Samsung unveils Galaxy S25 Edge, setting new standard for slimness

A model grabs Samsung Electronics' new Galaxy S25 Edge during the company's online event on Tuesday unveling the smartphone. Courtesy of Samsung Electronics

Samsung Electronics on Tuesday unveiled the Galaxy S25 Edge, the latest addition to its Galaxy lineup and the thinnest design ever introduced in the Galaxy S series.

With the S25 Edge, Samsung is setting the stage for a showdown with Apple and other smartphone makers over slimmer form factors, aiming to attract consumers seeking more noticeable design changes in new models.

Roh Tae-moon, Samsung Electronics president and head of the mobile division, defined the S25 Edge as a "new category that has balanced out design and engineering."

"The S25 Edge has gone beyond the existing limitation of ultra-slimness to usher in innovative user experience," he said during the unveiling event.

The S25 Edge's launch, scheduled for May 23, will mark a showdown with Apple over slimmer smartphones, as the U.S. tech giant is expected to unveil the 5.5-millimeter-thick iPhone 17 Air in September.

A growing number of consumers have recently expressed boredom with the smartphone industry, as manufacturers have focused on artificial intelligence features while keeping form factors largely unchanged.

With the S25 Edge, Samsung seeks to lead the smartphone design trend and boost its mobile business during the traditionally slow second quarter. The company is bracing for earnings uncertainty in the second quarter stemming from U.S. tariff policies and hopes to offset the impact with the launch of the new smartphone.

"The S25 Edge will prompt the entire S25 family to haul the company's mobile experience division by raising sales and earnings," said Kang Min-seok, the company's head of smartphone product planning. "Slim products will be a bandwagon for our S25-series lineup. ... We're currently positioning our slim products to maximize sales."

Samsung Electronics' Galaxy S25 Edge Silver / Courtesy of Samsung Electronics

The latest model targets the market with its slim 5.8 millimeter profile, which is significantly thinner than the S25 Ultra at 8.2 millimeters, the S25 Plus at 7.3 millimeters and the standard S25 at 7.2 millimeters. Weighing just 163 grams, the S25 Edge is also lighter than both the S25 Ultra and the S25 Plus, while offering performance on par with existing models.

Samsung said the new Galaxy model achieves both lightness and durability through what it calls “microscopic design.”

To counter concerns over its durability, Samsung has used a new ceramic material for mobile devices called Corning Gorilla Glass Ceramic 2 for the S25 Edge front display to prevent damage or scratches. A titanium frame and IP68-rated ingress protection add extra muscle to the body.

Apart from slimness, the S25 Edge has the strongest AI function among Galaxy models, with the Snapdragon 8 Elite for Galaxy.

The specification enables various AI-based daily conveniences, including a personalized information briefing with Now Brief, real-time user activity monitoring with Now Bar and image enhancement or manipulation with ProScaler.

Realtime Visual AI, another device feature, is a real-time visual aid through the screen-sharing function. The company said the feature allows users to do such things as get recommendations on fashion or musicians to follow at music festivals by showing details through the camera.

Preorders for the S25 Edge begin on Wednesday and last until May 20. The 256-gigabyte model is priced at 1,496,000 won ($1,051), while the 512-gigabyte version costs 1,639,000 won.