The Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge (starting at $1,099.99) is the thinnest Galaxy S phone available—but it still packs a hefty punch. The Edge matches its S25 peers in performance, software, and Galaxy AI. And despite having the smallest battery of the family, it delivers the longest battery life of them all. While we wish it had a telephoto camera and charged faster, these are minor complaints that don't overshadow its virtues. The Galaxy S25+ (starting at $999.99) has a telephoto camera and faster charging, while the Galaxy S25 Ultra (starting at $1,299.99) has better speakers, powerful optical zoom, and a larger screen, making it our Editors' Choice winner of the bunch. Still, the S25 Edge is a compelling Android phone that doesn't make any real compromises despite its ultra-thin design.

Design: Light Enough to Notice

If you like Samsung's current design language, you'll love the Galaxy S25 Edge. It takes everything we've seen from the S25 family and shaves off thickness and weight.

(Credit: Eric Zeman)

The S25 Edge measures 6.23 by 2.98 by 0.23 inches (HWD) and weighs 5.75 ounces. Its dimensions are nearly identical to those of the Galaxy S25+ (6.24 by 2.98 by 0.29 inches, 6.70 ounces). However, the S25 Edge is 0.06 inches thinner and 0.95 ounces lighter, which is obvious when you compare them directly.

(Credit: Eric Zeman)

The Edge has a titanium frame like the S25 Ultra, with Corning Gorilla Ceramic 2 on the front and Gorilla Glass Victus 2 on the back. Samsung says Gorilla Ceramic 2 is as tough as the Gorilla Armor 2 on the Ultra, but it doesn't have the Ultra's anti-reflective layer. Like the rest of the S25 lineup, the Edge is rated IP68, meaning it can withstand dust and water immersion. Other flagship devices, like the Apple iPhone 16 Pro ($999) and the Google Pixel 9 Pro ($999.99), have the same rating.

All the ports and buttons are where you'd expect on a Galaxy phone. A volume rocker and power button are on the right side. A SIM tray, USB-C port (v3.2 Gen 1), and down-firing speaker slit are on the bottom. A couple of mic holes are visible on the top, while the left side is free of control elements.

(Credit: Eric Zeman)

A single front-facing camera dots the top of the display, and two rear cameras line up within a pill-shaped module on the rear. Otherwise, the back surface is flat.

The Edge comes in three colors: Titanium Icyblue, Titanium Jetblack, or Titanium Silver. The colors are understated, perhaps in hopes of appealing to the largest possible audience.

(Credit: Eric Zeman)

Samsung uses an ultrasonic under-display fingerprint sensor as the phone's most secure biometric authentication method. In testing, it worked consistently with hardly a hiccup. Face unlock is also an option, but it can't be used for authentication in bank-grade applications. I've said this before, and I'll say it again: Apple and Google have offered secure face-based biometrics for years, and it's something Samsung sorely needs to add.

The phone feels comfortable to hold and use. The corners feature less pronounced curves compared with the S25+, and are more square, like the Ultra, but the Edge doesn't dig into your hand. The titanium frame melts into the glass front and back panels. The phone is also well balanced and feels stable no matter how you hold it.

(Credit: Eric Zeman)

Its thinness lets you grip it more securely despite the huge screen. It also makes it less bulky than other large-display phones, even with a case.

Display: Everything You Need

The Edge features a 6.7-inch Dynamic AMOLED screen with a resolution of 3,120 by 1,440 pixels, a 120Hz refresh rate, and a peak brightness of 2,600 nits. By the numbers, it is the same display as the Galaxy S25+.

(Credit: Eric Zeman)

Its brightness can overcome most lighting conditions indoors or outdoors. I do miss the Ultra's anti-reflective coating, which does a better job of reducing glare. That said, the Edge has a great-looking and responsive screen that's sure to please.

For comparison, the iPhone 16 Pro features a 6.3-inch OLED screen with a resolution of 2,622 by 1,206 and a 120Hz refresh rate. The Pixel 9 Pro also has a 6.3-inch OLED display at a resolution of 2,856 by 1,280 pixels. Each of these phones offers crisp details and smooth animations.

Performance: It's a Screamer

The Galaxy S25 Edge runs on the same Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite for Galaxy chip found across the line. It comes with 12GB of RAM and either 256GB ($1,099.99) or 512GB ($1,219.99) of storage. There is no microSD card slot for external expansion. Samsung says the phone's vapor chamber is 15% larger than that of the S25+, which helps handle the thermals.

I ran benchmarks against key competitors, including the iPhone 16 Pro (A18 Pro chip), Pixel 9 Pro (Tensor G4), and OnePlus 13 (Snapdragon 8 Elite). Here are the results:

On Geekbench 6, which measures raw CPU power, the Edge scored 3,157 on the single-core test and 10,021 on the multi-core test. The iPhone 16 Pro scored 3,229 and 7,855, respectively.

On the PCMark Work 3.0 test, which measures performance across general mobile tasks, the Edge did well, scoring 20,328, which blew away the Android competition. This test does not run on Apple devices.

To assess graphics performance, we use the GFXBench Aztec Ruins test. The Edge impressed us with 86fps. The Pixel 9 Pro ran it at 80fps, while the iPhone reached 58.8fps, and the OnePlus 13 hit 43fps.

By the benchmarks, the Galaxy S25 delivers similarly great performance across the board. Take a look below for details:

For real-world gaming performance, we test with the resource-intensive Genshin Impact. With the game at its highest graphics settings and at 60fps, the Edge displayed smooth animations and sharp images without slowdowns or frame drops. The back became mildly warm, but not uncomfortably so.

(Credit: Iyaz Akhtar)

Battery Life: The Best of the S25 Bunch

The Edge comes with a 3,900mAh battery, the smallest battery in any S phone and second only to the S25's 4,000mAh battery. It charges at up to 25W wired, 15W wirelessly, and supports 4.5W reverse wireless charging. Both the Galaxy S25+ and Ultra can charge at up to 45W wired; it's a shame the Edge can't do likewise, especially considering its price.

(Credit: Iyaz Akhtar)

In our battery test, in which we stream HD video over Wi-Fi from YouTube with the screen at full brightness, the Edge lasted 16 hours and 15 minutes. That's better than the S25 (14 hours and 15 minutes), the S25+ (14 hours and 40 minutes), and the S25 Ultra (14 hours and 15 minutes). However, the S25 Edge+ falls short of the Pixel 9 Pro’s 17 hours and 25 minutes and the iPhone 16 Pro’s impressive 20 hours and 33 minutes. We asked Samsung if it's using any special software in the S25 Edge to assist with battery life, but we did not hear back at press time.

When connected to a compatible fast charger, the fully depleted Edge reached 27% in 15 minutes, 54% in 30 minutes, and 100% in 1 hour and 20 minutes.

Connections: Modern Radios

(Credit: Iyaz Akhtar)

For connectivity, the Edge supports 5G (sub-6GHz, C-band, and mmWave), Bluetooth 5.4, NFC, and Wi-Fi 7. It can hold one physical SIM and one eSIM. 

On T-Mobile's 5G UC network in New York City, the S25 Edge reached a maximum download speed of 338Mbps and an upload speed of 56.3Mbps. For comparison, a Galaxy Z Fold 6 reached 400Mbps down and 57.5Mbps up from the same location. 

When connected to a Wi-Fi 6 access point, the Edge reached peak speeds of 403Mbps down and 21.5Mbps up. The Z Fold 6 hit 358Mbps down and 22.9Mbps up. When I took the phones to the limit of my Wi-Fi network, the Edge had the advantage with downloads. It reached 304Mbps down and 19.7Mbps up, while the Fold 6 reached 111Mbps down and 20.6Mbps up.

Audio: A Thin Phone With Thin Sound

Call quality is excellent. In a test recording, my voice sounded clear and understandable even when loud background music was present. The Edge removed much of the noise, though it was still faintly audible.

(Credit: Eric Zeman)

I measured the earpiece speaker volume by placing a decibel meter right on top of the speaker, where I recorded a maximum volume of 79.9dB. To measure the down-firing speaker, I held the decibel meter six inches away, and the Edge pumped out 71.3dB. I find volumes at or around 70dB easy to hear, so the phone is satisfactory on this front.

Media plays through the earpiece speaker and the down-firing speaker to create stereo sound. With the decibel meter still six inches away, the Edge produced a maximum volume of 92.0dB while playing Metallica's "Enter Sandman." To my ears, the sound, like the phone, is thin. The lowest bass notes of The Knife's "Silent Shout" are almost impossible to hear, so you'll probably want to use a pair of Bluetooth earbuds. The phone doesn't have a 3.5mm headphone jack.

