20 hours ago
10
Samsung took the hard road when it launched the ultra-thin and lightweight Galaxy S25 Edge a few months ago. The phone had a mere 3,900mAh battery (not enough to be considered "diabolical," as the teens would say, but barely able to last a full day), lacked a dedicated telephoto lens, and demanded a $1,100 price tag. Unless wrist strain was your biggest issue with using smartphones, the S25 Edge just felt out of place.
Also: The best Android phones of 2025: Expert tested and reviewed
However, recent retailer offers are making me reconsider the phone. At its latest sale price of $849 ($250 off) across Amazon and Best Buy, the S25 Edge suddenly becomes an Android handset I'd comfortably recommend beyond the tech enthusiast circle. Here's why.
The Galaxy S25 Edge is the most powerful lightweight handset on the market right now, and is positioned to contend with Apple's rumored iPhone 17 Slim later in September. As I mentioned in my month-long review, the phone "operates with grace. I can't pinpoint one thing for the solid performance, so I'll credit the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite chipset, the smoother animations of One UI 7, and the 12GB of RAM, which is sufficient for hybrid AI tasks, mobile gaming, and loading various social media feeds."
Of course, the big draw with the Galaxy S25 Edge is its ultraportability. Samsung fits a 6.8-inch AMOLED display with a 200MP-led camera system into a body that's just 5.8mm thick and 163 grams. For reference, the iPhone 16 Pro (not the Pro Max) weighs 199 grams.
Review: Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge
From the burdenless pocketing experience to the surprisingly less painful drops on the face when doomscrolling in bed, the Galaxy S25 Edge left me with a positive outlook on slimified phones.
When I compared the Galaxy S25 Edge's camera to Samsung's more expensive Galaxy S25 Ultra model, I found the main sensor to output pictures and videos of similar quality -- a good thing considering the $200 price difference.
I was less enthused by the lack of an anti-glare screen, which the Galaxy S25 Ultra does have, and that 3,900mAh battery. On most days, I found myself recharging the phone from around 20% late afternoon.
All in all, the latest deal on the Samsung flagship makes it more compelling than ever, especially if you're coming from a bulkier and heavier handset, which most phones with a similar display size are. I'd even recommend the Galaxy S25 Edge over its closest competitor, the $999 Galaxy S25 Plus, at its discounted price.
How I rated this deal
As per ZDNET's rating system, I give this deal a score of 3/5. The $250 discount is being offered across most major retailers, including Amazon and Best Buy, and it applies to both the 256GB and 512GB variants.
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