Samsung’s Unpacked event just concluded, and while we didn’t see a new pair of smart glasses or ring at the end of the show this year, the company did tease a new product — one that’s arguably even more significant.
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The Galaxy S25 Edge is what the company is calling it, and from the teasers and seconds-long sizzle reel we got at the end of the presentation, there’s one obvious takeaway: it’s super thin. So thin that the phone will only feature two cameras, not three like the rest of the Galaxy S25 lineup.
According to Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, the S25 Edge will launch in the first half of this year, with pricing expected to be below the S25 Ultra’s $1,299.
The announcement falls in line with earlier leaks by OnLeaks and SmartPrix hinting at a Samsung Galaxy S25<!–> “Slim” edition. While the branding isn’t the same, the unique rendition of this year’s mobile lineup is essentially what we expected, with the device supposedly measuring just 6.4mm in width.
For reference, the iPhone 16 Pro is 8.25mm thick, while the standard Galaxy S24 is 7.6mm thick. If the specs are accurate, the Galaxy S25 Slim would be Samsung’s thinnest phone to date.
Also: Every Samsung Galaxy S25 model compared: Which phone should you buy?
You may be asking: Why would a device like this exist? After all, choosing among the standard three Galaxy S models is already quite the chore. To that, I say, “competition.” With Apple expected to launch an iPhone 17 Air model later this year, which takes a similar, slimmed-down approach to industrial design, Samsung may want to be the first to cross the finish line – even if it’s at the expense of polish and buying confusion.
The company laid out the industrial design and components of the device during the keynote.
Samsung
Besides the design, Smartprix says the Galaxy S25 Edge model will mostly be the same as the standard S25 and S25 Plus in terms of features and capabilities. For example, it will feature a multi-camera array, a metal frame and glass back, and a Snapdragon 8 Elite chipset to power the system.
The big question mark is battery life, especially with the phone being thinner. Would the smaller real estate mean that the Galaxy phone will have a smaller battery capacity? That’s possible, but Samsung has some viable solutions – should it take them.
Also: I went hands-on with the Samsung Galaxy S25 – and the AI features were surprisingly polished
For one, the company can optimize the device to be more power efficient, whether that’s at a processor level or by system throttling. Option two is opting for a silicon-based battery, which has a greater energy density than lithium-ion. I recently reviewed the OnePlus 13, and while the phone is relatively thin, it still manages to carry a 6,000mAh capacity thanks to its silicon battery. I’d like to see Samsung follow a similar path.
Regardless, it’s exciting to see Samsung unveil something a little more innovative than what the standard S25 models offer. ZDNET tried every new model ahead of Unpacked and found the changes to mostly be iterative, with the most significant upgrades coming in the form of AI and software. Stay tuned for more details on the S25 Edge.
Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra is losing this creative S Pen feature – but you likely won’t notice
