Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge first impressions: Slim, sleek, and surprisingly capable

Building hype for smartphones in the modern era is very easy. But being able to sustain that hype for months and delivering on it at launch is something only a few can manage. Fortunately for Samsung, they fell on the right side of this seesaw with their Galaxy S25 Edge. They teased it for months, first at Unpacked in San Jose, then at MWC in Barcelona; it was always kept at a distance, away from everyone’s hands. But now, the phone has been launched, I have been able to get my hands on it, and here are my first impressions of the Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge. 

This phone doesn’t need a second introduction - one look at it and you know that it’s the slimmest S-series device Samsung’s made. I remember when slimming down was all the rage in the smartphone world, everyone was trying to shave off as many millimetres as they possibly could, but to do that now, in a world where most phones pack massive batteries to keep them going for over 2 days, that’s a gamble. However, if looks could win bets, Samsung has definitely won this one. 

I strongly advise you to not pass judgement on the Galaxy S25 Edge without holding it once. It’s incredibly slim, and despite its size, it’s unbelievably light. The phone measures just 5.8mm on the Z-axis, and it is the complete opposite of a chunky monkey, weighing in at a meagre 163g. I was flummoxed the second I picked it up. 

Samsung has used Titanium to wrap the device, which has naturally contributed in the weight reduction. The small footprint of the Galaxy S25 Edge is so accommodating that even those without abnormally large pockets will be able to carry this phone with ease. 

It manages to pick up fingerprints quite easily though, and I found myself cleaning it, but that’s just a personal trait, coupled in with a tiny bit of OCD. It’s also a slippery device, and I almost dropped my test unit a couple of times.

While the body of the Galaxy S25 Edge might be the showstopper, it’s display is no slouch either. Samsung knows its panels, and at this point, the Korean smartphone maker is just flexing its muscles. The Galaxy S25 Edge features a 6.7-inch QHD+ Infinity-O Dynamic AMOLED 2X display. It’s almost a bezel-less front panel, with a hole-punch cutout for the front camera.

On the back of the phone are two cameras, which is a rather unique look. Pretty much all smartphones priced upwards of ₹1 lakh feature three or more cameras, whereas the Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge only has two. And there is a very simple reason for that - there is simply no space in the phone for a telephoto camera. For a tele lens to be good, it needs depth, which doesn’t exist in this 5.8mm frame, thereby eliminating the telephoto capabilities of the Galaxy S25 Edge. A sore miss, of course, but to build a chassis this sleek, certain compromises are bound to be made. 

Another (necessary) compromise Samsung made was for the battery, which has shrunk to just 3900mAh. Samsung is confident that with their optimisations, the phone will easily last one full day’s use. I will be testing that claim in the days to come. But keeping in line with modern flagships, there is wireless charging on the Galaxy S25 Edge, as well as reverse wireless charging. 

Samsung’s slim smartphone is powered by the same chipset as its chunky siblings in the S25 series - the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite for Galaxy. It comes in two variants: 12GB+256GB and 12GB+512GB. The unit sent to me for review is the latter. 

It runs on Android 15 with One UI 7 on top, and Samsung has promised to offer seven years of OS and security updates, just like the rest of the S25 series. The Edge also brings Galaxy AI features and Gemini integration, keeping it in line with the rest of the Samsung lineup.

Overall, I would probably err on the positive side right now with the Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge. Yes, its price can be steep for a lot of users, starting at ₹1,09,999 in India, which puts it in direct competition with the Pros and Ultras of the world, including Samsung’s own. However, the phone targets an entirely different strata of consumers - those who want premium features, who can afford the premium-ness of a flagship, but who don’t want a massive, hefty device in their hands while they make 10,000 calls every single day. 

I will be testing the device more in the coming days, putting it through its paces, trying to see if the battery compromise is indeed a compromise or just a smart move by Samsung. Stay tuned for my full review of the Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge.