Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge review: is it too simple for its price?
Samsung’s new Galaxy S25 Edge isn’t here to break records. It’s not the thinnest phone on the market, and certainly not the most powerful Galaxy out there. What it is, however, is a surprisingly comfortable and refreshingly minimal take on a modern flagship.
Designed to be slimmer and lighter than its siblings, the S25 Edge sheds weight—literally. It’s nearly 60 grams lighter than the Galaxy S25 Ultra and almost 2.5mm thinner. You feel it the moment you pick it up, especially if you’re used to bulky phones and armored cases.
But the trade-offs are real. No stylus. No telephoto lens. A smaller 3900 mAh battery that barely gets you through the day. And while Samsung advertises fast charging, 25W is a stretch by 2025 standards — 15 minutes gives you about 25%, and a full charge takes close to an hour.
The 200MP main camera delivers solid results in daylight, with natural colors and decent portrait shots. But there’s no optical zoom, and even mild digital zoom quickly loses clarity. In harsh lighting or at night, the camera performs just… okay. If you’re used to the S25 Ultra or iPhone 16 Pro Max, you’ll notice the downgrade.
The 6.7-inch LTPO AMOLED display is bright, crisp, and smooth at 120Hz. But it lacks the Ultra’s anti-reflective coating, which means outdoor visibility isn’t quite as strong. Fingerprint scanning? Reliable, but still slower than what you’ll find on some competitors.
Under the hood, the S25 Edge runs on the Snapdragon 8 Elite with 12GB of RAM — more than enough for everyday multitasking. It ships with Android 15 and is promised 7 years of updates. But software-wise, it’s the same One UI 7 you know: two browsers, two photo apps, two wallets. Samsung still hasn’t cleaned up its app redundancy. Galaxy AI is here, sure — but so far, its Now Brief feature feels like a glorified weather widget, not a smart assistant.
So, who is this phone for? It’s not an Ultra, and it’s not aiming to be. It’s a middle ground — more refined than the S25 Plus, less demanding than the Ultra. If you’re tired of feature-packed bricks you never fully use, the Edge might be the most comfortable phone you’ve held all year.
What about the cameras?
The S25 Edge has just two: a 200MP main sensor and a 12MP ultrawide. That’s underwhelming for a phone that starts at $1,099. Photos are fine in daylight, and food and portraits look warm and inviting. But zoom is digital-only, and it breaks down fast. In tricky lighting, the Edge doesn’t impress.
What’s more, it feels like Samsung intentionally held back. With rumors swirling around Apple’s upcoming iPhone 17 Air — allegedly ultra-thin and camera-focused — the Edge seems like a pre-emptive move. A safe bet, rather than a bold one.
TechRadar even points out that Samsung might have stepped aside strategically: “better to launch a thin phone now than compete with Apple’s future headlines.” Maybe. But the result is a phone that feels more like a quiet compromise than a standout statement — and the camera proves it.
Comparison: Edge vs Plus vs Ultra
Feature | Galaxy S25 Edge | Galaxy S25 Plus | Galaxy S25 Ultra |
|---|---|---|---|
Main Camera | 200 MP | 50 MP | 200 MP |
Telephoto | None | 10 MP (3x) | 10 MP (3x), 50 MP (5x) |
Ultrawide | 12 MP | 12 MP | 50 MP |
Battery | 3900 mAh | 4900 mAh | 5000 mAh |
Charging Speed | 25W | 45W | 45W |
Thickness | 5.8 mm | 7.6 mm | 8.2 mm |
Weight | 163g | 190g | 218g |
Starting Price | $1,099 | $999 | $1,299 |
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