Tech Reviews May 18, 2025

Deals: Galaxy S25 Edge goes on pre-order, plus other S25 deals and alternatives

Samsung unveiled the Galaxy S25 Edge – measuring only 5.8mm, it is the thinnest smartphone in years. In fact, no other phone released in the 2020s has dipped under 6mm thick. This doesn’t come cheap, of course – here’s a detailed price breakdown. Is the Edge just the phone you’ve been waiting for or is Samsung trying to force a gimmick that won’t catch on?

If you’re leaning towards the former, you’ll be glad to hear that the Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge impresses with more than just being thin – it’s also very light. It weighs a single gram more than the vanilla Galaxy S25, despite the large disparity in screen size (6.7” vs. 6.2”). And it packs a 200MP sensor in the main camera, something previously exclusive to Ultra models.

There are downsides, of course, like the battery capacity – it’s smaller than the vanilla S25 (3,900mAh vs. 4,000mAh). And it has the same slow charging (25W wired, 15W wireless). There’s no telephoto camera, it relies on the 200MP unit for zooming in. And finally, it is expensive. Samsung.com offers a free storage upgrade, as does Amazon – Amazon also adds a $50 gift card.

As usual, offers on older models dry up for a week or two when a new model launches. The Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra can be found with a free storage upgrade to 512GB from Samsung.com, Amazon has the lower price by about $100. The Ultra is chunkier (8.2mm, 218g vs. 5.8mm, 163g), but it also has a larger display (6.9”) and battery (5,000mAh) with faster wired charging (45W).

And the 200MP camera isn’t alone when it comes to zooming in – there’s a 10MP 3x (67mm) medium tele and a 50MP 5x (111mm) long tele. It also has a 50MP ultra-wide camera, while the Edge has a basic 12MP unit like the vanilla and plus models.

There’s talk that the Edge will replace the Plus model in the Galaxy S lineup next year. This year, however, the Galaxy S25+ is a bit cheaper – even without a discount. If you want an S25+, we’d advise you to wait a week or two. The phone is bigger (7.3mm, 190g vs. 5.8mm, 163g) despite having the same screen size. However, it has a 1,000mAh bigger battery (4,900mAh) and faster 45W wired charging. Instead of a 200MP camera, it has a 50MP main and a 10MP 3x (67mm) telephoto.

While it’s razor thin, the S25 Edge is still 75.6mm wide. The vanilla Samsung Galaxy S25 is 70.5mm wide and weighs the same. Which phone is “smaller” in your mind? If it’s the S25, you get pretty much the same hardware as the S25+, except for the 6.2” display and the 4,000mAh battery (essentially the same size as Edge).

Looking at other brands, the OnePlus 13 is close in size to the Ultra. But it packs a large 6.82” display and a 6,000mAh battery – Samsung still hasn’t gotten above 5,000mAh. And this is with fast 80W wired and 50W wireless charging too. The cameras are a 50MP main, backed by a 50MP 3x (73mm) and 50MP ultra-wide, all for over $100 less than the Edge.

There’s also the more affordable OnePlus 13R – it uses the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 chip instead of the 8 Elite, its tele camera has a 2x lens (47mm) and the ultra-wide is only an 8MP unit. There are a few other downgrades, but you still get a 6.78” LTPO panel (1264p+ vs. 1440p+) and a 6,000mAh battery (80W wired-only charging). More details in our OnePlus 13 vs. 13R comparison article. All this for half the price of the Edge – as long as you are okay with the 8mm and 206g dimensions, of course.

The Google Pixel 9 Pro XL is another phone that competes with the Ultra rather than the Edge. It measures 8.5mm thick and weighs 221g with a 6.8” display and a 5,060mAh battery (37W/23W charging). It has a 50MP main, 48MP 5x (113mm) and 48MP ultra-wide cameras.

The Google Pixel 9 Pro is 72mm wide – not as small as the S25 and quite heavy too at 199g. But you get the same hardware as the Pro XL, except for the 6.3” display and 4,700mAh battery (27W/21W).

The RedMagic 10 Air launched a month ago and it’s in the same price bracket as the OnePlus 13R. It uses the same Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 chipset, without the active cooling fan that is a trademark for the brand. Its 6.8” display is not an LTPO panel and the 50+50MP cameras are wide and ultra-wide, there’s no telephoto on board. You get the same battery (6,000mAh, 80W wired-only charging) in a body that’s a bit bigger.

The RedMagic 10 Pro is $150 more than the Air, but you get the Snapdragon 8 Elite with active cooling and a larger 7,050mAh battery. Also, the USB-C port is USB 3.2 with DisplayPort and you get a 3.5mm headphone jack if you like using external displays and/or wired headphones. The fan and battery do add some bulk, though, the Pro measures 8.9mm and 229g.