Just when you thought Samsung Galaxy Unpacked was over, there was a major video tease for the Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge. Formerly rumored as the Galaxy S25 Slim, this new super thin phone generated a ton of excitement at the event — so much so that I had to (politely) elbow my way past a sea of other people just to get close enough to film this new device, which was behind some rope.
Here's my initial impressions and why I'm just as confused by this phone as I am excited.
How thin is the Galaxy S25 Edge?
@tomsguide ♬ original sound - Tom’s GuideAs I started filming I noticed that the S25 Edge is indeed strikingly thin. Up until now the rumors have said we could be looking at a profile that's 6.4mm thin, compared to 8.2mm for the Galaxy S25 Ultra. That's the difference between 0.25 inches and 0.32 inches, which would be super, super thin.
Don't get me wrong. The camera bump is quite prominent on the S25 Edge in person, and in a way it stand out more on this phone because the rest of the handset is so sleek.
For context, the rumored iPhone 17 Air is tipped to measure just 5.5mm thin, which would be even skinnier than the S25 Edge — but this is unconfirmed chatter at this point.
Doh! Just two rear cameras
Assuming this is the final design, the Galaxy S25 Edge will have just two rear cameras, compared to three for the Galaxy S25 and Galaxy S25 Plus, as well as the S25 Ultra. This is just speculation, but I'm guessing that the S25 Edge will feature a main camera plus an ultra-wide lens but perhaps forego a telephoto zoom.
If the main wide camera has 200MP resolution, you could at least get away with a pretty good digital zoom. You can't fake backing up to get an ultra wide shot.
To be fair, the iPhone 17 Air is rumored to feature just a single rear camera, which would be a bummer.
What about the screen?
According to previous rumors for this phone, the Galaxy S25 Edge could feature a 6.7-inch display. That would be the same size as the Galaxy S25 Plus but smaller than the 6.9-inch Galaxy S25 Ultra.
This could also be the first tandem OLED display on a Samsung phone, as the technology can help take out some of the thickness. This is not confirmed but is certainly possible.
As explained by Apple in regards to its iPad Pro M4 — the first tablet with a tandem OLED display — there's no backlight needed. "OLED emits light through each pixel, allowing for a thinner display. To deliver extreme high brightness over a large, expansive display, iPad Pro uses a Tandem OLED design — with two OLED panels."
A question of timing — and price
This brings me to my biggest questions about the Galaxy S25 Edge. When is the release date and how much is it going to cost?
Previous Galaxy S25 Slim rumors pointed to a possible May launch, which would be in between the regular S25 series and the upcoming Galaxy Z Fold 7 and Galaxy Z Flip 7 this summer (likely late July).
But absent that information, I have to wonder whether early adopters excited about the S25 Edge might be left confused by this tease. Should they get the S25 Ultra now or wait for the Edge — or at least wait until there's more info.
The other big question is the S25 Edge price. This is just an educated guess but I think Samsung could price it between the Galaxy S25 Plus ($999) and the Galaxy S25 Ultra ($1,299). I could be wrong but I don't see shoppers paying more than $1,200 for a flagship phone that doesn't have a third camera.
Galaxy S25 Edge outlook
Based on some of the comments I'm seeing on TikTok, YouTube and elsewhere, it looks like some are confused by the S25 Edge name. Samsung used to sell Edge phones like the Galaxy S7 Edge that had curved displays. This seems to have a flat display so there doesn't seem to be a connection. Samsung is simply reviving the name to connote thinness. Okay.
Then there are others who see the Galaxy S25 Edge and simply call it an iPhone 16 knock-off. I wouldn't go that far, but it seems clear that Samsung is trying to get ahead of a possible iPhone 17 Air launch this fall.
The bottom line is that the Galaxy S25 Edge is a very tantalizing handset up close. I just wonder if this tease will wind up putting would-be Galaxy S25 Ultra upgraders into a holding pattern.
More from Tom's Guide
- Galaxy S25 — 5 reasons to buy and 4 reasons to skip
- Samsung's XR headset is cool and all, but I'm way more excited about the AR glasses
- Galaxy S25 preorder deals — here’s how to get any of Samsung’s new phones for free
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