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? Actually, I believed telephone 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, further warmth and extra restricted options. So what offers?

On a sure stage, identical to style, older traits can over time turn out to be contemporary and trendy once more. Moreover, after telephones made the transition to 5G — which required further energy, extra complicated modems and bigger antennas — trendy parts have began shrinking once more, primarily paving the best way for the return of slimmer handsets. However then it hit me. Whereas thinness stands out as the most hanging factor in regards to the Galaxy S25 Edge, that is not sufficient to justify the creation of an entire new machine. As a substitute, I imagine this telephone 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 seen in that mild, I truly assume it is largely a hit.

Design

Now do not get me fallacious, 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 smooth. What is perhaps much more spectacular is that Samsung hasn’t sacrificed sturdiness to get right here both. Similar to the S25 Ultra, the Edge includes a titanium body, an IP68 score for mud and water resistance and an excellent stronger Gorilla Glass Ceramic 2 panel overlaying its show. The one distinction is that the Edge’s display has a shiny end as an alternative 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 when it comes to 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 predominant digital camera, at the least in the case of its general measurement, it is actually extra of a refreshed tackle the S25+. It has the identical 6.7-inch OLED panel with a 120Hz refresh charge 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 telephone not often acquired greater than lukewarm whereas delivering robust 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 predominant 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 feel any telephone this costly ought to have a telephoto lens. That stated, the large quantity of pixels the Edge’s main sensor can seize means you will 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 an alternative of the usual 12MP setting. One different small change is that Edge includes 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 primary distinction.

Basically 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 evaluate, as an alternative 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 desire a smooth and trendy 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 coloration saturation.

What instantly jumped out is that foldable telephones (at the least 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 in case you’re the sort of one who needs a compact telephone while not having to sacrifice picture high quality, the S25 Edge is a stronger choose.

Battery life

The most important trade-off when making a telephone 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 regular S25. For individuals who care so much about longevity, you will have been warned.

Fortunately, the S25 Edge nonetheless has help for wi-fi charging at a suitable 15 watts, although its wired speeds are simply common at 25 watts. Nonetheless, because the telephone is merely “Qi2 ready,” anybody who needs 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 telephone itself.

Wrap-up

The S25 Edge is a divisive telephone. I nonetheless do not absolutely grasp the need to make trendy telephones thinner than they already are. Notably in case 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 would not actually make a tangible distinction in how you employ it, until you take into account the telephone’s decreased battery life a very good factor.

However as a substitute for the humdrum S25+, out of the blue issues get much more fascinating. Samsung’s earlier center baby prices considerably greater than a base S25, however it would not have the flowery options like a brilliant high-res predominant 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 here 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 value because the S25+. Sure, Samsung sacrificed some battery capability and the telephone’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 trendy identification that may stand by itself.