Samsung plans to Beat Apple to Ultrathin Phone With Galaxy S25 Edge

Samsung launches Galaxy S25 series; to be manufactured at Noida plant. Apple also is expected to add an ultrathin version to its iPhone line later this year, marking one of its boldest design changes in years.

Samsung Electronics Co. plans to launch an ultrathin version of its Galaxy S25 phone in the first half of this year, beating Apple Inc. to a promising new category. 

The company previewed a phone called the Galaxy S25 Edge at the conclusion of its Samsung Unpacked presentation Wednesday in San Jose, California. Building on an S25 lineup that was unveiled earlier at the event, the Edge model is notable for its extremely thin profile. 

The move sets up a showdown this year in the skinny smartphone segment. Apple also is expected to add an ultrathin version to its iPhone line later this year, marking one of its boldest design changes in years. That company typically unveils its new phones in September.

Samsung plans to start selling the Edge in the US and other markets by the middle of the year, TM Roh, president of the mobile devices business, told Bloomberg News in a separate interview.

The Edge will use some of the same technologies as the new Ultra model, but fit them inside a slimmed-down design. Customers want the “best performance, the best camera features, the best AI, but at the same time they want an even more attractive form factor that stands out among the pack,” Roh said in the interview. 

For Apple, a skinny model is its latest attempt to find a new phone size that consumers embrace. In recent years, it has offered a mini iPhone and a Plus model, but neither of them were big hits. The Plus version will be replaced by this new thinner variant, which some are dubbing the iPhone Air, Bloomberg News has reported. It will be the skinniest iPhone in the device’s history. 

Roh said Samsung chose the Edge name as a reference to both the thinner design and the idea that the phone will use more cutting-edge technology. It also recycles a brand used by Samsung several years ago when it first launched phones with curved-edge displays. 

Moreover, the Bengaluru-based R&D centre of Samsung, the biggest outside South Korea, has “contributed significantly” to developing the S25 series of Galaxy AI.

The new flagship phone, which comes in three variants Galaxy S25 Ultra, Galaxy S25+ and Galaxy S25 — will help Samsung to strengthen its AI ecosystem in India.

This will also help Samsung position itself in the super-premium smartphone segment, priced over USD 800 dollars, in the Indian market, where it is facing stiff competition from Apple.

The new phone has a customised Snapdragon 8 Elite Mobile Platform for Galaxy chipset, which delivers greater on-device processing power for its Galaxy AI and a superior camera range and control with Galaxy’s next-gen ProVisual, the South Korean Chaebol claimed.

While speaking about Galaxy S25, Park said: “We will also manufacture the new Galaxy S25 series at our Noida plant in India.”

“We are confident that Galaxy S25 will prove to be more popular than its S24 series,” he added.

In S25, Samsung is upgrading AI features such as circle to search making it more helpful, fast and contextual.

According to Park: “In fact, Indian consumers are the biggest users of Galaxy AI features such as circle to search and call assist.”

Circle to search now quickly recognises phone numbers, emails and URLs on your screen, letting you call, email or visit a website with a single tap, the company claimed.

Samsung, which starts the year with the launch of S25, expects 2025 to be a “bigger year” for the Indian smartphone industry, said Park in a media round table here.

S25 Ultra comes with a 6.9-inch QHD+ (Quad HD+) display, and a 50MP Ultra-Wide Camera sensor, which has been upgraded from the previous 12MP.

It has a 5,000 mAh battery and according to the Samsung Galaxy S25 series, the device uses a minimum of 50 per cent recycled cobalt for its battery.

“Galaxy S25 will be the first Galaxy smartphone to feature batteries made with recycled cobalt sourced from previous Galaxy devices or the batteries discarded during the manufacturing process,” it said.

Commenting on the development, Samsung Electronics President and Head of Mobile Experience Business TM Roh said: “Galaxy S25 series opens the door to an AI-integrated OS that fundamentally shifts how we use technology and how we live our lives.”

With Thanks and Reference to : https://www.thehindubusinessline.com/info-tech/mobiles-tablets/samsung-launches-galaxy-s25-series-to-be-manufactured-at-noida-plant/article69130339.ece and https://www.business-standard.com/technology/tech-news/samsung-plans-to-beat-apple-to-ultrathin-phone-with-galaxy-s25-edge-125012300134_1.html