Assessed Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge Camera: Aṅgaṇya of Its Strengths and Weaknesses
Revamped Review:
Take a gander at the slickest smartphone on the market, the Galaxy S25 Edge. Thinner than a wafer, yes, but at what cost? When I took the plunge and picked up one of these bad boys, I couldn't help but wonder why it wasn't flying off the shelves. It turns out, there's a reason for that.
Let's talk about the camera. The Galaxy S25 Edge sports a 200MP primary sensor paired with a 12MP ultrawide — a mix borrowed from its bigger sibling, the S25 Ultra, and smaller brother, the S25 Plus. But, the thinness comes at a price, resulting in less volumetric space than its counterparts.
So, how does the camera stack up? Let's dive in.
Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge camera: Specs compared
The Galaxy S25 Edge is a cross between the S25 Ultra and S25 Plus, squeezed into a slimmer frame. But how does its camera compare to its siblings?
Primary Camera
| Header Cell - Column 0 | Galaxy S25 Edge | Galaxy S25 Ultra | Galaxy S25 Plus || --- | --- | --- | --- || Primary Camera | 200MP, f/1.7, 24mm, 0.6μm, PDAF, OIS | 200MP, f/1.7, 24mm, 0.6μm, PDAF, OIS | 50MP, f/1.8, 24mm, 1.0μm, PDAF, OIS || Ultrawide Camera | 12MP, f/2.2, 13mm, 1.4μm, PDAF | 50MP, f/1.9, 120°, 0.7μm, PDAF | 12MP, f/2.2, 13mm, 1.4μm, PDAF || Telephoto 1 | - | 10MP, f/2.4, 67mm, 1.12μm, PDAF, OIS3x optical zoom | 10MP, f/2.4, 67mm, 1.12μm, PDAF, OIS3x optical zoom || Telephoto 2 | - | 50MP, f/3.4, 111mm, 0.7μm, PDAF, OIS5x optical zoom | Row 3 - Cell 3 || Selfie camera | 12MP, f/2.2, 26mm, 1.12μm, PDAF | 12MP, f/2.2, 26mm, 1.12μm, PDAF | 12MP, f/2.2, 26mm, 1.12μm, PDAF |
200MP, f/1.7, 24mm, 0.6μm, PDAF, OIS
The S25 Edge's camera is essentially a hybrid of the S25 Ultra's primary camera and the S25 Plus' ultrawide.
200MP, f/1.7, 24mm, 0.6μm, PDAF, OIS
Is this camera any good? Do you need a telephoto lens? Let's delve further.
50MP, f/1.8, 24mm, 1.0μm, PDAF, OIS
Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge camera: Daytime
If you crave the camera from the S25 Ultra without the extra girth, the S25 Edge's primary camera has got you covered. As expected, it captures nearly identical photos, owing to its identical hardware and software.
Ultrawide Camera
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12MP, f/2.2, 13mm, 1.4μm, PDAF
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50MP, f/1.9, 120°, 0.7μm, PDAF
The S25 Edge's primary camera delivers accurate color temperature, sharp details, and a wide dynamic range. Its post-processing results in somewhat over-saturated images that pop on a phone display. For social media, it checks all the boxes, save for those low-light situations.
12MP, f/2.2, 13mm, 1.4μm, PDAF
Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge camera: Low light
Here's where the S25 Edge falters. Most flagship phones handle low-light conditions like champs, but the S25 Edge falls short — consistently producing soft, noisy photos. Color reproduction and temperature are mostly accurate, but the OIS isn't as effective as Samsung's other phones in these conditions. Unfortunately, the S25 Edge doesn't always activate Night mode, but when it does, it can curb some of the key issues.
Telephoto 1
All in all, the S25 Edge isn't built for low-light photography.
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Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge camera: Food
10MP, f/2.4, 67mm, 1.12μm, PDAF, OIS
3x optical zoom
Whether you're snapping shots of succulent burgers or beautifully plated pasta, the S25 Edge performed admirably in good lighting conditions but struggled in dimly lit restaurants, with grainy or blurry images when zoomed in.
10MP, f/2.4, 67mm, 1.12μm, PDAF, OIS
3x optical zoom
In the realm of food photography, the S25 Edge is capable of impressive images under ideal circumstances but falls short under restaurant lighting conditions, though not disastrously so.
Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge camera: Zoom
Telephoto 2
One of the primary challenges with the S25 Edge's camera is its limited zoom capabilities. Samsung provides a 2x crop in most modes (except for Portrait), relying on a hybrid of digital zoom and AI enhancements to reach a 10x zoom. The lack of a dedicated telephoto lens means you'll want to avoid zooming beyond the 2x crop, especially in low-light conditions. The quality declines at each focal length, and while 10x images can still be usable, they are often soft and noisy.
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Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge camera: Portraits
50MP, f/3.4, 111mm, 0.7μm, PDAF, OIS
5x optical zoom
Samsung's portrait mode is strong, and the S25 Edge features the popular Color Point, which retains color in the subject while making the background grayscale, resulting in stunning photos, even at 2x zoom. With other modes, you can choose from a variety of options, including blur, color backdrop, and various lighting effects. Like every Samsung phone, you can adjust the effect before and after taking a photo.
Row 3 - Cell 3
The portrait mode is limited to just 2x, which can be tricky for taking portrait photos and framing large buildings. However, it's still a very capable portrait mode overall.
Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge camera: Ultrawide and selfies
Selfie camera
There's a lot of familiarity with the S25 Edge camera, as it shares the same software and hardware as the S25 Plus for the most part.
12MP, f/2.2, 26mm, 1.12μm, PDAF
The 12MP ultrawide camera is the same one used on the S25 Plus, and it is capable yet limited in dynamic range compared to the primary camera. Autofocus is a welcome addition, absent on the S25 Plus. The 120° field of view is slightly narrower than the competition, but overall, it's the same experience.
12MP, f/2.2, 26mm, 1.12μm, PDAF
The 12MP selfie camera, unchanged from various Samsung smartphones, delivers excellent selfies with a wide dynamic range, rich detail, and natural colors and skin tones.
12MP, f/2.2, 26mm, 1.12μm, PDAF
If you've used a recent Samsung smartphone, these two cameras will feel quite familiar, though not the best of the best.
Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge camera: Verdict
The Galaxy S25 Edge sacrifices a dedicated telephoto lens for its thinness, choosing instead an ultrawide secondary lens. In future models, Samsung should opt for a wider primary lens and a telephoto secondary lens, as adding a 3x telephoto lens instead of the ultrawide would significantly transform the Galaxy S25 Edge camera for me.
Instead, the Galaxy S25 Edge camera might be a dealbreaker. For me, it's a significant compromise, and since testing it, I've found myself leaning towards other cameras, especially considering the array of the best camera phones at my disposal. The Galaxy S25 Edge is unique, but its camera will leave you exasperated.
Enrichment Data:
Camera Performance Comparison: Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge vs. Other Flagships
The Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge sports a powerful camera system, featuring a 200MP primary sensor with an f/1.7 aperture, similar to the Galaxy S25 Ultra. This setup is designed to deliver high-quality images, thanks to its large sensor size and advanced AI enhancements like the ProVisual Engine, which improves color clarity day or night[2][4]. During daytime conditions, the S25 Edge outperforms most flagship phones, delivering excellent detail, accurate color reproduction, and wide dynamic range.
In low-light conditions, while the S25 Edge's large sensor and f/1.7 aperture aid in capturing more light, the absence of a dedicated telephoto lens may limit its ability to handle zooming without sacrificing image quality [3][4][5]. Other flagship devices such as the Apple iPhone 15 Pro and the Google Pixel 8 Pro typically excel at low-light photography due to their advanced software processing and sensor capabilities [5]. It's worth noting that the S25 Edge shares similar low-light capabilities with the Samsung Galaxy S25 Plus, though still falls short compared to phones from Apple and Google.
When it comes to zoom capabilities, the absence of a dedicated telephoto lens in the S25 Edge means it relies on software-based zoom features that might not be as effective at higher zoom levels [5]. Meanwhile, other flagship devices such as the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra and the Huawei P60 Pro offer superior zoom capabilities thanks to their periscopic telephoto lenses [5]. Nonetheless, the Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge remains a strong contender, balancing power and performance in its sleek, slender design.
The Galaxy S25 Edge's camera, a hybrid of its sibling's, sports a 200MP primary sensor and a 12MP ultrawide, yet the thinness of the device results in less volumetric space compared to its counterparts, impacting its camera capabilities.
During daytime conditions, the S25 Edge's primary camera performs admirably, capturing nearly identical photos to the S25 Ultra due to its identical hardware and software. However, in low-light situations, the S25 Edge consistently produces soft, noisy photos, and its OIS isn't as effective as Samsung's other phones in these conditions.
