Samsung Debuts New Super Thin Galaxy S25 Edge

[klasma]

While the camera bump is too thick, I think the vertical shape works better than the Air’s horizontal bar, for sliding the phone into a pocket.

 

[Mazda 3s]

I would much rather have a slightly chonkier phone with better battery life than a slightly thinner phone with worse battery life. I genuinely have no idea who this phone is for.

I guess you don’t like the MacBook Air vs the MacBook Pro?

Maybe the trade off just isn’t for you?

 

[acader]

I'd rather spend $700 on a clunkier phone with 24 hours battery life. Who's really going to notice an extra 2mm and 20g.

 

[Dark_Omen]

I'd rather spend $700 on a clunkier phone with 24 hours battery life. Who's really going to notice an extra 2mm and 20g.

You can buy an Ultra instead... Same camera, a bit thicker, and has longer battery life.

 

[dandyryan]

that bump is actually atrocious. samsung stays living in the almost-but-not-apple zone for social contrarians that revolve their personalities around having an android.

 

[JonathanX64]

For most people, including me, «The AI» means the ChatGPT app. It works perfectly fine on both Android and iOS.

Generally speaking, the iPhone is still far ahead when it comes to video. Especially the 15 Pro and up, where you can shoot ProRes Log straight to an external SSD and then instantly edit / color grade it on your computer.

I also respect what Apple is doing with 24MP photos nowadays: it’s a perfect balance between image clarity and convenience (processing time, file size, etc.). Any Pixel still defaults to 12MP shots, which looks messy even on the phone screen itself (the moment you start to zoom in).

Apple’s screens are phenomenal. They’re supplied by a mix of manufacturers including Samsung and LG, but they’re designed and calibrated by Apple, and always with astonishing (very precise / neutral) results.

 

[hieranonymous]

I guess you don’t like the MacBook Air vs the MacBook Pro?

Maybe the trade off just isn’t for you?

That’s a somewhat specious comparison because both those devices have all-day battery life respective to their use cases and larger devices in general gain more portability when they’re thinned down.

This ultrathin phone fad is mostly a gimmick designed to generate press. The phone isn’t so much thinner that it suddenly presents new opportunities for portability. It just has worse battery life and possibly a worse camera.

 

[JohnC1959]

Bottom line for most people is the choice is mostly based on the OS and ecosystem. Any given phone may edge out the others on some features but mostly just some better specs that the others will catch up to soon enough. The choice of ecosystem is based on what other devices you have/like (I for one prefer a Mac over a Windows PC and that tends to steer my choices on phones). Both Android and Apple have nice apps to migrate but still a new phone would need some WAY better feature to warrant changing OS and ecosystem.

 

[falainber]

The Samsung looks surprisingly like an iPhone, except for the lack of finesse. Notice the radius on the camera bump doesn't match the radius of the frame, and the flash is just sloppily thrown there like, "there ya go, a flash." Otherwise, not bad, they're getting there.
Sadly, the iPhone Air looks like it copied Android. This is getting confusing.

Notice how the radius of the camera bump matches the radius of the camera lens. That's what I call finesse.

 

[klasma]

Who's really going to notice an extra 2mm and 20g.

You’ll laugh, but the extra 0.25 mm and 6 g, or a 3–5 % difference between the 12 mini and 13 mini, were actually quite noticeable to me.

 

[Mazda 3s]

That’s a somewhat specious comparison because both those devices have all-day battery life respective to their use cases and larger devices in general gain more portability when they’re thinned down.

This ultrathin phone fad is mostly a gimmick designed to generate press. The phone isn’t so much thinner that it suddenly presents new opportunities for portability. It just has worse battery life and possibly a worse camera.

Who’s to say that the iPhone 17 Air won’t have all day battery life for its target audience? I use my iPhone 16 Pro maybe two hours at most during the day (mainly during the night when I’m done with work — I definitely use it a LOT more on the weekends). I have plenty of battery at the end of the day because:

1) I don’t use it nonstop and
2) It’s on a wireless charger when I’m not using it

People seem to be on the defensive to discredit the iPhone 17 Air as if they are somehow being slighted in some way? Last time I checked, we’ll still have an iPhone 17, 17 Pro, and 17 Pro Max. If you want more battery to use your phone constantly all day long — you can still get it.

