"The 'Galaxy S25 Edge' is expensive. You might as well buy the 'Galaxy S25 Plus.'"
On the 23rd, Samsung Electronics launched the ultra-slim smartphone 'Galaxy S25 Edge' in the domestic market. A staff member at a telecommunications retail store in the Yeongdeungpo District of Seoul, who was visited that day, said, "The subsidies for the Galaxy S25 Edge and the additional subsidies (rebates) are too low. Right now, it is more beneficial to activate the Galaxy S25 Plus," adding, "Among the three customers who came to activate the Galaxy S25 Edge today, two chose the Galaxy S25 Plus." Another retail employee noted, "If the subsidies had been set at a similar level, demand would have been concentrated on the Galaxy S25 Edge, but the Galaxy S25 Plus, which has double the subsidies, is capturing waiting demand."
The Galaxy S25 Plus is a smartphone that was released domestically at the end of January this year. It has the same memory RAM (12GB) and mobile AP chipset (Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite) as the Galaxy S25 Edge, so there is no difference in specifications, and the display size is also the same at 6.7 inches. The Galaxy S25 Plus has one more camera than the Galaxy S25 Edge and a battery capacity that is 1000 milliamp hours (mAh) larger. The two models differ in thickness and weight. The Galaxy S25 Edge features a slim design with a thickness of just 5.8mm, the thinnest in the history of the Galaxy S series. The thickness difference compared to the Galaxy S25 Plus (7.3mm) is 1.5mm. The weight of the Galaxy S25 Edge is 163g, which is 27g lighter than the Galaxy S25 Plus (190g).
◇ Users of high-priced plans benefit from the 'Galaxy S25 Edge'
According to the three telecommunications companies, the announced subsidies for the Galaxy S25 Edge are a minimum of 35,000 won and a maximum of 250,000 won. In contrast, the announced subsidies for the Galaxy S25 Plus range from a minimum of 115,000 won to a maximum of 500,000 won, resulting in a twofold difference. The retail price (based on 256GB) of the Galaxy S25 Plus (1,353,000 won) is 143,000 won cheaper than the Galaxy S25 Edge (1,496,000 won). Overall, it is calculated that by purchasing the Galaxy S25 Plus instead of the Galaxy S25 Edge, one could save up to 400,000 won on the device price.
Retail employees advised that for people using high-priced plans over 100,000 won, instead of the maximum announced subsidy of 250,000 won, choosing a 25% bill discount could provide support of over 600,000 won over two years, stating, "In this case, the Galaxy S25 Edge is more advantageous." Subscribers must choose either the announced subsidies or the 25% bill discount when activating a new mobile phone.
Among consumers, there are significant criticisms that telecommunications companies are intentionally setting the announced subsidies low when new smartphone models are released. Shin Hyun-du, the head of the Korea Consumer Association, noted, "Telecommunications companies tend not to offer large announced subsidies when new products are launched these days," adding, "They design the total amount of contract discounts over two years to be more than the announced subsidies, encouraging consumers looking to buy new products to sign up for expensive plans." This was also the case when the Galaxy S25 was released in January, as the announced subsidies from the three telecommunications companies reached a maximum of 245,000 won.
◇ In some stores, the 'Galaxy S25 Plus' is just 100,000 won
In some retail stores, such as the Technomart in Sindorim, additional subsidies are offered along with the announced subsidies, on the condition of number transfer and using a high-priced plan for six months. A staff member at an A telecommunications retail store explained, "For the Galaxy S25 Plus (256GB), if you switch numbers and use a plan over 100,000 won for six months, the announced subsidy of 500,000 won is combined with an additional subsidy of 750,000 won, providing a total of 1,250,000 won in support," stating, "You can buy the Galaxy S25 Plus, which costs 1,353,000 won, for just 103,000 won." They added, "If you activate the Galaxy S25 Edge under the same conditions, you will receive a total of 800,000 won (announced subsidy of 250,000 won + additional subsidy of 550,000 won), resulting in a final purchase price of 696,000 won," noting, "The price difference from the Galaxy S25 Plus is about 600,000 won."
When asked when it would be advantageous to purchase the Galaxy S25 Edge while visiting two more nearby stores, staff members advised to visit in July when the Mobile Device Distribution Improvement Act is abolished or when SK Telecom resumes new subscriptions.
A staff member at a B telecommunications retail store explained, "Due to a shortage of SIM cards, SK Telecom has lowered the additional subsidies for the Galaxy S25 Edge to half of the competitors' levels in order not to accept new subscriptions at the stores. This has weakened the competition for device subsidies."