Review: The Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge Is Superthin But A Little Baffling

Forbes

2 days ago

Smartphones have typically focused on select improvements over the past few years: AI optimizations for on-the-go answers and delegating small tasks, smart camera tweaks for gorgeous photos and enhancements to battery life. While most phone designers focused on these features, Samsung bucked the trend with the Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge. That's what makes the Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge so different from the competition. It's a slimmer, more compact phone that pares down the cameras and uses a smaller battery—but the price feels pretty premium.
I tested the Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge for more than a month. Read on for my thoughts on the phone's ... More performance, design and more. Illustration: Forbes / Photo: Retailer
After testing the Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge for over a month, to be blunt, I'm still mulling over who exactly Samsung built this device for. The phone offers some nice features, while there are other aspects and choices Samsung made that have left me baffled. Read on to learn more about the device, from its thin design to its performance and more.
Amazon Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge
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Display size: 6.7 inches | Display type: QHD+ Dynamic AMOLED | Refresh rate: up to 120Hz | RAM: 12GB | Storage: 256GB and 512GB | Battery: 3,900mAh | Front camera: 12MP | Rear camera: 12MP ultrawide; 200MP up to 10x AI zoom | Processor: Snapdragon 8 Elite for Galaxy
Best for: Carrying the lightest and thinnest Android phone imaginable
Taking pretty good photos without worrying about too many lenses
A premium device without spending more on a flagship phone
Skip if: You need a more powerful battery
You're a mobile gamer, particularly for AAA titles
Samsung boasts that the Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge is its thinnest phone to date, and I'm all here for it. Don't get me wrong—the best Samsung phone I've tested to date, the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra, is such a powerhouse device that it was my main carry during a recent two-week trip overseas. But that power comes with the caveat that it felt like I carried a brick; it weighs 218 grams before adding my pink Casetify case. In comparison, the Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge feels refreshing: It weighs only 163 grams, measures only 5.8mm and still comes in a compact, sleek titanium package.
Note how the Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge is significantly thinner than the Samsung Galaxy S25 Plus. Rebecca Isaacs for Forbes
It makes sense to add the sturdiest chassis; for such a slim device, an accidental drop could mean the difference between the phone remaining undamaged or experiencing the dreaded crack or bend. For context, the Samsung Galaxy S25 Plus, which is similar dimensions-wise, uses an armor aluminum frame over titanium.
On the back, the phone sports just two cameras and has the same display dimensions as the Samsung Galaxy S25 Plus. It's also notable that the phone doesn't lie flat because the camera juts out pretty far on the back, but you can solve that by simply adding a case. I noticed during testing that the titanium exterior picked up a lot of fingerprint smudges—also an issue that a case can solve. Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge: Performance On Par With The Competition
Like the rest of the S25 lineup, the Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge has a Snapdragon 8 Elite for Galaxy processor, so I expected pretty strong benchmark scores. True to form, the Snapdragon performed well: Geekbench 6, an app that measures processor performance, showed a single-core score of 3158 and a multi-core score of 9288. Those numbers put it reasonably close to the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra, which scored 2867 and 9699, respectively, but the S25 Ultra still has the upper edge here with that multi-core score for gaming and multitasking. It's certainly enough to run the slew of AI frameworks found within the software, including Galaxy AI and Google Gemini. The latter is easier than ever thanks to the Samsung UI frameworks, too; simply long press the power button and Google Gemini is at your fingertips.
The Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge uses a lovely titanium shell. It's prone to fingerprint smudges, though. Rebecca Isaacs for Forbes
I noticed during a few times of heavy use that I could feel the heat pretty easily through the phone. You can game on it, but expect it to get pretty darn toasty when you're gaming. Personally, that would turn me away from this device. You can easily run light mobile games like my all-time favorite mobile game, Stardew Valley , but I'm not sure I can fully recommend heavy gaming on this device. Solid, Albeit Limited, Cameras
Most Samsung phones I've tested come with at least three cameras: an ultrawide, a wide and a telephoto lens. The Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge reduces the cameras to two, a 200MP wide and a 12MP ultrawide. In other words, don't expect a telephoto lens—which initially feels like an oversight considering the phone's around $1,000 price tag.
Samsung skipped adding a telephoto lens; you get a 200MP and a 12MP lens instead. Rebecca Isaacs for Forbes
