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Corporations hope that this 12 months, like final 12 months, will probably be remembered for AI breakthroughs in smartphones. Nevertheless, there’s one other development this 12 months that I anticipate we’ll not overlook: the period of the skinny cellphone.
The OPPO Discover N5 pushed the boundaries of thickness in folding telephones, and now Samsung has finished 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-about a downgrade in comparison with its siblings. It has the smallest battery and one much less digital camera, however because the adage goes, seeing is believing. On this case, it will be extra apt to say that holding is believing.
There’s room for enchancment, however the Galaxy S25 Edge is a gorgeous cellphone that you could solely respect when you maintain it. Whenever you do, chances are you’ll forgive its shortcomings.
Nirave is a veteran tech journalist and creator at Home of Tech. He is reviewed each Samsung flagship cellphone and greater than 1,000 telephones over the previous 20 years. A coronary heart assault at 33 impressed him to contemplate the Influence of Expertise on our bodily, psychological, and emotional well being. Say hello to him on Twitter or Threads!
Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge: Worth 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 cellphone formally on sale as of Might 30, 2025.
There are two storage choices accessible, 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).
In contrast to 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 accessible 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 score, and Gorilla Glass back and front.
If there’s one cause to purchase the Galaxy S25 Edge, it’s the design, and specifically, the thickness. Measuring 5.8mm thick (excluding the digital camera bump), it’s at present the thinnest flagship cellphone, 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 pair 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 function is the burden. 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 digital camera 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 full weight.
These numbers could seem inconsequential, however they’re core to the Galaxy S25 Edge providing. It combines one of the best options of the Galaxy S25 collection right into a cellphone that’s thinner, lighter, and rather more pocket-friendly.
When you maintain the Galaxy S25 Edge in your fingers, the skinny profile and lightweight weight rapidly assuaged a lot of my considerations round lacking options, the smaller battery, or the shortage of a telephoto lens. I didn’t notice that cellphone 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 every 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 just about equivalent to the Ceramic glass used within the Galaxy S25 Extremely, however lacks the anti-glare end. The show is equivalent to the one discovered on the Galaxy S25 Plus, additional highlighting how the Galaxy S25 Edge captures lots of the greatest elements of its siblings in a completely new gadget.
Having used the Galaxy S25 Edge for nearly two weeks, it’s turn out to be more and more tougher to make use of another cellphone. The design might not really feel that spectacular on paper, however when you maintain it, you’ll rapidly notice that it is a particular cellphone. If telephones have been too large or heavy for you, the Galaxy S25 Edge often is the resolution you’ve been searching for.
Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge: Specs & efficiency
- Snapdragon 8 Elite for Galaxy is quick, fluid, and unbelievable.
- Wonderful 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 one of the best and the worst elements of this cellphone, particularly contemplating one of many largest considerations, the battery.
First, the nice 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 gentle gaming, heavy multitasking, and extra, and there have been no indicators of lag or slowdown.
The result’s unbelievable efficiency, and the upper clock speeds on the Galaxy variant Snapdragon 8 Elite imply it’s the strongest Android cellphone in the marketplace.
|
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 Digital camera 1 |
200MP large, f/1.7, 24mm, OIS, PDAF, 0.6µm |
|
Rear Digital camera 2 |
12MP ultrawide, f/2.2, 13mm, PDAF, 1.4µm |
|
Selfie Digital camera |
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 every day utilization, there’s not an enormous distinction between this and the Snapdragon 8 Elite utilized in different telephones, however it must 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 major function 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 anticipate from a flagship cellphone, together with an under-display ultrasonic fingerprint sensor that’s high quality, albeit inferior to rival flagships I’ve used. There’s additionally assist for Snapdragon Satellite tv for pc, which implies the S25 Edge can ship and obtain SMS messages by way of satellite tv for pc when your mobile community isn’t accessible.
That’s the nice, however it comes at a value: the battery. Even Samsung can’t beat physics, and the large show, flagship specs, twin digital camera, and skinny profile meant there could be a compromise. On this case, it’s the battery and charging, however it’s not as large because it sounds on paper.
Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge: Battery Life & Charging
- All-day battery life, however solely at some point.
- Slower charging than you’d anticipate.
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 cellphone 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, however it will get dangerously near needing a recharge earlier than the tip of the day.
Battery life is not phenomenal, however it’s additionally not as dangerous as you’d anticipate.
