Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge: slim phone, smaller battery, no telephoto

Samsung’s latest smartphone darling, the Galaxy S25 Edge, has finally hit the scene, and it’s turning heads—not just for what it does, but for how it feels. Teased back in January and now available for preorder ahead of its May 30th release, this phone is essentially a slimmed-down version of the S25 Plus. You get the same gorgeous 6.7-inch OLED display, the zippy Snapdragon 8 Elite for Galaxy chipset, and a handful of clever AI tricks up its sleeve. But to make it this thin and light, Samsung had to trim some fat—and that comes with a couple of big compromises: no telephoto lens and a smaller battery.

Pick up the Galaxy S25 Edge, and you’ll get it instantly: this thing is light. At 163 grams (that’s about 5.7 ounces), it’s only a gram heavier than the regular S25, which rocks a smaller 6.2-inch screen. And at just 5.8mm thick, it’s the thinnest traditional Samsung phone we’ve seen in ages—thinner than anything in the recent Galaxy lineup, though it’s still a hair thicker than the company’s foldables or tablets, which cheat by spreading their guts over more real estate.

The “Edge” name isn’t just marketing fluff—it’s a nod to that razor-thin profile. But honestly, the weight is what’ll catch you off guard. Photos don’t do it justice; it looks like any other sleek flagship until you hold it and let out an involuntary “whoa.” It’s the kind of phone that makes you wonder how they crammed all that tech into something so featherlight. For anyone who’s ever grumbled about modern phones feeling like mini dumbbells, this is a game-changer.

Of course, there’s a catch. Slap a case on it (and you probably will—hi, clumsy club!), and that ultra-thin vibe vanishes. The weight stays low, though, which is a huge plus. It’s not about looking thin in pics—it’s about feeling less like a burden in your pocket or hand. Samsung’s betting that’ll resonate with folks tired of chunky flagships.

You might think a phone this slim would feel flimsy, but Samsung’s gone the other way. The S25 Edge borrows the titanium frame from the high-end S25 Ultra, ditching the aluminum used in the S25 and S25 Plus for something sturdier. The screen’s covered in Gorilla Glass Ceramic 2—Corning’s latest and greatest, promising better scratch and drop resistance. And with an IP68 rating, it’ll shrug off dust and a dunk in water without blinking.

In short, this isn’t a delicate flower. It’s built to take a beating, even if its waifish figure suggests otherwise. That’s a win for anyone worried about dropping their shiny new toy—though, as we’ll see, durability isn’t the only thing that matters.

Here’s where the tradeoffs start biting. The S25 Edge has a solid camera setup—two rear lenses: a 200-megapixel main shooter and a 12-megapixel ultrawide—but it skips the telephoto lens you’ll find on the S25 Plus and Ultra. That means no optical zoom. Want to snap a shot of a bird in a tree or your kid on the soccer field from the bleachers? You’re stuck with digital zoom, which can get mushy fast.

Now, Samsung’s not leaving you totally high and dry. That 200MP main sensor is the same one powering the S25 Ultra’s camera, and it’s a beast—capable of crisp, detailed shots that might even outshine the S25 Plus’s main lens. Pair it with the 12MP ultrawide, and you’ve got a combo that’ll handle most casual snaps just fine.

But versatility? That’s where it stumbles. If you’re a zoom fiend or just love framing shots from a distance, the S25 Edge feels like a downgrade. It’s a classic case of “good enough for most, but not for all.”

The bigger compromise—and the one that’ll hit harder for a lot of folks—is the battery. To keep things slim, Samsung shrank it down to 3,900mAh. Compare that to the 4,000mAh in the standard S25 or the beefy 4,900mAh in the S25 Plus, and you can see why eyebrows are raised. With a big 6.7-inch screen sucking juice, this is easily the weakest link in the S25 Edge’s chain.

Samsung swears it’s still a “full-day phone,” claiming up to 24 hours of nonstop video playback. That’s decent—though it lags behind the 29 hours quoted for the S25 and 30 for the Plus. Streamers, gamers, or GPS junkies, though? You might be hunting for a charger by dinner.

Samsung’s promising seven years of OS and security updates—awesome for longevity—but a smaller battery like this might not age as gracefully. A couple of years in, that “full day” could turn into “most of a day,” leaving you tethered to a power bank more than you’d like.

You’d think a phone with these cuts would cost less, right? Nope. The S25 Edge starts at $1,099.99 for 256GB, jumping to $1,219.99 for 512GB. That slots it above the S25 Plus and below the Ultra. For context, the Plus gives you a telephoto lens, a bigger battery, and the same core specs for less cash. So why the premium?

It’s all about that design. Samsung’s banking on the thin-and-light appeal to justify the price—think of it like a designer handbag versus a practical tote. If you’re obsessed with portability and aesthetics, it might click. But for most, the S25 Plus looks like the better deal on paper.

The Galaxy S25 Edge is a bit of a unicorn—a phone that dares to be different in a sea of bulky flagships. It’s impressively engineered, borrowing high-end bits from the Ultra while shaving off ounces and millimeters. For anyone who’s ever wished their phone didn’t weigh them down, it’s a tempting proposition.

But those tradeoffs? They’re not small. The missing telephoto lens limits your photo game, and the skimpy battery raises legit concerns—especially for heavy users or long-term keepers. At $1,099.99, it’s a tough sell when the S25 Plus offers more bang for less buck.

If you’re all about style and portability—and you can live with the compromises—the S25 Edge might just be your dream phone. For everyone else, though, it’s a cool idea that doesn’t quite outweigh the practical perks of its siblings. Preorders are live now, so if you’re sold, snag one before May 30th—just don’t say I didn’t warn you about the charger.