Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge vs Galaxy S25 Plus: Does thickness really matter?
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Intro
Samsung dropped a substantial bomb during this year's Unpacked event. We kind of knew and expected a teaser of the so-called Galaxy S25 Slim but got one with a slightly different name. Enter the Galaxy S25 Edge.
This feels a bit weird, as the "Edge" moniker was previously reserved for the curved screen version of the Galaxy S series flagships. But now it seems like Samsung is trying to convey slimness and lightweight with this edgy name.
It is what it is. The Galaxy S25 Edge was teased, and it's now official. Given how similar this model seems to be to the Galaxy S25 Plus, we're pitting these two against each other to find out if thickness really matters all that much and what the potential reasons are to choose the Galaxy S25 Edge over the Galaxy S25 Plus.
This feels a bit weird, as the "Edge" moniker was previously reserved for the curved screen version of the Galaxy S series flagships. But now it seems like Samsung is trying to convey slimness and lightweight with this edgy name.
Galaxy S25 Edge vs Galaxy S25 Plus differences:
| Galaxy S25 Edge | Galaxy S25 Plus |
|---|---|
| Slightly larger dimensions at 159 x 76 mm, but thinner at 5.8 mm | A tad more compact phone, but also a tad thicker |
| Substantially lighter at 163 grams (lighter than the S25 as well) | Heavier phone at 190 grams |
| A big 200MP main camera with phase detection autofocus | Smaller pixel-count 50MP main camera with PDAF and OIS |
| The same 12MP camera as the one used on the S25 and S25 Plus | 12MP ultrawide camera |
| No telephoto camera onboard | Telephoto camera lens with 10MP sensor and 3x optical zoom |
| The same Snapdragon 8 Elite | Faster Snapdragon 8 Elite chipset |
| Smaller battery (3,900 mAh) potentially shorter battery life | A bigger battery (4,900 mAh) delivering better battery life |
| Slower wired charging and support for wireless charging | Faster wired charging at 45W Wireless charging support |
| Same screen size, new HOP 3.0 tech (1.2, 1.5Hz refresh rate steps) | The same size and resolution, different LTPO tech (1-120Hz) |
| Seven years of software updates, Android 15 out of the box | Seven years of software updates |
| Starting price is $1,100 for 256GB | Cheaper at $1,000 |
| Titanium Silver, Jetblack, Icyblue colors | More color options |
Table of Contents:
Also read:
Design and Size
Wait, this looks familiar
After a lot of leaks and rumors we finally know what the Galaxy S25 Edge looks like. Viewed from the back, the Galaxy S25 Edge displays a striking resemblance to last year's Apple non-premium lineup, the iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Plus.
The camera bump is oval, and the two camera housings look very similar to what Apple did. The only difference is that the LED flash is part of the oval camera bump in the Galaxy S25 Edge, while in the case of the iPhone 16 it sits on the right side of the camera system.
The camera bump is oval, and the two camera housings look very similar to what Apple did. The only difference is that the LED flash is part of the oval camera bump in the Galaxy S25 Edge, while in the case of the iPhone 16 it sits on the right side of the camera system.
There's a punch-hole camera on the front and the same boxy design of the S25 family, with a slightly wider bezel around the display. But let's not forget that we're comparing this phone to the S25 Plus and not to the iPhone 16, so back on track.
The S25 Plus has a different design philosophy when it comes to the camera system; it relies on the same separate camera housings pioneered by the Ultra a couple of generations ago.
| Galaxy S25 Edge | Galaxy S25 Plus |
|---|---|
| Thickness 5.8 mm | Thickness 7.3 mm |
| Dimensions 159 x 76 | Dimensions 158.4 x 75.8 |
| Weight 163 | Weight 190 grams |
In terms of size and weight, both phones share a similar footprint; the Galaxy S25 Plus measures 158.4 x 75.8 x 7.3 mm, while the Galaxy S25 Edge comes in at 159 x 76 x 5.8 mm. The Edge model is also substantially lighter at 163 grams, while the S25 Plus weighs a hefty 190 grams.
In the hand, both phones feel quite similar, and you can also see this in the comparison pictures. Granted, the Galaxy S25 Edge is noticeably thinner, by 25% making it the thinnest modern flagship nowadays; it's 7.3 vs 5.8 mm, which after simple calculation results in just a 1.5 mm difference in thickness.
The difference in weight, though, can be felt—the Galaxy S25 Edge feels featherweight compared to the S25 Plus, so there's that.
| Galaxy S25 Edge colors | Galaxy S25 Plus colors |
|---|---|
| Jetblack | Blue Black (Samsung exclusive) |
| Titanium Silver | Silver Shadow |
| Icyblue | Navy |
| - | Icy Blue |
| - | Mint |
| - | Pink Gold (Samsung exclusive) |
| - | Coral Red (Samsung exclusive) |
The Galaxy S25 Plus is available in Icy Blue, Mint, Navy, Silver Shadow, Pink Gold, Coral Red, and Blue Black. The Galaxy S25 Edge, on the other hand, launches in three hues—Titanium Silver, Jet Jetblack, and Icyblue.
