Galaxy S25 Edge hands-on: Why I gladly pay more money for less performance

The Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge has nearly the same recommended retail price (RRP) as the Galaxy S25 Ultra, but offers less performance in some respects. I explain here why I gladly pay this price anyway. I tested the phone for two weeks.

The Veblen effect: you pay for the lifestyle

The S25 Edge is an example of the Veblen effect from behavioral economics. You are willing to pay a higher price even though there is no higher practical value. The value then lies not in the product itself but in external factors like status, exclusivity or a special lifestyle.

Two examples: in an expensive restaurant you usually get far less to eat than at an all-you-can-eat buffet and also pay for service and ambiance. And on the housing market, many people, myself included, pay a high rent for a well-located apartment in the city, even though elsewhere you could rent a whole house for less money. You are then paying for the lifestyle.

Less equipment than the S25 Ultra

• Battery: 3,900 mAh, much smaller than on the smallest S25 model.
• Camera: 200-megapixel main camera and 12-megapixel wide-angle, but no telephoto camera.

So why the Edge instead of the Ultra? Because it is 50 g lighter. It is only 2.4 mm thinner, but that is 30% less thickness, and visually it looks almost half as thick. It is the thinnest non-foldable smartphone we can buy in Europe.

It has the same high-resolution Quad HD+ AMOLED display and the same powerful processor as the other S25 models. In size it is more comparable to the Galaxy S25 Plus. I like the rounded corners better than the pointed corners of the S25 Ultra.

Camera: good until light and zoom are missing

The main camera has 200 megapixels like the Ultra and, despite the thin body, doesn’t stick out extremely far. In photos in good light, portraits and videos up to 8K, the Edge can keep up well with the Ultra, also thanks to AI. In low-light shots and at zoom it gets difficult because the telephoto camera is missing. It quickly gets creepy, despite AI. I was pleasantly surprised by the macro shots in the dedicated macro mode.

Battery: better than expected

The battery is the weak point. If Samsung had used newer battery technology to fit more battery into the slim body, it would have deserved the title of most innovative smartphone of 2025. As it is, they have forfeited that spot.

I was surprised, though, how long the battery lasts. On a day when I only used mobile data, I had 3 hours of Google Maps on, made calls totaling under an hour and a half on the car ride, wrote WhatsApp messages and used social media. At 4 hours of screen-on time I still had 43%. I never managed nearly 8 hours of screen-on time, but always at least 6, sometimes 7 hours before I had to charge. That’s completely enough for me.

Who is the Galaxy S25 Edge worth it for?

I don’t have the biggest hands, and I use my smartphone for work more than average. The weight of the Ultra was always a pain point for me. Even after two weeks, it’s a relief to hold so little weight in my hand and still have a big display. A smaller smartphone was never an option for me, because I need a big display and a powerful processor but want to hold little weight. That’s exactly what the S25 Edge is for.

Is it for everyone? No. Not everyone likes going to a Michelin-starred restaurant or wants an apartment in the city. I’m team all-you-can-eat buffet, but I still live in the middle of the city. If I had to choose between the S25 Edge and the S25 Ultra, I would take the Edge. It’s a personal lifestyle decision that everyone can only make for themselves.