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Phone Arena
2 days ago
- Business
- Phone Arena
Sony Xperia 1 VII review: great hardware...
Another year rolls by, another new Xperia comes out to try its hand in the high-end smartphone market. The Sony Xperia 1 VII continues the valued tradition of Xperia phones — high-end camera specs, slim body, and no hardware element omitted. The good old headphone jack is still here, the microSD card slot is not a thing of the past, and the true zoom camera is even zoomier. Alongside some camera upgrades, we have the new Snapdragon chip — of course — and the return of fan-favorite hardware shutter button. There is some bad news, though. For one, the Xperia 1 VII is not coming to the States. Secondly, it's pretty pricey wherever it does launch. In Europe, it'll cost you €1,499 — that's a big bill! Is it worth it? The Sony Xperia 1 VII scores pretty well for its price class in design, display quality, and performance. It lags behind in photo and video quality, as long as software update commitment and reputation so far. The Price Class Average score is there to help you quickly identify how it compares to its peers in the premium flagship phone area! Here's an overview of the newest Xperia 1 VII and how it compares to the predecessor: The Xperia phones barely change shape and size, but you won't find us complaining about that. They are slim, elegant, with thin bezels and grippy frames. The Xperia 1 VII is no exception. There are ribbed accents running across the aluminum frame, making it extremely easy to grip, the Gorilla Glass back has fine dimples all over, giving it a unique feel, and the forehead and chin around the display on the front are extremely thin, considering they hold front-firing stereo speakers. The right frame of the phone holds a volume rocker, a power buton with an extremely fast fingerprint scanner, and the two-step shutter button. This is not a sensor-equipped camera button like Apple recently started to make them — it's a classic camera key that feels just right and is placed where you'd expect one to be on a camera. The three colors, Sony official image It comes in three colors — Moss Green, Orchid Purple, Slate Black. The green and purple ones look quite fun, and we'd be lying if we said we aren't slightly disappointed that our test unit is the black one. That being said, we also can't deny that it looks incredibly stylish and elegant. Box contents? What's that? OK, some good news and some bad news here. The bad news is that, by default, the Xperia 1 VII comes with a lot of nothing inside the box. Phone and cable — that's it. The good news is that, in some markets, you can order it now bundled with the excellent Sony WH-1000XM5 headphones. That'll surely help that salty price tag go down easier. Sony does place a lot of importance on its display quality — it's proud to market the Xperia phones as devices for visual content creators. The OLED panel comes out with saturated, punchy colors out of the box, but if you want to tone them down and go "realistic" — pick Creator Mode. It looks soft on the eyes, the colors turn mature and lifelike and it's great not only for editing video but general long sessions on the a 120 Hz panel, of course. Unlike other manufacturers, Sony doesn't flaunt "peak brightness" numbers, which often means nothing. But that's fine, we usually do our own measurements. Here they are: 20% APL measures screen brightness when about 20% of the pixels are firing at full instead of having a white image over the entire screen. Basically, it more closely simulates looking at actual images or video, and a result north of 2000 nits is excellent here. We are also pleasantly surprised by the minimium brightness this time around — 1 nit or below is optimal for bedtime use. You will also notice that color reproduction drifts much less than the other expensive flagships shown here. Despite its impressive hardware, the Xperia 1 VII didn't quite score as high as other flagships on our camera test. Common issues were inconsistent exposure, some visible sharpening artifacts, no HDR preview, and no super stabilization solutions for video (though there is an AI mode to follow subjects in action). Let's get out of the lab and take some photos out in the real world: Sony prides itself in making exceptional sensors (most smartphones out there use Sony sensors), and for years it wanted Xperias to deliver "natural" photos and let the user do the post editing on their own — like they would with pro cameras. But that method didn't work out, the reality is that small phone sensors and small lenses can only lift so much of the weight. Expert work needs to be done by software after the shutter has been pressed — companies like Google, Samsung, and Apple are well known to have excellent post-processing. Sony has recently buckled — it stopped including 3 different pro camera apps in the Xperias and put extra work into the auto mode of the one Camera app. But it's visible it's a bit behind in the game. For example — the bird in sample 3 became doubled due to the HDR algorithm not stithching the images together properly (or maybe the shutter was too slow?). That's an issue we haven't seen in years, and only expect to spot on entry level phones nowadays. Sample 4 looks extremely weird with the leaves in the background that are out of focus — they look way too hazy. The zoom may be optical, but at 5x and beyond looks soft and noisy. The good news is