For people that want a lighter, thinner phone and are willing to sacrifice some battery life, the iPhone 17 Air will be there.

Will it sell? Who knows? I’ll be getting one. If it flops, it’ll be relegated to the trash heap with the iPhone 12/13 Mini and the iPhone Plus models. But I’m at least trying to keep an open mind before dismissing it outright.

 

[Dark_Omen]

For most people, including me, «The AI» means the ChatGPT app. It works perfectly fine on both Android and iOS.

Generally speaking, the iPhone is still far ahead when it comes to video. Especially the 15 Pro and up, where you can shoot ProRes Log straight to an external SSD and then instantly edit / color grade it on your computer.

I also respect what Apple is doing with 24MP photos nowadays: it’s a perfect balance between image clarity and convenience (processing time, file size, etc.). Any Pixel still defaults to 12MP shots, which looks messy even on the phone screen itself (the moment you start to zoom in).

Apple’s screens are phenomenal. They’re supplied by a mix of manufacturers including Samsung and LG, but they’re designed and calibrated by Apple, and always with astonishing results.

That's not true AI on a device. Sure you can talk to it and ask it questions... It doesn't intergrate with your other apps on your phone. It doesn't live translate phone calls, or intergrate your mail and calendar apps, or even provide a seamless experience. It doesn't fix sound via AI and the photo editing on Samsung with AI is much better. If the iPhone had just ChatGPT as an assistant and it was intergrated with the apps on the iPhone, then sure, I would say Apple is ahead, but that isn't the case.

Samsung's own displays are bright and vibrant. Apple's are average. Could be worse, but could also be better. Could have anti-reflective technology like the S25 Ultra does, but not yet apparently.

iPhones could have 100x zoom and a 200 megapixel camera... Won't happen anytime soon.

Don't even get me started how Apple's software and hardware fails to even work with hardware created by another company. It's a disaster... I can't even get the iCloud mail website to function properly because it's broken. Apple's software quality has taken a turn for the worse, it's buggy and the hardware is falling behind.

 

[miq]

I would much rather have a slightly chonkier phone with better battery life than a slightly thinner phone with worse battery life. I genuinely have no idea who this phone is for.

“I personally don’t see a use for this product, therefore nobody will”

 

[falainber]

For most people, including me, «The AI» means the ChatGPT app. It works perfectly fine on both Android and iOS.

Generally speaking, the iPhone is still far ahead when it comes to video. Especially the 15 Pro and up, where you can shoot ProRes Log straight to an external SSD and then instantly edit / color grade it on your computer.

I also respect what Apple is doing with 24MP photos nowadays: it’s a perfect balance between image clarity and convenience (processing time, file size, etc.). Any Pixel still defaults to 12MP shots, which looks messy even on the phone screen itself (the moment you start to zoom in).

Apple’s screens are phenomenal. They’re supplied by a mix of manufacturers including Samsung and LG, but they’re designed and calibrated by Apple, and always with astonishing (very precise / neutral) results.

The AI is not ChatGPT. There are many uses for it. Live translation is one example. Picture editing/enhancing is another.

 

[canadianreader]

It has 2 cameras very similar design to the iPhone 16 but thinner

 

[Slix]

12.5 years later, and we finally got a phone that's thinner than the 5th generation iPod touch (6.1mm).

Though, even with the camera bump on that iPod, I bet the camera bump on this phone is much thicker, making the 0.3mm difference actually less.

 

[falainber]

It could go this way, sure and most people here will be at your side without question, but at the moment, Apple Silicon is undeniably better than anything on Android; the device design and quality are undeniably better than anything on Android; the app ecosystem is far better than Android. The entire ecosystem is better than Android.

I'll have no problem moving to Android when this all changes.

As to AI, Gemini is good, but honestly, is it that much better than just using ChatGPT? I dunno. I just use whoever is better. This topic is still up in the air, as AI right now is all equal parts good, and equal parts wtf?

Gemini AI:

In a head-to-head performance comparison, the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra generally outperforms the iPhone 16 Pro Max, particularly in terms of initial burst performance, display brightness, and AI features, while the iPhone 16 Pro Max excels in battery life, and the quality of its ultrawide camera.

