Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge overview: somewhat bit much less and by no means essentially the most

Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge overview: Two-minute overview

Samsung understood the task with the Galaxy S25 Edge, nevertheless it didn’t attempt for additional credit score. The objective was to make a Galaxy S25 Plus that’s simpler to carry, however Samsung didn’t got down to make the thinnest telephone doable – actually the Galaxy S25 Edge isn’t even the thinnest telephone Samsung makes right this moment. Instead, it did what Samsung does finest: it gave us somewhat extra inside rather less.

The Galaxy S25 Edge is an excellent telephone, and it appears like one thing distinctive in comparison with each different telephone I’ve reviewed. The distinction is noticeable; it’s a lot slimmer and lighter than virtually all the pieces else, even when sporting a case. Still, the S25 Edge isn’t a revolutionary new design, and I can’t assist however anticipate the competitors it’s going to face from Apple within the form of the rumored iPhone 17 Air.

This is the thinnest Galaxy S system Samsung has ever crafted. It’s 1.5mm thinner than the Galaxy S25 Plus, and virtually 2.5mm thinner than the Galaxy S25 UItra.

Could I really feel that millimeter in my hand? I’m undecided, however between the thinness and the burden discount – it’s virtually a full ounce lighter than the Plus and two ounces lighter than the Ultra – the Galaxy S25 Edge is undoubtedly a standout.

The Galaxy S25 Edge isn’t the telephone for you if you’d like the thinnest telephone doable. It’s the telephone for you if you’d like a Galaxy S25 Plus, however want it have been simpler to carry. It’s the Galaxy S25 Ultra, minus the additional bits that you just wouldn’t use, just like the S Pen stylus. It’s not one thing completely new, nevertheless it’s a greater choice for the suitable purchaser.

But why didn’t Samsung go for broke? Why not make the Edge absolutely the thinnest smartphone ever? The Galaxy Z Fold 6 is 5.6mm skinny when it’s unfolded. Had it shaved one other 0.3mm off the Edge, Samsung might have at the least stated that that is the thinnest Samsung telephone you should buy.

The reply, after all, is battery life. The Galaxy Z Fold 6 is tremendous skinny, however the battery is break up between the 2 halves. Each half of the Z Fold 6 packs solely about 2,200mAh of battery life (for 4,400mAh whole), which is so much lower than the three,800mAh the Galaxy S25 Edge gives.

A thinner Galaxy S25 Edge would have meant a smaller battery, and primarily based on my testing, the S25 Edge is utilizing the smallest battery it may well get away with.

The Edge had bother lasting previous time for supper in my testing interval. If Samsung had made the Edge the thinnest telephone ever!, it in all probability wouldn’t final by means of my lunch break. I’ve little doubt Samsung might construct such a telephone, however I wouldn’t advocate it.

That makes the S25 Edge a pleasantly skinny telephone that’s merely not very particular. There are not any particular options that set it other than the remainder of the Galaxy S25 household. There’s nothing new right here. It’s a well-crafted system that delivers precisely what I anticipated; no extra and no much less. That’s not a foul factor! It’s simply… predictable.

The massive downside is that Samsung is competing towards a specter. The iPhone 17 Air might arrive later this 12 months, and it’s onerous to not see the Galaxy S25 Edge as a preemptive assault by Samsung on Apple’s subsequent design idea. Because make no mistake, Apple goes to make a massive deal out of going skinny.

Apple goes to fake it invented the millimeter. If and when Apple launches an iPhone Air in September, it would act like thinness is the most important design innovation because the capacitive touchscreen. All different specs be damned! And I feel Apple can be keen to shrink the battery and in the reduction of on cameras much more severely than Samsung.

If that occurs, the iPhone 17 Air will in all probability be much less succesful than the Galaxy S25 Edge in some ways, however it would give Apple the all-important bragging rights. Apple might use the dual-OLED show discovered on the iPad Pro, and up to date rumors recommend the rumored telephone can be round 5.5mm, making it thinner than any telephone Samsung presently sells.

