Technologies

The Samsung S25 Edge’s Camera Is Good Enough to Rival the Ultra

If you ever wondered whether people buy phones for the cameras, take a look at the Samsung S25 Edge.

Creating a super thin phone is a prime opportunity for compromise. If the goal is to reduce the profile of an already slim device, a bulky camera would naturally be one of the first things to toss overboard.

And yet the Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge, now officially announced, includes a surprising 200 megapixel (MP) f/1.7 wide-angle camera that shares the same specs as the one in Samsung’s Galaxy S25 Ultra. In fact, you could argue that the 200MP camera alone justifies the Edge’s $1,100 price, with the latest versions of Android and Gemini as added bonuses in a thin and light body. To get that same camera resolution on the S25 Ultra, you’d need to fork over $1,300 or more.

So why did Samsung choose to include a top-tier feature in a phone that sits in the middle of its S25 lineup?

Most phones are cameras with phone features

The difference between phones in the same lineup often comes down what each model adds over the others.

The Galaxy S25 is a thoroughly capable phone that (to cherry pick specs) runs the latest software on a Snapdragon 8 Elite processor, packs a 4,000 mAh battery, has a 6.2-inch display and features the following array of cameras: 50MP wide-angle, 12MP ultra-wide, 10MP 3x telephoto and 12MP front camera. For 256GB of storage, it costs $860. The 128GB base model starts at $800, but I’m using the 256GB version to keep the storage consistent across all our examples.

The Galaxy S25 Plus shares all of those same features in a larger package, with a 6.7-inch screen and — due to its roomier case — a larger 4,900 mAh battery. For that you’ll pay an extra $140 more than the S25 to get the 256GB config at $1,000.

Then you jump $300 for the $1,300 Galaxy S25 Ultra, which boasts several specs such as the aforementioned 200MP main camera, a 50MP ultra-wide camera, a second 50MP telephoto camera with 5x optical zoom, a slightly larger 6.9-inch screen and a 5,000 mAh battery.

So where does the Galaxy S25 Edge slot into the lineup? For $1,100, it has the same 6.7-inch screen as the S25 Plus with an additional layer of protection (it’s covered with Corning’s Gorilla Glass Ceramic 2), the same Snapdragon 8 Elite processor, a smaller 3,900 mAh battery (to be expected in a thinner case) — and that 200MP wide camera.

Although the camera shares the same specs as the one in the S25 Ultra, it’s not yet clear whether it’s the same hardware. In Samsung’s event video officially announcing the S25 Edge, the company described how it redesigned the camera housing to fit the 200MP camera. I’m assuming it’s the same core hardware, just repackaged to fit a smaller form factor, but a direct photo comparison will be the real test.

Thin isn’t enough on its own

By the name alone, the primary appeal of the S25 Edge is its thin design. The company’s introductory video is full of schematics and computer-generated animations of all the phone’s components slotting together into its svelte body. And thinness does have value — just look at Apple’s obsession with making everything thin and light over the years, including its own rumored iPhone 17 Air.

But thinness as a feature isn’t additive enough (to make the obvious joke, it’s literally reductive). Samsung could have easily included the 50MP wide camera used on the S25 and S25 Plus and focused solely on the phone’s design to set it apart. By including the top-end 200MP camera from the series’ most expensive and premium phone, though, it hits a sweet spot where a customer thinks, «I’m getting a super thin version of the S25 but with the camera of the $1,300 S25 Ultra.»

Decent zoom is still possible, even without a telephoto camera

The other thing that sets the S25 Edge apart is the fact that it does not include a dedicated telephoto camera. Every other S25 model includes at least one telephoto camera to zoom in on distant subjects.

That extra reach is usually the dividing line between «consumer» and «pro» models. For example, the Pixel 9 and 9A and iPhone 16 and 16E all include wide-angle and ultra-wide cameras, but no telephoto. People regularly zoom in when taking photos, so Google and Apple pitch higher-quality optical zoom as a premium feature at the higher price levels of the pro models.

But by including the 200MP camera on the S25 Edge, Samsung can still claim a 2x «optical quality» zoom. Technically that’s a crop into the middle of the sensor, but the high megapixel count means there’s still plenty of resolution to get quality images. You can still zoom at farther ranges, but you’re leaning heavily on image processing to enhance the digitally-zoomed image.

(An important aside about resolution: Keep in mind you’re not always capturing images at 200MP resolution. The default resolution is a pixel-binned 12MP, where the camera groups pixels together on the sensor to act as a larger pixel that gathers more light. So at that resolution, the S25 Edge is likely using AI upscaling to zoom. But at the 50MP and 200MP resolution settings, the 2x zoom is more likely to be a straight crop from what the sensor is recording.)

