Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge hands-on: Super Thin, Super Expensive

If this is a small taste of what’s in store for the future, then I’m on board with the prospect of ultra thin phones. Samsung’s the first out of the gate with the Galaxy S25 Edge, an unbelievably thin phone at 5.8mm that can only be appreciated seeing it in person.

Not surprisingly, it has me captivated because this svelte phone is rich in features that make it a worthy best phone contender, including a 200MP main camera, 6.7-inch OLED display and Snapdragon 8 Elite chip.

But at the same time I’m torn because at $1,099, it’s intruding on Galaxy S25 Ultra territory — so I’m left wondering if the trade-offs with the Galaxy S25 Edge are worth it.

This is only the start, so it’ll be interesting to see how other phone makers respond to this trend. In my Galaxy S25 Edge hands-on review, I’ll tell you what features stand out to me the most and whether or not its thin construction is enough to pull me away from today’s flagship models.

Galaxy S25 Edge Hands-On: Thinness at What Cost? - YouTube

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Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge hands-on review: Specs

Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge hands-on review: Price and availability

Does a thin construction warrant a hefty price point? This is the argument at the heart of the Galaxy S25 Edge, which starts at $1,099 for the base model with 256GB of storage — or you can upgrade to 512GB of storage for $1,219.

This phone doesn’t come cheap at all and will make anyone really think twice about its value, but I can’t say if it's worth the high price until we've put this device through its paces.

The Galaxy S25 Edge is $100 more than the Galaxy S25 Plus and $200 less than the Galaxy S25 Ultra.

You get three color options to choose from: Titanium Silver, Titanium Jetblack, and Titanium Icyblue. Out of the three, Titanium Icyblue certainly stands out the most for its piercing color, but it won’t matter as much if you intend on putting a case over it.

Galaxy S25 Edge pre-orders are available right now, with Samsung sweetening the deal by tacking on a $50 credit and upgrading you to the 512GB model at no additional charge. It’ll be widely available starting on May 23 from Samsung and other carriers nationwide.

Free storage upgrade!

Galaxy S25 Edge pre-order: up to $800 off w/ trade-in @ Samsung
The new Galaxy S25 Edge sports a 5.8mm profile, which is 31% thinner than the Galaxy S25 Ultra. It features a 6.7-inch AMOLED QHD+ 120Hz display, Snapdragon 8 Elite chipset, 12GB of RAM, and 256GB of storage. It also has a 200MP main camera with 10x digital zoom and a 12MP front camera with 85-degree FOV. Pre-order the 256GB model at Samsung and you'll get a free storage upgrade to 512GB.

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Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge hands-on review: Design

I’ve been using the Galaxy Z Fold 6 for over 6 months now and what’s interesting is that it’s actually just as thin as the Galaxy S25 Edge at 5.6mm — but that’s when it’s unfolded. When it’s closed, however, the Galaxy Z Fold 6 measures in at 12.1mm thick.

Size-wise, it’s definitely not as long or wide as other flagship models, making it slightly easier to use one-handed. Against the Galaxy S25 Ultra, which comes in at 8.2mm, the Galaxy S25 Edge is roughly 31% thinner.

I’m actually astounded most by the weight difference between the two. The Galaxy S25 Ultra feels overweight at 7.69 ounces, whereas the Galaxy S25 Edge tips the scales at just 5.75 ounces.

For a phone that’s this thin and light, it still feels incredibly solid in the hand. That’s due to its sturdy titanium frame and Gorilla Glass Ceramic 2 covering the display. Even with its thinness, it doesn’t feel fragile and still gets the same IP68 rating as the Galaxy S25 Ultra.

While all of this makes the Galaxy S25 Edge an engineering feat, I don’t have the same reaction as other thin phones I’ve seen in my lifetime. Yes, it’s the thinnest Galaxy S device ever, but it doesn’t rival the feeling I got seeing the original Motorola Razr — or when Apple introduced the iPod Nano.

Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge hands-on review: Display

The Galaxy S25 Edge features a 6.7-inch AMOLED display with QHD+ resolution, which is actually the same as the Galaxy S25 Plus. It’s a good size, complete with a skinny bezel all around the display and a small notch for its selfie camera.

Samsung hasn’t disclosed what this panel is rated for, but it packs all the qualities I love about Samsung’s displays — like wide viewing angles and piercing colors.

I loaded up a 4K HDR clip on YouTube and honestly it looks very much like the Galaxy S25 Ultra. It also benefits from the same adaptive 120Hz refresh rate that makes animations and scrolling with the interface so buttery smooth.

The true test will be how bright it gets because the Galaxy S25 Ultra achieved a peak brightness of 1,860 nits. Even if it doesn’t quite reach the same level, it still looks great for what most people will use it for.

Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge hands-on review: Cameras

Considering how much of a camera snob I can be, it’s going to be tough convincing me that the Galaxy S25 Edge’s dual-camera setup is good enough.

It consists of a 200MP main shooter paired with a 12MP ultrawide, but Samsung doesn’t explicitly say it’s using the same exact sensor found with the Galaxy S25 Ultra’s main camera.

