Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge Review: Not Revolutionary but Underestimating

For a few years, I’ve been operating under the impression that Samsung’s catalogue of smartphones has been pitch-perfect. Between a robust series of flagship devices and a couple of proven foldables, the Samsung Galaxy portfolio didn’t appear to have any definitive holes the company needed to plug. Thus, when I first caught wind of the Galaxy S25 Edge, I thought it was a novel concept, but perhaps wouldn’t become a mainstay in my lineup or favourite Samsung devices. I was wrong.

Across all of my favourite smartphones over the past couple of years, the thickness (or lack thereof) hasn’t been high in my considerations of what makes a smartphone a worthy hardware upgrade. A large focus for me is obviously internal specs and processing, camera upgrades, display power and maybe colour options. Spending two weeks with the Galaxy S25 Edge recently, my eyes are open to how much of a reduction in thickness can play a part in a device feeling more “premium”. It may seem like a bit of a tech gimmick, but when holding Samsung’s thinnest device yet, I can’t help but be amazed by its engineering.

As expected, the Galaxy S25 Edge takes a few concessions as it needs to compensate for the reduction in size. There’s also the matter of pricing. The Galaxy S25 Edge starts at $1,678 with 258GB of storage, making it more expensive than both the stock Galaxy S25 and Galaxy S25+. Samsung is also offering a 512GB model, which is available for $1,858 in Canada. However, in comparison to the Galaxy S25 Ultra, the Galaxy S25 Edge pales in many obvious ways. This new fourth arm in Samsung’s flagship lineup boasts some neat traits to make it stand out. While far from perfect, I think the company justifies its existence in a few notable ways.

Out of the box

As mentioned, the Galaxy S25 Edge is treated as the middle sibling between the Galaxy S25+ and the Galaxy S25 Ultra. As such, it comes with a 6.7-inch Dynamic AMOLED 2x display, supporting 3120 x 1440 QHD+ resolution. The device launched in Canada with two colourways, including ‘Titanium Silver’ and ‘Titanium Jetblack’. Samsung is using Gorilla Glass Victus 2, providing a bit of a matte finish on the devices. While designed to reduce fingerprints, I often found that I could see smudges and fingerprints on the lighter Titanium Silver finish. 

The star attraction when it comes to the look and feel is the thickness of the Galaxy S25 Edge. This is the thinnest smartphone developed by Samsung, at only 5.8mm. Speaking comparatively, it’s roughly the same thickness as three toonies and even thinner than a standard pen. The Galaxy S25 Edge measures in at 158.2 x 75.6 x 5.8mm and weighs only 163g. Numbers on a page are one thing. Holding this in my hand was what made me a true believer. Even the slight reduction from the 7.8mm thickness of the iPhone 16 was apparent from the jump. After years of becoming accustomed to smartphones with similar thickness, it was staggering to discover what a difference shaving off a couple of millimetres could do. There’s something new and fresh about sliding the Galaxy S25 Edge in my pocket and nearly forgetting it’s there. It’s lightweight enough that my wrist and pinky finger got a sense of reprieve while doomscrolling on Twitter or TikTok after dinner.

To compensate for the thinner design, Samsung engineers had to become creative with some of the internals. For instance, the Galaxy S25 Edge carries over the Snapdragon 8 Elite chipset, helping to power Samsung’s Galaxy AI and the suite of AI features available. The device is also running One UI 7.  Although making no concessions to processing power or software support, the device only sports a 3,900 mAh battery, a substantial downgrade from the 4,900 mAh battery of the Galaxy S25+. That being said, while the numbers look damning, I wasn’t too letdown by its battery. Where the Galaxy S25 Edge doesn’t shine as bright is its camera array.

Camera shortcomings are obvious

In the grand scheme of things, the most glaring drawback to the Galaxy S25 Edge is its camera array. The two-camera lens set up includes a 200-megapixel primary camera and a 12-megapixel ultra-wide lens. The device also features a 2x sensor cropping optical zoom. Beyond this, the rear camera setup is barebones. At first, I thought that I would be able to get by using the 200-megapixel lens as it functions quite nicely. However, over time, I found myself missing some of the more intricate bells and whistles from the Galaxy S25 Ultra, which I reviewed earlier this year. Considering Samsung’s high-end device includes a 200-megapixel main, a 50-megapixel ultra-wide, a 10-megapixel telephoto, and a 50-megapixel telephoto and costs $1,918, a mere $300 more than the Galaxy S25 Edge. So, it’s hard not to compare when the latest device strips away so many compelling camera capabilities.

Now, that being said, the photos I did take on the Galaxy S25 Edge are all good. Much like any Samsung device, the Galaxy S25 Edge is able to render beautiful photos with a ton of great details. Each photo I was able to take in the daylight was rich and full of colour. Even in darker environments or at night, the moments were captured wonderfully. The 2x sensor cropping optical zoom is serviceable in many cases. In fact, I guarantee many users will be delighted by its capabilities. However, if you are one to take close-up photos and want that pixel-perfect detail within your frame, you may be disappointed. Personally speaking, I rarely used the 12-megapixel ultra-wide lens. That said, it’s a personal preference when taking photos so your use case may not be the same.

Battery triumphs despite downgrade

I was very worried when I first discovered the Galaxy S25 Edge only features a 3,900 mAh battery. I struggled to believe that, given the device’s use of AI features as well as powering a crisp 6.7-inch Dynamic AMOLED 2x display, the device’s battery life wouldn’t be sufficient. On average, I was able to tap a full day out of the device, needing to charge by the time I settled in after dinner. With consistent use spread across answering emails, scrolling TikTok and other social media on top of watching YouTube videos and listening to podcasts, the battery typically lasted around 13 hours. However, as soon as I turned around to use the Galaxy S25 Edge as a content machine, taking photos and videos, I saw a noticeable dip in battery life, dropping to around 9 hours.

Of course, it’s hard and frankly unfair to compare the Galaxy S25 Edge’s battery to its S25 Ultra contemporary. The high-end device offers a 5,000 mAh battery, lasting over a full day. While the Galaxy S25 Edge isn’t able to compete within the same ballpark, I don’t think that the downgrade is too egregious. In most use cases, the device will get you through the workday. Whether it’s passively scrolling your favourite apps or using the device as a content workhorse, the device won’t fail you.

Final thoughts

Going into my hands-on period with the Galaxy S25 Edge, I had mixed feelings. On the one hand, I absolutely love it when manufacturers get experimental with their tech. However, I’m always cautiously optimistic about whether the experiments will come at a drastic cost, affecting the user experience. In the case of the Galaxy S25 Edge, I think Samsung justifies its existence. The device carves out a corner in Samsung’s device catalogue as the thinnest device yet. It also offers a robust array of uses, including Samsung’s suite of software as well as Gemini Live and other AI features. The display is stunning and feels great in your hand when in use.

The shortcomings of the camera array and battery are apparent, but aren’t as bad as I thought they might be. While it’s understandable that Samsung would have to make some concessions in order to compensate for the thin chassis, the Galaxy S25 Edge can still be a serviceable content-making machine with a battery life to take you through the day. Simply put, I want to see the Edge continue to grow. I also hope that competitors like Apple take note of the Galaxy S25 Edge as it sets a pretty compelling bar for the market.