Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge hands-on review: it's thin and light as a feather
We tested the new Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge, and it's just the start of the super-thin-and-light smartphone trend in 2025
Pros
✅ 📐 Samsung’s thinnest ‘S’ phone feels blade-thin
✅ 🪶 At just 163g, it feels feather light for a 6.7-inch phone
✅ 📸 200MP main camera is carried over from the S25 Ultra
✅ ⚙️ Retains the powerful Snapdragon 8 Elite and other specs
✅ 🤖 All of the multi-modal AI perks from the S25 series
Cons
❌ 🔋 All-day battery life might not satisfy power users
❌ 🔭 Lacks a true telephoto camera, opting for AI zoom
❌ 🍎 iPhone 17 Air is set to rival the S25 Edge in four months
The Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge is so impressively thin that, when I held up its three colors, Kevin felt extra inspired to shoot The Shortcut’s cover photo in the style of X-Men, saying, “Hold them up like you have Wolverine’s claws.” Silly, but it worked.
At 5.8mm, this phone is blade-thin, and, for a 6.7-inch screen, it’s incredibly light, or “light AF” (AF = as a feather, of course). The S25 Edge is an engineering marvel. It’ll arrive in stores on May 30, four months before we see a super-thin iPhone 17 Air. This is a preview for Apple owners as much as it is for Samsung fans.
Do you need a thin phone? For the rumored Galaxy Z Fold 7 that folds in half, it makes sense. But there are trade-offs here. The S25 Edge’s “all-day battery life” is better than the base S24 but not quite at the level of the base S25, according to Samsung. We’ll test that out in our full Galaxy S25 Edge review soon.
Surprisingly, the 200MP camera remains intact, while Samsung is doubling down on 2x optical crop and 10x AI zoom photos instead of squeezing in a telephoto camera. It’s a sacrifice people will miss on paper, but may not actually gripe about in real life. Specs like wireless charging, the titanium frame, and AI software are carried over from the S25 Ultra, which is my go-to phone besides my iPhone 16 Pro Max.
I’m split on the S25 Edge. The power user in me wants the ultimate battery and the most cameras that physics allows. The early adopter in me also appreciates a cutting-edge design with flagship-level specs like Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8 Elite.
Samsung says it’s putting a big emphasis on getting the S25 Edge in retail and carrier stores so that people can try it out. The company wants you to see and feel it in person. Since pre-orders begin tonight – $1,099 for the 256GB size and $1,219 for 512GB – I’m going to tell you about my 90 minutes with S25 Edge, which is $100 more than the 6.7-inch S25+, but thinner and lighter, and more exciting.
The Shortcut’s hands-on review
📐 5.8mm ‘blade’ thin. The Edge name makes sense (even if Samsung used that name for a very different phone 11 years ago). My key takeaway: it’s so remarkably thin that it’s easier to grip with one hand and operate the wider on-screen keyboard (I always find narrower phones harder to type on). This is the best of both worlds.
🪶 163g means it’s Light AF (as a feather). I put an emphasis on how light the S25 Edge feels in the cover photo because that’s the first thing that struck me when I picked it up. It’s 1g off from being the same weight as the base S25, which has a much smaller 6.2-inch screen. The S25 Edge is an engineering marvel.
🎨 Equal S25 Edge colors for all. Samsung seems to be pushing colors out to all stores equally, eschewing its Samsung Store exclusive hues. This may be a sign that the company wants the help of retail and carrier partners to put the Edge in consumers’ hands.
🎨 The three colors. I gravitated toward the IcyBlue S25 Edge during my time with the phone. The JetBlack color has a matching black frame that will be popular.
Titanium JetBlack
Titanium Silver
Titanium IcyBlue
🐉 Snapdragon 8 Elite FTW. Gaming on the Galaxy S25 Edge won’t be a problem thanks to the Snapdragon 8 Elite chip. Qualcomm’s newest chipset already impressed us in the Galaxy S25 series and OnePlus 13, offering iPhone 16 rivaling performance. Samsung’s top-notch vapor chamber for extra cooling made its way to the S25 Edge.