Cameras: Beautiful Images and Steady Video

(Credit: Eric Zeman)

The Galaxy S25 Edge only has two rear cameras, unlike the three of the S25 and S25+ and four of the S25 Ultra. It includes a 200MP f/1.7 main sensor with optical image stabilization (OIS) and a 12MP f/2.2 ultra-wide camera, but it doesn't have a dedicated telephoto camera. Samsung claims the Edge delivers 2x optical-quality zoom and up to 10x digital zoom. By comparison, the S25 and S25+ support up to 30x digital zoom, while the Ultra reaches 100x thanks to its additional optical zoom cameras.

In general, the Edge produces photos with the classic Samsung look. It brightens and oversaturates images to a degree, while details are clear and colors are consistent across cameras.

By default, the main camera takes 12MP images using pixel binning. Whether shooting at 12MP or 200MP, the pictures have the same tonal balance. If you take shots with the full 200MP resolution, images retain more detail. The 2x shots look brilliant at a glance, though objects in the distance can take on a painted look if you zoom in closely.

(Credit: Iyaz Akhtar)

Samsung says the 200MP sensor is similar, but not identical, to the one found on the Ultra. In my tests, you'd be hard pressed to spot any differences between their photos. Images from the Edge look the tiniest bit darker than those from the Ultra, but that could be due to the lens or changing environmental conditions.

(Credit: Iyaz Akhtar)

The Edge's ultra-wide camera is the same as the one in the S25 and S25+, so it's no surprise that its photos are of the same quality.

(Credit: Iyaz Akhtar)

The 12MP f/2.2 front-facing camera is also the same as the other S25s. Colors and brightness are boosted a little, with pleasing detail. The Edge's portrait mode did a stellar job separating my glasses from the background, though it had some difficulty with my wispy hair.

(Credit: Iyaz Akhtar)

Video capture tops out at 8K30 on the rear and 4K60 on the front. The Edge's stabilization does an admirable job steadying the 8K footage, though 4K video looks even more stable. The front-facing camera produces remarkably smooth video, even though it has no OIS.

Software: Galaxy AI at Your Service

The Edge ships with Android 15 and Samsung's One UI 7, which includes enhanced multitasking tools, a desktop mode (Dex), and Galaxy AI. Like the other S25 phones, the Edge will receive seven generations of OS updates and seven years of security fixes (through May 31, 2032). Google also provides seven years of support for its Pixel 9 phones.

Galaxy AI on the Edge performed nearly identically to the other S25 models, and I got the same results in the same amount of time. Below are some of the features you'll find in common across the line:

Cross-App Actions

(Credit: Samsung/Google/PCMag)

This feature lets you ask Google Gemini to complete a complex multistep task with a single prompt. For example, I asked Gemini to "Create a list of pet-friendly restaurants in Clearwater, Florida, and send it to Robert." Gemini got the information from the web, formatted it into a list, and placed that list into a text message that had Robert's number in it from my contact. I could choose to edit the messafe or send it as is.

Natural Language Search

The settings and gallery apps both use Bixby-powered search independent of Gemini. You can go into settings and write or say, "My eyes hurt." Settings will bring up functions like Samsung's Eye-Comfort Shield. Asking, "Can I check notifications received yesterday?" brings up Notification History. With this feature, you don't need to know exactly what a setting is called to find it.

Gallery Improvements

Natural language search lets you ask for several things, like "Can you show me pictures of bears?" and "Show me my motion photos." Sure enough, the Edge finds them. There was one small snag. I saved two WWE video screenshots to the gallery and asked, "Do I have any pictures of wrestlers?" The Edge turned up no results, though the Ultra managed to.

(Credit: Samsung/PCMag)

The Audio Eraser tool analyzes video sounds and separates them into categories like voice, music, and noise. You can choose to alter the volume in real time on the device (no cloud connection necessary). Once again, the Edge had virtually no problem stripping out background music from a sample video, while preserving the speaker's voice.

(Credit: Samsung/PCMag)

Portrait Studio is a feature that reinterprets your photos into one of several artistic styles. The feature is consistent, but it changes my ethnicity nearly every time.

Call Summarize

This tool lets you record phone calls and automatically generate a transcript using the Phone app. Tapping Summarize above the transcript gives you exactly that. I tested the feature by explaining the plot of Kim's Convenience in a purposely rambling way. The summary organized my thoughts in a logical order.