Quick review
The good
The not-so-good
Phones are getting bigger and bigger, but can they still be slim? Samsung’s Galaxy S25 Edge cuts the weight with a thin style of flagship.
You don’t need to look far to find a big phone: they’re everywhere. Ever since we got used to the idea of using our phones for everything, manufacturers have been looking at ways to improve the battery life, which often means increasing the screen size.
More screen means more battery, and yet more battery can also mean a bigger and thicker phone. So much that the idea of a thin phone can often seem like a pipe dream, or the sort of thing you turn to a foldable for.
Can the thin phone still exist?
Samsung might have something to say on the matter, as it releases a big phone made with thickness — or even thin-ness — in mind.
Design
A super slim phone on first, second, third, and fiftieth glance, the S25 Edge can feel like a breath of fresh air. It’s not a total reinvention of the Galaxy S25 we saw earlier this year, but the thickness does make it something different, offering a super slim 5.8mm compared to the 8.2mm of its S25 Ultra sibling we checked out.
That edge is super slick, and the casing helps, too: made from titanium with glass on the front and back, the S25 Edge is obviously premium and very easy on the eyes, as well as the hands.
At 163g it’s one of the lightest phones we’ve seen in a while, arriving with a massive 6.7 inch screen, again lighter than the 55 gram heavier S25 Ultra and its marginally bigger 6.9 inch. Phones don’t usually feel this well balanced, and yet Samsung’s is on a different level.
Features
Inside, the balance is propped up by a hardware design we’ve seen before from Samsung’s other flagship, the Galaxy S25 Ultra. We’re not entirely sure which is the flagship anymore, but never mind that; the S25 Edge is close to being a flagship for today’s handsets.
It sports a flagship chip, the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite, pairing it with 12GB RAM and either 256GB or 512GB storage, Android 15, and Samsung’s approach to Android known as One UI.
Cameras are a little cut back by comparison, offering a 200 megapixel F1.7 main wide camera and a 12 megapixel F2.2 ultra-wide, with 8K video capture on the big one. Meanwhile, the front camera is a 12 megapixel F2.2 camera with auto-focus support.
Most other things aren’t far off, though.
Wireless is covered over 802.11a/b/g/n/ac/ax/be WiFi 7, Bluetooth 5.4, GPS, NFC for Google Pay and Samsung Pay, and Ultra Wideband, plus wired USB-C. You’ll find wireless charging, too, but none of the magnetic Qi2 stuff we keep longing for.
Up top, the screen is slightly smaller than the Ultra at 6.7 inches, but the resolution, tech, and refresh rate is identical: 3120×1440 Quad HD+ Dynamic AMOLED 2X with an adaptive refresh rate of 1 to 120Hz.
Even the IP68 water resistance is there, as is in-screen fingerprint sensor, facial security, and the body made from a titanium frame and protected by Corning’s Gorilla Glass, albeit different versions (the Edge uses Ceramic 2 and Victus 2, while the Ultra uses Armour 2).
In-use
Under the hood doesn’t see much of a change technically for Samsung, and using the phone doesn’t, either. It’s just a thinner and lighter Galaxy S25 with a few features removed.
That means you’ll get Android as you normally would — a mobile with widgetised screens, the left-most rolling feed of Google Discover news, and even a little bit of AI, should you want to use it.
Performance
Armed with the same chip Samsung used in the S25 Ultra, the performance is more or less spot on, which should really come as no surprise. In fact, if you strip the S25 Edge down to its system spec, you’ll find a pretty similar phone.
The 12GB RAM and Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite are exactly what Samsung offered the S25 Ultra, with the main difference being a smaller battery and a thinner design.
It’s no wonder the benchmarks are so damn close.
A similar picture has been painted for the 5G, which tested in Australia on the Telstra Wholesale Network (by way of Mate) in Sydney achieved speeds as high as 528Mbps, essentially granting solid 5G access if you can reach it.
As with all mobile tests, your results will vary, but the S25 Edge can certainly handle its own.
Camera
Like the S25 Ultra, you’ll find a 200 megapixel sensor covering things, accompanied by 12 megapixel ultra-wide, which isn’t quite the camera set we’d hope for on a phone this high priced, but you are paying for the slim design.
While the omission of a telephoto is a touch disheartening, Samsung makes up for it a little because finally, a phone that isn’t the flagship is getting that 200 megapixel sensor. Every other Galaxy S25 variant that isn’t the Ultra has missed out. And yet here, the Edge is getting a taste. Nice.
The downside is even the ultra-wide isn’t as impressive as its S25 Ultra sibling. This year, you’ll see a 50 megapixel camera with that model, not the 12 megapixel you might have seen in the S24 Ultra. We’ve got a pretty good idea what camera system the S25 Edge is getting, and it likely has more in common with the 2024 flagship than the model in 2025.
