Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge review: Does the slim phone pack the punch?

It's sturdy and easy on the hands – but you won't get the full stack of top-end features

The Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge is just 5.8mm thick. Photo: Samsung

The last time Samsung released an Edge device was nearly a decade ago, and it featured a signature screen that's curved on the sides.

Now, the company has revived the Edge branding, but this time slim's the name of the game with the Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge.

First teased at January's Unpacked, the device seems to be a breath of fresh air in an era of smartphones getting bulkier as manufacturers cram in more components to power their features. The National takes a deeper look.

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Form: It has the edge

At 5.8mm thin, the Galaxy S25 Edge is one slim phone, equivalent to about seven or eight credit cards stacked. For perspective, its bigger brother, the Galaxy S25 Ultra, is way up there 8.1mm, while the iPhone 16 Pro Max is even thicker at 8.25mm.

Still, it's not the slimmest: while still a concept, the Tecno Spark Slim, which is a hairline thinner at 5.75mm, was teased at this year's Mobile World Congress. Meanwhile, the Motorola Moto Z from 2016 measured just 5.2mm.

The rumoured iPhone 17 Air is also allegedly coming in at 5.5mm.

Interestingly enough, the Galaxy Z Fold6 – when unfolded – is slimmer than the Galaxy S25 Edge at just 5.6mm.

And since everything – buttons, USB-C port, etc – are in the same places as the rest of the Galaxy S25 line-up, this is literally a slimmer version of the Galaxy S25+ – except, however, for the camera.

Which leads to a pet peeve: phone makers may tout their slim phones as such, but you do have to consider the camera bump.

In the case of the Galaxy S25 Edge, it has a really big snapper bump that spikes its thickness to 8.45mm – which means this is what you'll be dealing with after slapping on a protective case. It takes the edge off its slimness.

Galaxy AI stays put

Samsung has chosen to keep its generative artificial intelligence platform, Galaxy AI, intact as it is on the Galaxy S25 Edge. It is a little surprising that there are no major boosts for the new device.

To recap, Galaxy AI was launched last year and it ushered generative AI into Samsung mobiles. Gradual improvements have been rolled out, and the Galaxy S25 Edge Samsung is heavily promoting its Now Bar, a little strip on the lower area of the lock screen that lets you control supported apps.

One advantage that Samsung's Now Bar has over the Apple iPhone's Dynamic Island is that it is easier to access being below the screen and allowing for more convenient one-hand use. Additionally, it is possible to set up and scroll through multiple apps on the Now Bar for added flexibility.

A disadvantage, on the other hand, is that things are still being worked out to let third-party apps use the Now Bar.

Additionally, Google Gemini's incorporated as well, so that's a bonus.

Make do with two

The biggest downsizing on the Galaxy S25 Edge is on its camera, as it only sports a dual-lens system compared to the rest of the S25 line-up's triple setup. The last Galaxy S device with a dual camera was 2019's Galaxy S10e.

It does, however, make up for that with a massive 200MP main sensor, and we do have to give it props for the crisp and clean shots, with good lighting balance. You can also capture videos in 4K.

But the device lacks a telephoto camera, limiting its zoom capabilities. This was to be expected, since a telephoto sensor requires more space, so there might not have been a way to cram it into the device's thin frame.

Battery's on the low side

The Galaxy S25 Edge has the smallest battery in the S25 series, clocking in at just 3900mAh, lower than even the base S25 – and that isn't exactly a surprise, given its thinner frame.

From a full charge in the morning and with some intense use throughout the day, we found ourselves in the mid-30s by late afternoon, meaning that it was necessary to charge it up to make sure it doesn't conk out by night. That can be a little frustrating especially for those who have days that are unpredictable.

In our standard one-hour YouTube-at-full-brightness test, the device lost 8 per cent, and it shot up to 47 per cent with a 30-minute charge, below its advertised 55 per cent, using a 45w adapter.

Verdict: Who's this for?

In Samsung's promotional materials and our first look, the Galaxy S25 Edge was being positioned as a lifestyle device, with shots of it snugly fitting into the pockets of tight jeans and really small purses.

Having a slim device is refreshing take amidst all thicker devices out there.

The Galaxy S25 Edge seems to be the non-foldable version of the Galaxy Z Flip, given some attributes they share such as the 6.7-inch (170mm) screen.

But we see the smartphone as more of a statement device. We're unsure if users will find that the device's premium build and more unique look cancel out the toned-down specs. And more importantly – the Galaxy S25 Edge is more expensive than its most comparable peer, the Galaxy S25+.

Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge comes in three colours – titanium icyblue, titanium jetblack and titanium silver. Alvin R Cabral / The National

It will be interesting to find out the trickle-down effects of this – if we'd see an emergence of slimmer smartphones at lower price points; there are triple (and even quad) camera phones in the Dh1,000 range.

It could be the start of a trend: aside from Apple's rumoured slimmer iPhone, word has it that the next Galaxy Z devices, the Fold7 and Flip7, are also tipped to be even slimmer than their predecessors. We'll have to wait and see who'll really have the edge in this race.