Galaxy S25 Edge Fingers-On: This Skinny Telephone Left a Deep Impression

As I maintain Samsung’s super-thin and light-weight Galaxy S25 Edge, the primary phrase that involves thoughts is “ethereal.” My subsequent thought is: If I had been the S25 Plus, I would be frightened. 

In my early hands-on with the S25 Edge at a preview occasion in New York, I used to be struck by how a lot the brand new cellphone carries over from its S25 counterparts. It maintains the 200-megapixel huge digicam from the S25 Extremely, the 6.7-inch show from the S25 Plus and the Snapdragon 8 Elite processor you may discover throughout the opposite three S25 gadgets. But it surely does so inside a modern, 5.8mm titanium body, clocking in at 163 grams. It looks like one thing I can throw in my bag or pocket and hardly discover.

Watch this: Galaxy S25 Edge Fingers-On: Samsung’s Tremendous-Skinny Telephone Is Spectacular

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In actual fact, the S25 Edge strikes me as precisely what a middle-of-the-line flagship cellphone must be: a recent, elevated tackle the baseline mannequin, which pulls in premium options to justify its $1,100 worth. The thrilling design, Extremely-level huge digicam and spacious show really make this an attractive possibility for anybody who needs one thing a bit out of the peculiar.

However that is to not say there are not any compromises in retailer, essentially the most notable being the battery; extra on that later. 

Preorders for the Galaxy S25 Edge are open now, and the cellphone will arrive on Might 30. It is available in three colours: silver, jet black and icy blue. 

What makes the S25 Edge stand out

The largest query main as much as the discharge of the S25 Edge has been: Why would somebody desire a thinner cellphone anyway? After spending a bit time with the system, I started to see the attraction. 

Whereas the S25 Edge’s thickness might not be visually hanging at first look, getting your palms on the cellphone is a distinct story. Evaluating how the S25 Edge’s 5.8mm, 163g body feels to the S25 and S25 Plus, I registered simply how a lot thinner and lighter it truly is. For reference, the baseline S25 is 7.2mm thick and weighs 162g, however has a smaller 6.2-inch display screen. The S25 Plus has the identical 6.7-inch show because the Edge, however is 7.3mm thick and weighs 190g. It is a noticeable distinction. 

The second of fact was making use of some drive to the cellphone to see if it gave in any respect. Impressively, it felt fairly sturdy. (If not, I would in all probability have gotten myself into some hassle with Samsung.) It touts a Corning Gorilla Glass Ceramic 2 show, together with a Gorilla Glass Victus 2 backing. My preliminary impression is that you just should not have to fret about by chance turning the S25 Edge right into a foldable by preserving it in your again pocket, however that is definitely one thing I will have to check in my evaluation. The S25 Edge additionally maintains the identical IP68 ranking for mud and water resistance you may discover on the opposite S25 sequence telephones. 

The largest trade-off, no less than on paper, seems to be battery capability. The Galaxy S25 Edge’s 3,900 mAh battery pales compared to what you may get on the baseline S25 (4,000 mAh) and the S25 Plus (4,900 mAh). Samsung is not sharing what number of hours you may get out of the S25 Edge’s battery, aside from stating it’s going to final you all day. That is one thing else I stay up for testing. The S25 Edge helps 25-watt wired charging and 15-watt wi-fi charging. 

With thinner telephones, digicam {hardware} will also be scaled again. However the S25 Edge boasts three cameras: a 200-megapixel huge, a 12-megapixel ultrawide and a 12-megapixel selfie digicam. Megapixels aren’t all the things, so I am desirous to see how that every one interprets into real-world images. Samsung factors to Galaxy AI for serving to to spice up digicam high quality and for powering photograph modifying options like Generative Edit. 

Just like the S25 Plus, the S25 Edge has 12GB of RAM and 256GB and 512GB storage choices. It’s going to price a bit greater than the S25 Plus, although: $1,100 for 256GB and $1,220 for 512GB. But it surely’s nonetheless priced decrease than the top-of-the-line $1,300 S25 Extremely.   

You may discover the identical Galaxy AI options Samsung has been touting on the remainder of its S25 telephones, like Sketch to Picture and Audio Eraser. Gemini options are additionally onboard, like Gemini Dwell and Circle to Search. 

On the sting of a brand new development

The launch of the Galaxy S25 Edge comes amid a thin-phone phenomenon. Earlier this yr, Oppo launched its super-thin Discover N5 foldable, which it calls the “world’s thinnest book-style foldable,” measuring simply 8.93mm thick when closed and 4.21mm thick when opened. Apple can also be rumored to be growing a thinner “Air” model of the iPhone 17. And at MWC 2025, cellphone maker Tecno confirmed off its Spark Slim cellphone idea, which measures 5.75mm thick and weighs simply 146 grams, in line with the corporate.

Relying on how customers reply, the S25 Edge could possibly be the cellphone to assist kickstart the skinny cellphone craze. If individuals do not must compromise an excessive amount of relating to digicam, storage and battery — three of the largest concerns when shopping for a cellphone, in line with a CNET survey — they could possibly be inclined to pay up for a recent kind issue. In spite of everything, telephones have turn out to be reasonably boring and predictable, other than a handful of foldable choices. The S25 Edge could possibly be a breath of recent air. 

I stay up for seeing how the S25 Edge holds up in the true world and whether or not it actually can keep its edge (I needed to do it).