Samsung will officially make a return to the realm of ultra-slim phones in the coming months with the Galaxy S25 Edge. So far, the company has only given us a distant glimpse of the upcoming phone, but has remained mum on its innards or market arrival timeline.
Well, an apparently working unit of the Galaxy S25 Edge briefly appeared in a leaked video this week, parading its svelte profile from all sides. In the short clip, the phone is compared against the Galaxy Z Fold 6, and we also get a look at its supposed innards via the AIDA64 app running on the phone.
This is the first time we are seeing the phone in flesh, and in a functional form. It looks stunning, a fitting return for the “Edge” phones that once established Samsung’s superiority as the maker of bold and stylish devices. Remember the beauty that was the Galaxy S6 Edge?
This is some serious firepower
Now, ever since Samsung put a demo unit up for showcase at its Unpacked event earlier this year, I have been fairly skeptical. What kind of sacrifices Samsung has made to achieve such a thin profile? Will it be competitive enough to slot within the mainline Galaxy S25 series?
Well, it seems like the Galaxy S25 Edge will be a high-end phone, in the same vein as the iPhone 16. By that, I mean pairing a flagship silicon with a dual-camera setup. In the now-deleted video, we see the mention of Adreno 830, which is the graphics engine Qualcomm serves with its top-of-the-line Snapdragon 8 Elite silicon.
This is the same silicon that powers the entire Galaxy S25 line, and a whole bunch of other Android flagships such as the OnePlus 13, iQoo 13, and the Red Magic 10 Pro. The video also shows 12GB of RAM and 256GB of onboard storage inside in the upcoming phone, which is again at par with the Galaxy S25.
I had some doubts that Samsung would fit a low-end processor inside the Galaxy S25 Edge so that it doesn’t deplete the small battery and cause any heat management hassles. But it seems Samsung has managed to address both the concerns.
If the leaked video is anything to go by, the slim phone will come equipped with a 4,000 mAh battery, matching the Galaxy S25. I’ve had a fairly good experience with the Galaxy S25 so far, easily going a full-day without having to charge the phone despite its relatively small battery. I expect the Galaxy S25 Edge won’t fare any different.
The biggest difference would be the imaging hardware. Unlike the regular Galaxy S25 and its Plus variant (which comes equipped with three cameras), the Edge trim will only pack two cameras.
As per the latest leak, we are looking at a primary sensor that captures images at 12-megapixel resolution. That may not be the actual camera sensor resolution, because the AIDA 64 app shows the default image resolution clicked in pixel-binned format, and not the actual sensor details.
A 50-megapixel, or even a 48-megapixel sensor, takes pictures at a 12-megapixel resolution using 4-in-1 pixel-binning tech. In a nutshell, there’s a chance that Samsung fits a a 12-megapixel primary camera on the Galaxy S25 Edge, but it could very well turn out to be a 50-megapixel sensor, as well, just like the regular Galaxy S25.
Prepare thy wallet, Galaxy warrior
The Galaxy S25 Edge is shaping up to be a mainline Android flagship phone by 2025 standards. And that’s both good and bad news. If you’ve yearned for a thin phone that doesn’t cut any serious corners when it comes to performance or other crucial aspects like camera or battery, this is the best that Android will offer in 2025.
On the flip side, it is likely going to be pretty expensive. And not just because the innards more or less match the mainline Galaxy S25 and the engineering labor that went into making it. It seems the build materials are even more premium than the regular Galaxy S25.
The Korean electronics giant is reportedly eyeing some form of ceramic glass material for the Galaxy S25 Edge’s rear shell. Taking into account everything that leaks have served so far, the Galaxy S25 Edge might be priced at $800 by the safest estimates, or higher.
There is definitely some historical precedent for that. In 2015, Samsung launched the Galaxy A8, it’s slimmest smartphone so far. That phone didn’t offer any flagship chops in the same league as the Galaxy S or Galaxy Note series phones back then, but still commanded a price tag close to $500.
Now that Samsung’s mainline Android flagship starts at $800 and touch the $1,300 base sticker tag for the Ultra model, the near-match that is the Galaxy S25 Edge will most likely exceed the entry point. Just how far Samsung goes with its innovation tax remains to be seen. As for me, well, I am not keeping my hopes high for any pleasant surprise.