Display Differences
New HOP 3.0 tech but no anti-glare
The display of the Galaxy S25 Edge is a 6.7-inch Super AMOLED panel with a 1440 x 3120 pixel resolution, resulting in around 519 PPI pixel density. The advertised brightness is 2600 nits peak, and there's no anti-glare coating on top (that's reserved solely for the Galaxy S25 Ultra).
Now, up to this point the screen seems very similar to the one on the Galaxy S25 Plus. However, there are differences.
| Galaxy S25 Edge | Galaxy S25 Plus |
|---|---|
| Size 6.7" | Size 6.7" |
| Brightness 2600 nits (peak) | Brightness 2600 nits (peak) |
The Galaxy S25 Edge features a new HOP 3.0 display technology, similar to LTPO. It basically does the same variable refresh rate thing but does it in smaller steps (1.2, 1.5 Hz). The protective glass on top is also a bit different. It's the new generation Corning Gorilla Glass Ceramic 2, offering improved shatter resistance.
The S25 Plus features a 6.7-inch AMOLED panel with 1440 x 3120 pixel resolution, the same as the Edge, but comes with Gorilla Glass Victus on top and slightly less advanced LTPO screen refresh rate tech.
Display Measurements:
Looking at the lab results above, it's interesting to see that the Galaxy S25 Edge has a slight edge (pun intended) over the S25 Plus. We're talking some minor gains in brightness, but also a better color calibration out of the box with an average deltaE reading under 2 for the S25 Edge. You probably won't notice these differences in real-life use, even with both phones side-by-side, but they're there nonetheless.
Performance and Software
A slightly trimmed down Snapdragon Elite
Being part of the Galaxy S25 family, the S25 Edge unsurprisingly features the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite chipset. What's interesting is that Samsung decided to downclock and manage the thermal performance of the chipset, which is understandable given the tight package.
This explains early benchmarks that put the S25 Edge score slightly lower than the other members of the S25 family, and the reason boils down to size and thermal throttling. The Galaxy S25 Plus, in comparison, managed 3132 and 9935 in the same test, but we've tested the Galaxy S25 Edge in lab and we have an objective result below.
| Galaxy S25 Edge | Galaxy S25 Plus |
|---|---|
| Chip Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite | Chip Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite |
| Process 3nm | Process 3nm |
| RAM 12GB | RAM 12GB |
As expected, the scores are quite close, but thermal efficiency and managing clock speeds makes a noticeable difference in raw synthetics results. The Galaxy S25 Plus is still one of the fastest Snapdragon 8 Elite phones out there, but in real-life conditions, both phones are snappy and fast, and can deal with everything you throw at them.
In terms of RAM, the Galaxy S25 Edge comes with 12GB on board in all storage configurations. This puts it in the same ballpark as the Galaxy S25 Plus. Speaking of storage, both phones start at 256GB and offer an additional 512GB variant.
Now, in terms of software, there's no difference between these two. The same software version, seven years of support, and AI magic are found on both phones.
In terms of RAM, the Galaxy S25 Edge comes with 12GB on board in all storage configurations. This puts it in the same ballpark as the Galaxy S25 Plus. Speaking of storage, both phones start at 256GB and offer an additional 512GB variant.
Now, in terms of software, there's no difference between these two. The same software version, seven years of support, and AI magic are found on both phones.
Camera
The beginning of the end?
The camera specs of the Galaxy S25 Edge are pretty interesting, but the most important thing and the takeaway here is the count of the actual cameras on the back. Because the S25 Edge marks the first time a Samsung flagship launches with only two cameras in a long, long time. Which may turn out to be a segue to the Galaxy S26 having only two cameras; who knows?
Back to the camera specs of the Edge. The phone features a 200MP ISOCELL HP2 sensor, just like the Galaxy S25 Ultra, and a 12MP ultrawide camera the same as the one used in the Galaxy S25 Plus.
Back to the camera specs of the Edge. The phone features a 200MP ISOCELL HP2 sensor, just like the Galaxy S25 Ultra, and a 12MP ultrawide camera the same as the one used in the Galaxy S25 Plus.
| Galaxy S25 Edge | Galaxy S25 Plus |
|---|---|
| Main 200 MP f/1.7 23 mm (wide) 1/1.56" | Main 50 MP f/1.8 24 mm (wide) 1/1.56" |
| Ultrawide 12 MP f/2.2 13 mm (ultrawide) 123 FOV | Ultrawide 12 MP f/2.2 13 mm (ultrawide) 120 FOV |
| N/A | Telephoto 10 MP f/2.4 67mm 3x optical zoom |
These specs puts the Galaxy S25 Edge in a very strange position. The main camera is better than the vanilla S25 models and on par with the Ultra (same sensor, even though the lenses are a bit different), but the ultrawide seems to be the same. Add the lack of a telephoto camera (we get 2x crops from the huge main 200MP sensor), and we're left with a very strange experiment.