In a method, this takes the stress off Samsung. The Galaxy S25 Edge is a really good telephone, and it matches neatly into Samsung’s value ladder as somewhat nicer than the Galaxy S25 Plus, however not as feature-packed because the Galaxy S25 Ultra. It doesn’t have to show something – the Galaxy S25 Edge does wonderful with much less, with out making an attempt to be essentially the most.

Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge overview: Price and availability

• Starts at $1,099 / £1,099 / AU$1,849 for 256GB/12GB configuration
• That’s $100 / £100 / AU$500 greater than S25 Plus, $200 / £150 lower than the Ultra

The Galaxy S25 Edge slots in neatly between the Galaxy S25 Plus and S25 Ultra in Samsung’s lineup. It’s nearer to the Plus, which is smart as a result of it lacks extra of the Ultra options than it possesses – there’s no S Pen, no telescopic zoom lens, and no massive battery inside, as an example, though it’s, just like the S25 Ultra, constructed from titanium.

Otherwise, you get most of what you’d count on from the Galaxy S25 Plus, minus the zoom digital camera. It packs a sensor with a whole lot of megapixels, and that sensor is definitely bigger than the primary sensor on the Galaxy S25 Plus. Both cameras use sensors which are smaller than the primary 200MP sensor on the mighty Galaxy S25 Ultra.

Now I would like a second with my Australian buddies, as a result of one thing very odd is occurring down below. The Galaxy S25 Ultra has come down in value by AU$400 since launch, which suggests it prices lower than the Galaxy S25 Edge by AU$100. Also, the S25 Edge appears priced a bit excessive in Australia in comparison with the remainder of the world – it’s AU$500 greater than the Galaxy S25 Plus?! That looks as if a mistake, nevertheless it’s the true value for now, so I’d wait till Samsung gives a reduction to purchase the Edge.

Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge overview: Specs

Like the remainder of the Galaxy S25 household, the S25 Edge will get 12GB of RAM to help the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite for Galaxy chipset inside. This platform has confirmed highly effective and really environment friendly in my critiques of one of the best Android telephones this 12 months.

The 6.7-inch show on the S25 Edge appears to be similar to that on the S25 Plus. The principal digital camera makes use of a brand new 200MP sensor that we haven’t seen earlier than, which is a bit smaller than the 200MP sensor on the Galaxy S25 Ultra, however bigger than the 50MP sensor on the Galaxy S25 Plus. There’s no telephoto lens, however the Edge appears to make use of the identical 12MP ultrawide digital camera because the S25 Plus.

The Galaxy S25 Edge comes with a 3,900mAh battery below its show, which is even smaller than the 4,000mAh battery beneath the Galaxy S25’s 6.2-inch display screen. That’s what you sacrifice whenever you make a telephone skinny.

Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge overview: Design

• Feels exceptionally mild whenever you maintain it
• Even with a case, it’s a really skinny telephone

The actual promoting level for the Galaxy S25 Edge isn’t the thinness, it’s the lightness. You have to carry this telephone to understand it; you’ll be able to’t simply have a look at the S25 Edge if you wish to expertise how skinny and lightweight it’s. Photos don’t do justice to the remarkably mild weight, and that’s an enormous a part of the expertise.

If you get pinky-finger fatigue from balancing your telephone, the S25 Edge is likely to be the telephone that may save your favourite digit. Even although it has an enormous 6.7-inch show, the Galaxy S25 Edge is lighter than the iPhone 16 (6.1-inch display screen, 170g), or the Pixel 9 (6.3-inch display screen, 198g). It’s just one gram heavier than the 6.2-inch Galaxy S25, nevertheless it feels lighter because it’s much less dense.

I virtually all the time use a case with my telephone, and since Samsung didn’t have circumstances prepared for my overview interval, I requested my buddies at Casetify to ship over their thinnest circumstances for the Galaxy S25 Edge. Even with a case on the telephone, it nonetheless feels remarkably skinny and lightweight, particularly contemplating that massive display screen measurement. My S25 Edge in a protecting Casetify shell remains to be lighter than my Galaxy S25 Ultra with no case.

