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Corporations hope that this 12 months, like final 12 months, might be remembered for AI breakthroughs in smartphones. Nonetheless, there’s one other pattern this 12 months that I count on we’ll not neglect: the period of the skinny telephone.
The OPPO Discover N5 pushed the boundaries of thickness in folding telephones, and now Samsung has carried out the identical in smartphones with the Galaxy S25 Edge. Forward of the rumored iPhone 17 Air’s debut in September, Samsung’s newest flagship has already ruined thicker telephones for me.
At first look, the Galaxy S25 Edge could also be thought of a downgrade in comparison with its siblings. It has the smallest battery and one much less digicam, however because the adage goes, seeing is believing. On this case, it could be extra apt to say that holding is believing.
There’s room for enchancment, however the Galaxy S25 Edge is a gorgeous telephone that you may solely recognize when you maintain it. If you do, you could forgive its shortcomings.
Nirave is a veteran tech journalist and creator at Home of Tech. He is reviewed each Samsung flagship telephone and greater than 1,000 telephones over the previous 20 years. A coronary heart assault at 33 impressed him to contemplate the Influence of Know-how on our bodily, psychological, and emotional well being. Say hello to him on Twitter or Threads!
Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge: Value and Availability
The Galaxy S25 Edge was first teased on the Unpacked occasion for the Galaxy S25 launch on January 22, 2025. The official launch occurred on Might 13, 2025, with the telephone formally on sale as of Might 30, 2025.
There are two storage choices obtainable, each of which include 12GB of RAM. The bottom mannequin comes with 256GB for $1,099.99 (UK £1,099 / AU$1,849), whereas the 512GB mannequin prices $1,219.99 (UK £1,199 / AU$2,049).
Not like its siblings, it doesn’t are available in an enormous vary of colours, and there are not any Samsung.com unique colours, however it’s obtainable in three hues: Silver, Jet Black, and Icy Blue.
Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge: Design & show
- The S25 Edge is extraordinarily skinny at 5.8mm.
- It weighs 25% lower than the Galaxy S25 Extremely.
- It has a titanium body, an IP68 ranking, and Gorilla Glass back and front.
If there’s one purpose to purchase the Galaxy S25 Edge, it’s the design, and particularly, the thickness. Measuring 5.8mm thick (excluding the digicam bump), it’s presently the thinnest flagship telephone, though it’s nonetheless a lot thicker than the OPPO Discover N5, which is 4.21mm skinny when unfolded. For comparability, the Edge is between 1.4mm and a couple of.4mm thinner than the remainder of the Galaxy S25 lineup.
It’s not simply in regards to the thickness, as arguably the extra impactful characteristic is the load. At 163 grams, it’s only one gram heavier than the common Galaxy S25, however options the bigger show of the Galaxy S25 Plus and the first digicam of the Galaxy S25 Extremely. The Galaxy S25 Plus weighs 27 grams extra, whereas the Galaxy S25 Extremely is a whopping 55 grams extra, or over a 3rd of the overall weight.
These numbers could appear inconsequential, however they’re core to the Galaxy S25 Edge providing. It combines the most effective options of the Galaxy S25 sequence right into a telephone that’s thinner, lighter, and far more pocket-friendly.
When you maintain the Galaxy S25 Edge in your arms, the skinny profile and light-weight weight shortly assuaged a lot of my considerations round lacking options, the smaller battery, or the dearth of a telephoto lens. I didn’t notice that telephone thickness was essential to me till I used the Galaxy S25 Edge.
Past the design, you get a construction that Samsung has refined over the previous few years. There’s a titanium construct that feels extraordinarily premium, and it’s paired with Gorilla Glass Victus 2 on the again. Regardless of some considerations in regards to the thickness, particularly contemplating different telephones in historical past which have been skinny and bent simply, the Galaxy S25 Edge has proven no indicators of bending simply throughout day by day utilization.
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The 6.7-inch show on the entrance is protected by Corning’s new Gorilla Glass Ceramic 2, which is nearly an identical to the Ceramic glass used within the Galaxy S25 Extremely, however lacks the anti-glare end. The show is an identical to the one discovered on the Galaxy S25 Plus, additional highlighting how the Galaxy S25 Edge captures most of the greatest elements of its siblings in a completely new gadget.
Having used the Galaxy S25 Edge for nearly two weeks, it’s grow to be more and more tougher to make use of some other telephone. The design could not really feel that spectacular on paper, however when you maintain it, you’ll shortly notice that it is a particular telephone. If telephones have been too large or heavy for you, the Galaxy S25 Edge often is the answer you’ve been in search of.
Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge: Specs & efficiency
- Snapdragon 8 Elite for Galaxy is quick, fluid, and unbelievable.
- Glorious flagship specs sheet
- The battery is the smallest within the vary however nonetheless lasts a day.
