Extra than simply tremendous skinny

Once I first heard Samsung was bringing again the Edge title as a brand new super-thin member of the S25 household, all I might suppose was: Why? Actually, I assumed cellphone makers had gotten over their starvation for thinness almost a decade in the past. The hunt to shave millimeters off units resulted in worse battery life, additional warmth and extra restricted options. So what offers?

On a sure degree, identical to style, older traits can over time change into recent and classy once more. Moreover, after telephones made the transition to 5G — which required additional energy, extra advanced modems and bigger antennas — fashionable elements have began shrinking once more, primarily paving the way in which for the return of slimmer handsets. However then it hit me. Whereas thinness will be the most putting factor in regards to the Galaxy S25 Edge, that is not sufficient to justify the creation of a complete new machine. As a substitute, I consider this cellphone is part of a bigger mission by Samsung to make the center baby of its flagship cell lineup a extra interesting member of the household. And when seen in that gentle, I really suppose it is largely a hit.

Design

Now do not get me flawed, regardless of my gripes about how thinner telephones are much less sensible, the S25 Edge is superbly designed. At simply 5.8mm thick (0.23 inches), it feels impossibly modern. What is perhaps much more spectacular is that Samsung hasn’t sacrificed sturdiness to get right here both. Identical to the S25 Ultra, the Edge contains a titanium body, an IP68 score for mud and water resistance and a good stronger Gorilla Glass Ceramic 2 panel masking its show. The one distinction is that the Edge’s display has a shiny end as a substitute of matte like on the Extremely as a result of — and I child you not — Samsung says an anti-reflective coating would have elevated its thickness. Kudos to sticking to a strict design philosophy, as a result of by way of sheer really feel and aesthetics, S25 Edge is undeniably enchanting.

Nevertheless, whereas the S25 Edge shares some traits with the Extremely, like its body and principal digital camera, no less than relating to its total dimension, it is actually extra of a refreshed tackle the S25+. It has the identical 6.7-inch OLED panel with a 120Hz refresh fee that is simply as vibrant and splendidly colourful as earlier than. Though it does weigh a bit much less at 163 grams or 5.75 ounces versus the S25+ (190g or 6.7 oz).

Efficiency

Like the remainder of the S25 household, the Edge is powered by a Snapdragon 8 Elite for Galaxy chip with 12GB of RAM and both 256GB or 512GB of storage. Regardless of the compact dimensions, Samsung nonetheless discovered room to squeeze a vapor chamber inside to forestall throttling and overheating. So even when pushed, the again of the cellphone not often acquired greater than lukewarm whereas delivering sturdy efficiency as I used to be gaming, multitasking or doing just about the rest you may consider.

Cameras

The opposite main departure from the S25+’s fundamental template is that the Edge options the 200MP principal sensor from the Extremely, together with a 12MP ultra-wide cam. However there isn’t any devoted zoom. Now at first, I used to be a bit upset as a result of I believe any cellphone this costly ought to have a telephoto lens. That stated, the huge quantity of pixels the Edge’s main sensor can seize means you might have fairly a little bit of freedom to crop in with out degrading picture high quality. You simply want to recollect to inform the digital camera to shoot in full 200MP mode as a substitute of the usual 12MP setting. One different small change is that Edge contains a barely wider-angle 12MP selfie cam than the S25+ and Extremely, which lets you match extra folks in group pictures, however that is actually the principle distinction.

On the whole use, the S25 Edge takes nice pics. Colours are wealthy and particulars are crisp, although you continue to get Samsung’s barely oversaturated hues and hotter tones. The identical goes for low-light pictures. For this overview, as a substitute of evaluating it to a Pixel or iPhone, I pitted the Edge towards the Motorola Razr Extremely. I really feel like each are trying to woo individuals who desire a modern and classy machine, however they’re doing it in very alternative ways.

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Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge vs Moto Razr Extremely digital camera comparisons

In a shot of some roses, the Razr Extremely struggled with focus and colour saturation.

What instantly jumped out is that foldable telephones (no less than the Razr) nonetheless lag behind extra conventional glass bricks, even ones as skinny because the Edge. In almost each shot, Samsung’s handset produced brighter, sharper and better-exposed photographs than Motorola’s. So if you happen to’re the sort of one that desires a compact cellphone with no need to sacrifice picture high quality, the S25 Edge is a stronger choose.

Battery life

The most important trade-off when making a cellphone this skinny is having much less room for its battery. As such, the S25 Edge has the smallest energy pack within the household at 3,900 mAh, which is 100mAh lower than what’s in a base S25. This led to a time of simply 25 hours and 59 minutes on our native video rundown check. That is not horrible, however it’s three and a half hours lower than what we acquired from the S25 Extremely (29:27) and two hours worse than a normal S25. For individuals who care loads about longevity, you might have been warned.

Fortunately, the S25 Edge nonetheless has help for wi-fi charging at an appropriate 15 watts, although its wired speeds are simply common at 25 watts. Nevertheless, because the cellphone is merely “Qi2 ready,” anybody who desires to make use of appropriate magnetic wi-fi equipment might want to purchase a case or an adhesive mount with a built-in magnet, as a result of there is not one contained in the cellphone itself.

Wrap-up

The S25 Edge is a divisive cellphone. I nonetheless do not totally grasp the will to make fashionable telephones thinner than they already are. Notably if you happen to’re like most people and also you throw the factor in a case as quickly as you get it (even when accounting for Samsung’s new super slim option). Shaving off an additional 1.5mm over the usual S25 would not actually make a tangible distinction in how you employ it, except you contemplate the cellphone’s lowered battery life a great factor.

However as a substitute for the humdrum S25+, all of a sudden issues get much more attention-grabbing. Samsung’s earlier center baby prices considerably greater than a base S25, nevertheless it would not have the flowery options like a brilliant high-res principal digital camera or a titanium body such as you get on the S25 Extremely. Actually, the S25+’s most engaging function is a nicely-sized 6.7-inch display.

Now this is the place the Galaxy S25 Edge is available in. It has all of these issues alongside a brilliant skinny and splendidly crafted chassis for a similar $1,100 beginning worth because the S25+. Sure, Samsung sacrificed some battery capability and the cellphone’s devoted zoom to get right here, however these aren’t straight-up dealbreakers. That is as a result of with the Edge, the brand new in-between member of Samsung’s flagship cell household is extra than simply skinny — it has a trendy id that may stand by itself.