This also reinforces the fact that phone photography is increasingly buttressed by real-time, AI-supported image processing. Shooting at the full 200MP resolution involves considerable processing to enhance details recorded by such a physically small image sensor. Even with pro phones, I regularly see people use pinch-to-zoom instead of switching among the better quality preset optical options. (Android Authority surveyed its readers and found that about 27% of respondents zoom freely versus sticking to preset zoom levels.)

Will customers specifically buy the S25 Edge because of its camera features? Not entirely, but touting the 200MP camera prominently along with the new thin design gives them extra incentive to choose it.

We’re looking forward to testing the S25 Edge’s camera to see how well it performs. In the meantime, be sure to check out the photos that CNET Managing Editor Patrick Holland made for his Galaxy S25 Ultra review, as well as Andrew Lanxon’s images pitting the S25 Ultra head-to-head against the iPhone 16 Pro.

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Technologies

Get Ready, Apple’s iPhone 17 Event Confirmed for Sept. 9

Today’s Apple invitations tease an «Awe dropping» event. Here’s how to watch and what we expect to see.

Apple on Tuesday sent out invites for its annual fall iPhone launch event, which is slated for Sept. 9 at 10 a.m. PT. The company is expected to unveil the iPhone 17 lineup, which could include a slimmer version of the phone. It could also debut the Apple Watch Series 11 and the AirPods Pro 3.

The invite for the fall event shows the title, «Awe dropping,» with a glowing Apple logo that seems to reference Siri’s colorful glow. The keynote will be held at Apple Park in Cupertino, California. CNET will be covering the announcements live, so be sure to follow along.

Get ready for an awe dropping #AppleEvent on Tuesday, September 9! pic.twitter.com/uAcYp2RLMM

— Tim Cook (@tim_cook) August 26, 2025

You can watch the Apple iPhone 17 event live — the official livestream on the Apple website or the livestream on Apple’s YouTube channel are your best options — starting at 10 a.m. PT on Sept. 9, 2025.

What Apple may be cooking up?

Rumors for the upcoming slate of iPhones have been plentiful. Stealing the spotlight is the supposed iPhone 17 Air, which could follow in the footsteps of Samsung’s sleek Galaxy S25 Edge and have a slim profile and lightweight design. The Pro model could get a scratch-resistant antireflective display and an 8x telephoto lens, and the Pro Max could pack a bigger battery. The baseline iPhone 17 could also boast a higher refresh rate. It’s possible that all the phones may include an Apple-developed 5G modem called the C1 chip, which debuted on the iPhone 16E, as well as in-house Wi-Fi chips.

We also expect to learn more about the public rollout of iOS 26 later this fall. The new operating system features a Liquid Glass interface that brings a more transparent, lens-like look to the iPhone and other Apple devices. The Camera app also gets a more minimalistic design, Messages lets you create polls in group chats and a new screening tool can better detect spam texts. You can check out all the features coming to iOS 26.

Will there be a Siri overhaul?

What we might not hear as much about is the updated version of Siri that Apple unveiled at its Worldwide Developers Conference last year. The smarter version of the AI assistant has faced repeated delays and may not arrive until next year or even later. But Apple could discuss other Apple Intelligence updates and features arriving on its new devices.

CNET’s reporters will be on the ground on Sept. 9, bringing you all the latest updates and impressions of whatever Apple has in store.

Technologies

Horrifying AI Crowds Apparently Used in Will Smith Concert Video

You can’t unsee the mass of AI-generated human carnage cheering on the performer.

Commenters are calling out Will Smith for using AI in a concert video.

The video, posted to YouTube on Aug. 12, features the actor and rapper performing on stage with a montage of his audiences. The crowd looks real in some shots, but in others it appears to be AI generated, given the prevalence of blurry faces, extra fingers and akimbo limbs.

One YouTube commenter responded: «I like to pause this video and see your crowd close up too. Lots of extra digits in this crowd.» Another said: «This is offensive to old people without their glasses on. You know they believed this was the realest crowd ever.»

A representative for Smith at his talent agency CAA did not immediately return an email seeking comment.

Smith is currently touring through Europe and the concert video, which does not specify a location, appeared to be promo to tee off the new performances.

There’s no description, but the title is: «My favorite part of tour is seeing you all up close. Thank you for seeing me too ❤️»

Smith released a new album, Based on a True Story, earlier this year and it did not garner great reviews.

Technologies

Taylor Swift Is Engaged. Her Instagram Post Might Beat Messi’s Record

Swifties, football fans and everyone else: Are you ready for the engagement era? Plus: Details on her dress, his sweater and that ring.

Nobody is shaking this off: Pop superstar Taylor Swift and Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce announced their engagement on Instagram on Tuesday, and the likes exploded like pyrotechnics at a concert.

