Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge is the end result of stagnating innovation

It seems like only yesterday that we suddenly heard about Samsung working on a competitor to the recently leaked iPhone 17 Air. Only a short while later all doubts were put to rest as the company teased the new phone alongside the moniker: Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge.

And before we knew it prototypes of the Galaxy S25 Edge were spotted at conventions and everyone knew what the phone would look like and just how slim it really was. But one question has been bugging tech enthusiasts since the very first leak. A question that has spawned countless discussion-filled threads on online forums and been found in comments mocking Samsung’s newest device.

Who exactly is the Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge for?

Galaxy S25 Edge is no upgrade

Samsung’s marketing for the Galaxy S25 Edge has been a hit or miss. The company boasts about how the phone is super slim and how it has the same main camera as the Galaxy S25 Ultra. But not once does Samsung ever explain why anyone would choose the Edge when it costs almost the same as the Ultra.

Pre-order the Galaxy S25 Edge for up to $750 off

$469 ⁹⁹

$1219 ⁹⁹

$750 off (61%)

Starting May 12 through May 30, you can pre-order the ultra-slim Galaxy S25 Edge. The handset boasts exceptional water and dust resistance, a top-shelf camera, and titanium frame. Pre-order today for up to $630 off with eligible trade-ins and free storage upgrade ($120 extra discount).

Pre-order at Samsung

Not only that but the use of the word ‘Edge’ itself was an odd decision. Samsung’s customers already associate that word with Galaxy phones from years ago that had screens with curved edges. The company could have chosen from so many other words that would better describe the phone’s main selling point: its slim body.

In the simplest terms the Galaxy S25 Edge is, at best, a sidegrade rather than an upgrade. For almost the same price you can get the Galaxy S25 Ultra that has more photography options, a bigger battery, an S Pen and an anti-reflective display. The Edge is a phone that only people who strongly prefer aesthetics over the best hardware would even think about buying.

So why does it exist?

Innovation for innovation’s sake

Samsung’s business model for the smartphone industry relies on yearly product releases. But, understandably, there’s only so much you can improve in a year. Especially now that modern chip improvements have started reaching ridiculous levels that get harder and harder to surpass.

Samsung has been releasing phones that are minor improvements over their predecessors and the foray into foldables isn’t growing as quickly as the company had hoped. The company needed a new product on its lineup: something it could point to and say “Hey, look! We’re innovating!” Essentially something to help the company remain relevant for investors, not that it would disappear overnight.

And then we got the rumors about the iPhone 17 Air. It’s up for debate if Samsung somehow quickly mashed together the Galaxy S25 Edge in response or if it was something that had been in the planning stage for years. Going from concept to design to manufacturing in just a handful of months seems unlikely to me but Samsung’s a big company.

The point is that Samsung now had something new to work on and release. A phone that no one asked for and may not even sell well. It’s a pity that Samsung didn’t go the opposite direction and make a phone with a bigger or denser battery. I bet that would have caught a lot more people’s attention.

Expect the same from competitors

Many people say that the Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge is a pointless entry and they’re probably right. It’s certainly marketed to a very small subset of consumers. Unfortunately I think that we can expect everyone else to follow suit instead of coming up with something original and practical.

We already know about the iPhone 17 Air coming out this year: basically a Galaxy S25 Edge but with an Apple logo on the back. I think we can also expect to see other phone manufacturers also releasing similar phones in an effort to hop on the bandwagon in time. At least with Chinese phones there’s the hope that their denser batteries will make a slimmer phone worth buying.

As for me? I think the Galaxy S25 Ultra is by far the superior option for anyone looking at getting a new Samsung phone. And, dare I say, the Galaxy S25 Edge line may not be long for this world if Samsung doesn’t adopt dense batteries for its devices.