At long last, the superthin Galaxy S25 Edge that Samsung teased earlier this year is slated to make its official debut. The company will showcase the phone, and reveal all the highly anticipated specs, at a virtual Unpacked event on Monday, May 12.

Samsung introduced the S25 Edge at its January Unpacked event, and had models of the phone on display, but no one could touch or get too close to them. The company had a similar hands-off display at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona in March. At last, it appears we’re one step closer to seeing just how thin — and hopefully light — the latest addition to the Galaxy lineup is. 

How to watch the Galaxy S25 Edge unveiling 

Samsung’s Unpacked event for the S25 Edge will be fully virtual and will be held on Monday, May 12, at 8 p.m. ET (5 p.m. PT). 

The event will be livestreamed on Samsung’s YouTube channel, on Samsung.com and on the Samsung Newsroom. 

CNET will be covering all the live updates, so be sure to follow along.

The launch of the S25 Edge comes about three months after the release of the baseline Galaxy S25, S25 Plus and S25 Ultra.

What features will the S25 Edge have?

When Samsung first teased the Galaxy S25 Edge, details were slimmer than the device itself. There have been plenty of rumors, though, primarily relating to the phone’s battery and camera. With less space, just how much battery capacity and camera specs could Samsung pack in?

A leak from German tech blog WinFuture earlier this month suggests the S25 Edge will have a 3,900-mAh battery, which is less than both the baseline S25’s 4,000-mAh battery and the S25 Plus’ 4,900 mAh. We’ll have to see if these leaks align with what Samsung unveils on Monday, and, if true, whether the company manages to improve battery efficiency so you don’t really feel that difference. 

Regarding the camera, Samsung’s display models showed two lenses on the back. Subsequent rumors have suggested a 200-megapixel wide camera paired with a 12-megapixel ultrawide camera. Samsung has remained quiet on any specifics until now, but confirmed in a post Wednesday that the S25 Edge will indeed feature that 200-megapixel wide camera. 

«And thanks to Galaxy AI, the camera transforms into a smart lens that helps recognize what matters to create new memories,» Samsung added. AI capabilities will extend to photo editing as well, it says. 

Other rumors from leaker Evan Blass suggest the S25 Edge will weigh 163 grams, measure 5.8mm thick and feature a titanium bezel. It could also be equipped with a Snapdragon 8 Elite for Galaxy chip. Blass has also suggested the phone will sport a Corning Gorilla Glass Ceramic 2 display, which Samsung confirmed in an update on Thursday, calling the cover «sleek yet strong.»

Additional rumors suggest the Galaxy S25 Edge could have a 6.7-inch AMOLED display with a 2,130 x 1,440 resolution, 12 GB of RAM and 256GB or 512GB of storage. Again, we’ll have to see what the official specs are from Samsung come May 12.

Why is Samsung making a thin Galaxy phone?

So, why would someone want a thin phone anyway? 

It appears many phone makers, from Samsung to Apple to Oppo, are eyeing slim phones as the next design iteration to lure in potential customers. Oppo released its super-thin Find N5 foldable earlier this year, which it calls the «world’s thinnest book-style foldable,» measuring just 8.93mm thick when closed and 4.21mm thick when opened. Apple is rumored to be developing an «Air» version of the iPhone 17, a thinner (and presumably lighter) version of its handset. At MWC 2025, phone-maker Tecno showed off its Spark Slim phone concept, a handset measuring 5.75mm thick (skinnier than a standard pencil) and weighing only 146 grams, according to the company. 

But thin phones have a big hurdle to overcome: Less space often means a smaller battery, scaled-back camera hardware and less storage. And as it so happens, those are three of the biggest considerations when people buy a new phone, according to a CNET survey from August. 

«You can’t just be thin; you have to still have all the bells and whistles of a premium phone,» Nabila Popal, senior director of data and analytics at IDC, told me at MWC in March. «The question is, how are OEMs [phone makers] going to achieve that without compromising the other more important features like battery and camera?»

Popal also noted that the «slim is in» trend is largely an attempt by phone makers to differentiate their products. AI has also been a means for companies to make their offerings stand out, but that’s already become rather ubiquitous. An eye-catchingly thin phone could be one way to grab people’s attention — and dollars.

As Samsung sees it, it’s all about «merging flagship-level performance with superior portability,» it noted in its post, adding, «As our reliance on these devices grows, so do our expectations for them to be portable and lightweight without sacrificing power and innovation.»

Starting Wednesday, eligible customers who reserve the Galaxy S25 Edge can get a $50 Samsung credit toward the device.  

We’ll see what’s in store come May 12.

Apple’s latest budget phone, the iPhone 16E is finally out, three years after the launch of the third-generation iPhone SE. That’s a relatively long time for mobile developments to evolve — and for the sticker price to rise alongside those improvements. 

The 2022 iPhone SE had a $429 starting price, and the iPhone 16E starts at a notably higher $599. Apple has removed the older, cheaper iPhone SE from its store, so you’ll have to buy it secondhand or head to a third-party seller to get your hands on one. You can check out a list of the best iPhone 16E deals here.

So, what improvements will you find on the iPhone 16E, and how does it compare with its predecessor? Here’s everything you need to know.

Display and build 

While the 2022 iPhone SE had a 4.7-inch LCD display, the iPhone 16E levels things up with a 6.1-inch OLED display (still with a 60Hz refresh rate, though; sorry). With the 16E, you still won’t get some features found on Apple’s pricier flagship phones like Dynamic Island or a Camera Control button, but you will get an Action button. 

Perhaps the biggest design change is that, with the switch to a full front screen, Apple has scrapped the home button on the iPhone 16E, opting instead for Face ID to match the rest of its current phones. The 16E has also been upgraded to a USB-C port, spelling the end for Lightning. Neither phone has a headphone jack. 

Both the iPhone SE and iPhone 16E have aluminum frames, with the larger size of the 16E giving it a bit more weight: 167 grams, versus the SE’s 144g. The iPhone SE has an IP67 rating for water resistance, while the 16E bumps that to an IP68 rating. 

The iPhone SE comes in black, white and Product RED. The iPhone 16E comes in black and white. 

Camera comparison 

The iPhone SE and iPhone 16E each have one rear camera: a 12-megapixel wide camera on the SE and a 48-megapixel wide on the 16E. The 16E also upgrades the front-facing camera from 7 megapixels to 12 megapixels. 

Both phones shoot 4K video at 60 frames per second. 

Battery and charging

Apple has been touting improved battery on the iPhone 16E, which the company says can support up to 26 hours of video playback, versus 15 hours on the iPhone SE. That longer battery life is largely due to the iPhone 16E packing Apple’s first-ever 5G modem, called the C1. The company calls it the «most power-efficient modem ever in an iPhone.»

Both phones support 20-watt wired charging and 7.5-watt wireless charging. 

Processor, Apple Intelligence and storage

The 2022 iPhone runs on the A15 Bionic chip, while the iPhone 16E is powered by the A18 chip — just like the $799 iPhone 16. That means Apple’s latest lower-priced phone can also support Apple Intelligence, just like the iPhone 16 lineup and the iPhone 15 Pro models. It also supports Emergency SOS and satellite connectivity, so you can message emergency services and your loved ones, even when you don’t have a cellular connection. 

While the iPhone SE comes with 64GB, 128GB, or 256GB of storage, the iPhone 16E offers a larger 512GB storage option, as well as 128GB and 256GB options. Neither phone has expandable storage.

Check out the spec chart below for more details on each phone.