The zooming is all handled by the main camera. I’ve seen excellent results from phones that make great use of pixel binning, so I suspect the Galaxy S25 Edge won’t disappoint in this area.

However, just know that its maximum zoom is capped to 10x zoom (both photos and video) — which effectively eliminates space zoom from its arsenal. The Galaxy S25 and S25 Plus have 3x telephoto lenses capable of 30x zoom, while the Galaxy S25 Ultra has a 3x and 5x optical with 200x digital.

This is one area I’m apprehensive about because it means that it won’t get the same caliber of moon shots, or distant stars whenever I shoot astrophotography with the Galaxy S25 Ultra.

Over on the video side, the S25 Edge has all the same shooting modes as the Galaxy S25 Ultra, including manual video mode and 8K recording.

Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge hands-on review: Performance

One thing I’m happy to know is that the S25 Edge packs a Snapdragon 8 Elite chip under the hood, which is paired with 12GB of RAM — just like on the Galaxy S25 Ultra.

This combo has already proven to be a powerhouse, so I’m confident it’ll deliver very similar results with various benchmark tests. Not only is it the thinnest flagship model around, but it could also be one of the most powerful phones around.

But given how all of its internal components are scrunched together in such a tightly packed space to achieve its thinness, it does make heat buildup a big concern. I’m pretty religious at playing graphically intensive games on my phones, so the last thing I want to happen is it getting extra toasty and potentially affecting its GPU performance.

Samsung says that the Galaxy S25 Edge boasts a configured vapor chamber for exactly this reason, which will help out with its heat dissipation. It’s much more of a concern here, than say, the Galaxy S25 Ultra, because everything’s crammed into a much tighter space.

Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge hands-on review: Battery Life

In addition to the camera, the other area where the Galaxy S25 Edge compromises over the Galaxy S25 Ultra is in the battery department. Naturally, a phone this thin needs to make concessions somewhere — and that’s in the battery, which could be a dealbreaker for some.

Samsung claims “all-day” battery life from this 3,900 mAh battery, but I don’t think it’ll come close to matching the Galaxy S25 Ultra in the endurance department. That phone packs a massive 5,000 mAh battery, as does the Galaxy S25 Plus with a 4,900 mAh one.

I know very well that Qualcomm’s chip is extremely power efficient, but I just can’t see it outlasting either of them in Tom’s Guide’s battery benchmark test or making it on our best phone battery life list.

At the same time, Samsung capped its charging speed to 25W — which is much slower than the 45W wired speeds on the Galaxy S25 Plus and Galaxy S25 Ultra.

All of this points to the obvious: the Galaxy S25 Edge is not going to break records in the battery department. I know some people are fine with this, just as long as the battery can last them a reasonable amount of time.

I just wouldn’t want to find it running on empty halfway through my day.

Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge hands-on review: Software and AI

I played around with the Galaxy S25 Edge and it’s running the same One UI 7 software on top of Android 15 — effectively giving it the same experience as the Galaxy S25 Ultra.

There’s a lot I like about it, including the fact that its packs Samsung DeX, Multi Window, and Edge Panel to make it a productivity powerhouse.

Equally, the Galaxy S25 Edge appears to have the same set of new Galaxy AI features that were introduced earlier with the Galaxy S25 release — like the Now Bar, Cross Actions Apps, and more.

Just like the Galaxy S25 Ultra, the Edge leans on different AI Agents (Gemini and Bixby) to perform complex actions. Although, there’s still work needed in how it interacts with third party apps because a lot of them still don’t perform all the actions I want.

But despite this, the Galaxy S25 Edge has the latest Gemini Live integrations, like being able to tap the camera to interact with the assistance, rather than typing everything down.

Samsung hasn’t disclosed how long the Galaxy S25 Edge will have free access to Gemini Advanced, but I suspect it’ll be the same 6 months as the other Galaxy S25 phones.

Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge hands-on review: Outlook

I honestly believe that the Galaxy S25 Edge is in a tough position, mainly because of how it’s priced and the compromises it makes in order to achieve its thinness. At $1,099, it’s $200 more expensive than the similarly sized Galaxy S25 Plus — and $200 less than the Galaxy S25 Ultra flagship.

Battery life is clearly the one area where the Galaxy S25 Edge is at a big disadvantage. You could argue the same for its cameras, but I think its dual-camera setup can still pack a punch. Yes, I’m willing to overlook not having a dedicated telephoto camera just as long as it makes do with pixel binning techniques to effectively reach the similar results.

You can’t take away Samsung’s accomplishment here in creating a flagship phone that’s bonkers thin than anything else around, but it doesn’t leave me with the same lasting impression.

Now if it was exactly like the Galaxy S25 Ultra in every way (cameras included), but in a much smaller and lighter package, then I think I’d be more impressed — but it’s not. This isn’t a generation defining change, like the Razr or iPod Nano.

Then again, there’s still a chance the S25 Edge could sway my feelings once it’s properly tested.

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