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The design total appears almost similar to that of the Galaxy S25 Ultra, however on very shut inspection issues are much less spectacular. Frankly, the construct high quality of the Galaxy S25 Edge appears messy in comparison with the Ultra or to any Apple iPhone.

There are gaps between the body and the again glass. The SIM card tray doesn’t line up completely. There’s a spot between the digital camera bump and the again of the telephone that I apprehensive would choose up dust – and by the top of my overview interval, that was the dingiest a part of the telephone.

This telephone might have been particular. Samsung might have tried one thing new, like capacitive buttons on the facet – a trick that rumors say Apple is contemplating. It might have had super-fast charging to go along with that slim battery. It might have had distinctive colours or a novel end.

Instead, it’s only a slimmer model of a telephone we obtained six months in the past, and it’s not even a very nice model at that.

Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge overview: Display

• More Galaxy S25 Plus than Ultra, however that’s fairly nice
• Fingerprint scanner was completely unreliable

The Galaxy S25 Edge, just like the Galaxy S25 Plus, is kind of a hidden gem in Samsung’s lineup with regards to show high quality. While the S25 Ultra has a slightly-larger 6.9-inch display screen, all three telephones all have the identical decision. When you pack the identical pixels right into a smaller show, you get a display screen that’s technically sharper, by way of pixel density.

Which is to say the Galaxy S25 Edge has a incredible display screen, the most effective yow will discover on any telephone. It is a lot vivid, even in vivid daylight, although the Ultra does beat the Edge because of the addition of the exceptional coating that Samsung has been utilizing for a few years to get rid of glare on its flagship flat telephone.

The show can refresh at as much as 120Hz – take that iPhone 16 Plus – and because of LTPO tech you’ll be able to even get a full-color always-on show that refreshes as slowly as 1Hz to save lots of energy.

I’ve by no means had nice luck with Samsung’s fingerprint scanners, and the S25 Edge didn’t acknowledge me any quicker than different Galaxy telephones, and unlocking failed as a rule. I do know I’ve fingerprints as a result of my OnePlus 13 sees them with 99% accuracy, so I assume it is a Samsung downside, not a me downside.

Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge overview: Software

• OneUI 7 is nicely constructed, however doesn’t add a lot to the Edge expertise
• AI options may be helpful, however many really feel like much more bloat

For higher and for worse, the Galaxy S25 Edge makes use of the identical One UI 7 interface as the remainder of the Galaxy S25 household, with Android 15 serving because the engine. Samsung and Google appear to be locked in a perpetual wrestle to manage Samsung’s telephones, so that you’ll get two net browsers, two picture gallery apps, even two wallets and two completely different password managers.

It’s attending to be a bit a lot. I’m the primary to insist that Samsung’s software program – like its Internet net browser – performs higher than Google’s different. But no person needs two of all the pieces; you don’t get an additional steering wheel whenever you purchase a automotive. It’s time for Samsung to finish the duplicate-apps undertaking.

There are loads of Galaxy AI options on the telephone, and it comes with Google Gemini preloaded and able to take over the facility button at your beck and name.

I feel we might have already hit the wall with AI options. Samsung has been touting its Now Brief widget and app because the Galaxy S25 launched, and it’s a totally ineffective piece of software program. It’s purported to be taught issues about me after which supply data tailor-made to my wants, however nothing like that occurs.

I’ve been sporting a Galaxy Watch Ultra and Galaxy Buds 3 Pro whereas utilizing the S25 Edge for weeks. The Now Brief gives not more than right this moment’s climate, a missive that feels creepy coming from an AI (‘Wishing you nicely’?!), and the primary few occasions on my work calendar, that are often the primary three individuals who took the break day and logged it correctly.

