We are thirsty for something new. That’s the feeling I had while attending Samsung’s Galaxy Unpacked event in San Jose, US, last week.
There is this slim phone and a sea of people waiting to catch a glimpse of it. An enthusiastic crowd like this hasn’t been around for a long time.
It took us 20 minutes to get to the front of a jostling crowd. We were not allowed to touch the Galaxy S25 Edge or even get too close to the phone. From what the eye could gather, the Edge is very thin, has two cameras on the back and one in the front.
Nobody mentioned why it is important to have such a thin phone or what makes this phone so thin. It feels like a style statement. From rumours flying around the tech community, it will be priced lower than the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra.
It is more of an answer to “phones have become all the same”. Folding phones aside, what else are companies doing differently? So slimmer phones could be the answer.
The way Samsung showed off the phone is also memorable. The phone appeared like it was suspended in the air.
Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge comes with two cameras on the rear
Slim phone or headset zone?
It brings us to the other rumour — in September, when Apple does its iPhone event, there could be something called the “iPhone Air”. It is expected to be very thin.
Samsung and Apple are always thinking of each other’s next move and there is no harm in that. Who can sneak in a cool new phone before the other?! It’s also a supply chain achievement — phone companies can now make slim phones. If Samsung and Apple can make it, so will others in the months to come.
Since Samsung is calling it the Galaxy S25 Edge, the phone will ship this year. And there is a feeling that every year there will be a new addition to the “slim” family.
Remember the film Zoolander from 2001? There is a joke that phones are super tiny. And now we have super-thin phones.
The iPhone 6 was very thin and it became a headache for Apple in 2014. It was the year associated with ‘Bendgate’ as a few of the then-recently released iPhone 6 and 6 Plus phones were bending in people’s pockets due to poor design. Let’s return to 2025. Nobody has spoken about the durability aspect of the Edge or the material that has been used.
But people are excited about the phone. There was Project Moohan on display also but people flocked to the slim device. The same rules applied to the headset zone — you can’t get too close to it or touch it but we easily managed to get right in front of the crowd and spend some time around the headset. But the slim phone won the day.
Quest for ‘slim’ phones
Would it make 2025 cooler if all phones were slimmer by a few millimetres? Perhaps the reply lies in how the phones feel if dimensions are played around with. Take a look at the Google Pixel 9 Pro Fold, which has perhaps the perfect dimension for a foldable. Who knows, the thin phone may have a similar vibe.
One question many may ask: Will the battery be smaller on the Edge? Samsung hasn’t spoken about it but I think the company has used different combinations of components to keep the chassis slim. Also, we are not sure if a silicon-based battery would be opted for rather than lithium-ion.
Companies have been trying to make thin phones for a long time. Micromax Canvas Sliver 5 was 5.1 mm thick and weighed 97g. The company even got Hugh Jackman to endorse the product. But success was limited.
For the time being, all eyes are, of course, also on the next set of iPhones, hoping the “Air” will be in the mix. One thing is for sure, Apple knows how to make devices thin. Take a look at the iPad Pro M4 from last year. It measures 5.1 mm, making it the thinnest Apple product.