For probably the most half, the Galaxy S25 Edge options the identical flagship {hardware} as the remainder of the Galaxy S25 lineup. It’s equally the most effective and the worst elements of this telephone, particularly contemplating one of many largest considerations, the battery.
First, the great elements. The Galaxy S25 Edge is powered by the identical Snapdragon 8 Elite for Galaxy processor as the remainder of the lineup, providing flagship efficiency as anticipated. I’ve used it for mild gaming, heavy multitasking, and extra, and there have been no indicators of lag or slowdown.
The result’s unimaginable efficiency, and the upper clock speeds on the Galaxy variant Snapdragon 8 Elite imply it’s the strongest Android telephone available on the market.
|
Class |
Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge |
|
OS |
One UI 7 (as much as seven OS upgrades) |
|
Show |
6.7-inch QHD+ Dynamic AMOLED 2X, 120Hz LTPO 2,600 nits peak brightness |
|
Processor |
Snapdragon 8 Elite for Galaxy |
|
RAM |
12GB |
|
Storage |
256GB, 512GB |
|
Rear Digicam 1 |
200MP vast, f/1.7, 24mm, OIS, PDAF, 0.6µm |
|
Rear Digicam 2 |
12MP ultrawide, f/2.2, 13mm, PDAF, 1.4µm |
|
Selfie Digicam |
12MP, f/2.2, 26mm, PDAF |
|
Audio |
Stereo audio system |
|
Connectivity |
Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 5.4, NFC, 5G, USB-C (3.2) |
|
Safety |
IP68 |
|
Battery |
3,900mAh |
|
Charging |
25W |
|
Dimensions |
158.2 x 75.6 x 5.8mm |
|
Weight |
163g |
|
Colours |
Titanium Icyblue, Titanium Silver, Titanium Jetblack |
In day by day utilization, there’s not an enormous distinction between this and the Snapdragon 8 Elite utilized in different telephones, but it surely ought to be future-proofed for longer. Samsung is promising seven years of software program and safety updates for the Galaxy S25 Edge. With AI enjoying a big position within the present and future smartphone featureset, the Galaxy S25 Edge ought to stay extraordinarily succesful even on the finish of this era.
There’s additionally the massive set of options that you just’d count on from a flagship telephone, together with an under-display ultrasonic fingerprint sensor that’s wonderful, albeit not so good as rival flagships I’ve used. There’s additionally help for Snapdragon Satellite tv for pc, which suggests the S25 Edge can ship and obtain SMS messages through satellite tv for pc when your mobile community isn’t obtainable.
That’s the great, but it surely comes at a value: the battery. Even Samsung can’t beat physics, and the large show, flagship specs, twin digicam, and skinny profile meant there could be a compromise. On this case, it’s the battery and charging, but it surely’s not as large because it sounds on paper.
Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge: Battery Life & Charging
- All-day battery life, however solely sooner or later.
- Slower charging than you’d count on.
The Galaxy S25 Edge contains a 3,900mAh battery, 100mAh smaller than the bottom Galaxy S25, and considerably smaller than the Galaxy S25 Plus (4,900mAh) and S25 Extremely (5,000mAh). When Samsung first revealed the battery capability, I anticipated this to be my largest problem, however because it seems, that is solely partially true.
Like many telephone makers, Samsung has been promising all-day battery life on its telephones for a few years, and most telephones ship with some cost remaining on the finish of the day. The Galaxy S25 Edge additionally delivers all-day battery life, but it surely will get dangerously near needing a recharge earlier than the top of the day.
Battery life is not phenomenal, but it surely’s additionally not as dangerous as you’ll count on.
Everybody’s utilization varies, so what does all-day battery life appear like? Charging to full at 11 a.m. (having forgotten to cost it in a single day), the Galaxy S25 Edge lasted a complete of 28 hours on a full cost with slightly below seven hours of display time and round seven p.c battery remaining. It’s pretty consultant of the utmost battery life you possibly can count on, and that was with mild gaming, lots of streaming, net shopping, and a few calls, with half the day on Wi-Fi and half with out.
The battery life meets my expectations for average to heavy utilization in a day, and ought to be enough for many customers. Nonetheless, it’s a lot tougher to excuse the slower 25W charging, which takes round 80 minutes to cost the telephone. Samsung opted in opposition to together with the 45W charging from the S25 Plus, regardless of the S25 Edge costing extra, which is tougher to just accept contemplating the worth.
Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge: Cameras
- 200MP main digicam from the S25 Extremely.
- 12MP ultrawide digicam.
- No telephoto lens, high quality degrades after 2x.
The Galaxy S25 Edge has two rear cameras. The primary one is 200MP and is supposedly the identical digicam discovered within the Galaxy S25 Extremely, however shriveled by nearly 40%. The ultrawide is identical 12MP ultrawide discovered within the Galaxy S25 Plus.
Picture 1 of 17
The Galaxy S25 Edge affords a 2x ‘zoom’ achieved by way of an in-sensor crop, in addition to 4x and 10x zoom choices, with 10x being the utmost. At 2x, the digicam continues to be pretty succesful, however above this, the photographs don’t really feel like they have been captured by a flagship telephone.
