In February, Samsung released the Samsung Galaxy S25 series, bringing the baseline Galaxy S25, super-premium Galaxy S25 Ultra, and intermediate Galaxy S25 Plus to the world.
This lineup, comprising a standard, enlarged, and premium model, was nothing new, but the reveal of the Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge at a recent Galaxy Unpacked event had me thinking a little harder than usual about this year’s Samsung smartphones.
At the time, I wondered where the Galaxy S25 Edge would fit in Samsung’s smartphone lineup – would it lean towards the Galaxy S25 Plus or start a new branch of premium phones alongside the Galaxy S25 Ultra?
Now that the Galaxy S25 Edge is almost here, we know that the answer is a bit of both – and while the Galaxy S25 Edge has joined the existing lineup without replacing any of the existing models, I do think it could signal the beginning of the end for the Plus.
Sibling rivalry
The truth is, the Galaxy S25 Edge and Galaxy S25 Plus don’t have that much reason to coexist.
Firstly, lets look at the sales figures. According to WCCFTech, in the first month of global sales the Galaxy S25 Ultra sold 2.55 million units, the Galaxy S25 sold 1.17 million units, and the Samsung Galaxy S25 Plus sold just 840,000 units.
Next, the Galaxy S25 Plus and Galaxy S25 Edge are unusually close together on the Galaxy pricing ladder. Unlike Apple and others, Samsung’s flagship phones each have a pretty wide price gap between them – the baseline Galaxy S25 starts at $799 / £799 / AU$1,399, the Galaxy S25 Plus starts at $999 / £999 / AU$1,699, and the Galaxy S25 Ultra starts at $1,249 / £1,249 / AU$2,149.
The Galaxy S25 Edge starts at $1,099 for the model with 256GB of storage; that certainly feels like it’s encroaching on the Galaxy S25 Plus’ turf.
And speaking of Apple, the latest rumors suggest that Cupertino could axe its larger base-model flagship as soon as this year – supposedly leaked images suggest that the rumored iPhone 17 Air could take the iPhone 17 Plus’ spot. And where Apple goes, the industry tends to follow.
The same, but better
To me, the most damning part of the story is simply that the Galaxy S25 Edge embodies everything I like about the Galaxy S25 Plus – let me explain.
I’ve had my hands on a Galaxy S25 Plus for a few months now, using it to test out One UI 7 and get first-hand experience with new features.
I’m honestly a big fan – I love the phone’s minimalist design. While One UI isn’t my favorite Android wrapper, I do find its quirky look and straight-laced UI animations very charming. It also helps that the phone runs at a sprint and boasts a lovely display.
However, the thing I like most about the Galaxy S25 is that it gives me a large screen in a thinner and lighter frame than either the Galaxy S25 Ultra or most comparable top-end phones.
A large screen, light weight, and thin build – sounds an awful lot like the Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge. Having spent some time with the Edge myself, I can confidently say that it beats the Galaxy S25 Plus when it comes to ergonomics, and there are no compromises made with its excellent display.
And while the Galaxy S25 Plus wins against the Edge with its telephoto-equipped triple camera system and, most notably, battery capacity, I’m not actually convinced that people buy the former for its performance.
Looking again at those first month sales figures, we can see that for every Galaxy S25 Plus sold, three Galaxy S25 Ultras were sold – I reckon that power users were going straight for the performance champ Galaxy S25 Ultra, with those who chose the Galaxy S25 Plus doing so for its large screen and light weight.
For these people, the Galaxy S25 Edge is sure to look tempting – I suppose we’ll find out for certain when the phone releases globally on May 30. Until then the above is mostly based on my own opinions on the Samsung Galaxy S family – let us know yours in the comments below.
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jamie.richards@futurenet.com (Jamie Richards)
