“Flagship smartphone that’s incredibly thin.” (U.S. tech media CNET)
At Samsung Electronics’ Galaxy S25 Series Unpacked event at the SAP Center in San Jose, California, on Jan. 22, a screen displayed the words “Just when you think you’ve seen it all, the show isn’t over,” as a slim smartphone design appeared. Shortly after, the words “Galaxy S25 Edge” filled the screen.
Samsung has been surprising audiences by previewing its most important next-generation products toward the end of each Unpacked event. This year’s star was the ultra-slim smartphone. The venue was packed with people eager to catch a glimpse of the Galaxy S25 Edge, for which Samsung did not fully disclose specs. However, industry insiders who saw the product in person predict its thickness to be around 6.4mm. This marks a reduction of up to 22% compared to the Galaxy S25 Ultra (8.2mm), giving it a noticeably thinner feel than regular smartphones.
Roh Tae-moon, president and head of Samsung Electronics’ MX division, explained the reason behind the name “Galaxy S25 Edge” at the press conference: “We first used the word ‘Edge’ with the Galaxy Note Edge in 2014, aiming to convey a product that is ‘cool and trendy’ with innovative technology. This spirit continues today.” At that time, the “Edge” referred to the curved design of the phone’s corners.
The Galaxy S25 Edge unveiled at the event features two rear cameras. Roh emphasized, “It’s not just about being slim. Although the thickness has been reduced, we’re planning a powerful product in terms of performance.”
Samsung plans to release the Galaxy S25 Edge ahead of Apple’s upcoming ultra-slim iPhone 17 Air, which is expected to have a thickness of 5.5-6.25mm. Roh revealed, “It will launch in the first half of this year,” aiming to beat the iPhone 17 Air, scheduled for a year-end release, by at least six months and dominate the market.
Samsung also showcased the extended reality (XR) headset, Project Moohan, developed in collaboration with Google and Qualcomm. This product was unveiled to the public for the first time. The headset, resembling oversized ski goggles, features multiple cameras on the front of the lenses and has power and volume buttons on the top, with a power jack on the left side. To reduce weight, it does not include an internal battery.
The Project Moohan headset, set for a year-end release, represents another example of the technical alliance between Samsung and Google. A video message from Google DeepMind CEO Demis Hassabis highlighted the partnership between Samsung and Google to push the frontiers of artificial intelligence (AI). Roh also mentioned in a Bloomberg interview that Samsung is currently developing augmented reality (AR) glasses with Google.
