The Galaxy S25 Edge is an engineering marvel. At just 5.8mm thick, it’s Samsung’s thinnest Galaxy S flagship ever, and despite having a 6.7-inch screen, it’s surprisingly lightweight.

Even more impressive is how Samsung didn’t have to cut too many corners on the hardware front. Despite the slim chassis, Samsung managed to pack the S25 Edge with top-tier specs, including the Snapdragon 8 Elite chipset and a large vapor cooling system.

But as we noted in our Galaxy S25 Edge review, a design this slim doesn’t come without compromises. For example, while the Snapdragon chip runs relatively cool thanks to that large vapor chamber, the phone’s ultra-thin frame means the heat is still bottled up inside.

In most cases, the heat doesn't affect performance. But the S25 Edge does run hotter than other S25 models, even when it’s sitting idle. But that’s nothing compared to the compromise that’s the phone’s battery life.

Despite Samsung’s claims, this isn’t an “all-day” device. Whether you define a day as 24 hours or just from “sun up to sun down,” the Galaxy S25 Edge can struggle to keep up without a midday or mid-afternoon charge, especially if you’re doing more than just calling or messaging.

I initially thought that I could live with that, but that opinion changed quickly. And not in a way I had anticipated.

Shortly after publishing our review, I found out that my mother needed to hospitalization for a week for some medical tests. It wasn’t an emergency — she was simply prescribed a few tests that require the patient to be admitted in the hospital.

But it did mean I would have to be at her side most of the time and rely on mobile data to stay connected, whether to friends and family or to my colleagues at work.  

It was at that moment that I realized that I just couldn't trust the Galaxy S25 Edge. What if it had been an actual emergency and I had to leave home at a moment's notice without the opportunity to top up the battery? What if I needed to be reachable but had no access to—or the time for—charging while at the hospital?

All this isn't something I thought about when reviewing the S25 Edge. Yes, it may feel like an extreme scenario. But we rely on our phones for everything these days, and one unexpected situation can make you realize how big a deal battery life really is.

Samsung will no doubt improve battery life with future Edge models. But as it stands right now, the S25 Edge can become a liability unless you always carry a power bank or a second phone.

Thankfully, I have access to other devices, including Samsung's Galaxy S Ultra smartphones, and I had time to switch over to the Galaxy S24 Ultra before beginning my weeklong hospital stay.

But most people don't have the luxury of keeping multiple devices around. And I hope anyone who splurges over $1000 for the Galaxy S25 Edge doesn't find themselves in a situation where the phone isn't there for them when they need it the most.