that the ultra-wide camera does take great photos. Apparently, the lens isn't exactly... ultra-wide, it shows as 0.7x in the app. By our calculations it should be something like 0.65x by smartphone standards. In any case, the lens itself has distortion correction in its design, so very little software work is required. And it's visible — ultra-wide shots look epic and crispy, even towards the edge of the photo. The Bokeh mode (Sony's Portrait mode) is pretty unconvincing and we strayed away from it. And the selfie camera is OK? A bit overexposed and with some pink-ish cast thrown in there. In general, the camera may have super-impressive hardware and may produce OK images... but OK is not good enough for a €1,499 phone. Don't you wish we had some PlayStation expertise here? No surprise that the Xperia 1 VII uses the Snapdragon 8 Elite — pretty much the best CPU you can get on an Android phone right now. Built on a 3 nm process, it's fast and powerful and does demand good thermal management. The Xperia 1 VII has that, trading punches with the Galaxy S25 Ultra on the benchmarks. And in real life? It's a snappy demon! On par with modern smartphones, the Xperia 1 VII hits 3,000 and above on Geekbench — you know, the casual beast. It scrolls through and opens apps as fast as the modern competition, no complaints! GPU Performance And in the graphics department, you can definitely enjoy those modern titles that are launching right now — Delta Force, Warframe, what a time to be alive! Sony Xperia 1 VII Software The Xperia 1 VII is coming with Android 15 out of the box. The user interface is pretty "vanilla" with only minor Sony improvements on top. For example, the quick toggles menu doesn't have these huge, ridiculous Wi-Fi and Bluetooth buttons that modern Android has — Sony kept the clean small buttons from before. And there's the sidebar handle which also has quick toggles and shortcuts to your favorite apps. Sony promises 4 years of Android updates with 6 years of security patches this time around, which is an improvement over the 2 / 4 year commitments of the past. Still, how fast those updates come to the flagship Xperia also matters. So, we'll be keeping an eye on that. Other than that, the software is pretty clean of any AI shenanigans. You've got Gemini, so it's all up to Google. The only place you will find AI is in a new camera mode for subject following. And it's arguable that the phone needs AI for that since they've been doing it for years now, but I digress. The Xperia 1 VII is quite compact by today's standards but still rocks a 5,000 mAh battery. And, speaking of standards — it performs comfortably, with an endurance somewhere between the Google Pixel 9 Pro XL and Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra. It doesn't charge back extremely fast — about 50% in half an hour, and you need an hour and a half on the wire for a full charge. This is not bad time, not at all, but if you are spoiled by a current flagship that can get 50% in 10 minutes, you will find yourself needing to plan charging sessions ahead of time. I USB-C a microSD card tray on the right there The haptics are pretty great — quick, accurate, but a bit subtle. They work great as feedback when interacting with the phone, but not amazing for vibration when the phone is ringing through thick layers of clothing. The sound through the front-facing speakers gets decently loud and has a surprising amount of bass. They can be a bit muddy in the mids out of the box, but activating the Dolby Sound option from the settings cleans that up proper. In general, among the better-sounding smartphone speakers out there for sure, but not quite the best (crown still belongs to the old ROG Phone 7). The Sony Xperia 1 VII is not a bad phone. On the contrary — it's pretty good. The design and feel in the hand is great. The bloat-less software is a breath of fresh air as ever. The screen is good and the speakers are well above decent. And you get a headphone jack and microSD card slot, which are considered luxury nowadays. There are two points that make this phone hard to recommend. One is the price — £1,399 / €1,499 for 256 GB is quite the asking price. Yeah, sure, some markets get the Xperia 1 VII bundled with Sony WH-1000XM5 headphones, which are excellent and quite expensive on their own. But what if you don't want the headphones or don't get them in your area? Secondly, the one serious selling point of this phone is the camera. And, sorry, but it's just not that fantastic. It's OK, but I wouldn't recommend an OK camera phone for €1,499.
Phone Arena
2 days ago
- Business
- Phone Arena
Xperia 1 VII review
Another year rolls by, another new Xperia comes out to try its hand in the high-end smartphone market. The Sony Xperia 1 VII continues the valued tradition of Xperia phones — high-end camera specs, slim body, and no hardware element omitted. The good old headphone jack is still here, the microSD card slot is not a thing of the past, and the true zoom camera is even zoomier. Alongside some camera upgrades, we have the new Snapdragon chip — of course — and the return of fan-favorite hardware shutter button. There is some bad news, though. For one, the Xperia 1 VII is not coming to the States. Secondly, it's pretty pricey wherever it does launch. In Europe, it'll cost you €1,499 — that's a big bill! Is it worth it? The Sony Xperia 1 VII scores pretty well for its price class in design, display quality, and performance. It lags behind in