The sleek Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge wowed me. But who should actually preorder?

CNN

2 days ago

The second I picked up the new Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge, I let out a little internal 'whoa.' I've tested countless Galaxy phones — including the entire Galaxy S25 range that launched earlier this year — but don't recall using one that felt this thin and light upon first touch. When you couple that slim frame with the same smooth performance and great features that make the existing S25 one of our picks for the best smartphones you can buy, you've got a compelling package.
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.