The sleek Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge wowed me. But who should actually preorder?
But is having a super slim phone worth $1,100? And at that point, should you just splurge a little extra and get the even more feature-packed Galaxy S25 Ultra? Here's what I think after my first hour with Samsung's svelte new flagship.
Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge
The Galaxy S25 Edge packs most of the Galaxy S25's key features into one of Samsung's thinnest and lightest designs yet. If you preorder from Samsung via our link below, you'll get a free storage upgrade and $50 in online credit. You can currently preorder the Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge from Samsung, Amazon and Best Buy ahead of its May 30 release date. If you preorder through Samsung's website, you'll get a $50 online credit and a free upgrade to the 512GB version of the phone. If you're trading in an old phone for the edge, the company is offering up to $630 in trade-in credit.
Various carriers are also getting in on the preorder action, including Verizon, which is offering a free Galaxy S25 Edge if you trade in just about any phone.
Sporting a sleek titanium frame and a curvy, minimalist design, the Galaxy S25 Edge doesn't look all that different from any other member of the existing Galaxy S25 range from a distance. But once you get the Edge in your hands, you'll likely be surprised by how thin and light it is for a full-size handset.
The phone's 5.8-millimeter sides are some of the thinnest I've seen on a phone, coming in at about 21% slimmer than the standard Galaxy S25 and roughly 34% slimmer than the Galaxy S25 Ultra. Those are two incredibly slick phones, and they looked positively chunky when I held them side-by-side with the Edge — even when the latter phone had a case on. I'm especially impressed by that last part, since you can give your S25 Edge some proper protection without adding the significant extra heft that often comes with putting a case on.
This new chassis comes in a trio of colors pulled from previous Samsung devices, including Titanium Icyblue, Titanium Silver and Titanium Jetblack. They all look nice enough, though I am getting tired of expensive phones being saddled with overly subdued colors — especially when the Galaxy S25, S25 and even the S25 Ultra come in a far wider range of more interesting shades.
Slim design aside, the Galaxy S25 Edge delivers nearly all of the same specs and features we already love on the existing S25 range. It's powered by the same Snapdragon 8 Elite processor that beat out every phone we've ever tested in performance benchmarks, and its 6.7-inch quad HD display (which matches that of the Galaxy S25+), looked crisp and colorful when I fired up the trailer for the new Superman movie. As far as materials go, that vibrant screen is made from the latest Corning Gorilla Glass Ceramic 2, meaning it should be able to take a drop or two without cracking all over the place.
And because this is a tech product releasing in 2025, the Edge is loaded with AI tools. We continue to find this stuff hit or miss in terms of overall usefulness, but if you like the idea of being able to erase photobombers from a picture, generate a silly AI image of a French bulldog or identify a basketball player's sneakers by simply circling them on your screen, just know that the Edge executed all of these requests quickly and reliably.
Despite the identical feature set, Samsung did have to make some small design compromises here. A slimmer phone means a slimmer battery, as the Edge packs a 3,900mAh battery pack that, according to Samsung, lands somewhere in between the basic Galaxy S24 and Galaxy S25 in terms of endurance. As such, we're not expecting the same colossal 28 hours we got from the S25 Ultra earlier this year, though we do expect better runtimes than the Galaxy S24's 11-hour showing. We're especially eager to run our looping 4K video test on the Edge to see exactly what kind of battery life you're getting from this tiny thing, so stay tuned.
The Galaxy S25 Edge's camera setup is a bit of a hybrid of the entire lineup, borrowing the S25 Ultra's main 200-megapixel shooter alongside a more modest 12-megapixel ultrawide camera and a 12-megapixel front camera. The lack of a telephoto lens means you won't be getting the downright dramatic amount of camera zoom found on the rest of the lineup (10x zoom versus 30x for the S25/S25+ and a ridiculous 100x on the Ultra). But thanks to that powerful main lens and capable ultrawide sensor, you will get perks such as Nightography for low-light photography, 4K video at up to a smooth 120 frames per second and macro shots for capturing those tiny details up close. The front camera even has a wider field of view than that of the other S25 phones, which is especially ideal for group selfies.
The Galaxy S25 Edge is an incredibly impressive phone at first glance. I'm also not entirely sure who it's for. The thin and light design really does stand out, but it also doesn't solve any problems I've had with the rest of the S25 family — which are all pretty dang sleek and pocketable in their own right.
