Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge hands-on: Wow… that's really thin

Indian Express

15-05-2025

The title may have given it all away—or at least a hint—about the Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge. It's a new Galaxy smartphone, and while it may share the same form factor as other phones, something felt different when I first got a sneak peek at the Galaxy S25 Edge in San Jose during the Unpacked event earlier this year. I still remember how we journalists rushed into the demo zone to get a first look at the device, only to be disappointed by the no-touch policy. The S25 Edge is bizarrely different; it looks and feels incredibly sleek in the hand, yet it's familiar. It's a high-concept smartphone, if I may say so. Now, the Galaxy S25 Edge is official, has a price (starts at Rs. 1,09,999), and it's coming to India soon. I have had the S25 Edge for less than 24 hours, and here are my first impressions.
I have seen consumers wanting thinner laptops, tablets, and hybrid 2-in-1 computers — but never smartphones. It's a bit surprising that smartphones, the most personal devices we carry in our pockets, have only gotten bigger and thicker over time. And I wonder why no one has ever complained about it.
Maybe that's exactly what Samsung, with the Galaxy S25 Edge, wants to draw attention to. Nobody asked for it, but I am glad Samsung wanted to explore what it's like to have a truly thin smartphone — one that isn't drastically different from what you already have, yet still feels subtly different when you hold and start using it.
The thinness of the phone is its biggest USP: a sleek 5.8mm profile weighing just 163 grams. My iPhone 16 Pro (review) looks noticeably thicker (8.5mm) next to the Galaxy S25 Edge. But I must say, at first glance, the Galaxy S25 Edge doesn't look particularly special — it has a traditional slab phone form factor with a 6.7-inch display and looks just as premium as the Galaxy S25 Ultra, Samsung's highest-end Galaxy smartphone on the market. The titanium frame, premium construction, and sleek design give it the feel of an expensive smartphone, exactly what you would expect at this price. It's all there, just in a thinner body.
Truth be told, the razor-thin design of the Galaxy S25 Edge does make a psychological impact. You notice how light and slim the device feels every time you pick it up and use it. The phone feels great to hold, has a nice balance, and offers a secure grip. Its thin form factor makes the biggest difference in two key scenarios: when holding the phone horizontally to use the camera, and when reading eBooks or browsing the web. These things may not immediately stand out (and I bet you've never really thought about them), but as someone who spends a lot of time on their phone and does things most people typically do on a computer, I definitely notice. Using the Galaxy S25 Edge makes you appreciate the small details you may have been ignoring for a long time.
But over time, that extra thinness starts to fade into the background, and you forget that it was ever a particularly skinny phone. Ultimately, it depends on how you perceive it — whether that's a good thing or a bad thing is up to you.
It's still early days with the Galaxy S25 Edge, and my outlook may change over time. So far, the phone feels quite sturdy, and I haven't encountered any issues related to bendability, which is a positive sign. This might just be the biggest test the Galaxy S25 Edge has to pass, because no one wants a phone that folds in half just from being kept in a back pocket.
The Galaxy S25 Edge has been designed to be a premium phone from day one, and although it's super thin, the specs are on par with other high-end smartphones. The 6.7-inch Dynamic AMOLED 2X screen has a resolution of 3,120 by 1,440 pixels and a 120Hz refresh rate. The Edge's screen looks sharp, vibrant, and just as impressive as the Galaxy S25 Ultra's display. The phone is powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite for Galaxy, paired with 12GB of RAM — the same as the other Galaxy S models.
Samsung offers two storage options: 256GB or 512GB. However, the biggest trade-off with the Galaxy S25 Edge (at least on paper, as I am yet to test it) is the battery capacity. The device has a 3,900 mAh battery, which is smaller than the base S25 (4,000 mAh), the S25 Plus (4,900 mAh), and the S25 Ultra (5,000 mAh). Samsung hasn't shared exactly how many hours the Edge's battery can last, only stating that it will get you through a full day. The Edge supports fast charging up to 25W (compared to the S25 Plus' 45W wired charging), along with 15W wireless charging and reverse wireless charging.
Beyond the smaller battery capacity, Samsung has tried to make up for it with the camera hardware. The phone has fewer sensors but more megapixels. On the rear of the device, you will find a 200-megapixel wide camera and a 12-megapixel ultra wide camera — the telephoto lens is missing. I couldn't test the camera yet, but I hope the Edge's camera delivers the same level of photographs and is comparable to other Galaxy S smartphones.
But like other smartphones in the Galaxy S25 range, the Edge also has Galaxy AI built in, and there are plenty of features I am already familiar with, like Circle to Search, Audio Easier, Image-to-Sketch, and Gemini Live.
After spending a day with the Galaxy S25 Edge, I am still getting used to the device. Maybe for some, the shockingly thin design of the Galaxy S25 Edge won't wow them, but as someone who has been part of the tech industry for a long time, I can understand why a phone like this exists now. The timing feels just right. I can't comment on the commercial prospects of the Galaxy S25 Edge or how well it will be received by consumers, but as a tech journalist, I can sense the beginning of a new smartphone tier — and the Galaxy S25 Edge might just be the one to kick things off.
At a time when there's a sense of mundaneness in the smartphone segment, the Galaxy S25 Edge's slim and lightweight design, combined with flagship-grade features, is refreshing to see. The phone's smaller battery is a concern, but I hope Samsung and others learn from this and come up with solutions to improve battery life on ultra-slim devices like these, which I believe will flood the market in the coming months. For me, however, the Galaxy S25 Edge feels like a test device paving the way for ridiculously sleek foldables that are yet to hit the market.
What do you think about the Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge and its super-thin form factor? Share your thoughts with us on our social media pages via Facebook and X.
Anuj Bhatia is a personal technology writer at indianexpress.com who has been covering smartphones, personal computers, gaming, apps, and lifestyle tech actively since 2011. He specialises in writing longer-form feature articles and explainers on trending tech topics. His unique interests encompass delving into vintage tech, retro gaming and composing in-depth narratives on the intersection of history, technology, and popular culture. He covers major international tech conferences and product launches from the world's biggest and most valuable tech brands including Apple, Google and others. At the same time, he also extensively covers indie, home-grown tech startups. Prior to joining The Indian Express in late 2016, he served as a senior tech writer at My Mobile magazine and previously held roles as a reviewer and tech writer at Gizbot. Anuj holds a postgraduate degree from Banaras Hindu University. You can find Anuj on Linkedin.
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