Product test
Galaxy S25 Ultra review: where AI helps – and where it doesn’t
by Jan Johannsen
Galaxy S25 Edge: 5.8 mm thin and still full of the latest technology
13/5/2025
Translation: machine translated
Pictures: Jan Johannsen
After being told "just look, don't touch", the time has come to get your hands on Samsung's extremely thin Galaxy S25 Edge.
After several appearances where the Galaxy S25 Edge could only be viewed from a distance, Samsung has unveiled its extremely thin Galaxy S25 Edge smartphone. I was able to get a first impression of the device, which is just 5.8 millimetres thick.
The thinnest smartphone der Welt from Samsung
Building smartphones as thin as possible is a revitalised trend. At 5.8 millimetres - excluding the camera bump - the Galaxy S25 Edge is currently the thinnest smartphone available. The closest is the Hot 50 Pro from Chinese manufacturer Infinix, which is 6.88 millimetres thick. At 5.75 millimetres, the slightly thinner Tecno Spark Slim has so far only existed as a concept and exhibit at trade fairs. The thinnest smartphone available for purchase to date remains the Motorola Moto Z from 2016 with just 5.2 millimetres.
The Honor Magic V3 is nominally just 4.4 millimetres. However, the folding smartphone only achieves this when unfolded. With the same form factor as the S25 Edge, it measures 9.2 millimetres. Rumours of an extra-thin iPhone Air have been circulating for some time. However, we won't find out just how thin it will be until September at the earliest, when Apple unveils the next generation of iPhone.
How the lightweight feels
The Galaxy S25 Edge feels light at first. After a short time, however, its 163 grams are nothing unusual - even though this makes it Samsung's lightest smartphone to date. It is discreet, but not too slim. I can hold it securely and am not worried about it being too flimsy. However, I don't carry my smartphone in my back pocket either. Subtle bending tests give me confidence.
The S25 Edge is 2.4 millimetres and therefore almost 30 per cent thinner than the Pixel 9 Pro XL. I notice that in my hand. After trying it out briefly, it makes no difference when using the smartphone - if I ignore other features. Instead, it is primarily a lifestyle decision to choose the design of the S25 Edge.
Top smartphone with a small battery and no telephoto camera
Despite the extremely small dimensions, Samsung has not skimped on the features of the Galaxy S25 Edge. It was a challenge to fit premium hardware into such a slim body. Nevertheless, the S25 Edge shares many features with the Galaxy S25 Ultra: for example, the display, processor and main camera. The most serious differences are probably the lack of telephoto cameras and the small battery. Detailed tests will have to show how this affects the smartphone's battery life. The very long battery life of the Ultra gives us hope that the Edge can also be used well with a smaller battery.
- Display: 6.7-inch Dynamic AMOLED, QHD+, 1-120 Hertz
- Processor: Snapdragon 8 Elite
- Main camera: 200 megapixels
- Ultra wide-angle camera: 12 megapixels
- Front camera: 12 megapixels
- Memory: 12 gigabytes
- Data storage: 256 / 512 gigabytes
- Battery: 3900 mAh, 25 watts via cable, 15 watts wireless (Qi2)
Samsung has even included a small cooling chamber in the Galaxy S25 Edge. This is intended to ensure that the built-in processor does not have to throttle its performance.
Like the S25 Ultra, the S25 Edge has a titanium frame and is IP68 waterproof. It has therefore survived 30 minutes in 1.5 metres of water in tests. While Samsung has Gorilla Glass Victus 2 uses a completely new protective glass on the front: Gorilla Glass Ceramic 2. Samsung has worked with Corning, the manufacturer of Gorilla Glass, to incorporate crystals into the glass matrix. «The combination of glass and crystal components makes the display robust without affecting light transmission», according to the manufacturer. However, it does not provide precise details on the strength.
The S25 Edge runs Android 15 out of the box. Samsung provides the operating system with its One UI 7.0 user interface and promises to provide the smartphone with software and security updates for seven years. Galaxy AI with all the AI functions found on the other S25 models is also on board.
Price and availability
Pre-orders for the Galaxy S25 Edge are now open.
In Switzerland, we also have a promotion where the larger storage variant with 512 gigabytes is available for the recommended retail price of the 256 gigabyte model when pre-ordering.
Samsung also offers matching accessories for the Galaxy S25 Edge. Of course, the smartphone is thicker with a case. However, its cases are said to be 12 per cent thinner than those of the Galaxy S25 Plus.
Header image: Jan Johannsen
As a primary school pupil, I used to sit in a friend's living room with many of my classmates to play the Super NES. Now I get my hands on the latest technology and test it for you. In recent years at Curved, Computer Bild and Netzwelt, now at Digitec and Galaxus.
5 comments
later