Not to sound like a spoilt brat, but it’s hard to get excited about new phones when you get at least 50 of them across your desk in any given year.
These days, the most immediately interesting devices to us here at TechRadar are those that a) bring something truly new to the table (see the Huawei Mate XT) or b) offer exceptional value for money (see the Nothing 3a Pro) – and let me tell you, in an age when smartphones are becoming increasingly homogenous, such products don’t come around all that often.
I did not think that the Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge would be one of these ‘sit up and take notice’ phones. Sure, I knew it would be thin, but we’ve seen thin phones before, and its 5.8mm thickness doesn’t sound all that impressive when you already know that the Galaxy Z Fold 6 measures 5.6mm at its thinnest point.
At $1,099.99 / £1,099 / AU$1,850, the Edge also isn’t winning any prizes for value, meaning it meets neither of my usual ‘get excited’ criteria and should therefore be a prime target for a slew of unfavorable headlines.
But as with all things, the proof of the pudding is in the eating, and all it took was some hands-on time with the Galaxy S25 Edge and my iPhone 16 Pro to make me realize that there will be a market for this ridiculous, overpriced, quite brilliant phone.
This really is a product you have to handle in person to fully appreciate. Yes, on paper, the Edge’s 5.8mm thickness isn’t record-breaking (even by Samsung’s own standards), but it feels truly impressive in a 6.7-inch device with power and main camera capabilities to rival both the Galaxy S25 Ultra and iPhone 16 Pro.
To be honest, I was even more bowled over by the Edge’s 163g weight, which makes the much smaller 6.3-inch iPhone 16 Pro feel brick-like by comparison (the latter weighs 199g).
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Of course, Apple’s best iPhone offers things that the S25 Edge does not – I’m not ready to lose its telephoto lens, for instance, and the iPhone’s 6.3-inch size is perfect for my hands.
It’s also not entirely fair to compare the Galaxy S25 Edge to any iPhone right now, since the former is the first in a new smartphone category that Apple will surely enter later this year with the iPhone 17 Air. Apples and oranges, and all that.
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However, I’m definitely ready to admit that the Galaxy S25 Edge is not the marketing-friendly gimmick I thought it would be.
There is something to be said for a big-screened, wafer-thin phone that feels almost weightless in the hand, and those who care about style and portability above all else will find lots to love about Samsung’s latest model.
So, my advice: try the Edge before you slam it. Samsung says the phone will be attached to lighter security brackets in stores across the world, so you should be able to get a real sense of its USP against the main S25 line.
No, it’s not a perfect phone, and I won’t be buying one given what I personally value in a smartphone. But the Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge is definitely worth at least some of the hype. Do you agree? Let me know in the comments.
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axel.metz@futurenet.com (Axel Metz)