The best way I can describe the Edge is a midway point between the $1,000 Galaxy S25+ and the $1,300 Galaxy S25 Ultra, in terms of both price and features. If you like the idea of having a 200MP main camera for extra-sharp shots but don't want to pay for an Ultra — or just really wish the Galaxy S25+ were even thinner — then sure, get yourself an Edge. But looking at things on paper, I think most folks are better served either saving some cash on the S25+ (which has incredible battery life and a more versatile camera) or splurging up for the Ultra that gets you Samsung's very best (complete with an included stylus).
We look forward to running the Edge through our full testing process to see if it's more than just a contender for 'most pocketable phone ever,' so stay tuned for our full review.
How thin will the Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge be?
How thin will the Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge be?
The Galaxy S25 Edge measures in at 5.8 millimeters, making it the slimmest member of the Galaxy S25 lineup.
How big will the display be for the Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge?
How big will the display be for the Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge?
The Galaxy S25 Edge has a 6.7-inch quad HD display with a 120Hz refresh rate.
How much storage will the Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge have?
How much storage will the Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge have?
The Edge comes with a choice between 256GB and 512GB of storage. If you preorder before May 30, Samsung will upgrade your storage to the latter for free.
CNN Underscored has a team of skilled writers and editors who have many years of experience testing, researching and recommending products, and they ensure each article is carefully edited and products are properly vetted. We talk to top experts when applicable to make certain we are testing each product accurately, recommending only the best products and considering the pros and cons of each item. Senior tech editor Mike Andronico has been reviewing the latest smartphones for more than a decade, from some of the earliest iPhones to the Galaxy S25 range that just launched this year.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
3 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Trump Mounts New Attack Against Wind Projects on Federal Land
(Bloomberg) -- The Trump administration is considering halting all wind development on federal lands and in federal waters as the president expands his campaign against the renewable energy source he's long criticized. The World's Data Center Capital Has Residents Surrounded An Abandoned Art-Deco Landmark in Buffalo Awaits Revival Budapest's Most Historic Site Gets a Controversial Rebuild San Francisco in Talks With Vanderbilt for Downtown Campus Boston's Dumpsters Overflow as Trash-Strike Summer Drags On Interior Secretary Doug Burgum on Tuesday ordered a comprehensive review of the agency's approval process for wind projects, including right-of-way authorizations, environmental analysis and wildlife permits. The order, which Burgum said aims to end preferential treatment for wind and solar, is sure to further spook renewables investors and developers already reeling from the administration's attack on clean energy. President Donald Trump, who was in Scotland Tuesday to open a second golf course at his sprawling estate in the eastern part of the country, criticized the UK's support for wind power and decried turbines as overly expensive eyesores. 'Windmills are a disgrace,' he said earlier in the day. 'They hurt everything they touch. They're ugly. They're very inefficient. It's the most expensive form of energy there is.' Trump, who fought against a wind project within view of his first golf course in Aberdeen, Scotland, indefinitely halted the sale of new offshore wind leases on his first day in office and paused permitting of all wind projects on federal lands and waters. More recently, the Interior Department ordered that all solar and wind projects on federal lands required Burgum's sign-off, a move that threatens to mire their approval process in red tape. In April, Burgum halted work on Equinor ASA's $5 billion Empire Wind farm off the coast of New York, but then reversed the decision a month later after the administration reached a deal with New York Governor Kathy Hochul to open the way for new gas pipelines to be built in the state. Torgrim Reitan, Equinor's chief financial officer, said in an interview last month that further investments in US offshore wind are likely off the table. Wind power backers criticized the latest move by the Interior Department, with the American Clean Power Association saying it amounts to 'a confusing mix of unprecedented requirements on wind projects.' 'On its current course, the Interior department will block electricity from the grid resulting in higher prices, lost jobs, and decreased system reliability,' Jason Grumet, the trade group's chief executive officer, said in a statement. 'The proposed federal interference with private economic activity is unprecedented and creates a troubling challenge for critical infrastructure investment of any kind.' --With assistance from Jennifer A. Dlouhy and Skylar Woodhouse. (Adds comment from trade group in last two paragraphs.) It's Not Just Tokyo and Kyoto: Tourists Descend on Rural Japan Burning Man Is Burning Through Cash Everyone Loves to Hate Wind Power. Scotland Found a Way to Make It Pay Off Cage-Free Eggs Are Booming in the US, Despite Cost and Trump's Efforts Russia Builds a New Web Around Kremlin's Handpicked Super App ©2025 Bloomberg L.P.
