Years ago, Android OEMs fought to bring phones out of double-digit thicknesses. That was achieved with relative ease but led to a race to make the thinnest phones. I remember the Gionee Elife S5.1 was just 5.2mm, though that was in 2014. Soon after, OEMs realized that consumers didn’t care about phones thinner than a certain point.
That’s why I find it baffling how Samsung (and Apple) has suddenly decided that we crave thin phones again. The Galaxy S25 Edge is on its way and will be the thinnest Android that we’ve seen in a very long time (bar foldables). Unfortunately, that thinness means making a big trade-off in battery capacity—that number has just been confirmed.
The Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge Is Confirmed for a Battery Smaller than the Galaxy S25
The Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge was rumored as the S25 Slim up until the South Korean OEM’s January launch event. It was there that it was teased and we finally learned what it was actually going to be called. Regardless of the name, there’s only one selling point to the Galaxy S25 Edge, and that’s its ridiculous thinness. It has been ages since an Android device has coasted below the 6mm mark.
Unfortunately, besides the thinness and a new Samsung design, the phone doesn’t have much else to offer compared to the rest of the family. Its pricing is on the higher side; it drops one camera lens, and it’ll make some notable downgrades to the specs—one of which has been confirmed, and that’s the battery. It’ll only be 3,900mAh, making it the smallest of the bunch (thanks, TheTechOutlook!).
As a device that is over 1.5mm thinner than the base model in the family—the Galaxy S25—it is expected that its battery would have to accept a cut in capacity. However, it isn’t as simple as that. The Galaxy S25 Edge has a bigger footprint thanks to the expected 6.6-inch display (versus 6.2-inch) and drops a camera. That would theoretically provide more space for the battery to occupy, and it seems that’s what happens.
However, this is 2025. Numerous smartphone manufacturers have completely embraced the magic of silicon-carbon batteries, and with that in mind, I feel like the Galaxy S25 Edge could have fit in a 5,000mAh battery if it really wanted to. 4,500mAh at the very least. However, Samsung isn’t in a rush to adopt the new battery tech, sadly.
The Galaxy S25 Edge Will Be Priced Above the Galaxy S25+
If you’re wondering what Samsung’s pricing vision for the S25 Edge is, then you’re in luck. Thanks to Financial News out of Korea, we know the Korean pricing for the S25 Edge. It is expected to cost KRW 1,500,000, which equates to about $1,030.
What that means is that the S25 Edge will be the second-most expensive device in the family. The S25+ starts at just KRW 1,353,000 ($930) and the Ultra model is rightfully well above the rest at KRW 1,698,400 (~$1,170).
With the pricing detailed like that, it makes me wonder even harder why Samsung decided to develop this phone. There has to be something we don’t know, especially as this is the same year that Apple plans to release the iPhone 17 Air, which will have the same selling point of being razor-thin.
