I’ve spent the previous week utilizing the ultra-slim Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge as my primary cellphone – and I’ve come to adore it. The truth is, I’d wholeheartedly suggest it to most individuals… If it wasn’t for one humongous concern.
Now, in case you’re an everyday reader of my weekly Quick Cost column, chances are you’ll already know what I’m getting at. I discussed that I used to be nervous about it in my first impressions piece from final week.
Yep, you bought it; battery life. I suspected that it could be a difficulty primarily based on my first 24 hours with the cellphone, however I gave it an opportunity – battery life all the time takes successful on a newly set-up cellphone whereas background optimisations are happening.
Nonetheless, after utilizing the cellphone for the previous week, I can see now that it had nothing to do with the background optimisation; the S25 Edge’s battery life is simply horrible, plain and easy.
Small battery + large cellphone = downside
As I alluded to final week, the primary concern is that the Galaxy S25 Edge sports activities a small 3,900mAh battery – smaller than what’s within the 6.2-inch Galaxy S25 – whereas concurrently powering a big 6.7-inch show. Not simply any 6.7-inch show both; one with a QHD+ decision, with a lot extra pixels to energy than an everyday FHD+ panel.
Throw in a top-end Snapdragon 8 Elite chipset with huge efficiency calls for, and also you’ve received the potential for points – as I’ve came upon over the previous week.
Now, not each cellphone has lengthy battery life, however even the worst telephones from the previous few years might outpace the S25 Edge.
I already talked about how the cellphone didn’t handle to final 24 hours throughout my first day utilizing it, however what I didn’t realise on the time was that the decision was set to FHD+ and never QHD+. Cheeky, Samsung, very cheeky. What’s the purpose in together with a high-res display if it’s not enabled?
After enabling the top-end decision, I can see why. Battery life, someway, received even worse than throughout my first 24 hours.
Take Monday for instance; I took the cellphone off cost at 7:45am, went into the workplace the place I used it to take heed to music, reply to some WhatsApp messages and verify Instagram, equating to round 2.5 hours of screen-on time general. By 6pm, it was down to only 3% cost.
Even on quieter days the place I’m related to Wi-Fi on a regular basis, I nonetheless couldn’t get the cellphone to final from morning to nighttime with out scrambling for a charger mid-way by way of the day. The truth is, even when charging the cellphone within the early afternoon, I nonetheless discover I’ll make it to bedtime with lower than 10% remaining.
And, don’t even suppose about gaming on this cellphone. I performed Archero 2, a comparatively easy sport with fundamental 2D graphics, for half-hour and noticed a whopping 16% battery drain. For context, most telephones cap out someplace between 4-6%, so it is a enormous distinction in efficiency.
The worst half? It might’ve been avoidable
In fact, with the Galaxy S25 Edge’s ultra-slim and light-weight design, there was no means that Samsung might match the identical 5000mAh LiPo cell because the S25 Extremely in its chassis.
You would possibly assume that Samsung’s palms have been tied then, however I’d argue in any other case.
The reply is obvious; use silicon-carbon battery know-how. The upgraded battery know-how basically permits for larger density batteries in smaller varieties – a mixture that’s arguably extra helpful right here than in telephones just like the Honor Magic 7 Professional the place it’s current.
As an alternative, it comes right down to Samsung’s obvious reluctance to modify to the newer battery know-how. For the reason that exploding Word 7 debacle, Samsung has performed it very secure the place charging and battery tech are involved. I get it; it was an enormous downside on the time, and it price Samsung hundreds of thousands to repair.
Nonetheless, we’ve come a great distance within the battery house prior to now few years, and I believe it’s excessive time for Samsung to lastly undertake silicon-carbon battery tech – for the sake of future variations of the S25 Edge, if nothing else.
If not that, then no less than equip what I’m assuming would be the Galaxy S26 Edge with genuinely quick charging to scale back the period of time it takes to provide the cellphone a little bit of juice – as a result of the 25W restrict of the S25 Edge means you’re nonetheless ready over an hour for a full cost.
It’s an actual disgrace, too
It saddens me to be so adverse in regards to the Galaxy S25 Edge as a result of, general, I’ve come to actually recognize what Samsung has carried out right here.
The ultra-slim design actually is one thing to behold, and makes extra of a distinction to on a regular basis use than I ever anticipated. It’s got to the purpose now the place telephones just like the Galaxy S25 Extremely now really feel too thick and heavy, telephones that I had no concern utilizing earlier than making an attempt out the Galaxy S25 Edge.
Samsung does have a profitable type issue within the S25 Edge – it simply actually wants higher battery tech.