Yahoo
3 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Gene Hackman had a will, but the public may never find out who inherits his $80M fortune
Gene Hackman was found dead inside his New Mexico home on Feb. 26, 2025, at the age of 95. The acclaimed actor's wife, Betsy Arakawa, had also died of a rare virus – a week before his death from natural causes. Details about the couple's plans for Hackman's reportedly US$80 million fortune are only starting to emerge, months after the discovery of their tragic demise. While their wills have not yet been made public, we have seen them through a reputable source. Both documents are short and sought to give the bulk of their assets to Hackman's trust – a legal arrangement that allows someone to state their wishes for how their assets should be managed and distributed. Wills and trusts are similar in that both can be used to distribute someone's property. They differ in that a trust can take effect during someone's lifetime and continue long after their death. Wills take effect only upon someone's death, for the purpose of distributing assets that person had owned. Both trusts and wills can be administered by someone who does not personally benefit from the property. Hackman, widely revered for his memorable roles in movies such as 'The French Connection,' 'Bonnie and Clyde' and 'The Birdcage,' made it clear in his will that he wanted the trust to manage his assets, and he apparently named Arakawa as a third-party trustee. But that plan was dashed by Arakawa's sudden death. The person managing Hackman's estate asked the court to appoint a new trustee, a request that the court approved, according to public records. But the court order is not public, and the trust itself remains private, so the public doesn't yet know who will manage his estate or inherit his fortune. U.S. courts vary in how much access they provide to case records. As law professors who specialize in trusts and estates, we teach courses about the transfer of property during life and at death. We believe that the drama playing out over Hackman's assets offers valuable lessons for anyone leaving an estate, large or small, for their loved ones to inherit. It also is a cautionary tale for the tens of millions of Americans in stepfamilies. 'Pour-over' wills are a popular technique The couple signed the wills in 2005, more than a decade before Hackman was diagnosed with dementia. There's no reason to doubt whether Hackman was of sound mind at that time. Although he had retired from acting and led a very private life for a public figure, after the last film he starred in, 'Welcome to Mooseport,' was released in 2004, Hackman continued to write books and narrate documentaries for several more years. Based on the wills that we have been able to review, Hackman and Arakawa used a popular estate planning technique that combined two documents: a lifetime trust and a will. The first document, sometimes called a 'living trust,' usually contains the most important details about who ultimately inherits a person's property once they die. All other estate planning documents, including wills, all financial and brokerage accounts, and life insurance policies can pour assets into the trust at death by naming the trustee as the death beneficiary. The trust is the only document that needs to be updated when life circumstances change, such as divorce, the death of a spouse, or the birth of a child. All of the other planning documents can be left alone because they already name the trustee of the trust as the property recipient. Hackman also signed a second document, known as a 'pour-over' will. A pour-over will is a catchall measure to ensure that anything owned at death ends up in the trust if it wasn't transferred during life. Hackman's pour-over will gave his estate at death to Arakawa as the designated trustee of the trust he had created. The combination of a trust coupled with a pour-over will – a technique that Michael Jackson also used – offers many advantages. One is that, if the trust is created during life, it can be administered privately at death without the cost, publicity and delay of probate – the court-supervised process for estate administration. That is why, while Hackman's personal representative filed his will in probate court to administer any remaining property owned at death, the trust created during Hackman's life can manage assets without court supervision. Who might get what The trust document has not been made public, but Hackman's personal representative stated that the trust 'contains mainly out-of-state beneficiaries' who will inherit his assets. Hackman's beneficiaries are unlikely to be publicly identified because they appear in the trust rather than the pour-over will. His will does not leave anything directly to any relatives. Even Arawaka was not slated to receive anything herself, only as trustee, but the will does mention his children in a paragraph describing his family. Hackman had three children, all born during his first marriage, to Faye Maltese: Christopher, Elizabeth and Leslie. Hackman had acknowledged that it was hard for them to grow up with an often-absent celebrity father, but his daughters and one granddaughter released a statement after he died about missing their 'Dad and Grandpa.' It is possible that Hackman's children, as well as Arakawa, are named as beneficiaries of the trust. Arakawa had no children of her own. Little is known about her family, except that her mother, now 91, is