“It's really thin and light.”
This was the reaction when holding the ultra-slim smartphone 'Galaxy S25 Edge' unveiled by Samsung Electronics on the 13th. The thickness and weight were fitting for the phrase 'Beyond slim' that Samsung Electronics proclaimed. On this day, I visited a Samsung store in Seoul to experience the Galaxy S25 Edge firsthand.
◇ At 5.8mm thick, it's light... a protruding camera lens instead of being flat
The most striking aspect of the Galaxy S25 Edge's exterior is its thinness and light weight. Samsung Electronics developed this product to target young users who have been lured away by Apple iPhones. By releasing a high-spec product with a simple design preferred by the younger generation, Samsung Electronics aims to shed its image as a 'Director General phone' or 'The Man from Nowhere phone.'
The biggest advantage of the Galaxy S25 Edge is its 'portability.' With a thickness of 5.8mm, it is the thinnest among all Galaxy S series. Compared to the Galaxy S25 (7.2mm), S25 Plus (7.3mm), and S25 Ultra (8.2mm), the difference is clearly noticeable. It is also slimmer than Apple's iPhone 16 and 16 Plus (7.8mm) and iPhone 16 Pro (8.25mm).
When held in one hand, it was so light that it made me wonder, 'Is it empty on the inside?' Its weight is 163g, which is 25% lighter compared to the 218g Galaxy S25 Ultra, though it is 1g heavier than the regular Galaxy S25.
However, the screen size was large for an adult woman to operate with one hand. The main screen size of the Galaxy S25 Edge is 169.1mm (6.65 inches), smaller than the 174.2mm (6.8 inches) Galaxy S25 Ultra but larger than the regular Galaxy S25 at 6.4 inches. It was somewhat cumbersome to operate, for tasks such as sending messages or playing mobile games with one hand.
Due to the thin design, the protruding camera lens is disappointing from a design perspective. While it did not cause any inconvenience in daily life, such as when putting it in a pocket, it is a contrast to the neat integration of camera lenses found in other Galaxy S series models.
The colors launched are 'Titanium Silver,' 'Titanium Jet Black,' and 'Titanium Ice Blue.' The most preferred color, 'Silver,' resembled stainless steel without gloss. The 'Ice Blue' color sometimes appeared more like a pale purple rather than blue, depending on the lighting.
◇ Samsung Electronics' ultra-slim phone 'Just the beginning'... Will it compete with the iPhone 17 Air?
In the industry, the consensus is that the Galaxy S25 Edge will be the starting point for Samsung Electronics' ultra-slim smartphones. Samsung Electronics introduces the Galaxy S25 Edge as a product that captures both portability and specifications. However, it seems there is still room for improvement in basic performance.
First of all, the battery life has decreased, and the camera performance is not the best. According to Samsung Electronics, the battery capacity of the Galaxy S25 Edge is 3900mAh (milliampere-hour), which can last a day without charging in typical usage conditions. This is less than the 4000mAh of the S25, and about 1100mAh less than the S25 Ultra.
The camera also presents a variable as expectations for smartphone camera performance rise, given that one lens has been removed. The Galaxy S25 Edge has eliminated the telephoto lens to maintain its thinness. This means that while it can use the 30x zoom function like the Galaxy S25 and S25+, it does not have the 100x zoom capability of the S25 Ultra.
However, it is equipped with a 200-megapixel main wide-angle camera and a 12-megapixel ultra-wide camera that can rival the S25 Ultra. 'Nightography' captures more light with a pixel size approximately 40% larger than that of the Galaxy S25 and S25+, producing clearer photos. A staff member at the Samsung store I met said, “It has a performance that is manageable for everyday use.”
Samsung Electronics' 'real-time visual AI,' developed in collaboration with Google Gemini, was capable of personalized conversations but it fell short as it could not yet integrate with essential external apps (applications) like Kakao or Naver for Koreans.
I asked Gemini to 'recommend a jewelry color that suits my skin tone.' When I added a photo of the back of my hand in real-time to the prompt, Gemini suggested silver, noting that my skin tone was closer to a 'cool tone' with a bluish tint. At the end of the conversation, I could check the record in the chat.
◇ Price starts from 1.496 million won... Will it compete with the 'ultra-slim iPhone'?
The Galaxy S25 Edge is expected to go head-to-head with Apple's ultra-slim smartphone, the 'iPhone 17 Air,' which is anticipated to be released in the second half of this year. The estimated price and specific specifications of the iPhone 17 Air have not yet been disclosed.
The release price of the Galaxy S25 Edge is 1.496 million won for the 256-gigabyte (GB) model and 1.639 million won for the 512GB model. It is the second most expensive after the Ultra model among the Galaxy S25 series and about 150,000 won more than the Plus model. The Galaxy S25 Edge will have pre-sales from the 14th to the 20th, with the official launch set for the 23rd.