photo and video quality, as long as software update commitment and reputation so far. The Price Class Average score is there to help you quickly identify how it compares to its peers in the premium flagship phone area! Here's an overview of the newest Xperia 1 VII and how it compares to the predecessor: The Xperia phones barely change shape and size, but you won't find us complaining about that. They are slim, elegant, with thin bezels and grippy frames. The Xperia 1 VII is no exception. There are ribbed accents running across the aluminum frame, making it extremely easy to grip, the Gorilla Glass back has fine dimples all over, giving it a unique feel, and the forehead and chin around the display on the front are extremely thin, considering they hold front-firing stereo speakers. The right frame of the phone holds a volume rocker, a power buton with an extremely fast fingerprint scanner, and the two-step shutter button. This is not a sensor-equipped camera button like Apple recently started to make them — it's a classic camera key that feels just right and is placed where you'd expect one to be on a camera. The three colors, Sony official image It comes in three colors — Moss Green, Orchid Purple, Slate Black. The green and purple ones look quite fun, and we'd be lying if we said we aren't slightly disappointed that our test unit is the black one. That being said, we also can't deny that it looks incredibly stylish and elegant. Box contents? What's that? OK, some good news and some bad news here. The bad news is that, by default, the Xperia 1 VII comes with a lot of nothing inside the box. Phone and cable — that's it. The good news is that, in some markets, you can order it now bundled with the excellent Sony WH-1000XM5 headphones. That'll surely help that salty price tag go down easier. Sony does place a lot of importance on its display quality — it's proud to market the Xperia phones as devices for visual content creators. The OLED panel comes out with saturated, punchy colors out of the box, but if you want to tone them down and go "realistic" — pick Creator Mode. It looks soft on the eyes, the colors turn mature and lifelike and it's great not only for editing video but general long sessions on the a 120 Hz panel, of course. Unlike other manufacturers, Sony doesn't flaunt "peak brightness" numbers, which often means nothing. But that's fine, we usually do our own measurements. Here they are: 20% APL measures screen brightness when about 20% of the pixels are firing at full instead of having a white image over the entire screen. Basically, it more closely simulates looking at actual images or video, and a result north of 2000 nits is excellent here. We are also pleasantly surprised by the minimium brightness this time around — 1 nit or below is optimal for bedtime use. You will also notice that color reproduction drifts much less than the other expensive flagships shown here. Despite its impressive hardware, the Xperia 1 VII didn't quite score as high as other flagships on our camera test. Common issues were inconsistent exposure, some visible sharpening artifacts, no HDR preview, and no super stabilization solutions for video (though there is an AI mode to follow subjects in action). Let's get out of the lab and take some photos out in the real world: Sony prides itself in making exceptional sensors (most smartphones out there use Sony sensors), and for years it wanted Xperias to deliver "natural" photos and let the user do the post editing on their own — like they would with pro cameras. But that method didn't work out, the reality is that small phone sensors and small lenses can only lift so much of the weight. Expert work needs to be done by software after the shutter has been pressed — companies like Google, Samsung, and Apple are well known to have excellent post-processing. Sony has recently buckled — it stopped including 3 different pro camera apps in the Xperias and put extra work into the auto mode of the one Camera app. But it's visible it's a bit behind in the game. For example — the bird in sample 3 became doubled due to the HDR algorithm not stithching the images together properly (or maybe the shutter was too slow?). That's an issue we haven't seen in years, and only expect to spot on entry level phones nowadays. Sample 4 looks extremely weird with the leaves in the background that are out of focus — they look way too hazy. The zoom may be optical, but at 5x and beyond looks soft and noisy. The good news is that the ultra-wide camera does take great photos. Apparently, the lens isn't exactly... ultra-wide, it shows as 0.7x in the app. By our calculations it should be something like 0.65x by smartphone standards. In any case, the lens itself has distortion correction in its design, so very little software work is required. And it's visible — ultra-wide shots look epic and crispy, even towards the edge of the photo. The Bokeh mode (Sony's Portrait mode) is pretty unconvincing and we strayed away from it. And the selfie camera is OK? A bit overexposed and with some pink-ish cast thrown in there. In general, the camera may have super-impressive hardware and may produce OK images... but OK is not good enough for a €1,499 phone. Don't you wish we had some PlayStation expertise here? No surprise that the Xperia 1 VII uses the Snapdragon 8 Elite — pretty much the best CPU you can get on an Android phone right now. Built on a 3 nm process, it's fast and powerful and does demand good thermal