Samsung is making the unsuitable telephones thinner

I have been utilizing the Samsung Galaxy S25 for a couple of weeks now. I am not over the moon about it — it is a complete lot just like the Galaxy S24, however with further AI stuff out of the field — however I am going to actually give it to Samsung with regards to {hardware} high quality. The S25 feels nice, and it is impressively skinny and lightweight.

Given how lithe the usual Galaxy S25 and S25+ already are, although, it is a bit odd that Samsung appears to be pushing the envelope additional nonetheless with the upcoming Galaxy S25 Edge. The conventional S25s are 7.2mm thick. The S25 Edge? Rumors level to simply 5.84mm. That’d make for a placing silhouette, however I am unable to assist however suppose Samsung’s specializing in the unsuitable issues right here.

What do we all know concerning the Galaxy S25 Edge?

Samsung first teased the Galaxy S25 Edge on the tail finish of its Unpacked occasion the place it formally took the wraps off the opposite S25 telephones. Earlier than the official teaser, we would anticipated the cellphone to be referred to as the Galaxy S25 Slim. As an alternative, the corporate dusted off an previous model title that was final utilized in 2016.

Not like Samsung’s older Edge units, which featured tapered edges on their shows, the S25 Edge will simply be a thinner Galaxy S25. It’s going to include two rear cameras moderately than three (my cash’s on a regular and an ultrawide with out the conventional S25’s 3x telephoto), and it is deliberate for launch someday later this 12 months.

For now, that is actually all we all know for certain; other than its hands-off teaser at Unpacked, Samsung has been tight-lipped concerning the Edge.

Does the S25 must be thinner?

At 7.2mm thick, the S25 and S25+ are already the thinnest mainstream flagships in the marketplace, edging out the iPhone 16’s 7.8mm chassis and slipping proper previous the Pixel 9’s 8.5mm profile. Holding the Galaxy S25 for the primary time after utilizing the Pixel 9 Professional for a couple of months, I used to be instantly struck by simply how ethereal Samsung’s cellphone felt.

That is spectacular, however thinness has its prices. The usual Galaxy S25’s battery can eke out six or so hours of display time between fees, which places it on the decrease finish of what we count on out of flagships lately.

In line with rumors, the Galaxy S25 Edge can have each a bigger show and a smaller battery than the base-model S25. Supposedly, the Edge can have a display nearer to the Galaxy S25+’s in dimension, however include a 3,900mAh cell the place even the smallest S25 has a 4,000mAh capability. Barring sudden breakthroughs in battery know-how, that paints the image of a cellphone that’ll wrestle to make it by way of a full day away from a charger.

Samsung’s free to indicate off its engineering chops nevertheless it needs, after all, however to me, the S25 sequence does not have a lot to realize from a fair thinner possibility. Samsung’s foldables, in the meantime, are falling behind right here.

Google’s Pixel 9 Professional Fold was the thinnest foldable accessible in North America when it launched final 12 months, at simply 5.1 millimeters when unfolded. The upcoming OnePlus Open 2 is trying thinner nonetheless, at a nigh-unbelievable 4mm thick whereas in its open configuration. The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6, in the meantime, 5.6mm thick when open, solely marginally thinner than the Edge is rumored to be. That interprets to a foldable that, in comparison with the competitors, feels a bit like a brick when it is shut.

Naturally, Samsung is engaged on its subsequent foldable telephones already. The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7 ought to arrive later this 12 months, and primarily based on early rumors, it will be 10mm thick when it is folded shut. That makes it sound prefer it’ll be on par with the corporate’s China-exclusive Galaxy W25, which is available in at simply 4.9mm thick when open. However that is nonetheless lagging behind foldables from Oppo and OnePlus — and I do not know what Samsung’s excuse for that may be.

The S25 Slim looks like an pointless detour alongside the best way to thinner foldables. With out both actual compromises or unexpected good points in battery effectivity, an even bigger Galaxy S25 with a smaller battery appears like a recipe for disappointment.

Following the chief

Rumors have been circulating since final 12 months about Apple taking up the same mission to the Galaxy S25 Edge. The corporate’s rumored to be releasing an particularly skinny model of its subsequent iPhone, probably referred to as the iPhone 17 Air, this fall. That cellphone will reportedly be between 5.5mm and 6.25mm thick and, for Apple, could possibly be a stepping stone to a primary foldable gadget.

I wrestle to think about what Samsung might study from constructing a regular smartphone that is nearly as skinny as its foldables. The Galaxy S25 Edge will nearly actually beat the iPhone 17 Air to market — however this looks like a enterprise Samsung might’ve skipped. Common telephones do not must be any thinner. Foldables do.

The Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge is predicted to launch within the second quarter of 2025.