Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge hands-on: This thin phone makes a deep impression

I use many different phones in several forms: large, small, phones that fold in ways that seem too fragile to work. But when I have Samsung's ultra-thin and light (but surprisingly solid) and the Galaxy S25 Edge, the first word that comes to mind is “ventilated.” My next thought is: If I were an S25 Plus, I would be worried.

During my early hands-on practice with the S25 Edge at a preview event in New York, I was shocked by how much new phones carry from my S25 peers. It can maintain a 200-megapixel-wide camera from the S25 Ultra, the S25 Plus's 6.7-inch display, and the Snapdragon 8 Elite processor, which you'll find in three other S25 devices. However, it does in a stylish, 5.8mm titanium frame, at a speed of 163 grams. It felt like I could throw something into a bag or pocket, barely noticed.

In fact, the S25 Edge shocked me what my middle flagship phone should be: fresh, improved attractions for the baseline model, the phone's premium features justify its $1,100 price tag. The exciting design, super wide camera and spacious monitor actually make this tempting choice for anyone who wants to be different.

But that's not to say there is no compromise in the store, the most notable thing is the battery. We will introduce it in detail later.

Pre-orders for the Galaxy S25 Edge are now open and the phone will arrive on May 30. It comes in three colors: silver, black and icy blue.

Watch the following: Galaxy S25 Edge hands-on: Samsung's ultra-thin phone is impressive

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What makes the S25 edge stand out

The biggest question that led to the release of S25 Edge is: Why do anyone want a thinner phone? It took a little time on the device and I started to see the appeal.

While the thickness of the S25 Edge may not be visually striking at first glance, the hand on your phone is another matter. Comparing the feel of the S25 Edge's 5.8mm, 163G frame to the feel of the S25 and S25 Plus, I signed up for it's really thin and lighter. Reference, the baseline S25 is 7.2mm thick and weighs 162 grams, but has a smaller 6.2-inch screen. The S25 Plus has the same 6.7-inch display as the edges, but is 7.3mm thick and weighs 190g. This is a clear difference.

The moment of truth is to exert a certain amount of power on the phone to see if it gives it. It's impressively strong. (If not, I might have some trouble with Samsung.) It touts Corning Gorilla Glass Ceramics 2 displays, as well as support from Gorilla Glass Vickers 2. My initial impression was that you don't have to worry about accidentally converting the S25 Edge to foldable by placing it in the back pocket, but that's definitely something I have to test in the comments. The S25 edge also maintains the same IP68 rating, and dust and waterproof can be found on other S25 series phones.

On paper, at least, the biggest trade-off seems to be battery capacity. The Galaxy S25 Edge has a considerable 3,900 mAh battery compared to the baseline S25 (4,000 mAh) and S25 Plus (4,900 mAh). Samsung didn't share how many hours you get from the S25 Edge's battery, except pointing out that it will last all day. Here are other things I'm looking forward to testing. The S25 Edge supports 25-watt wired charging and 15-watt wireless charging.

With thinner phones, the camera hardware can also be scaled. But the S25 Edge has three cameras: 200 megapixel wide, a 12 megapixel overspeed type and a 12 megapixel selfie camera. Megapixels aren't everything, so I'm eager to see how all of this translates into realistic photography. Samsung points to Galaxy AI to help improve camera quality and power generation edits, such as generation edits.

Like the S25 Plus, the S25 Edge has 12GB of RAM and 256GB and 512GB of storage options. It costs more than the S25 Plus, though: $1,100 for 256GB, $1,220 for 512GB. But the price is still below the top $1,300 S25 Ultra.

You'll find the same Galaxy AI features Samsung touts on the rest of the S25 phones, such as sketch-to-image and audio eraser. Gemini features are also on board, such as Gemini live and loop searches.

On the edge of new trends

The launch of the Galaxy S25 Edge is in the thin mobile phone phenomenon. Earlier this year, Oppo released its ultra-thin discovery N5 foldable, which it calls “the thinnest book-style foldable in the world” and is 8.93 mm thick when closed and 4.21 mm thick when opened. According to rumors, Apple is developing a thinner “air” version of the iPhone 17. At MWC 2025, phone maker Tecno showed off its Spark Slim Phone Concept, which is 5.75mm thick and is just 146 grams thick.

Depending on how consumers respond, the S25 Edge may be a phone to help kick off the thin phone craze. According to a CNET survey, if people don't have to compromise too much on camera, storage and battery — three biggest considerations when buying a phone — they may tend to pay for new form factors. After all, apart from a few foldable options, the phone becomes rather boring and predictable. The edge of the S25 may be a breath of fresh air.

I'm looking forward to seeing how the S25 Edge stays stable in the real world and whether it can really keep it at the edge (I have to do so).