management. The Xperia 1 VII has that, trading punches with the Galaxy S25 Ultra on the benchmarks. And in real life? It's a snappy demon! On par with modern smartphones, the Xperia 1 VII hits 3,000 and above on Geekbench — you know, the casual beast. It scrolls through and opens apps as fast as the modern competition, no complaints! GPU Performance And in the graphics department, you can definitely enjoy those modern titles that are launching right now — Delta Force, Warframe, what a time to be alive! Sony Xperia 1 VII Software The Xperia 1 VII is coming with Android 15 out of the box. The user interface is pretty "vanilla" with only minor Sony improvements on top. For example, the quick toggles menu doesn't have these huge, ridiculous Wi-Fi and Bluetooth buttons that modern Android has — Sony kept the clean small buttons from before. And there's the sidebar handle which also has quick toggles and shortcuts to your favorite apps. Sony promises 4 years of Android updates with 6 years of security patches this time around, which is an improvement over the 2 / 4 year commitments of the past. Still, how fast those updates come to the flagship Xperia also matters. So, we'll be keeping an eye on that. Other than that, the software is pretty clean of any AI shenanigans. You've got Gemini, so it's all up to Google. The only place you will find AI is in a new camera mode for subject following. And it's arguable that the phone needs AI for that since they've been doing it for years now, but I digress. The Xperia 1 VII is quite compact by today's standards but still rocks a 5,000 mAh battery. And, speaking of standards — it performs comfortably, with an endurance somewhere between the Google Pixel 9 Pro XL and Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra. It doesn't charge back extremely fast — about 50% in half an hour, and you need an hour and a half on the wire for a full charge. This is not bad time, not at all, but if you are spoiled by a current flagship that can get 50% in 10 minutes, you will find yourself needing to plan charging sessions ahead of time. I USB-C a microSD card tray on the right there The haptics are pretty great — quick, accurate, but a bit subtle. They work great as feedback when interacting with the phone, but not amazing for vibration when the phone is ringing through thick layers of clothing. The sound through the front-facing speakers gets decently loud and has a surprising amount of bass. They can be a bit muddy in the mids out of the box, but activating the Dolby Sound option from the settings cleans that up proper. In general, among the better-sounding smartphone speakers out there for sure, but not quite the best (crown still belongs to the old ROG Phone 7). The Sony Xperia 1 VII is not a bad phone. On the contrary — it's pretty good. The design and feel in the hand is great. The bloat-less software is a breath of fresh air as ever. The screen is good and the speakers are well above decent. And you get a headphone jack and microSD card slot, which are considered luxury nowadays. There are two points that make this phone hard to recommend. One is the price — £1,399 / €1,499 for 256 GB is quite the asking price. Yeah, sure, some markets get the Xperia 1 VII bundled with Sony WH-1000XM5 headphones, which are excellent and quite expensive on their own. But what if you don't want the headphones or don't get them in your area? Secondly, the one serious selling point of this phone is the camera. And, sorry, but it's just not that fantastic. It's OK, but I wouldn't recommend an OK camera phone for €1,499.
GSM Arena
5 days ago
- Business
- GSM Arena
Realme GT 7 review
Realme is taking the GT 7 series global, or at least taking it outside of China. We've been using the vanilla GT 7 for a while now, just in time to have our review ready for launch day. Now, this global GT 7 should not be confused with the GT7 for China. The global GT 7 (notice the space) has a slightly smaller 6.78-inch display with a lower 120Hz refresh rate. Instead of the Dimensity 9400+ inside the Chinese model, the GT 7 gets a Dimensity 9400e. And while the Chinese model only has a 50MP main camera and an 8MP ultrawide, the GT 7 we have here is rocking an extra 50MP 2x telephoto camera on the back. It also has a much higher resolution 32MP selfie camera on the front. As you see, that's plenty of differences. But it doesn't really matter as, outside of China, most people will only be able to buy the global model that we are reviewing today. Realme GT 7 5G specs at a glance: Body: 162.4x76.1x8.3mm, 206g; plastic back and frame, Gorilla Glass 7i front; IP69 ingress resistance rating. 162.4x76.1x8.3mm, 206g; plastic back and frame, Gorilla Glass 7i front; IP69 ingress resistance rating. Display: 6.78" AMOLED, 1B colors, 120Hz, HDR10+, Dolby Vision, 6000 nits (peak), 1264x2780px resolution, 19.79:9 aspect ratio, 450ppi. 6.78" AMOLED, 1B colors, 120Hz, HDR10+, Dolby Vision, 6000 nits (peak), 1264x2780px resolution, 19.79:9 aspect ratio, 450ppi. Chipset: Mediatek Dimensity 9400e (4 nm): Octa-core (1x3.4 GHz Cortex-X4 & 3x2.85 GHz Cortex-X4 & 4x2.0 GHz Cortex-A720); Immortalis-G720 MC12. Mediatek Dimensity 9400e (4 nm): Octa-core (1x3.4 GHz Cortex-X4 & 3x2.85 GHz Cortex-X4 & 4x2.0 GHz Cortex-A720); Immortalis-G720 MC12. Memory: Up to 512GB 12GB RAM; UFS 4.0. Up to 512GB 12GB RAM; UFS 4.0. OS/Software: Android 15, Realme UI 6.0. Android 15, Realme UI 6.0. Rear camera: Wide (main) : 50 MP, f/1.88, 1/1.56", 1.0µm, PDAF, OIS; Telephoto : 50 MP, f/2.0, 1/2.8", 0.64µm, PDAF, 2x optical zoom; Ultra wide angle : 8 MP, f/2.2, 16mm, 112-degree, 1/4.0", 1.12µm. : 50 MP, f/1.88, 1/1.56", 1.0µm, PDAF, OIS; : 50 MP, f/2.0, 1/2.8", 0.64µm, PDAF, 2x optical zoom; : 8 MP, f/2.2, 16mm, 112-degree, 1/4.0", 1.12µm. Front camera: 32 MP, f/2.5, 21mm (wide), 1/2.74", 0.8µm. 32 MP, f/2.5, 21mm (wide), 1/2.74", 0.8µm. Video capture: Rear camera : Yes; Front camera : 1080p@30/60fps. : Yes; : 1080p@30/60fps. Battery: 7000mAh; 120W wired, 15 min to 50%, 7.5W reverse wired. 