PhoneArena Camera Score:
The camera score is very interesting. In our lab, the Galaxy S25 Edge managed to come very close to its sibling, despite having one less camera onboard. The main difference, though, didn't show up in the zoom part of our test, but it's tied to the selfie camera quality.
Generally speaking, we would call this one a tie, with the caveat that if you're snapping a lot of selfies, the Galaxy S25 Plus might have an advantage.
Main camera
The Galaxy S25 Edge and the Galaxy S25 Plus are extremely similar in terms of image quality, which is to be expected given the similarities in hardware and image processing. The Galaxy S25 Edge is just as competent and capable as the rest of the Galaxy S25 series.
Zoom Quality
The Galaxy S25 Edge does a good job at 2X zoom, but struggles at 10X, which is the maximum digital zoom it can achieve. The Galaxy S25 Plus is slightly better thanks to the digital zoom leveraging the power of the telephoto lens.
Ultrawide camera
The ultrawide camera performs similar on both phones. A lot of scene can be captured in the frame, with similar colors, dynamic range, and detail.
Selfies
Selfies are similar on both. The Galaxy S25 Edge seems to deliver a bit more color here, but it could be the lighting and the difference in composition that has delivered this change.
Battery Life and Charging
Can't beat physics
The Galaxy S25 Plus has an intrinsic advantage in this section thanks to its battery. The capacity is 4,900 mAh, which, while a bit lower by modern standards, is still substantially more than the 3,900 mAh battery on board of the Galaxy S25 Edge.
Given the screens are largely the same, barring the new HOP tech on the S25 Edge, the battery life of the latter could be significantly worse than what the S25 Plus has on tap. Can one less Oryon V2 Phoenix M core in the Snapdragon 8 Elite offset a 1000mAh difference? We've done our tests, so scroll down to find the results!
Given the screens are largely the same, barring the new HOP tech on the S25 Edge, the battery life of the latter could be significantly worse than what the S25 Plus has on tap. Can one less Oryon V2 Phoenix M core in the Snapdragon 8 Elite offset a 1000mAh difference? We've done our tests, so scroll down to find the results!
| Galaxy S25 Edge | Galaxy S25 Plus |
|---|---|
| Battery capacity 3900 mAh | Battery capacity 4900 mAh |
Charging speeds 25W wired 15W wireless charging USB-C | Charging speeds 45W wired 15W wireless charging USB-C |
PhoneArena Battery Test Results:
Things are much better than expected! Despite the 1000 mAh difference, the actual battery life is quite comparable, albeit not the same. The Galaxy S25 Plus still wins this round and by a substantial margin, but the sheer fact that the S25 Edge was able to achieve a composite score of 6 hours and 22 minutes (better than the iPhone 16) is impressive in its own right.
Specs Comparison
Here's a quick specs comparison for all the number nerds out there. You can also check out of full Galaxy S25 Edge vs Galaxy S25 Plus specs comparison on PhoneArena.
| Galaxy S25 Edge | Galaxy S25 Plus |
|---|---|
| Size, weight 159 x 76 x 5.8 mm 163 grams | Size, weight 158.4 x 75.8 x 7.3 mm 190 grams |
| Screen 6.7" AMOLED 120Hz HOP 3.0 1440 x 3120 pixels, 19.5:9 ratio (~513 ppi density) | Screen 6.7" AMOLED 120Hz 1440 x 3120 pixels, 19.5:9 ratio (~513 ppi density) |
| Processor Snapdragon 8 Elite 3nm | Processor Snapdragon 8 Elite 3nm |
| Versions: 12/256GB 12/512GB LPDDR5 | Versions: 12/256GB 12/512GB LPDDR5 |
| Cameras: 200MP main 12MP ultrawide 12MP front | Cameras: 50MP main 12MP ultra 10MP 3X zoom 12MP front |
| Battery: 3900 mAh | Battery: 4900 mAh |
| Charging: USB-C 25W wired 15W wireless | Charging: USB-C 45W wired 15W wireless |
Summary
There are a lot of questions before anyone would be able to stamp a final verdict on this one. The Galaxy S25 Edge starts at $1,099.99 which is a tough cookie to swallow, especially compared to the Galaxy S25 Plus and it's $999 price tag.
The S25 Edge comes with a smaller battery, clocked down Snapdragon 8 Elite processor, and no telephoto camera on the back. The only real advantage is the bigger main camera sensor and the lower weight. But our tests showed more than that. Even though the battery is substantially smaller and the phone lacks a dedicated telephoto, Samsung has managed to alleviate these shortcomings.
The Galaxy S25 Edge performs almost on par with the S25 Plus, with minor deficiencies here and there. For all intents and purposes, in real-life conditions, these two will provide the same user experience, with the S25 Edge being thinner and lighter.
The way we see it, the Galaxy S25 Edge is trying to probe the market for a niche that's unexplored—a lightweight and thin flagship with a big screen and a basic camera layout. Will 1.5 mm be enough to make people spend more money and choose the S25 Edge over the S25 Plus? Time will tell.
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