Extra than simply tremendous skinny

After I first heard Samsung was bringing again the Edge identify as a brand new super-thin member of the S25 household, all I may assume was: Why? Truthfully, I assumed cellphone makers had gotten over their starvation for thinness almost a decade in the past. The search 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 trendy once more. Moreover, after telephones made the transition to 5G — which required additional energy, extra advanced modems and bigger antennas — trendy parts have began shrinking once more, basically paving the best way for the return of slimmer handsets. However then it hit me. Whereas thinness would be the most putting factor in regards to the Galaxy S25 Edge, that is not sufficient to justify the creation of a complete new gadget. As an alternative, I consider this cellphone is part of a bigger mission by Samsung to make the center baby of its flagship cellular lineup a extra interesting member of the household. And when considered in that gentle, I really assume it is largely successful.

Design

Now do not get me flawed, regardless of my gripes about how thinner telephones are much less sensible, the S25 Edge is fantastically designed. At simply 5.8mm thick (0.23 inches), it feels impossibly glossy. 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 incorporates a titanium body, an IP68 ranking for mud and water resistance and a fair stronger Gorilla Glass Ceramic 2 panel overlaying its show. The one distinction is that the Edge’s display screen 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.

Nonetheless, whereas the S25 Edge shares some traits with the Extremely, like its body and principal digicam, not less than in relation to its total measurement, 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 hardly ever acquired greater than lukewarm whereas delivering robust efficiency as I used to be gaming, multitasking or doing just about the rest you’ll be able to 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 is not any devoted zoom. Now at first, I used to be a bit upset as a result of I feel any cellphone this costly ought to have a telephoto lens. That stated, the large quantity of pixels the Edge’s major sensor can seize means you could have fairly a little bit of freedom to crop in with out degrading picture high quality. You simply want to recollect to inform the digicam to shoot in full 200MP mode as a substitute of the usual 12MP setting. One different small change is that Edge incorporates a barely wider-angle 12MP selfie cam than the S25+ and Extremely, which lets you match extra folks in group photographs, however that is actually the principle distinction.

Usually 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 photographs. For this evaluation, 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 try to woo individuals who need a glossy and trendy gadget, however they’re doing it in very alternative ways.

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Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge vs Moto Razr Extremely digicam comparisons

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

What instantly jumped out is that foldable telephones (not 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 photos than Motorola’s. So when you’re the type of one that needs 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 take a look at. 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 regular S25. For individuals who care quite a bit about longevity, you could 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. Nonetheless, because the cellphone is merely “Qi2 ready,” anybody who needs to make use of suitable 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 absolutely grasp the will to make trendy telephones thinner than they already are. Notably when you’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 does not actually make a tangible distinction in how you utilize it, except you take into account the cellphone’s lowered battery life factor.

However as a substitute for the humdrum S25+, instantly issues get much more attention-grabbing. Samsung’s earlier center baby prices considerably greater than a base S25, but it surely does not have the flamboyant options like an excellent high-res principal digicam or a titanium body such as you get on the S25 Extremely. Actually, the S25+’s most tasty function is a nicely-sized 6.7-inch display screen.

Now this is the place the Galaxy S25 Edge is available in. It has all of these issues alongside an excellent skinny and splendidly crafted chassis for a similar $1,100 beginning value 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 cellular household is extra than simply skinny — it has a classy id that may stand by itself.