7000mAh; 120W wired, 15 min to 50%, 7.5W reverse wired. Connectivity: 5G; eSIM; Wi-Fi; BT; NFC; Infrared port. 5G; eSIM; Wi-Fi; BT; NFC; Infrared port. Misc: Fingerprint reader (under display, optical); stereo speakers. The final highlight on the Realme GT 7 specs sheet is the battery and charging setup, which Realme is really proud of. The phone has got an extra large 7,000 mAh battery, which is backed by fast 120W charging - that's certainly a combo you don't see every day. Unboxing The Realme GT 7 ships in a pretty standard two-piece cardboard box. Inside the box, you will find a nice soft, black TPU protective case and a 120W SuperVOOC-branded wall charger. Not all markets are getting the charger in the box with EU being the most obvious exception. Realme still uses a USB Type-A connection on the side of its SuperVooc chargers, and the provided Type-A to Type-C cable also looks to be proprietary, with an extra pin. So, you need to keep track of both items if you want to enjoy the fastest possible charging speeds on the GT 7. Page 2
GSM Arena
5 days ago
- GSM Arena
Motorola mistakenly lists the G56 early, confirms some of its specs
Motorola's Moto G56 has been leaking a lot recently, and earlier today the brand itself managed to mistakenly list it onto its websites in Czechia and Slovakia. The listing seems to have been taken down in the meantime - but you know how the saying goes, the Internet is forever. So the images in this article are taken straight from Motorola's own official website. The listing has confirmed the previously leaked colorways in which the device will be offered: Pantone Dazzling Blue, Pantone Dill, Pantone Gray Mist, and Pantone Black Oyster. Also confirmed is the MediaTek Dimensity 7060 at the helm, paired with 8GB of RAM and 256GB of expandable storage, the 50 MP main rear camera using Sony's Lytia LYT-600 sensor, the 32 MP selfie camera, the 5,200 mAh battery with support for 30W wired charging, the IP68 and IP69 dust and water resistance, MIL-STD-810H rating for ruggedness (with advertised drop protection up to 1.2m), and Gorilla Glass 7i protection for the screen. The Moto G56 is finally getting official on May 29. Via (in Dutch)
CNET
23-05-2025
- CNET
I Was Wrong About the Galaxy S25 Edge. The Thin Phone Hype Might Be Legit
CNET's expert staff reviews and rates dozens of new products and services each month, building on more than a quarter century of expertise. 8.5 / 10 SCORE Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge Pros Lightweight design 200-megapixel main camera Durable titanium frame and Gorilla Glass front and back Powerful Snapdragon 8 Elite processor 12GB of RAM Cons Mediocre battery life Only 25-watt wired charging Steep $1,100 price tag Just two rear cameras Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge 8.5/10 CNET Score Admitting you're wrong is never fun, but I'll swallow my pride and say it right now: I was wrong about the Galaxy S25 Edge. When Samsung unveiled the thin phone back in January, I didn't quite see the appeal. Sure, slimming down components is an engineering marvel, but how will the battery and camera suffer as a result? Plus, is anyone really asking for a skinny phone? But as the saying goes, seeing is believing. And perhaps more fittingly, holding is believing (not as catchy an adage, but undoubtedly true). Each time I pick up the S25 Edge, I'm surprised by how light it is. Now Playing: Galaxy S25 Edge Review: This Skinny Phone Left a Big Impression 06:24 What's not so light is the price. The S25 Edge, which goes on sale May 30, starts at $1,100. That's a significant price hike over the $800 vanilla version of the S25, which is likely to put this one out of reach for a lot of people. Plus, thin phones can come off as a gimmick to snag more of your hard-earned dollars. But after spending a week with the S25 Edge, I now understand that a sleek design can actually help elevate the user experience and, for some, might justify that higher price tag. In fact, I'm not sure I can go back. Jesse Orrall/CNET Galaxy S25 Edge look and feel My favorite thing about the S25 Edge isn't how thin it is (5.8mm), but how light it is (163 grams). I hardly feel it in my pocket or bag, and typing on something so airy is enjoyable and refreshing. Strictly speaking, the Edge is one gram heavier than the baseline S25, but it has the same 6.7-inch display as the S25 Plus, so it's remarkably light for its size. The phone's titanium frame adds durability, but also gives the S25 Edge a nice matte finish that makes it feel secure in my hand. That satisfying texture extends to the frosted Corning Gorilla Glass Victus 2 backing, which, along with the Gorilla Glass Ceramic 2 display, gives the phone an assuring sturdiness. It doesn't feel like it's going to bend when I apply force to it, and I'm not worried about it flexing in my pocket. That's a relief, since I refuse to slap on a case and diminish the Edge's slim