At worst, Now Brief gives me partisan political information. I filter out most politics from my social feeds, and I don’t speak about politics in my textual content messages, so I’m undecided why Now Brief thinks politics are what pursuits me. It’s inescapable.

Thankfully, Samsung has confirmed that the Galaxy S25 Edge will get seven years of main Android and safety updates, so it ought to final by means of Android 22, similar to the remainder of the Galaxy S25 household.

Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge overview: Cameras

• Exactly what I anticipated primarily based on the specs
• Samsung’s processing may be enjoyable, or inconsistent

When I heard that the Galaxy S25 Edge would use fewer cameras than its S25 stablemates, with one massive 200MP principal sensor and a supporting ultra-wide, I used to be excited on the prospect. After all, one among Leica’s hottest cameras, the Leica Q3, makes use of a single massive sensor and a large lens, and fakes the entire zoom with digital cropping. If anyone can pull off the identical trick on a digital camera telephone, it’s Samsung.

Nope. I’m disenchanted to say the cameras are wonderful, however not groundbreaking. I hoped the Edge could be a trendsetter. Instead, it runs down the center of the street with out faltering. It does an amazing job on the issues Samsung digital camera telephones do nicely, however it may well’t deal with the all-in-one duties of the Galaxy S25 Ultra.

There are not any surprises with the Galaxy S25 Edge cameras. The principal digital camera makes use of a 200MP sensor with a large lens, and that sensor is a bit smaller than the 200MP sensor on the Galaxy S25 Ultra. No shock then that the Ultra remains to be one of the best Samsung digital camera telephone, in additional methods than one.

The principal digital camera produces photos which are a bit fuzzier than what I obtained from the Galaxy S25 Ultra, and I used to be shocked to search out the colours dialed again a bit as nicely. The Edge’s cameras don’t appear to be tuned to pop colours as a lot because the Ultra cameras do. It nonetheless managed to take glorious meals images and heat portraits, like I count on from Samsung.

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Galaxy S25 Edge 100% crop

Galaxy S25 Ultra 100% crop

If you want a zoom lens, the S25 Edge isn’t going to fulfill you. The digital zoom doesn’t come near offering the element and high quality I get with optical zoom on the Galaxy S25 Ultra and iPhone 16 Pro Max. A heron throughout the river seemed like a white, featherless blob after I snapped a pic with the Edge. The iPhone and Galaxy Ultra photos revealed a beak and a few plumage.

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Galaxy S25 Edge 10X digital zoom

iPhone 16 Pro Max 5X optical zoom, enhanced to 10X

If you’re taking a whole lot of images outside, the S25 Ultra has a coating on the show to scale back glare, and it makes an enormous distinction even in comparison with the S25 Edge, which has a nearly-identical show in any other case. The Edge can get vivid, nevertheless it’s a lot simpler to see the Ultra’s display screen if the solar is shining immediately on you.

Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge overview: Camera samples

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Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge overview: Performance

• Excellent efficiency from the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite
• The Edge stayed very cool below situations that break different telephones

I used to be anticipating glorious efficiency from the Galaxy S25 Edge, and this telephone delivered past my expectations. It was a lot quick, with that overclocked Snapdragon 8 Elite for Galaxy chipset offering a bit extra increase than you’ll get on a non-Samsung Snapdragon telephone. Samsung has additionally finished a exceptional job of maintaining the telephone cool, even whenever you push the efficiency to the restrict.

I carry out a stress check the place I run a number of mapping apps on a telephone, and play music over Bluetooth, then sit the telephone above my automotive dashboard within the sunshine. Most telephones take lower than an hour of this punishment earlier than they shut down because of overheating.

The S25 Edge by no means stop, managing to remain cool sufficient to operate for so long as I wanted. That’s unbelievable – each iPhone, Pixel telephone, and Galaxy telephone I’ve examined has failed this endurance check. The Edge actually lives as much as Samsung’s claims of significantly better cooling – that 10% bigger vapor chamber clearly makes an actual distinction.

