This year will be remembered as the year that smartphones got thinner and lighter. The trend kicked off with the world’s thinnest folding phone, the Oppo Find N5, in January, and it was quickly followed by the Tecno Spark Slim Concept phone.
Before both of these, Samsung teased its long-awaited entrant into the ultra-thin phone market, the Galaxy S25 Edge, alongside the launch of the Galaxy S25 Ultra in January. Fast forward almost half a year, and the Galaxy S25 Edge is now on sale, several months before Apple is expected to launch the ultra-thin iPhone 17 Air.
The biggest draw for these ultra-thin products is how much slimmer they are than regular smartphones, but how thin is the Galaxy S25 Edge? I’ve previously noted that holding is believing, and you need to hold the Galaxy S25 Edge to truly appreciate it, but how does it compare to other phones, as well as regular household items you may be familiar with? I measured it to find out.
By the numbers, the Galaxy S25 Edge measures 5.8mm thick at its thinnest point, although the camera bump does increase this somewhat. By comparison, most smartphones are between 1.5mm and 3.5mm thicker, which may not sound like much, but is quickly apparent in the hand.
The thinner body results in less overall volume, which is reflected in the weight, with the Galaxy S25 Edge weighing just 163 grams. By comparison, this is just one gram more than the base Galaxy S25, despite the S25 Edge being 1.4mm thinner and having a 200MP primary camera.
Regarding the camera, it’s worth noting that Samsung has included the same 200MP primary camera found in the Galaxy S25 Ultra. However, the sensor in the Edge is approximately 20% smaller to accommodate the thinner design. As a result, there are debates over whether it is as good as the larger version. Nonetheless, the Galaxy S25 Edge camera is more than capable of taking great photos.
Another area that the thickness directly impacts is the battery, and here’s where the Galaxy S25 Edge battery surprised me. The 3,900 mAh battery is smaller than its namesake siblings, but we tested the best battery life on a smartphone, and the Galaxy S25 Edge performed better than expected.
Those trade-offs aside, how thin is the Galaxy S25 Edge? Let’s find out!
It’s quite likely that you’re reading this on a smartphone, so how does the Galaxy S25 Edge compare to the key competition, both in the US and beyond? I have many of the best phones, so I compared the Galaxy S25 Edge to them, and here’s what I found.
First, let’s look at how it compares to its siblings. The specs of the Galaxy S25 Edge show it to be a mix of the rest of the Galaxy S25 lineup, and that’s also apparent when you consider the size.
It weighs 162 grams, which is 1 gram less than the Galaxy S25. However, it features the same screen size as the Galaxy S25 Plus and the primary camera as the Galaxy S25 Ultra. Talking of the Ultra, the 200MP camera on the Edge is the ideal solution for those who want the camera capabilities of the Ultra without the thickness necessitated by the two telephoto lenses.
The closest smartphones to the Galaxy S25 Edge in terms of price and market positioning are the Apple iPhone 16 Pro and the Pixel 9 Pro. Both cost $999, $100 less than the S25 Edge, but are considerably thicker. The iPhone 16 Pro measures 8.3mm, while the Pixel 9 Pro measures 8.5mm. Both are also significantly heavier, weighing 199 grams, compared to the S25 Edge’s 163 grams.
Samsung and Apple will widely be credited with kickstarting the ultra-thin smartphone era this year, but it’s worth noting that some phone makers have been pushing the boundaries of folding phone thickness for a few years.
Honor first pushed the boundaries with the Honor Magic V3 last year, which was the world’s thinnest folding phone, measuring 4.4mm thick when unfolded and 9.3mm thick when folded. Earlier this year, Oppo launched the Find N5, which holds the current record at 4.21mm thick when unfolded and 9mm when folded. However, Honor is set to go even thinner with the upcoming Honor Magic V5.
The Galaxy S25 Edge is thicker than these two phones, but not as noticeably so as a regular smartphone. At 163 grams, the Galaxy S25 Edge is also considerably lighter than the Find N5 and Magic V3, which weigh 229 grams and 230 grams, respectively. However, it’s worth noting that the Find N5 feels just as light as the Galaxy S25 Edge thanks to the choice of materials and the weight being dispersed over a larger surface area.
This brings us to the upcoming Galaxy Z Fold 7, which is rumored to break the records again. The current Galaxy Z Fold 6 is just slightly thinner than the Galaxy S25 Edge at 5.6mm when unfolded, but folded, it’s over twice as thick at 12.1mm. Samsung has taken note of the competition, and the Galaxy Z Fold 7 is expected to be significantly thinner, measuring between 3.9mm and 4.2mm when unfolded and approximately 9mm when folded.
If you want the Galaxy S25 Edge for its slim body but also desire a folding phone, the Galaxy Z Fold 7 could be the one to consider. It’s less than two weeks away, and I’m already giddy with excitement.
Of course, these are just some of the phones that you may be using, so if you’re not used to the size and thickness of those phones, how does the Galaxy S25 Edge compare to something in your home?
Cycling through the gallery, the Galaxy S25 Edge is as thick as five and a half credit cards, six standard thickness Moo business cards, or a single Apple AirTag. The latter was an interesting find, as the thickest part of the AirTag is virtually identical to the thinnest part of the Galaxy S25 Edge.
I’m eager to see the new Honor Magic V5, Galaxy Z Fold 7, and Z Flip 7 in the coming weeks, as each is expected to push the boundaries of thinness in the best folding phones. Then, we’ll see what Apple can do as the iPhone 17 Air rumors suggest it’ll be 5.4mm thick, or 0.4mm thinner than the Galaxy S25 Edge, but with one fewer camera. Welcome to the ultra-thin era.
Are you tired of paying for streaming services you never watch just to get a phone plan feature you actually want? T-Mobile has good news for you! The carrier is rolling out new plans, called T-Mix, in early November to replace its old Experience lineup with a build-your-own perks system called Picks.
The benefits you choose vary from streaming and gaming to food delivery, AI, satellite service, and phone discounts. But if you are satisfied with your existing plan, you can keep it.
Merely days after the iPhone Duo hit the shelves, images of broken screens on the phone started popping up across social media. Until now, it’s been unclear what’s causing the line of defective pixels that appears vertically along the crease, as well as horizontally, on the phone’s inner display.
Apple has finally acknowledged the issue, which has shown up on iPhone Duo units owned by customers as well as demo units in stores. In a statement shared with Bloomberg, Apple says that not all iPhone Duo units are affected and that those that are tend to show the display fault early on. The company added that users who experience problems with their iPhone Duo display should contact AppleCare for a replacement.
Not long ago, Apple treated independent repair like an act of outright hostility. The Cupertino giant locked down parts with serial-number pairing, while repair tools remained firmly out of reach of anyone outside its authorized repair network. More importantly, the company waged a legal and lobbying battle against right-to-repair legislation.
I've covered enough of these fights over the years to know what a shift looks like. That's why what happened in October 2026 genuinely caught me off guard. The day the iPhone Duo went on sale, what may be the most mechanically complex iPhone to date, Apple pulled off a surprising about-face. It published teardown-style repair manuals for a handful of major components.