Despite these differences, the camera on the Edge isn’t bad. Shots in daylight stand out, with lovely colours and clarity, while low light can seem a little lacking by comparison.
Portraiture works nicely on the phone, and the speed to capture seems quite quick, too.
We long for a little in the telephoto department — a 5X would definitely be welcome here — but all up, it’s not a bad camera at all.
Battery
A surprisingly capable camera is matched to a surprisingly capable camera, delivering a full day of life, though not much more. Given the battery size of 3900mAh, that’s to be expected, but the phone also fared better than this reviewer anticipated, as well.
Testing the phone over several days, we found 24 hours was possible on the S25 Edge, provided you kept your screen time to around the 3 to 4 hour mark on a daily basis.
Given that result, we suspect most people will get to charging the Galaxy S25 Edge daily, as you do. Relying on more than 24 hours probably won’t be on the cards for most, and that’s fine. But it can get you a little more if you push it, so don’t be afraid.
It is unfortunately not quite as strong as the bigger battery on its Ultra sibling, but given the size differences, we’re not all that surprised, and you shouldn’t be, either.
Value
The price can feel like a bit of a sting, though, largely because you’re paying for that super slim design, and yet not getting quite as much as its big brother, the S25 Ultra.
By comparison, the S25 Ultra comes with the S-Pen and two more cameras, covering two variations of telephoto alongside the 200 megapixel camera. The battery is also bigger, and yet only costs $300 more, giving you a whole lot more for the price tag.
In Australia, the S25 Ultra starts at $2149 price tag for a 256GB model, compared to the $1849 price of the 256GB S25 Edge variation.
In short, you’re paying for a little less in a slightly slicker design.
If anything, the Edge feels a little like being given an early adopter tax: if you want the thinnest and lightest Galaxy, you not only have to be prepared to make a few sacrifices.
What needs work?
Those sacrifices include less camera capability, less clever features (like the screen), and a smaller battery. These are all points worth mentioning, because they’re all features of the more flagship S25 Ultra, what is ostensibly the better phone in a slightly thicker design.
We can live without some of them, and the size certainly makes that possible. The battery has to be smaller because of the thickness, and the loss of cameras also makes some sense, as well. That’s fine.
Frankly, we’re just surprised the S25 Edge received the 200 megapixel camera, given the rest of the S25 range outside of the Ultra also missed out.
It doesn’t even have magnetic Qi2 support, continuing a trend for phones that started last year and really needs to be corrected ASAP, and the wired charging speed mightn’t be as strong, either.
But the omission of support for an S-Pen on the screen? That’s a bit of a surprise.
Like the Z Fold 3 from a few years ago, Samsung could have released the S-Pen with a case, rather than store the pen inside the phone, and still have gotten away with it. This is one of those features a premium Galaxy S needs, and it’s surprising to see it missing in action.
What we love
That said, there’s still something lovely about the S25 Edge. It’s more alluring than you’d expect.
We didn’t expect we’d love this phone as much as we have, and strangely, it’s not the thickness we’ve cared about. Rather, it’s the weight.
The slim design definitely helps in jeans and pants, because the indent the phone makes feels like nothing compared to other chunkier and thicker phones you can find about the place.
But the weight is far less, its 168g managing one gram heavier than the smaller and more budget-focused iPhone 16e.
By comparison, 168 grams is unheard of for big phone world, with these typically commanding over 200 grams of mobile weight in your hand and pants and any other form of phone-holding luggage you’re already acquainted with.
The thickness is still worth mentioning, or lack thereof, largely because it’s definitely thinner upon first glance. Comparing the S25 Edge to an unfolded Moto Razr 50 Ultra and its curved frame of 7.09mm, the Edge still seems thinner, even though its camera extrusion technically goes to around 11mm.
It’s when you compare other big high-end phones, the S25 Edge really stands out: the 8.25mm titanium edge of the iPhone 16 Pro Max doesn’t seem that much thicker than the 5.8mm titanium frame on the Galaxy S25 Edge, but bring the camera close and there’s a clear difference.
The weight is a dramatic change, too, with the 163 grams of the S25 Edge a good 64 grams lighter than the 227g 16 Pro Max. That’s no small amount.
It’s just a lovely piece of well-designed hardware.
Final thoughts (TLDR)
We’re definitely surprised by the S25 Edge, and interestingly, it’s one of the first Samsung phones we’ve fallen harder for than expected.
It’s an elegant preview of the a future where thin and light devices reign supreme, where manufacturers have worked out the kinks and are delivering phones that fit nicely in the pocket. The S25 Edge isn’t as feature-packed as its S25 Ultra sibling, but it doesn’t really matter. This is a beautifully balanced mobile, and it works better than you might expect.
Granted, the moment you put a case on, you’re probably going to lose that elegance and sleek style. Them’s the breaks, unfortunately. But right now, it’s a solid preview for what’s to come. Surprisingly recommended.