🛡️ Corning Gorilla Glass Ceramic 2. Samsung is debuting Corning’s latest tempered glass in the S25 Edge. It’s being touted as “the strongest display glass ever on a phone” by Corning. The rear of the phone is still protected by Gorilla Glass Victus 2.
🪨 Titanium frame. Here’s something not on the S25 and S25+: Samsung’s titanium frame, which was previously exclusive to the S25 Ultra (and S24 Ultra before that). I know durability tests will happen on March 30, and I’m curious to see how this thin phone holds up in my back pocket when sitting down on the NYC subway.
🔋 Battery life. This is the make-or-break spec for the S25 Edge. Samsung is touting all-day battery life, though the capacity is 3,900mAh. That’s just shy of the 4,000mAh battery in the smaller base S25, which has a much smaller screen. This is the biggest caution flag for power users, who may want to opt for a battery pack.
🤖 Samsung’s multi-modal AI. Samsung’s use of Bixby and Google Gemini offers a way to ask your phone complex questions, and it does work better than most built-in AI phone software. Everything has been ported over to the S25 Edge, so you can ask for a “restaurant that has Mexican food, oh, and takes reservations. Umm, and allows pets,” and the software will understand your natural language.
⚡ Wireless charging made the cut. I was surprised that the S25 Edge fit in wireless charging (it wasn’t clear before today). The 15W wireless charging speed matches the trio of S25 phones from February. The 25W wired charging doesn’t hit the 45W wired charging high note of the S25+ and S25 Ultra, sadly.
📸 Squeezes in a 200MP main camera. When we saw the S25 Edge at Unpacked in January and again at MWC in February, I was skeptical of its two-camera setup. “How much does the S25 Edge back off of the S25 Ultra’s impressive cameras?,” I thought. Well, Samsung has come through with a 200MP main camera. Combine with the ProVisual Engine for post-processing, I’m eager to see how it does in our outdoor and nighttime tests.
🔭 2x optical, 10X AI Zoom. The S25 Edge ditches the dedicated telephoto camera for a 2x optical quality zoom (via a cropped image) and a 10x “AI” zoom (seen above at 10x and looking just fine). This is going to matter to some people; others who only occasionally zoom will be fine with this.
🔍 Macro shots. For people who take really, really close-up photos of bugs, plants, and patterns, the macro camera on the S25 Edge performs as well as the S25 Ultra (at least in our initial closed-environment testing).
🤳 12MP selfie and ultra-wide cameras. These two 12MP cameras remain intact on the front and back of the phone.
🏆 Best camera interface. I will stand by this: Samsung has the best camera interface, and every day I wish my iPhone had similar shortcuts. I especially love being able to trigger the timer with a simple hand gesture and being able to flip between the front and rear cameras with a simple swipe. I hope iOS 19 matches these tricks.
👔 S25 Edge Kindsuit case first look. Samsung’s Kindsuit case appears to hug the S25 Edge for extra protection and still comes out to about the same thickness as my S25 Ultra without a case. I think a lot of people will boldly go caseless with the Edge.
🆚 vs Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra. If you want all of the bells, whistles, and S Pen, then the S25 Ultra remains a better fit. It has the 5,000mAh battery capacity that power users demand and the true telephoto camera for photog purists.
🍎 vs iPhone 17 Air. Apple’s rumored ultra-thin phone is expected to be 5.5 inches slim, a tad thinner than the Galaxy S25 Edge. It’s going to appeal to the same audience (on the iOS side) that doesn’t mind sacrifices in battery and camera.
Should you buy the Galaxy S25 Edge?
✅ Yes, if...
You crave the most cutting-edge smartphone design in 2025 (so far)
You love Samsung’s great software interface but want something new
You’ll relish making your iPhone friends jealous (at least for four months)
You don’t mind the smaller battery and lack of a telephoto camera
❌ No, if...
You’re a power user who doesn’t use a battery pack (get the Galaxy S25+)
You want the cheapest new Samsung phone (get the Galaxy S25)
You could make use of the S Pen stylus (get the Galaxy S25 Ultra)
You want more screen (get the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6 or wait for Fold 7)
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Dude, feel how light my phone is! Look how thin it is! It screams gimmick.