This makes the Galaxy S25 Edge a simple contender for a finest gaming telephone rating. It gives nice efficiency and superior cooling – all the pieces a gaming telephone wants.

I additionally had enjoyable enjoying video games with the Galaxy S25 Edge clipped onto my Xbox wi-fi controller utilizing an inexpensive third-party attachment from Amazon. The telephone is so light-weight that gaming for lengthy durations was a breeze – it’s a pleasant approach to kill time whereas I anticipate my Switch 2 to reach.

Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge overview: Battery

• Good battery for the skinny measurement, however not nice
• Couldn’t final a full day if I used it aggressively

As I stated above, Samsung might have made a thinner Galaxy S25 Edge, however the battery life could be horrible – as it’s, throughout my overview interval the S25 Edge usually wanted a recharge whereas I used to be consuming dinner, particularly if I performed video games, took a whole lot of images, or in any other case taxed the telephone closely.

If I scrolled my social feeds and listened to music on the prepare into work, I’d be involved about whether or not the battery would final till the prepare experience dwelling.

It’s too dangerous Samsung didn’t use the newest silicon carbon battery know-how discovered within the OnePlus 13, which could have helped it to pack in additional energy. I additionally want this telephone charged quicker than different Galaxy S25 fashions, not slower – if it had 80W charging like the newest OnePlus telephones I wouldn’t be apprehensive about having to high up all through the day, as a result of that top-up would take lower than quarter-hour.

As it stands, quarter-hour of charging obtained me simply previous 25%, and a full cost took about an hour. That’s fairly gradual by right this moment’s requirements, particularly contemplating that this battery is smaller than some other inside a Galaxy S25 telephone.

Samsung may also be exaggerating its battery claims. It informed us to count on the Edge to supply longevity someplace between the Galaxy S24 and Galaxy S25, however in our lab benchmark assessments the S25 Edge lasted for lower than 13 hours of fixed use the place the Galaxy S24 lasted greater than 13 hours, and the Galaxy S25 topped 15 hours.

If you actually need good battery life the Galaxy S25 Plus is the Samsung champ, delivering virtually 19 hours of display screen time in our rundown check. But it’s not the Edge’s lack of battery life as such that bugs me; it’s how lengthy it takes to high the telephone up.

Buy it if…

Don’t purchase it if…

Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge overview: Also take into account

How I examined the Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge

• I examined the telephone for 2 weeks
• I took dozens of images
• I performed video games and watched motion pictures
• I checked e-mail and labored in Slack
• I used AI options extensively
• Benchmark testing is for comparability, not scoring functions

I examined the Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge for greater than two weeks earlier than posting this overview. I obtained the Edge earlier than I traveled to Google I/O, and I took the telephone alongside as my main work system and for leisure on flights.

When I obtained again from Google I/O I had Covid, so the Galaxy S25 Edge was my main sofa companion, and my supply of leisure and get in touch with with the world. I used it to play video games, watch motion pictures, and take heed to audiobooks.

When I’d recovered, I took the S25 Edge automotive procuring and related it to quite a lot of completely different vehicles to check. I used the telephone to take images, analysis vehicles, and extra. I even requested for assist from Google Gemini and Samsung’s Galaxy AI to do analysis, reply calls, and reply to solicitors.

I related the Galaxy S25 Edge to a Galaxy Watch Ultra, Galaxy Buds 3 Pro, and an Xbox Wireless controller, amongst quite a few different gadgets.

Future Labs assessments telephones utilizing a mixture of third-party benchmark software program and proprietary, real-world assessments. We use Geekbench, CrossMark, JetStream, WebXPRT and Mobile XPRT, and 3DMark for efficiency testing. We check a telephone’s efficiency on video duties utilizing Adobe Premiere Rush. We additionally measure show colour output and brightness.

For battery testing we carry out proprietary assessments which are the identical for each telephone, which allow us to find out how lengthy it takes for the battery to run down.

Read extra about how we check