Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge review: Elegance meets raw power

Samsung's Galaxy S25 Edge sets a new benchmark on how a premium phone can be crafted in such elegant design with raw power.

Samsung earlier this month unveiled the Galaxy S25 Edge, the company's slimmest premium phone to date.

It is slated to hit stores this weekend on May 30 with prices starting at Rs 1,09,900 in India. I have been using the Galaxy S25 Edge for a week and here are my thoughts on the latest Android flagship phone from Samsung.

Design, build quality and display

As Samsung marketing ads all over the world suggest, the Galaxy S25 Edge is super slim. But, you have to hold this exquisite device to truly appreciate the marvellous feat. It measures just 5.8mm in thickness and weighs 163g.

The Galaxy S25 Edge is so easy to move around and really comfortable to use, type messages and navigate through the settings and apps single-handedly.

Though there is a little camera protrusion at the top left corner, it doesn't affect usability much. The phone slips in and out of the pocket with ease.

Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge.

Though visually it comes off as a thin fragile phone, Samsung has not compromised on the build quality.

The South Korean company has used high-grade titanium, similar to what we see on the Galaxy 25 Ultra (review) series. It is said to be significantly lighter than stainless steel, but way more sturdy. It can take a dent during an accidental fall but ensures internal components are well protected.

Samsung offers the device in three variants-- Titanium Iceblue, Titanium Jetblack and Titanium Silver. Our review unit is the third one. The company has done a good job with colour scheme. The metal enclosure looks elegant in a natural metal finish. The frosted glass on the back does a decent job of repelling sweaty fingerprint smudges. It can only be seen when looked at from certain angles.

Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge.

It is to be noted that the Galaxy S25 Edge comes with an IP68 rating, meaning it can sustain water pressure up to a depth of 1.5 metres (around five feet) for close to 30 minutes.

Also, the device's display on the front is protected by Corning's Gorilla Glass Ceramic 2 and the back panel is safeguarded by Gorilla Glass Victus 2. Both are good enough to save the device from daily wear and tear scratches when kept with keys or coins in the close confines of a pocket in the pants or a backpack.

The phone is well protected from water splashes and is able to survive accidental drops from knee height. But, given how slim the device is, I advise Galaxy S25 Edge owners not to put it in the back pocket. I say this even for regular phones too; it is not the best place to carry the device. Either keep it in the shirt pocket at the top or the front side of the pants. It is just not worth the risk unless you have subscribed to Samsung's accidental damage insurance package.

Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge.

As far as the display is concerned, it flaunts a 6.7-inch QHD+ (3120 x 1440p) Dynamic AMOLED 2X screen with the Infinity-O display design with a uniform super thin bezel around the edge. It is great for multimedia consumption and reading e-books for long hours without worrying about any strain on the eyes.

Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge.

Though it misses out anti-reflective guard we see in the S25 Ultra, the Galaxy S25 Edge supports Vision Booster technology. It can automatically brighten the screen when required in scenarios such as direct sunlight outdoors. It can support peak brightness of 2,600nits and the display comes with a pixel density of 513 ppi (pixels per inch).

It supports adaptive refresh rate of 1-120Hz, which comes in handy while browsing the internet and playing games.

Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge.

It also features a type-C port, dual-SIM slots (+ e-SIM support), an in-screen fingerprint sensor and stereo speakers. The speakers can liven up the room with lively music at maximum volume. It doesn't show any notable distortion as such.

The ultrasonic in-display fingerprint sensor does a fine job of instantly recognising the finger impression and unlocking the home screen.

Performance

The new Samsung phone houses a special 3nm class 4.47GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite for Galaxy chipset. It is backed by Adreno 830 GPU, 12GB LPDDR5 RAM, and 256GB/512GB UFS 4.0 storage.

The device does a fine job of delivering smooth performance. Be it day-to-day activities such as switching between multiple apps or operating cameras. It didn't show any signs of sluggishness.

Even while playing games too, it remained stable and the most impressive aspect I noticed about the device was its thermal performance. It does get warm while playing games or using Galaxy AI features such as an object eraser or AI-powered browser assistant, but never overwhelming enough to complain about.

I am not sure if the overcast climate here in Bengaluru with the onset of pre-monsoon showers, played a part in keeping the phone a little cooler than I expected.

Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge  comes with truckload of value-added Galaxy AI features.

During the entire review session, the phone never exhibited any overheating issues as such.

The device runs Android 15-based One UI 7 OS. It comes with a boatload of Samsung's propreitary apps and even a handful of third-party applications in addition to Google's core apps. Thankfully, the company is offering base storage of 256GB, which ensures there is more than enough space to install hundreds of new apps and also has storage for thousands of photos and videos taken from cameras.

It also houses defence-grade Samsung Knox security which promises to thwart malware-laced apps or files that get instantly detected and eliminated from the phone.

Galaxy AI-powered Browser Assist feature Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge.

The Galaxy S25 Edge is guaranteed to get seven years of Android OS updates and software security patches for protection against future cyber threats.

One of the major drawbacks of a slim figure is that there is less space for a battery. The Galaxy S25 Edge features a 3,900mAh battery with 25W charging speed and Qi wireless charging capability.

Having said that, the device manages to deliver a full day of battery life under normal usage with Wi-Fi internet at the home and the office. If you are fully dependent on the cellular network for the internet, be sure to carry a charger or a power bank for long journeys.

It takes around one hour to fully charge from zero to 100 per cent mark.

Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge Camera sample.

Photography

Samsung's Galaxy S25 Edge boasts of dual-camera module-- main 200MP (with f/1.7 aperture, OIS: Optical Image Stabilisation, 2x optical quality zoom) and 12MP 120-degree Ultra Wide sensor (with f/2.2, OIS, PDAF: Phase Detection Auto Focus) with LED flash.

Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge Camera sample.

Besides the battery, design limitations forced Samsung to water down the camera hardware in the Galaxy S25 Edge.

Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge Camera sample.

However, the premium device did not disappoint much. It takes amazing-quality images in almost all light conditions.

Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge Camera sample.

Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge Camera sample.

In close-up range too, it takes pretty good photos. Subjects such as flowers, colourful objects, and human faces look lively and vibrant.

Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge Camera sample.

Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge Camera sample.

It supports ultra-wide-angle shots. It can accommodate a vast landscape without any software tricks.

Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge Camera sample with ultra-wide-angle mode.

Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge Camera sample with ultra-wide-angle-mode.

Unlike the S25 Ultra, which can digitally zoom up to 100X, the S25 Edge can do up to 10X. On the bright side, the picture quality is really decent and sharp with less noise.

Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge camera sample with normal 1X view.

Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge camera sample with 2X zoom.

Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge camera sample with 4X zoom.

Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge camera sample with 10X  zoom.

With portrait mode, it takes brilliant sharp photos of the subject and artfully blurs the background to deliver bokeh effect.

Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge Camera sample with portrait mode.

Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge Camera sample with portrait mode.

It supports several generative AI-powered photography tools including object eraser, audio eraser, and more. The users can edit photos and videos in the gallery app.

Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge Camera sample.

With the drawing assist feature, users can reimagine a photo by adding objects to make it more fun. For instance, user can doodle on a photo with rough sketch of a bee on a flower. The Galaxy AI feature can churn out lively image of the insect.

Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge Camera sample.

At night time, the galaxy S25 Edge captures pretty decent photos with sharp details and less grainy.

Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge Camera sample.

It can record 4K videos up to 60 frames per second and 8K up to 30fps. The video quality is good on par with premium phones in its class.

Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge Camera sample.

On the front, it features a 12MP (f/2.2) front camera for selfies and video calling. It takes pretty selfies worthy to be used for display picture on social media handles.

Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge Camera sample.

Final thoughts

Samsung's Galaxy S25 Edge sets a new benchmark on how a phone can be crafted in such elegant design with raw power.

The most impressive aspect of the device is its thermal performance. The device manages to maintain a stable temperature while performing heavy duty tasks for long hours. Though it gets a bit warm, it'snever overwhelming enough to complain about.

Also, it also offers a full day of battery life under normal usage.

Despite watered-down camera hardware compared to the Ultra version, the Galaxy S25 Edge delivers good sharp images in almost all light conditions.

Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge.

Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge is available for pre-order in India at Samsung's official online store and authorised retail stores. Customers who pre-order Galaxy S25 Edge 256GB model for Rs 1,09,999 before May 30, 2025, are eligible to get a free upgrade to 512GB storage variant.

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