Samsung’s Galaxy S25 Edge brings thin phones back into the spotlight, and I didn’t see it coming

At Unpacked, I did get a sneak peek at the Galaxy S25 Edge, though Samsung didn’t allow journalists to touch the device in person. From the looks of it, the phone appears really thin, surpassing the Galaxy S25 (7.6mm) and the iPhone 16 Pro (8.25mm) in thickness. I’m assuming the Galaxy S25 Edge would measure around 6.4mm in depth, making it Samsung’s thinnest smartphone to date. Without a doubt, the Galaxy S25 Edge is a remarkable technological achievement—and I understand why Samsung highlighted the industrial design and components of the device in a teaser video. Shaving a device’s width and shedding a few grams of weight isn’t as simple as one might imagine. It requires new engineering skills and possibly different components and battery types to keep the phone slim and light. 

It was hard to take a picture of the S25 Edge. (Image credit: Anuj Bhatia/Indian Express)

Does that mean the phone’s battery will be of a smaller capacity? Samsung is still light on details about how it made the Galaxy S25 Edge so thin, but I believe the company might have used different combinations of components to keep the phone’s chassis slim, perhaps optimising the device to be more power-efficient at the processor level or opting for a silicon-based battery, which has a greater energy density than lithium-ion—something the OnePlus 13 also did. It may not be as thin as the S25 Edge, but it still packs in a 6000mAh battery. 

For me, a concern at the moment about these thin phones is how companies ensure the devices don’t suffer from durability issues. I remember Apple had the worst nightmare back in the day when consumers discovered that the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus bent in front and back pockets, and the media nicknamed the fiasco “Bendgate.” But that was a long time ago, and since then, we’ve seen thin devices on the market that didn’t have durability concerns. Take the case of the iPad Pro M4, which measures 5.1 mm, making it the thinnest Apple product. However, the difference between the iPad Pro and a smartphone is that the latter would be carried in the tight front pocket of skinny jeans. So, in this case, the design of the phone needs to be right, alongside the materials used, to withstand the pressure. Look, metal bends—and specifically, the cheap, thin, and light metal used to make smartphones (aluminium) is very bendy in nature. Now, that’s a challenge: making a really thin device that also passes durability tests and lasts longer. Nobody intentionally sits on their phones, but sitting down with a phone in your front pocket is fairly standard behavior, and thus can’t be avoided. It’s very apparent that if you’re wearing skinny jeans with tight pockets, the phone has less room to move around compared to if you’re wearing larger or looser pockets. 

But I guess Samsung has considered every possible scenario and tested the S25 Edge in different conditions to avoid the “design flaw” that plagued thin phones of the past. The company’s expertise in making foldable phones must have also helped in ironing out design issues when creating a device as thin as the S25 Edge. 

I haven’t seen this much excitement for a smartphone in a long time. (Image credit: Anuj Bhatia/Indian Express)

Samsung’s Galaxy S25 Edge isn’t the first in this category of ultra-thin smartphones. I vividly remember being invited by Micromax, which used to be the largest smartphone brand in India a decade ago, for the launch of the Canvas Sliver 5. At 5.1 mm thick and 97 grams, it was the world’s thinnest and lightest smartphone, and honestly, it blew everyone’s mind. I remember Micromax roped in Hollywood actor Hugh Jackman to endorse the Canvas Sliver 5, and despite all the resources and marketing clout, a truth was discovered: the device achieved only limited success in the mainstream phone market, revealing that super-thin phones were not exactly a market need. 

I just hope Samsung is aiming to make the Galaxy S25 Edge a mass-market product, because the success of this device will ultimately decide the fate of thin smartphones. Samsung has been known for jumping early into product categories and has had success in the past (for example, foldables), which helped create new markets for products that nobody thought were coming. In the case of the Galaxy S25 Edge, it requires significant behavioural change, though I believe the phone won’t be any different from the new Galaxy S25 in terms of user experience. The main thing here is whether the phone’s battery life and durability are as good as a regular smartphone.