That final half is the issue with the Edge: It has a paltry 3,900-mAh battery capability. That is the smallest of the Galaxy S25 collection, 100 mAh smaller than the compact Galaxy S25. Samsung has made some good optimizations to maximise the battery lifetime of this small cell, however there’s solely a lot it could do. The Galaxy S25 Edge’s battery life is just not adequate for a $1,100 cellphone.
During the last week, I have been touring with the Edge to cowl Google I/O, and I’ve needed to bear in mind to cost it within the afternoon on most days. After I was away from a charger, I consciously determined to keep away from utilizing the cellphone in order to not drain the battery. I’ve usually solely had 4 hours of screen-on time by the top of the day earlier than the gadget hits 15 %. Thoughts you, with mild to common use, this handset can final nearly a day. Then once more, in case your wants are mild, you hardly need to spend $1,100 to get a great phone.
In my 10 years of reviewing telephones, I’ve continuously heard grumbles from the folks round me when firms introduce thinner telephones with smaller batteries. I’ve additionally heard complaints that telephones are getting too massive. The S25 Edge continues to be massive—of us with smaller paws than me will nonetheless discover it exhausting to achieve the highest of the display—however the larger dimension would not convey the good thing about a much bigger battery. It begs the query, who is that this for?
{Photograph}: Julian Chokkattu
In case you’ve bemoaned the identical issues, the clear winner for you is a folding flip phone. Gadgets just like the Motorola Razr Ultra and the Galaxy Z Flip6 will match, if not supply barely higher battery life than the Edge, however you may fold them up and stow them in a pocket or purse much more properly. No have to sacrifice display dimension. Or simply get the great and compact Galaxy S25, which is able to final a smidge longer than the Edge.
Fringe Worth
Samsung is positioning the Galaxy S25 Edge as a cellphone for energy customers who need most of the capabilities of the Galaxy S25 Ultra with out the large display and weight. However the Edge has extra compromises than simply having the worst battery life: it fees extra slowly, there is not any S Pen stylus, and there is not any telephoto zoom digicam. It does have just a few perks over the cheaper S25 and S25+, although, resembling the flexibility to seize 4K video at 120 frames per second.
The outcomes from the 200-MP main digicam and 12-MP ultrawide cameras are sharp and colourful. You will not discover an excessive amount of to complain about. Nevertheless, I stored making an attempt to zoom in on numerous pictures, and whereas the 2x digital zoom has first rate high quality, issues deteriorate fairly rapidly at additional zoom choices. It is uncommon to discover a $1,000+ smartphone right this moment with out a 3x or 5x optical zoom digicam, and it is sorely missed right here.
