branded drives. In a welcome move for customers, Synology has publicly confirmed it is working to bring back official support for third-party drives. In a recent comment, Synology Europe stated, “We are currently in discussions with manufacturers to ensure that third-party hand drives will be officially supported again in the future”.
While Synology has cautioned that this “is a process that won’t be completed overnight,” this official statement signals a major shift towards providing customers with greater flexibility. This change means that in addition to Synology’s own rigorously tested drives, users will eventually have a wider, officially supported selection from major manufacturers. This will allow businesses to select from a variety of validated drives that best fit their budget and performance needs, all while maintaining the confidence that comes with using officially supported hardware.
How the Plus Series Compares to Other Synology Lines
To understand where the 2025 Plus series fits, it’s helpful to see it in the context of Synology’s broader lineup.
The J Series: This is Synology’s entry-level line, designed for home users and personal cloud storage. It offers excellent value for basic tasks like file backup and media streaming but lacks the processing power and scalability of the Plus series.
The XS/XS+ Series: This is Synology’s high-performance enterprise tier. These RackStation and desktop models are equipped with powerful Intel® Xeon processors and are designed for mission-critical business applications, heavy virtualization, and large-scale deployments that demand the absolute highest level of performance. The Plus series sits comfortably between these two, offering enterprise-grade features in a package accessible to small and medium-sized businesses.
Uninterrupted Uptime: Synology and Eaton UPS Integration
Protecting your data goes beyond backups; it also means safeguarding against unexpected power loss, which can cause data corruption and hardware damage. That’s why the certified integration between Synology and Eaton UPS (Uninterruptible Power Supply) systems is so valuable. Synology and Eaton have worked together to ensure their products communicate seamlessly. When you connect a compatible Eaton UPS to your Synology NAS, the two devices can talk to each other. If a power outage occurs, the Eaton UPS will signal the Synology NAS, which will then automatically perform a safe shutdown, ensuring all data is written to the drives and no files are corrupted. This crucial fail-safe is easily configured within DSM and is an essential component of any reliable data management strategy.
Let Sirap Help You Choose the Right NAS
The new Synology 2025 Plus series offers a fantastic range of options for any business looking to upgrade its data storage capabilities. Whether you need the compact power of the DS925+, the versatility of the DS1525+, or the high capacity of the DS1825+, there is a model ready to become the heart of your IT infrastructure.
Making the right choice depends on your unique data needs, and our experts are here to help. Contact us today for a free consultation to discuss your requirements and design the perfect, reliable storage solution for your business.
