Built To Sell, Not To Last: Galaxy S25 Edge

Modern smartphones are quite thin. In fact, some of them are so thin, they can be uncomfortable to use. Don’t get me wrong, smartphones should be thin, but there’s always that limit that should not be crossed, otherwise they can become very uncomfortable to use. Ergonomics is important. Phones should feel good to hold and use, I believe that’s something we can all agree on. That’s something many smartphone manufacturers don’t think much about, it would seem. In fact, some companies are pushing the thickness of phones over to the anorexic side, just for marketing’s sake, and the all-new Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge is a prime example.

The upcoming Apple iPhone 17 Air has the same vibes

Apple will soon become a good example, too, once the iPhone 17 Air drops later this year. The latest creations from these two companies are all over the news lately. Samsung has announced the Galaxy S25 Edge very recently, while the iPhone 17 Air is coming in September as a replacement for the iPhone 17 Plus. That device has been rumored for so long that it’s almost set in stone to arrive this year. All that without a confirmation from Apple, of course. These two phones have something in common… they’re very, very thin. In fact, you’ll see people refer to them as ‘ultra-thin’.

Thinner is not always better, and that applies to phones. For phones to get this thin, you do have to make some tradeoffs. The first one that comes to mind is the battery capacity, and that’s exactly what happened to the Galaxy S25 Edge. To make things worse, Samsung did not use a silicon-carbon battery, so the battery capacity is even lower than it should have been. The device comes with a 3,900mAh battery pack on the inside. It has the same display as the Galaxy S25+, a 6.7-inch QHD+ panel with a 120Hz refresh rate. The Galaxy S25+, on the other hand, has a 4,900mAh battery pack on the inside. A battery that offers a full 1,000mAh more in terms of capacity.

Samsung should have opted for a silicon-carbon battery

If Samsung opted for a silicon-carbon battery, a battery with a higher density, it could have offered notably more in terms of capacity while keeping the same battery size. Samsung still did not delve into the silicon-carbon side of things, however, so… there you go. We’re not expecting Apple to use a silicon-carbon battery either. That means that the iPhone 17 Air will likely also have a rather small-ish battery pack. That device will also include a rather large display, so the smaller battery certainly won’t do it any favors.

Just to be clear, I’m judging the Galaxy S25 Edge battery life here, despite the fact that we still didn’t review the phone, and I do feel comfortable doing it. Yes, Samsung could opt for some crazy optimization or something, but the battery life will be notably worse than what the Galaxy S25+ offers. That’s just sheer logic. Also, considering how worse the Galaxy S25 Ultra’s battery life got for us since launch (that phone has a 5,000mAh unit on the inside), I’m really not comfortable with that 3,900mAh battery pack inside the Galaxy S25 Edge. Even the Galaxy S25 has a 4,000mAh battery on the inside, and that handset includes a 6.2-inch fullHD+ 120Hz display.

The Galaxy S25 Edge sure seems like a product of Samsung’s marketing machine

In my humble opinion, the tradeoffs are simply not worth it. The Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge looks like it was pushed out by Samsung’s marketing machine, rather than anything else. Yes, the Galaxy S25 Edge is thinner, yes, it’s also lighter. However, the Galaxy S25+ is already plenty thin at 7.3mm, compared to 5.8mm of the Galaxy S25 Edge. In fact, that phone is also plenty light for its size at 190 grams. The Galaxy S25 Edge weighs 163 grams. You can make the argument that this thinness and lightness will come in handy when you slap a case on, and that’s where I do agree. If you find that your phone is too thick and too heavy with a case on (the one you like and prefer), then sure, getting a phone of a similar size that is lighter and thinner makes sense. Still… the battery capacity/life argument just keeps on coming back.

Truth be said, even the Galaxy S25+ with its 7.3mm feels extremely thin, some would say too thin. I’ve handled it on several occasions, and I have to say that it really shouldn’t be any thinner, at least in my opinion. I’m just talking from a standpoint of using a phone without a case, of course. The phone also didn’t feel heavy in the hand, not at all. At 190 grams, the weight seems just right, as does the weight distribution. Samsung did a nice job with that phone, and it has a good battery capacity.

Samsung says the Galaxy S25 Edge’s existence has nothing to do with the iPhone 17 Air

Alright, what about the Apple iPhone 17 Air? Well, that device is not official yet. Based on rumors, however, it’ll be on the same level as the Galaxy S25 Edge. It will be just as boxy, with a flat front, back, and frame. It’s rumored to be even thinner at 5.5mm. We’re still not sure how much it will weigh, but chances are it will weigh around 160 grams, similar to the Galaxy S25 Edge. That phone is expected to include a 6.6-inch display, compared to a 6.7-inch one on the Galaxy S25 Edge. So it will be similar in many ways. As a side note, a Smartphone Specialist at Samsung MX did recently say that the Galaxy S25 Edge was not inspired by the iPhone 17 Air, as the development started way back in 2023. That’s just an interesting tidbit, if you’re wondering, as the timing is… unreal.

So, the bottom line is… nobody asked for ultra-thin. Regular smartphones are plenty thin, that’s something that the vast majority of people would agree on, without a doubt. The tradeoff of having a phone that is under 6mm thick is not worth it. One could argue that a silicon-carbon battery would change things to a degree, but… considering that it’s not a part of Samsung’s or Apple’s plans, at least not yet, it’s besides the point. I’m not sure who had the idea to go down this route, but it sure doesn’t seem like the right call. The Galaxy S25 Edge may be a great phone to market, due to its unreal thinness, but it’s likely not the best phone you can get for your money. Samsung, arguably, has better options on the table.