People want big phones. We don’t only use our phones to make calls, we use it to watch movies and send cat videos on WhatsApp. We want big phones with great cameras. Why not make it thinner? That way it will be easy to hold in one hand. Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge comes with only 5.8mm depth. The theme is thin and light… 163g light.
Grip test
A slim profile matters. When the Galaxy S25 Ultra arrived, it was difficult to understand the design changes over that of the past generation because a few cuts were made here and there — flat sides, rounded corners and shaving a bit of weight off made it different from Galaxy S24 Ultra. The changes ensured that the S25 Ultra user carries the phone around a lot more. The same will happen with the S25 Edge.
Galaxy S25 Edge (right) versus Galaxy S25 Ultra.
If you carry a phone all day long, a slimmer phone matters. It’s about ergonomics. Even with a cover, the phone feels far slimmer than any flagship phone… in fact, any phone.
You will be sold on the S25 Edge once you hold it. The phone’s 5.8 thickness is the light-bulb moment. Despite having a 6.7-inch dynamic Amoled 2X screen, 5.88mm is very thin.
Everything versus almost there
A premium phone that swims against the tide is an important factor because the end user of the Galaxy S25 Edge is different.
The phone comes with a 6.7-inch OLED display and Snapdragon 8 Elite for Galaxy chipset.
There will always be a crowd that wouldn’t like to get rid of Galaxy S25 Ultra, especially because of the S-Pen or stylus. Playing the devil’s advocate, S25 Ultra comes with 200MP camera, a 50MP ultra-wide snapper, it has a 5,000 mAH battery… you get the picture — it’s a packed phone.
On the other hand, the S25 Edge also has a 200MP main camera but the phone is for a different crowd. One is a powerhouse phone while the other is a lifestyle-focused offering.
If you take shots with the full 200MP resolution, images retain more detail.
What it doesn’t have is a telephoto camera. But it is a feature that you wouldn’t miss. Edge doesn’t want to steal the thunder of S25 Ultra. The new phone stands on its own.
For a moment, forget the existence of the Edge. You still get three phones in the latest Galaxy S series for a reason — each offers something different from the Ultra. In fact, for some customers, the so-called downsides of the Ultra are its heft and S Pen, which a small number of people use.
The screen on the Edge feels like a luxury — placed on a slim form factor, yet all the premium features remain intact. There is still the ultra-wide borderless display and a superabundant plate of AI features, like the best object eraser on the market.
Samsung no longer leans on the saturation slider.
The Audio Eraser tool is another interesting AI feature that analyses video sounds and then separates them into voice, music and noise. You can alter any of the parameters to make the video sound better.
Bixby is surprisingly good. Phones have become complicated and there are too many features. In settings, ask Bixby anything, and chances are you will receive a satisfactory answer. For example: “My eyes are feeling uncomfortable.” Bixby will offer Samsung features that shield the eyes.
Why has Samsung made something that follows an almost similar spec sheet to the S25 Ultra? Take the case of a high-income consumer: You might want to spend on an aspirational device. This will be the device you will spend most time on over the next five years. If you don’t have the need for a stylus or 100x space zoom, your next choice earlier was the Galaxy S25+, which, despite being premium, looks a lot like S24+. The Edge creates an option to the Ultra.
There is no telephoto camera on the S25 Edge.
Picking up the Edge is like picking up a MacBook Air or the latest iPad Pro. Unlike phones that achieve a slender figure by using cheap plastic, this one has a premium titanium construction.
What does make a difference is the anti-reflective coating on the Galaxy S25 Ultra. It spoils you to the point that you can’t live without the feature. The Ceramic 2 glass on the front feels sturdy and chances are it will survive all tumbles.
Power up
A consideration while buying a phone is battery, with the spec sheet-happy crowd going: “You will be tethered to a charger.” No, that’s not the case at all. You can get enough screen-on time to last a day without using battery-saver features. The software, over time, learns usage patterns, which leads to battery saving. Six hours of screen-on time? Sure.
You got the same chip as the S25 Ultra with the same level of performance but you have a smaller battery — 3,900 mAh.
Camera precision
Anybody looking for two telephoto lenses can buy the S25 Ultra. But what the Edge retains is a 200MP main camera, which is almost as beautiful as the Ultra.
A moment on what you miss on the Edge. A downgrade from 50MP ultra-wide to 12MP, yet it’s one of the best lenses on a phone.
The ultra-wide retains auto-focus, which means you can also use it for close-up macro shots.
Staying on with performance, the phone comes with Snapdragon 8 Elite for Galaxy. It’s the same one on the Ultra. There is also a vapour chamber to help keep the phone cool. Even if you are into a reasonable degree of gaming, the phone wouldn’t disappoint.
Make the call
The idea of a slim phone is something we will see a lot more of in the coming years. There are a few layers to it. First, it just feels great to have it. As simple as that. Second, if companies begin to make slimmer phones without compromising on battery life, it will give them a chance to not deal with something like the reparability factor. Slim phones will always be difficult to repair but if consumers want size-zero devices, companies will look away from the bigger question.
Third, now that Samsung has delivered a slim phone, other brands will have to fall in line. What was that punchline for Onida: Neighbour’s envy…owner’s pride.
Materials are a lot better now than ever before, so another chance of a Bendgate is almost non-existent. With changes in tech becoming harder to notice, most people wouldn’t care about the couple of missing features but they will definitely care about how the phone adds to the fashion quotient. A 30 per cent slimmer phone will be a far noticeable change than a slight drop in megapixel count on the ultra-wide.
What you need to ask yourself is whether you are comfortable carrying a phone without a case, because that would add to the thickness. Battery life? So far it has worked fine during tests and we have to wait for the long haul to find out more.
Software is one department where Samsung continues to win points: Like on other S25 phones, the Edge will receive seven generations of OS updates and seven years of security fixes.
If we can go for cool clothes, why not a cool phone? Make yourself happy. Samsung wants you to feel pampered. Galaxy S25 Edge does exactly that.
At a glance
Device: Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge
Price: Upwards of ₹109,999
High notes
- Thin and comfortable hold
- Top-of-the-line performance
- Useful AI features
- Sufficient battery life
- Excellent software support
Muffled note
- It’s not an anti-glare display