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 will probably do. The Galaxy S25 Edge’s battery life is just not adequate for a $1,100 cellphone.
Over the past week, I have been touring with the Edge to cowl Google I/O, and I’ve needed to keep 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 system 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 have to spend $1,100 to get an ideal cellphone.
In my 10 years of reviewing telephones, I’ve continuously heard grumbles from the individuals round me when firms introduce thinner telephones with smaller batteries. I’ve additionally heard complaints that telephones are getting too large. The S25 Edge remains to be large—people with smaller paws than me will nonetheless discover it laborious to achieve the highest of the display—however the larger measurement would not carry the advantage of a much bigger battery. It begs the query, who is that this for?
{Photograph}: Julian Chokkattu
For those who’ve bemoaned the identical issues, the clear winner for you is a folding flip cellphone. Units just like the Motorola Razr Extremely and the Galaxy Z Flip6 will match, if not supply barely higher battery life than the Edge, however you possibly can fold them up and stow them in a pocket or purse much more properly. No have to sacrifice display measurement. Or simply get the great and compact Galaxy S25, which is able to final a smidge longer than the Edge.
Fringe Value
Samsung is positioning the Galaxy S25 Edge as a cellphone for energy customers who need most of the capabilities of the Galaxy S25 Extremely with out the huge display and weight. However the Edge has extra compromises than simply having the worst battery life: it expenses extra slowly, there isn’t any S Pen stylus, and there isn’t any telephoto zoom digital camera. It does have a number of perks over the cheaper S25 and S25+, although, corresponding to the power to seize 4K video at 120 frames per second.
The outcomes from the 200-MP major digital camera 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 a whole lot of pictures, and whereas the 2x digital zoom has first rate high quality, issues deteriorate fairly shortly at additional zoom choices. It is uncommon to discover a $1,000+ smartphone immediately with no 3x or 5x optical zoom digital camera, and it is sorely missed right here.