appeal. Sadly, the Edge doesn't borrow one of the best features on the S25 Ultra: an anti-reflective coating to minimize screen glare. It's a missed opportunity, but at least the Edge's 120Hz display is smooth and bright, with a peak brightness of 2,600 nits that makes the screen easy to look at even in direct sunlight. I tend to like bigger phones because of their spacious displays, but I don't like the heft that typically accompanies them. The S25 Edge solves that problem, but it introduces another in its place: battery life. Jesse Orrall/CNET Battery life and performance This is the key trade-off if you want a thin phone: Less space means a smaller battery, which translates to shorter battery life. The S25 Edge has a 3,900-mAh battery, which is the smallest capacity across the S25 lineup. For comparison, the S25 has a 4,000-mAh battery, the S25 Plus' battery packs in 4,900 mAh, and the S25 Ultra has a 5,000-mAh battery. I was hoping I wouldn't really feel the difference, but it turns out I was just being foolishly optimistic. Samsung has said the S25 Edge supports all-day battery life, and that's pretty much exactly what you should expect -- but not much more. I'm a pretty heavy phone user, and with a single charge, I managed to pack in a good amount of social media scrolling, texting, navigating, photography and streaming, plus some calls (wild use for a phone, I know). That was consistent over several days. One day, for example, I started with a full charge at 3:40 p.m., and was down to 31% by 12:30 a.m. On another day, when I didn't spend quite as much time glued to my screen because I was running around covering Google I/O, I started with 96% at 5:45 a.m., and hit 32% by 11:30 p.m. It's worth noting that I have the always-on display enabled at all times, since quickly glancing at the time and notifications is something I just can't live without, even if it takes a slight toll on battery life. Jesse Orrall/CNET In CNET's 45-minute endurance test, which includes a combination of streaming, scrolling through social media, joining a video call and playing games, the S25 Edge's battery went from full to 91%. In the same test, the baseline S25 reached 93%, and the S25 Plus finished at 94%. And in a three-hour streaming test over Wi-Fi, in which I watched a YouTube video in full-screen mode at full brightness, the S25 Edge's battery dropped from 100% to 83%. The baseline S25 reached 85% in the same test, while the S25 Plus finished at 86%. Ultimately, you'll get less juice out of that slimmer build, but S25 Edge offers just enough battery life to make me happy. Normally, I like having a good amount of spillover charge at the end of the day, simply as a reassurance that my phone can last a little longer if needed. But the S25 Edge has shifted my priorities. I'm enjoying the sleek form factor so much that I'm willing to make some compromises, even if that means I have to be sure to charge my phone each night, which is something I tend to do anyway. The Galaxy S25 (left), next to the S25 Plus (center) and S25 Edge (right). Jesse Orrall/CNET Another downside that is sadly common, even for premium Samsung phones, is that the S25 Edge doesn't support super-fast charging, only 25-watt wired charging and 15-watt wireless charging. That's not great for a phone in 2025. In a 30-minute charging test, the Edge went from 0% to 48%. It reached a full battery in about an hour and 15 minutes, which compares poorly to phones like the OnePlus 13, which can go from zero to completely recharged in just over half an hour, thanks to 100-watt charging. The fact that such a thin device can even power through a full day of my extravagant screen time is admittedly impressive. But I hope future versions scale up battery life, because I'd rather not compromise if I don't have to. One of the S25 Edge's strongest selling points is its Snapdragon 8 Elite processor, which also powers the rest of the S25 series. Apps launch quickly and run smoothly, and the phone never got hot when I was taking pictures and videos. Transitioning from landscape to portrait mode in YouTube is instantaneous, and multitasking is similarly smooth and seamless. Videos move into and out of picture-in-picture mode without any lag. That processor means the S25 Edge can also power all those Galaxy AI features Samsung really wants you to use, like Generative Edit for Photos and Audio Eraser for cleaning up distracting sounds in your videos. You'll also find Google Gemini features onboard, like Gemini Live, which lets you have a back-and-forth conversation with an AI assistant, and Circle to Search, which shows you information about anything on your screen with a couple of taps (it's one of my favorite features ever). Benchmark tests for the CPU in Geekbench 6 place the S25 Edge well above the full Galaxy S24 lineup. In a graphics test using 3DMark's Wild Life Extreme, the S25 Edge exceeded the performance of the iPhone 15 Pro, Galaxy S24 Ultra and OnePlus 12. Check out the graphs below for more specifics. Geekbench v.6.0 Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge 2,875 9,013 Samsung Galaxy S24 1,955 6,255 Samsung Galaxy S24 Plus 2,057 6,571 Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra 2,136 6,675 Samsung Galaxy S25 2,999 9,604 Samsung Galaxy S25 Plus 3,224 10,143 Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra 3,053 9,707 Apple iPhone 16 Pro 3,507 8,750 Single-core Multicore Note: Longer bars indicate better performance 3DMark Wild Life