I’m impressed by the crazy thin and light Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge — but there’s 3 big trade-offs
The Galaxy S25 Edge is the thinnest Galaxy S phone ever made, and it makes a heck of a first impression.
I was pretty skeptical heading into my first hands-on time with this ultra svelte flagship. But now that I’ve held the Galaxy S25 Edge, I’m very impressed.
In fact, this phone is so thin at 5.8mm that there’s barely enough room for a USB-C port on the bottom. And it’s so light at 163 grams (5.7 ounces) that I accidentally forgot that the Galaxy S25 Edge was in my pocket at all.
I’m also impressed because I was worried that the S25 Edge was going to feel flimsy. But it doesn’t, thanks to the sturdy titanium frame. And you should be fairly well protected against scratches and drops, thanks to the Gorilla Glass Ceramic 2 display.
Samsung’s goal is pretty clear with this device. Give people a super thin flagship without making too many compromises. And it has the potential to be one of the best phones of the year.
You get a big 6.7-inch OLED display, a powerful 200MP main camera, an ultra-wide shooter and a zippy Snapdragon 8 Elite chip in a design that’s barely there.
However, the S25 Edge comes with a few notable trade-offs you need to know before you pre-order.
No telephoto zoom
Don’t get me wrong. The camera system on the Galaxy S25 Edge is fairly versatile with its 200MP main camera.
You get the same number of megapixels and the same next-gen pro visual engine as on the Galaxy S25 Ultra, so you should get improved skin tones and textures, plus better post processing.
It’s also nice that there’s a 12MP ultra-wide camera on board, especially considering that the iPhone 17 Air is rumored for just a single rear camera. Plus, this sensor enables you to take macro shots.
The bummer is that there’s no dedicated telephoto zoom as there is on the regular Galaxy S25, Galaxy S25 Plus and S25 Ultra. The main S25 has a 3x telephoto lens with a 30x digital zoom.
Meanwhile, the Galaxy S25 Edge has to make do with a 2x optical-like zoom and max of 10x digital zoom.
Small battery
Because of the Galaxy S25 Edge’s thin profile, you’ll have to settle for a smaller battery than any other device in the S25 lineup.
The S25 Edge features a 3,900 mAh battery, which is smaller than even the regular S25’s 4,000 mAh.
Samsung says you should still expect “all-day” battery life. But we’ll tell you what that means once we run the S25 Edge through the Tom’s Guide battery test.
For reference, the S25 lasted 15 hours and 43 minutes surfing the web over 5G, compared to 16:55 for the S25 Plus and 17:14 for the S25 Ultra.
Samsung says the Galaxy S25 Edge should turn in slightly lower endurance than the standard S25. So don’t expect the Edge to make our best phone battery life list.
High price
The Galaxy S25 Edge starts at $1,099, which is pricey. That’s $100 more than the Galaxy S25 Plus, though it it’s $200 less than the S25 Ultra.
So you’re definitely paying a pretty penny for the Edge’s sheer thinness and portability.
The good news is that the S25 Edge starts with 256GB of storage, which is double what the S25 and S25 Plus offer.
And, at least during Galaxy S25 Edge pre-orders, you can get a free upgrade to 512GB of storage.
Galaxy S25 Edge outlook
I’ll admit I’m a bit torn on the Galaxy S25 Edge. The design looks and feels like the future, and I think Samsung deserves credit for cramming as much flagship-level tech as it has into this design.
You get a 200MP camera, Snapdragon 8 Elite chip and all the Galaxy AI features that the rest of the S25 lineup offers in a device that will easily slip in your pocket.
Heck, this phone even feels super thin and light with the case on.
You just need to be aware of the above trade-offs before you invest in an S25 Edge.
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