S25 Ultra Advantages:

• Faster Initial Burst Performance:
  The S25 Ultra showcases a higher initial burst of performance in gaming benchmarks.
  
  
• More Powerful Chipset:
  The S25 Ultra is equipped with a more potent chipset compared to the iPhone 16 Pro Max.
  
  
• Brighter Display:
  While the iPhone 16 Pro Max is known for its brightness, the S25 Ultra's display can achieve even higher brightness levels.
  
  
• More Extensive AI Features:
  The S25 Ultra offers a wider range of refined AI features, including the "Circle to Search" function.
  
  
• Faster Charging:
  The S25 Ultra provides faster wired charging speeds.
  
  
• Higher Resolution and Megapixel Count:
  The S25 Ultra boasts a higher resolution display and a higher megapixel count in its main camera, which can lead to more detailed images.
  
  
• S Pen Support:
  The S25 Ultra offers S Pen stylus support, which can be useful for tasks like note-taking or digital drawing.
  
  
• 
  
• Anti-Reflective Coating:
  The S25 Ultra has an anti-reflective coating on its display, which can improve readability in bright conditions.
  
  
  It looks like S25 Ultra is an undeniably better phone: better chipset, better design, better screen, better battery life.
  
  
  

 

[Rogifan]

I don’t get the point of these ultra thin phones. It seems the epitome of form over function. And now that Samsung and others have done it, when Apple releases theirs it won’t be a bid deal.

 

[rp2011]

Gemini AI:

In a head-to-head performance comparison, the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra generally outperforms the iPhone 16 Pro Max, particularly in terms of initial burst performance, display brightness, and AI features, while the iPhone 16 Pro Max excels in battery life, and the quality of its ultrawide camera.

S25 Ultra Advantages:

• Faster Initial Burst Performance:
  The S25 Ultra showcases a higher initial burst of performance in gaming benchmarks.
  
  
• More Powerful Chipset:
  The S25 Ultra is equipped with a more potent chipset compared to the iPhone 16 Pro Max.
  
  
• Brighter Display:
  While the iPhone 16 Pro Max is known for its brightness, the S25 Ultra's display can achieve even higher brightness levels.
  
  
• More Extensive AI Features:
  The S25 Ultra offers a wider range of refined AI features, including the "Circle to Search" function.
  
  
• Faster Charging:
  The S25 Ultra provides faster wired charging speeds.
  
  
• Higher Resolution and Megapixel Count:
  The S25 Ultra boasts a higher resolution display and a higher megapixel count in its main camera, which can lead to more detailed images.
  
  
• S Pen Support:
  The S25 Ultra offers S Pen stylus support, which can be useful for tasks like note-taking or digital drawing.
  
  
• 
  
• Anti-Reflective Coating:
  The S25 Ultra has an anti-reflective coating on its display, which can improve readability in bright conditions.
  
  
  It looks like S25 Ultra is an undeniably better phone: better chipset, better design, better screen, better battery life.
  

Has Android finally caught up to Apple in chip design? That's good, the more competition the better. And that's likely from Qualcomm's purchase of the Nuvia team. The company made up of former Apple Silicon engineers.

 

[falainber]

Has Android finally caught up to Apple in chip design? That's good, the more competition the better

Android does not do "chip design". Android devices use chips from different vendors: Qualcomm, Samsung, MediaTek, Google, Huawei etc. Apple processors still lead in single core performance but they fell behind in multicore performance and graphics.

 

[DrJR]

So Samsung says “you’re fat”
Well I ain’t down with that

 

[Devyn89]

I held a non-working demo of this phone the other day and it feels awesome in hand. I’m excited to see the 17 Air later this year. Probably won’t buy it though, I’ll see what the 18 air is like once they’ve ironed out the kinks.

 

[Amazing Iceman]

Even if they make it as thin as paper, I would never get an Android phone.

 

[Amazing Iceman]

I held a non-working demo of this phone the other day and it feels awesome in hand. I’m excited to see the 17 Air later this year. Probably won’t buy it though, I’ll see what the 18 air is like once they’ve ironed out the kinks.

I personally prefer a full-featured phone, even if it’s bigger and heavier than other thinner but less capable phones.

 

[eXan]

Any word on the battery life?
Also, how can MacRumors compare this to a product that doesn't exist yet?