Everybody’s utilization varies, so what does all-day battery life seem 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 screen time and round seven % battery remaining. It’s pretty consultant of the utmost battery life you possibly can anticipate, and that was with gentle gaming, quite a lot 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 reasonable to heavy utilization in a day, and must be adequate for many customers. Nevertheless, it’s a lot tougher to excuse the slower 25W charging, which takes round 80 minutes to cost the cellphone. Samsung opted towards 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 major digital camera from the S25 Extremely.
- 12MP ultrawide digital camera.
- No telephoto lens, high quality degrades after 2x.
The Galaxy S25 Edge has two rear cameras. The principle one is 200MP and is supposedly the identical digital camera discovered within the Galaxy S25 Extremely, however contracted by virtually 40%. The ultrawide is identical 12MP ultrawide discovered within the Galaxy S25 Plus.
Picture 1 of 17
The Galaxy S25 Edge provides a 2x ‘zoom’ achieved by means of an in-sensor crop, in addition to 4x and 10x zoom choices, with 10x being the utmost. At 2x, the digital camera remains to be pretty succesful, however above this, the pictures don’t really feel like they have been captured by a flagship cellphone.
Picture 1 of 8
At larger resolutions, the OIS is considerably ineffective, and the digital camera is unable to compensate for the lack of element. As an alternative, you get photographs which have slight movement to them and lack the finesse of different cameras. You additionally want the bigger pixel measurement to compensate for gentle in low-light situations, so the 12MP photographs are typically one of the best total.
Picture 1 of 13
There may be excellent news: for those who take principally portraits, the Galaxy S25 Edge has the identical glorious portrait mode, together with Colour Level, my favourite portrait mode function of any cellphone, 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 principally flagship digital camera specs on paper, however whereas the principle digital camera does depart me wanting, it stays greater than succesful. In order for you one of the best smartphone digital camera, you haven’t any alternative however to have a look at the OPPO Discover X8 Extremely or Galaxy S25 Extremely. Nevertheless, if design is essential and also you don’t thoughts a digital camera 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 high.
- Seven years of software program and safety updates.
- Samsung DeX, Galaxy AI, and Gemini included.
As with each firm, AI performs a major function within the Galaxy S25 Edge expertise. In contrast to Samsung’s previous Edge telephones, such because the Galaxy S6 Edge and its waterfall show design, there are not any unique software program tips on this cellphone. Moderately, 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 easy interface with bubble-like, rounded edges; a cut up notification middle and fast settings much like iOS; an app drawer that may lastly be laid out vertically in alphabetical order; and better consistency with different Android units. 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’ve an completed AI suite, even when it considerably depends on you needing to take a position closely within the Galaxy ecosystem. Samsung and Google have discovered how you can work collectively, and the result’s a software program expertise that’s akin to the outdated Google Play Version in its seamless and streamlined nature.
Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge: Competitors
The Galaxy S25 Edge is the primary commercially accessible 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 just isn’t the thinnest smartphone total, nonetheless. 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. Nevertheless, on the subject of non-foldable telephones, the Galaxy S25 Edge is actually distinctive in its skinny construct.
Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge: Must you purchase it?
You can purchase this if…
- You’re bored with thick or heavy telephones in your pocket
- You need a large display screen and digital camera with out the burden
- Design is extra essential than uncooked specs to you
You should not purchase this if…
- You need the best possible digital camera or battery life
- You need a devoted telephoto digital camera for enhanced zoom
- You do not wish 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 doubtless be no; there are sufficient trade-offs that this isn’t one of the best cellphone you should purchase proper now. Nevertheless, the thinness makes this extremely interesting, and way more so than I had anticipated.
Going into this evaluate, I had three major considerations: the battery life, the construct high quality, and the digital camera. Every thing else was more likely to be extraordinarily strong. Having frolicked with the Galaxy S25 Edge, it delivers on two out of the three, however the digital camera falls quick.
But, for some folks, this might be the perfect cellphone. In order for you one of the best of the Galaxy S25 Extremely and S25 Plus with out the thickness or weight, the Galaxy S25 Edge might 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 reveals {that a} skinny cellphone might be nice. There’s room for enchancment, however this cellphone has me smitten.
Holding is believing
The Galaxy S25 Edge demonstrates that skinny telephones can nonetheless supply spectacular specs. It provides one of the best of the Galaxy S25 collection in a really particular design. Holding is believing, and if you maintain the S25 Edge, you will not wish to put it down.
