Ticker

6/recent/ticker-posts

Hands-on with the Galaxy S25 Edge: a beautiful gem that focuses on finesse

Hands-on with the Galaxy S25 Edge: a beautiful gem that focuses on finesse

The Galaxy S25 Edge has just been unveiled by Samsung. The smartphone is ultra-thin and ultra-light, with a truly premium design. It boasts a comprehensive and high-quality technical sheet. It is already available for pre-order with a retail price of over 1,200 euros. And we've already had the opportunity to try it out. Here's our first review.

Hands-on with the Galaxy S25 Edge: a beautiful gem that focuses on finesse

It was on the night of May 12 to 13, 2025, that Samsung finally unveiled the Galaxy S25 Edge in every detail. We published a comprehensive article detailing the product's technical and physical specifications, as well as its price. An amount that is not insignificant, since it exceeds 1200 euros. It is therefore positioned between the Galaxy S25+ and the Galaxy S25 Ultra.

Read also – RedMagic 10 Air test: a real gaming smartphone at a friendly price

It also shares several specificities with each of these two phones. The titanium and the 200 megapixel sensor of the S25 Ultra. The 6.7-inch QHD+ Dynamic AMOLED 2X screen of the S25+. Not to mention all the common points of the S25 range: processor, RAM, storage levels, connectivity, selfie sensor, fingerprint reader, operating system, wireless charging and even IP68 certification. The technical sheet is really very complete.

Hands-on with the Galaxy S25 Edge: a beautiful gem that focuses on finesse

The Galaxy S25 Edge raises many questions

But it's not an S25 like the other three. The S25 Edge has some specific features of its own. Extreme thinness, since it measures 5.8 mm thick. That's 1.5 mm less than the standard S25, for an identical weight (163 grams). It is also the first to benefit from Corning's Gorilla Glass Ceramic 2 glass. It is also the only one of the siblings to offer only two photo sensors on the back, which Samsung counters with the 200 megapixel module of the S25 Ultra. It is the only one whose battery capacity falls below the 4000 mAh mark.

Hands-on with the Galaxy S25 Edge: a beautiful gem that focuses on finesse

On the occasion of its launch, we had the opportunity to get our hands on the Galaxy S25 Edge. A hands-on experience that had to answer several questions. First, do you really feel the lightness and thinness of the product once in your hand? And the answer is yes, without a shadow of a doubt. The Galaxy S25 Edge is easier to use than other phones of the same size. If you have a smaller Galaxy and are hesitant to upgrade to a larger model because of the weight, the S25 Edge addresses that concern in a very nice way. And we're not talking about the slimness, which is impressive.

Hands-on with the Galaxy S25 Edge: a beautiful gem that focuses on finesse

The Galaxy S25 Edge is incredibly light in the hand

The second question that motivated our hands-on was this: does a very thin smartphone offer a good grip? Won't it slip or bend more easily? Are the buttons well positioned and easy to use? And what about the fingerprint reader: do you have to twist your thumb to access it? We have a reassuring answer to all these questions: the phone is as easy to use as a Galaxy S25+. Or even easier. It doesn't slip out of your hand. The fingerprint reader is easily accessible. In everyday life, the Galaxy S25 Edge promises a premium and comprehensive experience.

Hands-on with the Galaxy S25 Edge: a beautiful gem that focuses on finesse

The third question concerns the product's potential heating. Indeed, a Snapdragon 8 Elite is hidden under the hood. It's a powerful SoC, certainly, but it's also power-hungry and generates heat. Our tests of the Honor Magic7 Pro and the ROG Phone 9 Pro attest to this. However, the internal space is smaller. The case is waterproof, so it's more prone to retaining heat. And titanium's thermal conductivity is lower than aluminum's. Samsung tries to reassure us by confirming that it has chosen a larger vapor chamber than that of the S25+. But that's certainly not the only protection used here. Note that, during our hands-on, we didn't notice any heating. For everyday use, there's nothing to worry about. On the other hand, we'll wait for the benchmarks to decide on gaming.

The Galaxy S25 Edge's battery capacity will be its biggest drawback

Fourth question: is a 3900 mAh lithium polymer battery sufficient? Indeed, this capacity raises many doubts about the product's real battery life. And not just for gamers. Especially since charging isn't very fast (25 watts). According to Samsung, battery life in standard use is a full day, which is theoretically sufficient, but far from matching some models sold at the same price by competitors. We'll verify these claims during our full review.

Hands-on with the Galaxy S25 Edge: a beautiful gem that focuses on finesse

Last but not least: the camera. Only two sensors on the back, while the standard Galaxy S25 has three, including an optical zoom. The main sensor is certainly the 200-megapixel one from the S25 Ultra, with its bright lens (f/1.7 aperture), optical image stabilization, and phase detection autofocus. Unsurprisingly, our first photos show that this sensor does a very good job in many situations. But with this configuration, the S25 Edge is cramped. It only offers a 2x lossless zoom and a digital zoom locked at 10x. And the ultra-wide angle module or the selfie module are rehashed. It's not certain that this S25 Edge offers a better experience than a classic S25...

Hands-on with the Galaxy S25 Edge: a beautiful gem that focuses on finesse

Sold for more than 1200 euros, who is the Galaxy S25 Edge really aimed at?

After our hands-on with the S25 Edge, we are not entirely convinced. This phone relentlessly demonstrates the superb engineering work carried out by Samsung, which has succeeded in miniaturizing the components sufficiently to fit everything into an extremely thin and light chassis. And we find all of Samsung's strengths in terms of interface, artificial intelligence, and screen. On the other hand, will the experience live up to the ambition, given the concessions? Because, at this price, these same concessions are difficult to accept. Remember that the S25 Edge will be sold at 1249 euros in the 256 GB version and 1369 euros in the 512 GB version. While photographers and gamers might be left wanting more, lovers of beautiful status objects could be satisfied.

Post a Comment

0 Comments