Extra than simply tremendous skinny

After 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? 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 stage, identical to style, older tendencies can over time turn into contemporary 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 way in which for the return of slimmer handsets. However then it hit me. Whereas thinness will be the most putting factor concerning the Galaxy S25 Edge, that is not sufficient to justify the creation of a complete new system. As an alternative, 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 truly suppose it is largely successful.

Design

Now do not get me incorrect, 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 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 protecting 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 terms of 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 price 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 received greater than lukewarm whereas delivering robust efficiency as I used to be gaming, multitasking or doing just about anything you’ll be able to consider.

Cameras

The opposite main departure from the S25+’s primary 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 huge quantity of pixels the Edge’s main sensor can seize means you’ve got 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 contains a barely wider-angle 12MP selfie cam than the S25+ and Extremely, which lets you match extra individuals in group photographs, however that is actually the primary 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 photographs. For this evaluate, as a substitute of evaluating it to a Pixel or iPhone, I pitted the Edge in opposition to the Motorola Razr Extremely. I really feel like each try to woo individuals who need a modern and trendy system, however they’re doing it in very other 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 pictures than Motorola’s. So in case you’re the form of one who desires a compact cellphone with no need to sacrifice picture high quality, the S25 Edge is a stronger decide.

Battery life

The largest 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 received from the S25 Extremely (29:27) and two hours worse than a regular S25. For many who care lots about longevity, you’ve got been warned.

Fortunately, the S25 Edge nonetheless has assist for wi-fi charging at a suitable 15 watts, although its wired speeds are simply common at 25 watts. Nonetheless, 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 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 cellphone’s lowered battery life factor.

However as a substitute for the humdrum S25+, out of the blue 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 an excellent high-res principal digicam or a titanium body such as you get on the S25 Extremely. Actually, the S25+’s most engaging characteristic 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 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 classy identification that may stand by itself.