Extreme Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge 5,702 Samsung Galaxy S24 4,752 Samsung Galaxy S24 Plus 4,808 Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra 4,415 Samsung Galaxy S25 6,496 Samsung Galaxy S25 Plus 6,875 Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra 6,950 Apple iPhone 16 Pro 4,672 Note: Longer bars indicate better performance 3DMark Wild Life Extreme -- Average frame rate Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge 34.15 Samsung Galaxy S24 28.46 Samsung Galaxy S24 Plus 28.79 Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra 26.4 Samsung Galaxy S25 38.90 Samsung Galaxy S25 Plus 41.17 Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra 41.62 Apple iPhone 16 Pro 28 Note: Longer bars indicate better performance The S25 Edge comes with 12GB of RAM and storage options of 256GB and 512GB. I'm glad storage didn't take a hit, since that's one of the top considerations when people shop for a phone, according to a CNET survey from August. The other priorities? Battery life and camera. Which brings us to our next chapter. Jesse Orrall/CNET Scaled-back cameras that still deliver You'll also have to compromise a bit with the S25 Edge's cameras; the skinny frame only supports two rear lenses. Thankfully, Samsung has made that tradeoff a little easier by making one of those cameras a 200-megapixel one for its main shooter, just like you'll find on the top-of-the-line S25 Ultra. It's paired with a 12-megapixel ultrawide camera. There's also a 12-megapixel selfie camera. There's no telephoto lens, and the preset magnification options are limited to .6x, 1x and 2x. But that did the job for me. I don't typically punch in more than 2x when taking pictures on a phone, though the next time I'm in the nosebleeds at a concert, I probably won't be reaching for the S25 Edge to take close-up shots of the performer. The Edge also supports digital zoom up to 10x, which is a decent backup option, though that's when you'll start to see some noise factor into the image. Overall, I'm really impressed by the pictures I snapped on the S25 Edge. It does a great job capturing sharp, vibrant images that aren't under- or over-saturated. Portrait shots are crisp and even-toned, selfies have a nice smoothing effect that maintains detail, and nighttime shots tap into AI to brighten things up. Let's warm up with a nice cup of tea. I like how the pink design on the teacup pops, without coming off as oversaturated. The lighting here is even throughout, and the details are crisp and clean. Enlarge Image Abrar Al-Heeti/CNET The pink roses in this outdoor shot really pop while maintaining an even tone throughout the image. The vibrancy of the surrounding leaves and multicolored flowers makes for an overall Instagram-worthy photo. Enlarge Image Abrar Al-Heeti/CNET Portrait mode makes the shot even better, bringing the roses into crisp focus in the foreground and really giving them their moment in the spotlight. Meanwhile, the smooth and subtle background blurring effect preserves the setting's overall beauty. Abrar Al-Heeti/CNET Portrait mode also takes great shots of my friends, and consistently knows what to highlight in the foreground and subtly blur out in the background. In this picture of my friend Raneem, you'll notice even the plant in the lower-left corner is also in focus, helping to maintain that eye-catching layered effect. Enlarge Image Abrar Al-Heeti/CNET After the sun set, the camera still did a good job capturing vivid, bright photos -- with the help of AI, of course. My friend Dana's face isn't as focused in this shot as I'd like, but I'm at least glad the overall image comes off as well-lit, and the candles on the table have an alluring glow. Enlarge Image Abrar Al-Heeti/CNET Selfies on Galaxy phones are consistently my favorite because of how nicely they smooth people's faces without compromising detail and overall sharpness. The S25 Edge is no exception, and the colors here are true to life. Enlarge Image Abrar Al-Heeti/CNET Finally, here are some examples of the preset zoom levels. These images were taken around 1 p.m., when the California sun was working its hardest. That helps to explain some of the harsher shadows throughout, but the bright blue sky and detail in the columns still make for a worthy shot overall. Enlarge Image 0.6x zoom. Abrar Al-Heeti/CNET Enlarge Image 1x zoom. Abrar Al-Heeti/CNET Enlarge Image 2x zoom. Abrar Al-Heeti/CNET Enlarge Image 4x zoom. Abrar Al-Heeti/CNET Enlarge Image 10x zoom. Abrar Al-Heeti/CNET Beyond the photos, I appreciate that the S25 Edge's camera module isn't too big or obtrusive. Sure, it sticks out a bit, but not in a way that compromises the phone's overall slim design. Final thoughts: Should you buy the S25 Edge? The S25 Edge may be a phone you never asked for, but that doesn't mean it can't be your answer. In fact, I see the $1,100 S25 Edge as a truly worthy middle-of-the-line flagship phone -- one that offers a fresh, elevated take on the baseline model and gives you a reason to spend a little more. I do think it's priced a little too high, but I've also become desensitized by how expensive most phones are these days. At least it's cheaper than the $1,300 S25 Ultra, but that's not saying much. Alternatively, the $1,000 S25 Plus has always felt like an awkward middle option that's priced too high for what it delivers: a bigger screen with a slightly larger battery than the baseline S25. In fact, rumors are already