«Your English teacher and your gym teacher are getting married,» Swift and Kelce wrote on an Instagram post showing multiple photos of the proposal. In the first photo, Kelce is kneeling in front of Swift in a breathtaking floral garden. The second photo shows them standing and holding one another. The next is her hand with an enormous diamond engagement ring, followed by two more of the couple embracing.

The post also features a dynamite emoji and the audio of Swift’s 2024 song, So High School. The snippet cuts off with the lyrics, «Are you gonna marry, kiss, or kill me?» (Let’s hope it’s the first or second option.)

Instagram post is already climbing into the millions

As you might expect, the Instagram post delivering the engagement news shot into the stratosphere as soon as it was posted Tuesday morning, earning more than 13 million likes in two hours and continuing to climb. That’s a huge audience, but it will be interesting to see how high up Swift and Kelce’s engagement news post lands on Instagram’s all-time most popular list.

Right now, the most popular post ever on Instagram is from 2022, when soccer star Lionel Messi posted an image of himself hoisting the just-won World Cup. That post has more than 74 million likes, so Swifties, get going if you want to send Taylor’s post to the top. A representative for Instagram did not immediately respond to a request for comment on whether Swift and Kelce’s post is climbing at the same pace as Messi’s did.

Messi also has the third-most popular post, again showing him and the World Cup trophy, this time snuggled up in bed together.

But it’s not just soccer photos that can top the Instagram most-viewed-ever list: the No. 2 post of all time is a photo of a plain, ordinary egg, posted to the social network back in 2019 as part of someone’s experiment to see if such a mundane image could go hugely viral. I interviewed the person behind Eugene the Egg back in 2019, and am shocked to see it’s still in the No. 2 spot six years later, with more than 60 million likes.

Details on the ring and outfits

According to The New York Post, Swift is wearing a blue silk-blend Polo Ralph Lauren dress in the photo, and Kelce is wearing a navy cableknit Polo Ralph Lauren sweater. The Post also reports that Swift’s new engagement ring is «an old mine brilliant-cut diamond in a gold bezel setting, which was designed by Kelce himself with the help of Kindred Lubeck of Artifex Fine Jewelry.»

«Old mine» refers to a historic diamond cut popular from the early 18th century to the late 19th century, and such diamonds are square shaped with rounded corners and have 58 facets, making this anything but a paper ring.

The Post even delved into everything else Swift had on, including her cognac-colored Louis Vuitton sandals, diamond-studded Cartier Santos Demoiselle watch and her «TNT» friendship bracelet by Wove, which was a Christmas gift from her new fiancé.

To no one’s shock, the $400 dress Swift is wearing is selling out fast. Just imagine the excitement when the wedding details start trickling out, and Swift begins to «pick out a white dress,» as Juliet does in Swift’s hit song Love Story.

Memeing the marriage proposal

Until we have more info about the upcoming wedding, fans will have to content themselves by creating and sharing memes, because it’s 2025 and that’s part of how we communicate these days.

The Instagram account belonging to the Prince and Princess of Wales even liked the post. (No surprise, really, they hung out when Swift played London.)

Even coffee giant Starbucks got into the act, posting, «are we supposed to keep posting about PSL like nothing happened?» The company also noted in the post’s comments that «the long list of starbucks lovers just got a +1.» («Starbucks lovers» is a sly reference to a lyric in Swift’s 2014 song Blank Space. Swift actually sings, «got a long list of ex-lovers,» but almost anyone with working ears mishears it as something like, «all the lonely Starbucks lovers.»

One meme post on X showed Paul Revere’s famed ride, with the caption, «me telling everyone I know that Taylor Swift got engaged.»

me telling everyone I know that Taylor Swift got engaged pic.twitter.com/MpS8BLPOZj

— Siobhan ✨ (@Siobachka) August 26, 2025

Wrote one Bluesky user, «Very interesting that Taylor Swift got engaged mere months after I did. Get your own thing.»

Another joked, «Can’t believe that on July 8th, 2023, @likethe309, Travis Kelce and I all walked into Arrowhead Stadium to attend the Eras Tour and now one of us is marrying Taylor Swift.»

Matt Ufford warned the billionaire bride-to-be and her NFL star husband to count their pennies, writing, «a word of warning to Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce: weddings can get EXPENSIVE, fast, be sure to leave enough in the account for your monthly expenses.»

There were football jokes, of course.

One person questioned the caption about an English teacher marrying a gym teacher, asking, «Why does Taylor Swift think she’s an English teacher and not a music teacher?»

And we’re pretty sure this person really does know who Swift is, but their post was funny anyway. It reads: «Okay, I’ll bite: who’s Taylor Swift? What’s so great about him?»

The two celebrities, both 35, have been dating for two years. It’s a love story, and Taylor just said yes.