I used to be improper in regards to the super-thin Galaxy S25 Edge (it does not suck)

Abstract

I used to be initially fairly essential of Samsung’s new super-slim Galaxy S25 smartphone.
After spending the previous couple of days with the product, I now assume it is perhaps nearly the proper Android machine for me.
Regardless of being a usually stable, cool-looking cellphone, the Galaxy S25 Edge is much from excellent, nonetheless.

I used to be fairly essential of Samsung’s super-slim Galaxy S25 Edge in my hands-on preview. I used the cellphone for a short interval at a hands-on occasion, however I simply did not perceive the draw. Positive, it is thinner, nevertheless it’s additionally expensive at $1,100, and the cellphone options fewer cameras than the remainder of the Galaxy S25 lineup.

On the time, the Galaxy S25 Edge appeared like a very powerful promote.

“Who precisely is that this cellphone for?,” is the important thing query that stored working by my head. However after spending the previous couple of days with the Galaxy S25 Edge, I believe it is perhaps nearly the proper Android machine for me.

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It is delightfully skinny and light-weight

I proceed to be shocked that it appears like I am holding nearly nothing

Galaxy S25 Edge sliding into a shorts pocket

By far one of the best factor in regards to the Galaxy S25 Edge is how skinny (0.23-inches or 5.8mm) and light-weight (5.7oz or 163g) it’s. The cellphone is barely heavier than the bottom Galaxy S25, nevertheless it does not really feel prefer it because it options the identical 6.7-inch 3,120 x 1,440 pixel 120Hz show because the Galaxy S25+. I’ve actually loved sliding it into my entrance pants or shorts pocket as a result of it appears like there’s nearly nothing there, not like my weighty iPhone 16 Pro. The S25 Edge appears like a giant cellphone, however with out the ample bulk I’ve come to anticipate from bigger units.

Model: Samsung
SoC: Octa-core Snapdragon 8 Elite (3nm)
Show: 6.7-inch 3120 x 1440 pixel decision QHD+ Dynamic AMOLED2X
RAM: 12GB

Samsung’s Galaxy S25 Edge includes a skinny design and a rear-facing dual-camera array with an f/1.7 200-megapixel large and f/2.2 12-megapixel ultrawide shooter.

A difficulty I highlighted in my hands-on is how I initially did not actually discover the Galaxy S25 Edge’s thinness, even when positioned beside my 8.25mm iPhone 16 Professional. Nevertheless, now that I’ve spent extra time with the cellphone, I not solely see it however really feel it too. At occasions, it is tough to consider there’s an precise smartphone that is this skinny. It is made me excited for the often-rumored iPhone 17 Air Apple is reportedly cooking up, and that we’d see this fall.

It additionally does not really feel like I am about to expertise “Bendgate 2,” due to the Galaxy S25 Edge’s Corning Gorilla Glass Victus 2 again and Gorilla Glass Ceramic 2 show. Throughout my time with the super-thin smartphone, I have never been frightened in regards to the machine bending in any respect. It is sturdy and stable, identical to the remainder of the Galaxy S25 lineup.

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The battery life is not as unhealthy as I anticipated

With common use, the Galaxy S25 Edge’s battery feels loads just like the Galaxy S25 Extremely’s

On the battery life entrance, issues have not been as unhealthy as I anticipated. The Galaxy S25 Edge has the smallest battery within the Galaxy S25 lineup, however with reasonable use — together with a little bit of social media doom-scrolling, sending a number of messages, and listening to podcasts — I have never actually felt the distinction in battery life. This has shocked me, significantly as a result of the Galaxy S25 Edge options the identical Snapdragon 8 Elite chip as each different machine within the S25 sequence (on that notice, it’s totally responsive and snappy, too).

Typically, I am nonetheless plugging within the Galaxy S25 Edge earlier than I am going to mattress with about 25-30% cost leftover, which is analogous to my expertise with the Galaxy S25 Extremely.

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I am a sucker for distinctive telephones that look cool

It takes loads for me to get excited a couple of smartphone

Telephones are boring now, and do not let anybody let you know in any other case. Each single machine is a slab that is outfitted with highly effective cameras and, for essentially the most half, the identical sensors, together with a fingerprint scanner and a few type of facial recognition. That is why folding telephones initially garnered a lot consideration from tech media. Whereas that luster has pale significantly, foldables have been thrilling and totally different a number of years in the past and actually felt like the way forward for the smartphone business.

Though I did not expertise this pleasure immediately with the Galaxy S25 Edge, I’ve grown to actually just like the machine over the previous few weeks, and I am excited to see how far Samsung can take this skinny design path sooner or later. If the Galaxy Z Fold line is any indication, the second-generation Edge will probably be a notable leap over its predecessor. I am additionally to see what Apple does within the house because the iPhone 17 Air’s rumored launch attracts nearer.

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Fewer cameras and a less-than-ideal value

Regardless of being a usually stable, cool-looking cellphone, the Galaxy S25 Edge is much from excellent. It is costly at $1,100, a price that places it $100 above the arguably extra succesful Galaxy S25+ that is priced at $1,000, and simply $200 beneath the top-tier machine within the lineup, the Galaxy S25 Extremely. When you can simply make the argument that the Galaxy 25+ is not focusing on the identical cellphone fanatic viewers because the Galaxy S25 Extremely, the Galaxy S25 Edge clearly falls into the camp of consumers which can be searching for a high-level expertise.

That is the place my main concern with the Galaxy S25 Edge arises. Whereas the Galaxy S5 Extremely provides a quad-rear digital camera setup, together with a 200-megapixel important, a 50-megapixel ultra-wide, a 10-megapixel telephoto, and a 50-megapixel telephoto, the Galaxy S25 Edge’s rear-facing iPhone 11-like digital camera array solely includes a 200-megapixel important and a 12-megapixel ultra-wide. It provides 2x sensor cropping optical zoom, however that is it. Throughout my time with the S25 Edge, I’ve discovered that I’ve missed the Extremely’s 5x optical zoom fairly a bit. Getting nearer to no matter I am capturing has at all times been extra helpful to me than snapping a wide-angle picture. After all, this may not be a problem for everybody, although.

Nonetheless, I really feel just like the thinness and weight trade-off is price it for rather less optical zoom, and I’ve a sense lots of different folks searching for a novel, cool-looking smartphone will really feel the identical. That stated, it is a trade-off calculation these within the Galaxy S25 Edge must make for themselves.