swirling that Samsung may replace the Plus option with the Edge in future Galaxy releases. But Samsung hasn't said anything about this, and we'll see how people actually respond to the slim phone when it hits store shelves on May 30. Jesse Orrall/CNET Ultimately, if you're bored with phones that all look the same (the S25 and S25 Plus share a striking resemblance to last year's S24 models, for instance), the S25 Edge could be a breath of fresh air. I've grown so used to its thin, lightweight design that holding any other phone feels like a drag. If, like me, you prefer phones with larger displays, the 6.7-inch Edge has you covered, without the bulk. You will have to cope with shorter battery life, but the S25 Edge will still get you through the day. A scaled-back camera setup is another key compromise, but the absence of a telephoto lens doesn't feel like much to mourn to me. Also, if you simply want to show off your cool new skinny phone at a party, I can confirm that this will do the trick. I'm curious to see how people respond to the S25 Edge, and whether more companies -- namely, Apple -- hop on the thin phone bandwagon. We really could be at the edge of the next big phone trend. Samsung's Galaxy S25 lineup compared Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge Samsung Galaxy S25 Samsung Galaxy S25 Plus Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra Display size, tech, resolution, refresh rate 6.7-inch QHD+ AMOLED display; 1,440x3,120 pixels; 120Hz refresh rate 6.2-inch AMOLED; 2,340x1,080 pixels; 1-120Hz adaptive refresh rate 6.7-inch AMOLED; 3,120x1,440 pixels; 1-120Hz adaptive refresh rate 6.8-inch AMOLED; 3,120x1,440 pixels; 1-120Hz adaptive refresh rate Pixel density 513 ppi 416 ppi 509 ppi 501 ppi Dimensions (inches) 2.98 x 6.23 x 0.23 in. 5.78 x 2.78 x 0.28 in. 6.24 x 2.98 x 0.29 in. 6.41 x 3.06 x 0.32 in. Dimensions (millimeters) 75.6 X 158.2 X 5.8 mm 146.9 x 70.5 x 7.2 mm 158.4 x 75.8 x 7.3 mm 162.8 x 77.6 x 8.2 mm Weight (grams, ounces) 163g (5.75 oz.) 162g (5.71 oz.) 190g (6.70 oz.) 218g (7.69 oz.) Mobile software Android 15 Android 15 Android 15 Android 15 Camera 200-megapixel (wide), 12-megapixel (ultrawide) 50-megapixel (wide), 12-megapixel (ultrawide), 10-megapixel (3x telephoto) 50-megapixel (wide), 12-megapixel (ultrawide), 10-megapixel (3x telephoto) 200-megapixel (wide), 50-megapixel (ultrawide), 10-megapixel (3x telephoto), 50-megapixel (5x telephoto) Front-facing camera 12-megapixel 12-megapixel 12-megapixel 12-megapixel Video capture 8K 8K 8K 8K Processor Snapdragon 8 Elite Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite for Galaxy Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite for Galaxy Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite for Galaxy RAM + storage 12GB RAM + 256GB, 512GB 12GB RAM + 128GB, 256GB 12GB RAM + 256GB, 512GB 12GB RAM + 256GB, 512GB, 1TB Expandable storage No None None None Battery 3,900 mAh 4,000 mAh 4,900 mAh 5,000 mAh Fingerprint sensor Under display Under display Under display Under display Connector USB-C USB-C USB-C USB-C Headphone jack None None None None Special features IP88 rating, 5G, One UI 7, 25-watt wired charging, 15-watt wireless charging, Galaxy AI, Gemini, Circle to Search, Wi-Fi 7 2,600-nit peak brightness; 7 years of OS and security updates; 5G (mmWave); IP68 water and dust resistance; wireless PowerShare to charge other devices; 25W wired charging (charger not included); Galaxy AI; Wi-Fi 7 2,600-nit peak brightness; 7 years of OS and security updates; 5G (mmWave); IP68 water and dust resistance; wireless PowerShare to charge other devices; 25W wired charging (charger not included); Galaxy AI; Wi-Fi 7; ultrawideband Titanium frame, 2,600-nit peak brightness; 7 years of OS and security updates; 5G (mmWave); IP68 water and dust resistance; wireless PowerShare to charge other devices; integrated S Pen; UWB for finding other devices; 45W wired charging (charger not included); Galaxy AI; Wi-Fi 7; Gorilla Glass Armor cover glass; ultrawideband US price starts at $1,100 $800 (128GB) $1,000 (256GB) $1,300 (256GB) How we test phones Every phone CNET's reviews team tests is used in the real world. We test a phone's features, play games and take photos. We examine the display to see if it's bright, sharp and vibrant. We analyze the design and build to see how it is to hold and whether it has an IP rating for water resistance. We push the processor's performance to the extremes using standardized benchmark tools like GeekBench and 3DMark, along with our own anecdotal observations navigating the interface, recording high-resolution videos and playing graphically intense games at high refresh rates. All the cameras are tested in a variety of conditions, from bright sunlight to dark indoor scenes. We try out special features like night mode and portrait mode, and compare our findings against similarly priced competing phones. We also check out the battery life by using it daily, as well as running a series of battery drain tests. We take into account additional features like support for 5G, satellite connectivity, fingerprint and face sensors, stylus support, fast charging speeds and foldable displays, among others that can be useful. We balance all of this against the price to give you the verdict on whether that phone, whatever price it is, actually represents good value. While these tests may not always be reflected in CNET's initial review, we conduct follow-up and long-term testing in most circumstances.
