The Galaxy S25 Edge achieves its ultra-thin design by significantly compromising crucial features like battery life and camera capabilities. Manufacturers have long pushed thinness as innovation, even though many users still prioritize better batteries and cameras.

A slimmer phone means scaling back on some components, including the battery. The Galaxy S25 Edge has a 3,900 mAh battery, compared to 4,000 mAh on the baseline S25 and 4,900 mAh on the S25 Plus. Samsung says the S25 Edge's battery should last you all day, and in my experience so far, this has been true -- but don't expect any more than that.

If you’re judging by price alone, the iPhone 16e is the clear winner. It starts at $599 — almost half the cost of Samsung’s Galaxy S25 Edge, which begins at $1,099 for 256GB or $1,219.99 for the 512GB version. At that point, you could just get a standard iPhone 16 for $799 and still have cash to spare for accessories.