Picture 1 of 8
At greater resolutions, the OIS is considerably ineffective, and the digicam is unable to compensate for the lack of element. As an alternative, you get images which have slight movement to them and lack the finesse of different cameras. You additionally want the bigger pixel measurement to compensate for mild in low-light circumstances, so the 12MP images are usually the most effective general.
Picture 1 of 13
There may be excellent news: for those who take largely portraits, the Galaxy S25 Edge has the identical glorious portrait mode, together with Colour Level, my favourite portrait mode characteristic of any telephone, as the remainder of the Galaxy S25 lineup. There’s additionally 8K video at 30fps, 4k at 120fps, and FullHD video that may seize slo-mo movies at 240fps.
Picture 1 of 7
The Galaxy S25 Edge boasts largely flagship digicam specs on paper, however whereas the principle digicam does depart me wanting, it stays greater than succesful. If you’d like the most effective smartphone digicam, you haven’t any alternative however to have a look at the OPPO Discover X8 Extremely or Galaxy S25 Extremely. Nonetheless, if design is essential and also you don’t thoughts a digicam that’s simply adequate, the Galaxy S25 Edge is nice.
Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge: Software program and AI
- Android 15 with One UI 7 on prime.
- Seven years of software program and safety updates.
- Samsung DeX, Galaxy AI, and Gemini included.
As with each firm, AI performs a big position within the Galaxy S25 Edge expertise. Not like Samsung’s previous Edge telephones, such because the Galaxy S6 Edge and its waterfall show design, there are not any unique software program methods on this telephone. Somewhat, you get the identical, nice One UI 7, Galaxy AI, and Gemini expertise that you just’ll discover throughout the remainder of the lineup.
That features a clean interface with bubble-like, rounded edges; a cut up notification heart and fast settings just like iOS; an app drawer that may lastly be laid out vertically in alphabetical order; and higher consistency with different Android gadgets. I’ve been a fan of One UI for a few years, however One UI 7 feels higher than ever earlier than.
One other welcome addition to the software program is the deep partnership between Samsung and Google. As an alternative of competing visions, the Galaxy S25 Edge — and the remainder of the Galaxy S25 lineup — use Google apps (like Messages) as default, and have been the primary telephones to get many new Google Gemini options like Circle to Search.
Paired with Galaxy AI options and Samsung’s unbelievable picture modifying capabilities, you may have an achieved AI suite, even when it considerably depends on you needing to speculate closely within the Galaxy ecosystem. Samsung and Google have discovered find out how to work collectively, and the result’s a software program expertise that’s akin to the previous Google Play Version in its seamless and streamlined nature.
Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge: Competitors
The Galaxy S25 Edge is the primary commercially obtainable ultra-thin flagship candybar smartphone, though Apple can be anticipated to launch the iPhone 17 Air later this 12 months.
At 5.8mm, the Galaxy S25 Edge shouldn’t be the thinnest smartphone general, nevertheless. Corporations like OPPO and Honor have each launched ultra-thin folding telephones, such because the Discover N5 and Honor Magic V3, measuring 4.21mm and 4.35mm, respectively. Nonetheless, in the case of non-foldable telephones, the Galaxy S25 Edge is really distinctive in its skinny construct.
Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge: Must you purchase it?
You should purchase this if…
- You might be uninterested in thick or heavy telephones in your pocket
- You desire a large display and digicam with out the load
- Design is extra essential than uncooked specs to you
You should not purchase this if…
- You need the best possible digicam or battery life
- You desire a devoted telephoto digicam for enhanced zoom
- You do not need to make any compromises
If the Galaxy S25 Edge weren’t the thinnest smartphone you should purchase proper now, the reply to this query would possible be no; there are sufficient trade-offs that this isn’t the most effective telephone you should purchase proper now. Nonetheless, the thinness makes this extremely interesting, and way more so than I had anticipated.
Going into this evaluation, I had three main considerations: the battery life, the construct high quality, and the digicam. The whole lot else was prone to be extraordinarily strong. Having frolicked with the Galaxy S25 Edge, it delivers on two out of the three, however the digicam falls brief.
But, for some individuals, this could possibly be the best telephone. If you’d like the most effective of the Galaxy S25 Extremely and S25 Plus with out the thickness or weight, the Galaxy S25 Edge could possibly be good.
Personally, the Galaxy S25 Edge has modified my ideas on slim telephones. There’ll all the time be trade-offs, however the Galaxy S25 Edge exhibits {that a} skinny telephone could be nice. There’s room for enchancment, however this telephone has me smitten.
Holding is believing
The Galaxy S25 Edge demonstrates that skinny telephones can nonetheless provide spectacular specs. It affords the most effective of the Galaxy S25 sequence in a very particular design. Holding is believing, and while you maintain the S25 Edge, you will not need to put it down.
