Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge hands-on preview: Yes, very thin

On Monday night, Samsung finally lifted the veil from the edge of the Galaxy S25. I had to put my dirty little fingers on it a few hours before that.

I went hands-on with Samsung’s latest flagship phones during a media event on Monday, part of a new wave of ultra-thin phones. Honestly, the $1,099 Galaxy S25 Edge is one of the new devices to explain to laypeople, because the whole reason it is that it is nearly identical to other Galaxy S25 phones, but much thinner. You get the same chipset, the same software features, similar camera specifications, and comparable battery depending on the Galaxy S25 model you’ll compare it to.

The S25 Edge is now available for pre-order from Samsung, Amazon and Best Buy, although Samsung offers $50 discount and 256GB of bonus storage. The phone will begin on May 30.

Let’s dig.

Samsung Galaxy S25 hands-on preview

The events I attended did not include unlimited access to my phone, so I was unable to get benchmark scores, do detailed camera tests, or something like that. However, in this case, this is actually OK, as there isn’t much new inside the Galaxy S25 Edge (again, the point). Specifications, here’s what you get:

• 6.7-inch AMOLED display with adaptive 120Hz refresh rate

• Snapdragon 8 Elite for Galaxy Chips

• 12GB RAM

• 256GB/512GB storage

• 3,900mAh battery

• 200MP wide rear lens

• 12MP ultra-wide rear lens

• 12MP selfie cam

Compared to the Galaxy S25 Ultra, Samsung’s top flagship starts at $1,299, and the Edge specs are actually very similar. It’s a little small (the Ultra’s display is 6.9 inches), but you get the same chipset, the same amount of RAM and the same storage options, subtract the 1TB option on the Ultra. Crucially, the same 200MP main lens from Ultra is also here. However, you can only get an ultra-wide lens of 12MP (50MP on the Ultra), and there is no telephoto lens at all at the edge. So, there is no super Zoom.

See how small that thing is.
Image source: Alex Perry/Mashable

While detailed battery tests have to be waited for, the size of the battery is an early issue. At 3,900mAh it is a little smaller than the 4,000mAh unit in the base S25, a a lot of The 5,000mAh cells in the S25 Ultra are small.

But let’s stop kidding. The S25 Edge’s specifications are good and important, but the selling point of this phone is how it looks and feels, not what’s inside. The thickness is only 5.8 mm, thinner than the 7.2mm base S25. Its 163G weighs the S25 at 162 grams, although it should be noted that the S25 edge is much higher than the phone.

What does IRL look like?

It doesn’t have much to say when you actually see and feel it. The height and width are almost on the upper end I think are acceptable because I can use my phone full-time with just one hand. But it’s so thin and light, especially given the state-of-the-art chipset inside it and the high-power camera lens on the back. Needless to say, it feels good, but not much other than that.

To be fair, Samsung leaked the hell of this phone, so we more or less know what to expect for weeks.

Again, it’s very small.
Image source: Alex Perry/Mashable

Although more thorough testing is required later, I should note that Samsung told me that this phone is equal to the software of other S25 phones. This means Samsung’s recent AI features are also included. Can’t say enough: the only thing that separates the edge from other S25 phones is how thin it is.

But that might be enough for some. After years of phone calls became too big and bulky, I welcomed it.

So if you missed a smaller phone from the past few years, this is for you.