Synology DS225+ overview
Last month, Synology began rolling out several X25 models as part of its refresh campaign. Most of these were unveiled during this year's Computex 2025, featuring models like the DS725+ and DS925+, which are equipped with AMD CPUs. However, some models continue to utilize the Intel Celeron J4125 processor.
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One of those is a 4-bay DS425+ being a sweet-spot model in terms of performance but also features and services.
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Today, the DS225+, the smallest "+" model in the 2-bay lineup for years, is being launched in APAC countries.
The Synology DiskStation DS225+ is a compact 2-bay NAS solution designed to centralize data management, offering a comprehensive suite of tools through Synology DiskStation Manager (DSM) for managing, sharing, and protecting files and photos, backing up devices and data, and serving as the core of a smart surveillance system.
Given the presence of the DS224+ model, released in 2023, the new DS225+ revision does not introduce significant advancements, consistent with the other X25 models so far. In terms of hardware specifications, the DS225+ is identical to the DS224+, with the exception of a singular key update: LAN speed. Equipped with the same Intel Celeron J4125 quad-core processor and 2GB of RAM, the successor leaves somewhat of a bitter aftertaste.
As with all 2025 models, the DS225+ supports 2.5GbE speeds. Notably, while the device features a dual LAN connector, only one port supports 2.5GbE, while the other remains at 1GbE, similar to the DS425+.
With a suite of robust data storage and backup solutions and capable performance, the compact 2-bay DS225+ is ideal for use in homes, home offices, and as edge storage
While the hardware update side of the DS225+ is not overly exciting, the new hard disk 2025 policy announced in April has raised certain questions moving forward. To make it all absolutely clear, here is the information in detail.
: Synology and 3rd party drive support
Based on the official information that was announced on April 16th, the following changes are in effect.
Düsseldorf – April 16, 2025 – Following the success of the High-Performance series, the company is now increasingly relying on Synology’s own storage media for the Plus series models, which will be released starting in 2025. Users will thus benefit from higher performance, increased reliability, and more efficient support. “With our proprietary hard drive solution, we have already seen significant benefits for our customers in a variety of deployment scenarios,” said Chad Chiang, Managing Director of Synology GmbH and Synology UK. “By expanding our integrated ecosystem to the Plus series, we aim to provide all users—from home users to small businesses—with the highest levels of security and performance, while also offering significantly more efficient support.”
For users, this means that starting with the Plus series models released in 2025, only Synology’s own hard drives and third-party hard drives certified according to Synology’s specifications will be compatible and offer the full range of functions and support.
There will be no changes for Plus models released up to and including 2024 (excluding the XS Plus series and rack models). Furthermore, migrating hard drives from the existing Synology NAS to a new Plus model will continue to be possible without restrictions. The use of compatible and unlisted hard drives will be subject to certain restrictions in the future, such as pool creation and support for issues and failures caused by the use of incompatible storage media. Volume-wide deduplication, lifespan analysis, and automatic hard drive firmware updates will only be available for Synology hard drives in the future. Tight integration of Synology NAS systems and hard drives reduces compatibility issues and increases system reliability and performance. At the same time, firmware updates and security patches can be deployed more efficiently, ensuring a high level of data security and more efficient support for Synology customers.
This means that on day one of the release, no official 3rd-party drive will be supported unless they have passed the certification. How the certification of 3rd-party drives will go remains to be seen, but we can see that Synology drives will not be, in fact, exclusive.
The DS225+, Synology supports all 3.5", 2.5", and NVMe drives. Additionally, due to recent policy changes, drives migrated from an earlier model will also function, although they may operate with limited features.
Another note to point out is that this new policy is affecting the HDD lineup of drives, not SSDs. Meaning that while 3rd party SSDs will be unverified they will still be usable.
The up-to-date 2025 policy is also explained in more detail in the Synology KB article on the following link.
Synology Inc.
If you're in the market for an efficient 2-bay NAS and are new to the world of self-hosting, the DS225+ presents itself as an excellent option. It offers sufficient power for everyday tasks, along with additional capacity, making it a valuable part of your daily operations. Although its only upgrade from its predecessor is the 2.5GbE LAN speed, this feature, even if not immediately needed, makes the updated model worth considering for its extended DSM support and security updates.
The DS225+ is supported by a three-year warranty, which can be extended to five years in selected markets. It is expected to be globally available by the end of July 2025.
