Samsung’s line-up of 2025 phones just got a little more confusing, as the Galaxy S25 Edge has officially been announced. This model was teased at the launch of the Galaxy S25, shaving millimetres off to make this the thinnest Galaxy S so far. Yes, the S25 Edge’s claim to fame is that it’s just 5.8mm thick.
Its closest relation in the line-up is the Galaxy S25 Plus, which is some 7.3mm thick, so if you opt for the Edge, you save yourself 1.5mm of pocket space. The Galaxy S25 Edge weighs just 163g, which is 27g lighter than the S25 Plus – some 14% lighter.
By comparison, the iPhone 16 and the iPhone 16e are 7.8mm thick and weigh around 170g.
Who is the Galaxy S25 Edge for?
If you’re looking to buy a new Samsung phone then you have obvious choices: the S25 Ultra has the largest display and the most comprehensive camera – not forgetting the S Pen, but it’s the most expensive at £1,099. Then you have the S25 Plus, which basically has (almost) all the screen size of the S25 Ultra, but it’s cheaper at £999.
IMAGE CREDIT: THE DISCONNEKT
Then there’s the Galaxy S25, which is more compact and more affordable, so if you’re looking for a device you can easily slip into your pocket while knowing it’s still up to high-end tasks, then the regular S25 is for you – it’s also only £799.
But now you have the Galaxy S25 Edge. This is the thinnest and the lightest, but it’s expensive at £1,099 for the 256GB version, costing as much as the Ultra, while not quite offering the same hardware.
I suspect that the Galaxy S25 Edge will prove popular as a novelty. As the first thin phone from Samsung – with Apple expected to produce the iPhone 17 Air at some point – thin could be in for 2025. While it’s an interesting design – and certainly feels great once you have it in your hand – it could mark the beginning of price inflation.
I suspect that slimmer phones might replace thicker phones and prices of flagship devices might increase to accommodate that.
The Galaxy S25 Edge detail you probably missed
Moving onto the thing that really tickled me when I spent some time with this phone. I tried the Galaxy S25 Edge with one of Samsung’s cases, and the result was a phone that was the same thickness as the Galaxy S25 Ultra as you can see in these photos.
IMAGE CREDIT: THE DISCONNEKT
The irony of that amused me: if you want to protect that slim phone with a case, you might be better off just buying the Galaxy S25 Ultra and not using a case at all, as you get a better phone for the same money.
The Galaxy S25 Edge breakdown: Specs examined
It’s worth taking a look at where the Galaxy S25 Edge has drawn inspiration, so here’s a quick rundown of what’s unique and what you get elsewhere:
- Display: Same as the Galaxy S25 Plus
- Main camera: Same as Galaxy S25 Ultra (but compressed)
- Ultrawide camera: Same as S25 Plus
- Selfie camera: Same as S25 Plus
- Battery: Same as the Galaxy S23
- Processor: Same as the S25 Plus
- Materials: Gorilla Glass Ceramic 2 is new; titanium same as S25 Ultra
So, from the list, it’s the Corning Gorilla Glass 2 that’s new to make this phone tougher, while it uses titanium for the frame like the S25 Ultra.
It also adopts the 200-megapixel S25 Ultra main camera, but Samsung told me this was made 18 per cent slimmer to fit into the frame of the new S25 Edge. It’s the same, but new.
It has the Snapdragon 8 Elite for Galaxy that you’ll find in the rest of the Galaxy S25 models, but there’s less space for cooling, so you’ll find something called a “tailored thermal interface” to aid cooling. Considering that the Snapdragon 8 Elite seems to run a little hot, this could be the Achilles heel of the new Samsung phone.
IMAGE CREDIT: THE DISCONNEKT
There’s also not a lot of space for battery: indeed, you have to backtrack to the Galaxy S23 to find a 3,900mAh battery. That compares to the 4,900mAh battery in the Galaxy S25 Plus – a 20 per cent reduction in battery capacity.
So there you have it: Samsung has basically slimmed the profile of the S25 Plus, sacrificing battery to achieve the 5.8mm thickness and sweetened the deal with a 200-megapixel main camera, while ditching the zoom. You’ll get all the power here of a flagship phone (thermal limitations permitting), with the same software experience and 7 years support.
But none of that takes away from the fact that the Galaxy S25 Edge looks new and it feels new. It’s a phone that I want, not for the performance, but to show people that I have it, because it’s going to be a novelty.
On paper, it makes no sense at all: there are loads of arguments not to get the Galaxy S25 Edge, but ultimately, the heart wants what it wants.