It seemed like an oversight at first, but I was pleasantly surprised. The lenses still offer an array of AI optical zoom settings that do the job of the telephoto lens so well that I ultimately didn't miss it. My furry models, Emperor Maximus, Tobias Funke and Hobbes, still looked stunning when I snapped portrait shots. Samsung splurged on the cameras here, and it shows.
The Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge does a good job of capturing Hobbes' multi-colored coat in this unedited ... More test photo. Rebecca Isaacs for Forbes
It can also hit up to 10x AI zoom for those who want to snap photos from afar. Personally, I liked it enough that I almost took it with me on that trip overseas as my main carry, had it not been for one concern: battery life. Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge: Battery Life Small And Noticeable
One glaring exception to the impressive features the Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge offers is its battery size. While the Samsung S25 Ultra sports a 5,000mAh battery and the Samsung S25 Plus a 4,900mAh battery, the Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge only has 3,900mAh battery life. It's much smaller than its siblings, and if you're wondering how they slimmed down this device, this reduced battery life probably played a heavy role here.
To be blunt, you're not going to get that full 30 hours the Ultra and the Plus offer on the Edge. In running YouTube videos in 30-minute increments, the life was reduced by 5% each time. Based on these numbers, you can get a good amount of battery life to last you through most of the day, and that's partially thanks to neural networks built into the processor and other parts of the device. They do a pretty solid job of optimizing it to last longer, which the device needs.
I would put it on par with the Google Pixel 9 Pro; it's going to be a bit of a struggle to last all day, but if you play your cards right, you can make it work. Just expect to recharge the device at bedtime unless you put the phone in some kind of battery saver. Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge: Verdict A Good Phone—With A Couple Of Caveats
The Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge ultimately is a good device for those are sick of carrying around a big, bulky, hefty phone—but expect some sacrifices. One one hand, it feels very premium, so it's a good fit for those who want top-notch features like a great camera system and a durable build without spending the $1,300-plus the 256GB Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra costs.
But there are some issues that are decidedly not flagship phone-worthy. For one, it's going to get warm with heavy use, especially toward the top of the device, and that may be a dealbreaker for some. The bigger dealbreaker is the battery life, which can't quite hit the longer lifespans of flagship phones. If you can stomach this issue, it's going to be a lovely device to use as your daily carry. Just make sure you charge it at bedtime to get through each day. How I Tested The Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge
I tested the Samsung Galaxy Edge for over a month, taking calls, snapping photographs of my three cats, sending messages across multiple platforms and more. I dove into the Android 15 software, Samsung UI and Galaxy AI frameworks, too, making sure to review AI-powered features like Now Brief and Google Gemini. In reviewing these frameworks, I considered speed, accuracy and more to see how they handled real-world scenarios.
Additionally, I spent a lot of time with the cameras. Because the Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge has only two cameras, I took extra time to test the portrait mode and review the capture footage to make sure the 200MP and 12MP cameras lived up to other Samsung devices. Why Trust Forbes Vetted
The Forbes Vetted team has published hundreds of tech and electronic guides that leverage our hands-on testing and research. Consumer tech and electronics editor Rebecca Isaacs has been involved in tech journalism for more than six years. She has done deep dives into the Apple ecosystem with the iPhone 16 Pro and reviewed plenty of Android devices, including the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 6 , the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra and the Google Pixel 8 . Most recently, she tested and reviewed the best Android phones and the best Samsung phones.
has been involved in tech journalism for more than six years. She has done deep dives into the Apple ecosystem with the and reviewed plenty of Android devices, including the , the and the . Most recently, she tested and reviewed the and the best Samsung phones. As she tests phones, Isaacs focuses on aspects of interest to everyone, from folks who prefer a simple call-and-text device to heavy-duty mobile gamers who want a powerful and seamless experience. As a result, her testing is relevant to how general users, gamers and content creators may interact with these phones.
Additionally, she's spent time interacting with the latest smart wearables and audio devices currently on the market, from the Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses to the SteelSeries Arctis GameBuds and more.
to the and more. When she's not testing the latest smartphones, Isaacs can be found testing the best gaming TVs and the best TVs for bright rooms .
and the . This article was reviewed and edited by Forbes Vetted commerce editor Christine Colby. She has several years' experience as a product tester and reviewer, and 10+ years in journalism. She recently spearheaded a test of the best patio umbrellas and wrote about how AI can improve your sleep quality.