“Samsung’s resurrecting the Edge? My reaction wasn’t excitement, it was a resounding ‘Why?’ Just when I thought we’d buried the obsession with wafer-thin phones in the gadget graveyard of the 2010s – alongside compromises on battery and overheating issues– the S25 line gets an Edge. Are we seriously revisiting this quest for skinniness? What’s the endgame here?”
Like a vintage jacket resurrected from the depths of a closet, the allure of slim phones is back. 5G’s power-hungry adolescence – the era of bulky antennas and complex modems – is fading. Components are shrinking, clearing a path for a sleek resurgence. But the whisper-thin profile of the rumored Galaxy S25 Edge isn’t just about aesthetics; it’s a strategic play. Samsung isn’t just making a skinny phone; they’re redefining the middle child of their flagship family, transforming it from overlooked sibling to coveted star. Seen in that light, the S25 Edge isn’t just thin; it’s a surprisingly compelling evolution.
Design
Billy Steele for Engadget
A more stylish (and thinner) version of the S25+
Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge
Okay.
Yes, the S25 Edge trims the fat, sacrificing battery life and a telephoto lens. But beneath its impossibly slender form lies a phone that’s more than just a runway model – it’s a powerhouse in disguise.
Pros
- Sleek design
- Titanium frame
- Big 200MP main cam
- Bright OLED display
Cons
- Smallest battery on any S25 phone
- No telephoto lens
- Mediocre wired charging speed
- Not fully Qi2 compatible
$1,100 at Samsung
Forget practicality; the S25 Edge is a siren song in smartphone form. At a preposterous 5.8mm, it’s thinner than two stacked credit cards, a whisper of metal and glass against your palm. But don’t mistake this for fragility. Samsung hasn’t traded strength for style. Borrowing from its Ultra sibling, the Edge boasts a titanium skeleton, shrugs off dust and water with an IP68 rating, and flaunts a Gorilla Glass Ceramic 2 display tougher than runway concrete. The screen, however, is where things get interesting. Eschewing the Ultra’s matte finish for a glossy sheen, Samsung prioritizes thinness above all else. Why? Because an anti-reflective coating would add precious millimeters. Absurd? Perhaps. But the result is undeniable: the S25 Edge is pure, unadulterated aesthetic magic.
Sam Rutherford for Engadget
The S25 Edge: Not quite an Ultra, but undeniably alluring. While it borrows design cues – the frame, the formidable main camera – from its top-tier sibling, the Edge is more accurately a refined S25+. Imagine the same dazzling 6.7-inch OLED display, a canvas bursting with vibrant colors and silky-smooth 120Hz refresh rate, now housed in a lighter frame. Shedding some weight, the Edge clocks in at a mere 163 grams (5.75 ounces), a noticeable difference compared to the S25+’s heftier 190g (6.7 oz). The result? A flagship experience that feels effortlessly premium.
Performance
Beneath its sleek, compact frame, the S25 Edge roars to life with the same Snapdragon 8 Elite for Galaxy heart beating within its S25 siblings. Paired with a generous 12GB of RAM and storage options up to 512GB, this phone laughs in the face of demanding tasks. But the real magic lies within: a vapor chamber cleverly tucked inside. Say goodbye to dreaded throttling and scorching temperatures. Even when pushed to its limits during intense gaming sessions, juggling multiple apps, or tackling any task you throw its way, the S25 Edge remains remarkably cool under pressure, delivering consistently blazing-fast performance. Forget lukewarm; this phone stays composed.
Cameras
Sam Rutherford for Engadget
The Galaxy S25+ Edge takes a bold detour, inheriting the Ultra’s dazzling 200MP main sensor and a 12MP ultrawide. But where’s the zoom lens? Initially, the omission stung. A phone in this price rangeshouldhave telephoto capabilities, right? However, the Edge’s sheer pixel firepower offers a surprisingly effective workaround. Unleash the full 200MP mode, and cropping becomes your new zoom. You’ll discover a newfound freedom to punch in without sacrificing detail. And for selfie aficionados, the Edge boasts a slightly wider 12MP front-facing camera, perfect for cramming in the whole crew. Small tweak, big difference for group shots.
The S25 Edge captures stunning photos in everyday scenarios. Colors burst with vibrancy, and details are razor-sharp, though the signature Samsung warmth and slightly amplified saturation are still present. Low-light performance follows suit, delivering impressive results. Forget the usual Pixel versus iPhone debate. This time, the Edge faced off against the Motorola Razr Ultra. Both phones are vying for the attention of style-conscious users, but their approaches couldn’t be more different.
Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge vs Moto Razr Ultra camera comparisons
In a shot of some roses, the Razr Ultra struggled with focus and color saturation.
Forget folding fantasies if photography is your priority. The Razr’s folding form factor doesn’t deliver when stacked against the S25 Edge’s glass-slab superiority. In a head-to-head shootout, Samsung’s optics consistently outperformed Motorola’s, delivering brighter, crisper, and more vibrant images. Craving pocketable convenience without compromising your snapshots? The S25 Edge emerges as the clear champion.
Battery life
The S25 Edge: Living on the Edge (of Battery Life). Its razor-thin profile comes at a cost: battery capacity. Squeezing into its sleek frame is a 3,900 mAh power cell, a slight downgrade from the base S25. In our video test, it clocked in at 25 hours and 59 minutes. Not bad, but significantly shorter than the S25 Ultra’s marathon 29 hours and 27 minutes, and even the standard S25 outlasted it by two hours. Battery-conscious users, proceed with caution. This beauty demands sacrifice.
Sam Rutherford for Engadget
The S25 Edge embraces the convenience of 15W wireless charging. While wired charging plateaus at a decent 25W, the phone cleverly tiptoes into the Qi2 future. “Qi2 ready” means unlocking magnetic wireless accessories is tantalizingly close, but requires a stylish case or stick-on mount. It’s a customizable compromise.
Wrap-up
The S25 Edge: a phone that begs the question, “How thin is too thin?” In a world obsessed with shedding millimeters, Samsung’s latest flagship feels like a step in a perplexing direction. Let’s be honest, the first thing most of us do is encase our precious new phone in a protective shell – even with Samsung’s featherweight case. So, does lopping off a mere 1.5mm from the standard S25reallyenhance the user experience? Unless you consider sacrificing battery life for bragging rights a feature, the S25 Edge’s “thinnovation” feels more like a marketing gimmick than a genuine advancement.
Sam Rutherford for Engadget
Forget the predictable S25+. That’s where things get interesting. Samsung’s former darling costs more than the base S25, but it lacks the wow factor of its siblings. No ultra-resolution camera, no titanium sheen just a respectable 6.7-inch display. In a world of “me too” phones, is respectable enough?
Enter the Galaxy S25 Edge: packing all the flagship firepower you crave inside a razor-thin, exquisitely designed frame, all for the same $1,100 starting price as the S25+. Sure, Samsung trimmed the battery and nixed the dedicated zoom lens to achieve this sleekness. But before you cry foul, consider this: the Edge, Samsung’s new middle child, is more than just slender it’s a statement. It’s a phone with a confident identity, ready to turn heads and stand apart from the crowd.
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