still alive. Arakawa's will gave the bulk of her estate to Hackman as trustee of his trust, but only if he survived her by 90 days. If he failed to survive by 90 days, then she instructed her personal representative to establish a charitable trust 'to achieve purposes beneficial to the community' consistent with the couple's charitable preferences. Her will refers to charitable 'interests expressed … by my spouse and me during our lifetimes.' But it offers no specific guidance on which charities should benefit. Because Hackman did not survive Arakawa by 90 days, no part of her estate will pass to Hackman's trust or his children. Christopher Hackman has reportedly hired a lawyer, leading to speculation that he might contest some aspect of his father's or stepmother's estates. Research shows that the average case length of a probate estate is 532 days, but individual cases can vary greatly in length and complexity. It is possible that the public may never learn what happens to the trust if the parties reach a settlement without litigation in court. Takeaways for the rest of us We believe that anyone thinking about who will inherit their property after they die can learn three important lessons from the fate of Hackman's estate. First, a living trust can provide more privacy than a will by avoiding the publicity of a court-supervised probate administration. It can also simplify the process for updating the estate plan by avoiding the need to amend multiple documents every time life circumstances change, such as the birth of a child or end of a marriage. Because all estate planning documents pour into the trust, the trust is the only document that requires any updating. You don't need a multimillion-dollar estate to justify the cost of creating a living trust. Some online platforms charge less than $400 for help creating one. Second, remember that even when your closest loved ones are much younger than you are, it's impossible to predict who will die first. If you do create a living trust, it should include a backup plan in case someone named in it dies before you. You can choose a 'contingent beneficiary' – someone who will take the property if the primary beneficiary dies first. You can also choose a successor trustee who will manage the trust if the primary trustee dies first or declines to serve. Finally, it's important to carefully consider how best to divide the estate. Hackman's children and some of his other relatives may ultimately receive millions through his trust. But parents in stepfamilies must often make difficult decisions about how to divide their estate between a surviving spouse and any children they had with other partners. This article is republished from The Conversation, a nonprofit, independent news organization bringing you facts and trustworthy analysis to help you make sense of our complex world. It was written by: Naomi Cahn, University of Virginia and Reid Kress Weisbord, Rutgers University - Newark Read more: Legal wrangling over estate of Jimmy Buffett turns his widow's huge inheritance into a cautionary tale Gene Hackman will be remembered as the Hollywood actor's actor Hantavirus: here's what you need to know about the infection that killed Gene Hackman's wife, Betsy Arakawa The authors do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment. Solve the daily Crossword
Yahoo
3 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Palo Alto to scoop up CyberArk for $25 billion to tackle AI-era threats
(Reuters) -Palo Alto Networks (PANW) will buy Israeli peer CyberArk (CYBR) Software for about $25 billion, in its biggest deal yet, as CEO Nikesh Arora seeks to create a comprehensive cybersecurity provider to tap into rising AI-driven demand. Wednesday's cash-and-stock deal, one of the largest tech takeovers this year, underscores a consolidation in the industry as customers streamline vendors after facing breaches while relying on a patchwork of firms. It follows Alphabet's (GOOG) $32 billion acquisition of Israeli startup Wiz in March, and will broaden Palo Alto's cybersecurity offerings by adding identity security tools, bolstering its appeal to large enterprise customers. CyberArk investors will receive $45.00 in cash and 2.2005 shares of Palo Alto for each share they own, the companies said. The acquisition is expected to close in fiscal 2026 and will immediately add to Palo Alto's revenue growth, as well as gross margin. Palo Alto shares fell 6.6% before the bell, while CyberArk slid 1.3% after jumping 13.5% in the previous session on news of the deal. CyberArk stock is up around 30% so far this year. "The rise of AI and the explosion of machine identities have made it clear that the future of security must be built on the vision that every identity requires the right level of privilege controls," Arora said in a statement. CyberArk specializes in privileged access management, technology that helps organizations safeguard sensitive systems by limiting and monitoring access to critical accounts. Its customers include Carnival Corp, Panasonic and Aflac. A surge in cyberattacks, including data breaches and ransomware, has driven demand for more comprehensive defenses. That has fueled interest in firms including CyberArk. The deal also comes as Palo Alto looks to accelerate its AI security push, with analysts at Scotiabank saying that it could use its large salesforce to drive adoption of CyberArk's tools -seen as critical for securing emerging agentic AI systems. Sign in to access your portfolio
