The Galaxy S25 Edge shows Samsung has run out of ideas

Samsung will officially announce a new option in the S25 lineup on May 13, reviving the “Edge” branding first introduced on the Galaxy Note 4. Curved screens are thankfully passe now, so this new Edge will showcase a different feature.

It’s going to be crazy thin!

I write this in an office where I can glance over at a handful of folding phones, specifically a phone like the Surface Duo, which has shockingly thin panels. The Duo was a mediocre phone that could turn into a fun mini-tablet. It is a unique experience feeling a panel on a gadget that thin. It’s thinner than the pop out selfie camera on a OnePlus 7 Pro.

The panel depth mattered though because, when folded, the Duo doubles its depth. When used as a single screen device, Microsoft achieved a total depth near that of a normal slab phone in a thin case. It’s wild engineering.

Beyond that experience however, “thin” is not a feature. After an impressive first impression you realize, thinness represents a lack of other features.

Perusing the leaked specs on the Galaxy S25 Edge, we can all appreciate what an incredible engineering feat this design represents, but as a practical “daily driver” gadget, it feels like a step backwards.

Do you need an "ultra" priced phone?

I struggle with the commentary surrounding expensive phones, as I feel most people shouldn’t own expensive phones. There’s a small slice of consumers who will drive a powerful device hard enough to get a proper bang for their gadget buck.

I hope we’ll continue to have power-user phone options in the future, but like gaming laptops, that’s rarely where we look for the thinnest possible solutions. Someone might shop a sleek ultra-portable laptop, but against devices like the MacBook Air, those machines are rarely priced at the higher end of the market.

There might be a larger trend of folks who appreciate a phone as a status symbol, sporting expensive labels on products like purses, but I genuinely can’t comment on that kind of presentation. I’m not a part of that world.

If a gadget earns its price through merit, then “thin” costs us a lot just for being thin.

If the leaked specs are accurate, the S25 Edge won’t last as long on a charge, charges slowly, and will likely be more fragile than a thicker phone. Samsung isn’t using this as an opportunity to impress with exotic new battery technologies. Samsung just scooped out some battery to cave in the rear plate of the phone.

I fear Samsung missed the mark on “fashion”.

I’m consistently surprised and dismayed by the number of people I meet who are generally aware of how expensive iPhones are. Specifically, the number of younger people who seem innately aware of the “circles” on the back of an iPhone. A one-circle phone is less desirable than a two-circle phone, and a three-circle phone is the best phone.

iPhones are immediately identifiable, having kept such a consistent design language for years. The folks who appreciate “technology as status” will keep an eye out for someone using an iPhone Pro.

Samsung, in their infinite wisdom, will deliver a design mimicking an iPhone that will cost over $300 less. It won’t be confused for an iPhone 15, thanks to the 15’s square camera housing, and diagonal camera sensors, but it won’t look like the more expensive iPhone Pro, which will cost less than the S25 Edge in some markets.

Especially in the United States, few people will care that the price tag is in the Ultra range of phones. At arm’s length, a Galaxy Edge will look like a “good” iPhone, not the “best” iPhone.

I'm disappointed in Samsung's current direction.

Smartphones are decently mature devices today, but there’s still room to innovate and disrupt.

Few manufacturers (maybe none) have all the divisions and component solutions under one umbrella, like Samsung. I keep hoping to see Samsung return to the bold designs and feature offerings from their peak premium sales days, roughly 2018 to 2020, where they likely sold the most phones priced above $600.

I worry that the S25 Edge, with a massive marketing campaign and a bunch of carrier deals, will cement a trend towards consumers paying more for less.

Paying for “thin” gets really expensive.