Samsung has unveiled the Galaxy S25 Edge, finally confirming what had been leaked months earlier — and the timing feels deliberate.
Packed inside the 5.8mm, 163-gram chassis is the same Snapdragon 8 Elite chip and 200MP camera found in Samsung’s Ultra model. In other words, it’s not a “lite” edition; it’s a statement.
The big reveal was held in Seoul, South Korea, on Tuesday morning local time — still Monday evening on the East Coast of the United States.
While Apple hasn’t publicly commented, the Edge debut date feels quite intentional. With the iPhone 17 Air (or Slim) rumored to be Apple’s upcoming ultra-thin play, Samsung just got the first word in.
Edge-level performance, iPhone-level ambition
If you’ve followed Samsung’s recent strategy, the Edge is the natural endpoint: Strip everything non-essential to chase a singular design vision. Here, that means matching the Ultra’s internals but ditching the telephoto lens and reducing the battery capacity to 3,900 mAh.
You get a Galaxy flagship that is lighter than anything Samsung has shipped in years.
In return, you get a Galaxy flagship that is lighter than anything Samsung has shipped in years. It’s also nearly 2mm thinner than the Galaxy S25 Ultra, and more than a full millimeter thinner than the iPhone 15 Pro.
We’ve been here before, though. Phones got thin, they bent (a throwback to the iPhone 6 Plus), and manufacturers overcorrected with bigger batteries, bulkier camera islands, and the naming of “Pro Max Ultra.”
The S25 Edge hints at a design rethink: What if sleek, pocketable, and premium could coexist?
Samsung is betting that it can. If the rumors are accurate, Apple will think the same thing.
Enter the iPhone 17 Air
According to earlier leaks, Apple’s 2025 iPhone lineup could include a brand-new Air model. This handset would be dramatically thinner, possibly as thin as 5.5mm, and built from titanium or aluminum to cut weight.
The Air may not ship with the full triple-lens loadout we’ve come to expect. Like the Edge, it might settle for fewer sensors, a smaller battery, and an emphasis on lightness. And much like Samsung, Apple’s design decisions will pose the same question: How much compromise are users willing to accept in the name of thin?
The S25 Edge’s biggest gamble isn’t its weight or thickness. It’s the battery. At 3,900 mAh, it’s down nearly 25% from what you’ll find in most 2025 flagships. That’s the price you pay for a device this slim.
Thermal management is another concern. Thin phones have less room for vapor chambers or graphite pads, and any passive cooling is limited by physics. Some users will notice if Samsung is throttling the Snapdragon 8 Elite under sustained load.
Apple’s Air may face the same scrutiny. The thinnest iPad Pro (5.1mm) already sparked debates about heat and battery performance. Now imagine a similar device in your pocket and how it might hold up after a day of heavy use.
Building a narrative?
Samsung has everything to gain from this category. Unlike Apple, which has been refining a single design language across devices, Samsung can afford to experiment.
The Edge isn’t replacing the Ultra or the base S25. It’s an option; a stylistic choice for users who value comfort over cameras or runtime. By being first, Samsung gets to frame the narrative: thinness is premium again. And if the iPhone 17 Air follows, Samsung can credibly say it set the trend.
The S25 Edge feels like more than a hardware announcement in many ways. It’s a provocation. If Apple responds with an iPhone 17 Air this fall, we could see thin become the new must-have spec, right alongside megapixels, refresh rates, and AI.
But for now, it’s Samsung’s turn in the spotlight. The company has built the world’s thinnest flagship phone. And in doing so, it may have kickstarted the industry’s next great design war.
Watch the Samsung 'Beyond Slim' event
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