Change my mind: The Galaxy S25 Edge is not worth it

The Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge was announced this week, and to be perfectly honest, I’m not particularly impressed. Sure, it’s a capable phone overall with plenty to offer. However, it comes with significant trade-offs that, for me, are hard to overlook.

The main selling point of the Galaxy S25 Edge is undoubtedly its thinness. Coming in at just 5.8mm, it’s an impressive 20% thinner and approximately 14% lighter than the similarly sized Galaxy S25 Plus. However, its remarkably slim figure comes at a price that I’m not willing to pay. For me, the Galaxy S25 Edge is not worth it.

The biggest issues I have with the S25 Edge revolve around its battery capacity and camera setup.

Let’s start with the battery. The S25 Edge houses a 3,900 mAh battery. For a phone boasting a large 6.7-inch display, this capacity immediately raises a red flag. To put that into context, the Galaxy S25 Plus, which shares the same screen size, features a 4,900 mAh battery — around 25% larger. Even the S25 Plus isn’t what I’d call a battery champion; it will reliably get you through the day with moderate use, but that’s about it.

While we haven’t conducted formal battery life tests on the S25 Edge yet, it’s safe to say that it will be noticeably worse than that of the S25 Plus. It will most likely be worse than the battery life of the standard Galaxy S25, the smallest phone in the series, which has a 6.2-inch display paired with a 4,000 mAh battery. For me, this is a significant trade-off, as I value battery life far more than how thin a phone is.

Of course, there are limits. I wouldn’t want a phone like some of those ultra-rugged models, which can be as thick as a brick due to packing a colossal 20,000 mAh battery. But I’ve never reached a point where I’d say a mainstream flagship, like the Galaxy S25 Ultra, for example, is too thick for my liking. Thickness has never been a problem for me; it’s usually the overall width and height of oversized phones that I’ve had issues with. Some phones are simply too big, making them cumbersome to use with one hand and awkward to pocket. Thinness, however, is not something I’ve ever considered to be a pressing issue with the vast majority of phones I’ve used over the last decade.

Then there’s the camera system. The Galaxy S25 Edge only features two rear sensors, instead of the triple-lens array you get on both the Galaxy S25 Ultra and the S25 Plus. Considering the S25 Edge is positioned between these two models in terms of pricing, I would have expected it to include a third lens — telephoto.

This is partly a matter of preference, as some people primarily stick to the main lens and don’t care much for telephoto shots or ultrawide versatility. However, I do. I value camera versatility, and I expect it, especially at the S25 Edge’s price point. I’ll admit I’m not a professional photographer, but having the option to capture high-quality zoomed-in shots is something I appreciate and want, even if I only use it occasionally. I wouldn’t mind the dual-camera setup as much if the S25 Edge were priced similarly to the regular S25, but that isn’t the case.

In addition to the concerns about battery life and the camera, it’s the price point that truly bothers me, as already briefly mentioned. The Galaxy S25 Edge is set to launch at $1,200. This makes it $200 cheaper than the premium Galaxy S25 Ultra but, crucially, $100 more expensive than the Galaxy S25 Plus.

Furthermore, since the S25 Ultra and S25 Plus have been on the market for a few months now, you can often find them at discounted prices from various retailers, making them even better deals.

Compared to the Galaxy S25 Plus, the S25 Edge seems like a bad deal if you ask me. The two phones share a lot of specs: both sport the same 6.7-inch display, are powered by the same chipset, and offer the same RAM and storage configurations. They also both feature an ultrasonic fingerprint scanner, carry an IP68 rating for dust and water resistance, and are promised seven years of software support from Samsung.

However, the Galaxy S25 Plus boasts a much larger battery, includes a more versatile triple rear camera system, and supports faster charging. And on top of that, it’s also cheaper. The only distinct advantage the S25 Edge holds is its slim profile, which I really don’t care about. Then there’s the slightly different main camera with its 200MP, which offers more pixels but doesn’t necessarily mean it will produce better images. We’ll know more when we review the device. The phone also has a few other extras, like the ability to shoot LOG videos with the front camera, although this feature may come to other S25 models via a software update.

Your mileage may vary, of course. While I believe the phone represents a poor value proposition for many, that won’t be the case for everyone. If you genuinely like and value the ultra-thin design of the S25 Edge and are willing to accept the compromises and pay the premium, then it might be the phone for you. But for me, personally, the trade-offs in battery life and camera features for the sake of thinness an a higher resolution main camera aren’t worth the extra cost. I’d much rather opt for the more well-rounded Galaxy S25 Plus, or perhaps consider an alternative like the Google Pixel 9 Pro XL.

That’s my take on the Galaxy S25 Edge, and now I want to hear yours. Let me know in the comments and try to change my mind. I’ll try to answer as many comments as possible, so let’s start a conversation.