Technologies

My First Day With the Galaxy S25 Edge: Battery Life Be Damned, I’m in Love

I got used to Samsung’s slim, light phone far quicker than I expected, and I’m not sure I can go back.

I have never wanted to slap a case on a phone more, but that would defeat the whole purpose.

I’m holding the $1,100 Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge as I stand outside my apartment, waiting for an Uber. It’s the first time I’ve taken the super-slim phone beyond the confines of my home and into a world of rough pavement. I tighten my grip.

I marvel at how the 5.8mm device feels in my hand, about 20% thinner than its Galaxy S25 sibling. Yes, it’s skinny, but that’s not what stands out most. Rather, it’s how utterly light it is. At 163 grams, the S25 Edge weighs one gram more than the baseline S25 but 27 grams less than the S25 Plus, which has the same 6.7-inch display. Meanwhile, in my other hand, the 227-gram iPhone 16 Pro Max feels like a behemoth.

In my first day with the Galaxy S25 Edge, I’m amazed at how quickly I got used to the idea of a slim, lightweight phone. Holding anything else already feels outdated. While typing and scrolling on the feather-light device, I often found myself muttering «this is crazy» as I gently tossed it in my palm. I slipped the S25 Edge into my pocket and threw it into my bag without worrying about it snapping, despite its sleek form. «Maybe Samsung really does know what we want,» I conceded as I marveled at the design.

Battery compromises

But you know what else we want? Long battery life.

A slimmer phone means scaling back on some components, including the battery. The Galaxy S25 Edge has a 3,900 mAh battery, compared to 4,000 mAh on the baseline S25 and 4,900 mAh on the S25 Plus. Samsung says the S25 Edge’s battery should last you all day, and in my experience so far, this has been true — but don’t expect any more than that.

After a day of texting, scrolling, snapping photos, using Google Maps, posting to Instagram and hailing an Uber (all regular activities for me), the S25 Edge lived up to that full-day battery promise but was ready to be recharged after nearly 24 hours. I started with a full charge at 4 p.m. Wednesday soon after the phone arrived, and by 2 p.m. on Thursday, I was at 11%. So keep that charger handy at your nightstand.

As I continue to use the S25 Edge, I’m eager to see whether this really becomes an inconvenience. Because truthfully, I’m always going to charge my phone at the end of the day (my excessive screentime habits necessitate it). This may just be a compromise I’m willing to make, if the actual experience of using the phone is more enjoyable — and so far, it definitely is.

Camera first impressions

Another area where Samsung had to scale back is the S25 Edge’s cameras. Instead of three rear cameras like the rest of the S25 series, this slimmer phone has a 200-megapixel wide (like the S25 Ultra) and a 12-megapixel ultrawide camera, as well as a 12-megapixel selfie camera.

One of my favorite attributes from a hardware perspective is that the rear camera module isn’t particularly obtrusive. Yes, it sticks out a bit, but not enough to take away from the phone’s overall sleek design.

I took the S25 Edge’s camera for a quick spin to see how it performs in the real world, and have been impressed so far. I’ve always admired the vibrancy of images captured by Galaxy S devices, so I can’t say I’m surprised. But the S25 Edge did a great job snapping punchy photos that weren’t over- or undersaturated, and brightened up night-mode shots to make objects discernible even in pitch darkness.

I hit up The Cowden Rose Garden in Walnut Creek, California, to photograph the spring blooms. The S25 Edge captured crisp imagery that faithfully relayed the array of pink, red and white buds throughout the garden.

My favorite photo is this one captured in portrait mode (I’m always a sucker for portrait mode). I love the balance of how subtly blurred the background is compared to the crisp foreground, making for a cohesive image overall. And again, the colors are fabulously punchy.

I flipped the camera around for a quick selfie to see how the front-facing camera performs. In signature Samsung style, it offers a nice smoothing effect on my face (no makeup, no problem), while preserving detail and overall sharpness in both the flowers on my jumpsuit and the real-life roses in the background.

I also snapped photos at .6x zoom, 1x zoom and 2x zoom (no telephoto lens means that’s all you’re getting). As is the case when I tested the S25 and S25 Plus, I appreciate how .6x zoom doesn’t weirdly distort the image. 2x zoom also nicely punches in and preserves detail.

I’m doubtful I’ll really feel the absence of 3x optical zoom like you’ll find on the other S25 series devices, or the 5x optical zoom option you’ll get on the S25 Ultra, but we’ll see if more time with the phone makes me change my mind.

And finally, in this picture taken in my living room at night, AI and processing work their magic to brighten up the final shot (which looked almost indiscernible on my screen as I was capturing it). It’s not a particularly stunning image — photos taken on a phone in pitch darkness hardly ever are — but this captures how well the S25 Edge can handle those deep shadows and brighten up a subject.

Initial takeaways

In my first full day with the Galaxy S25 Edge, I’m amazed at how quickly I’ve gotten used to a form factor that seemingly no one asked for. As dramatic as it sounds, any other phone now feels unnecessarily hefty after holding the S25 Edge (although perhaps Apple will hop aboard the slim phone bandwagon soon, too). And I’m happy to still have a quality camera in my pocket without the bulk.

Despite my initial apprehension, towing the S25 Edge around town doesn’t feel as big a risk as I anticipated, both from a durability standpoint as well as a battery one — at least not yet. Sure, the battery life doesn’t seem stellar but, so far, it also doesn’t seem unmanageable. Let’s just hope that slim frame doesn’t slip through my fingertips and make me regret living on the edge.

Technologies

Today’s NYT Mini Crossword Answers for Saturday, May 17

Here are the answers for The New York Times Mini Crossword for May 17.

Looking for the most recent Mini Crossword answer? Click here for today’s Mini Crossword hints, as well as our daily answers and hints for The New York Times Wordle, Strands, Connections and Connections: Sports Edition puzzles.

Today’s NYT Mini Crossword has a goofy shape, but it’s pretty easy to solve. 6-Down mystified me, but the other answers helped me fill it in. Need some help with today’s Mini Crossword? Read on. And if you could use some hints and guidance for daily solving, check out our Mini Crossword tips.

The Mini Crossword is just one of many games in the Times’ games collection. If you’re looking for today’s Wordle, Connections, Connections: Sports Edition and Strands answers, you can visit CNET’s NYT puzzle hints page.

Read more: Tips and Tricks for Solving The New York Times Mini Crossword

Let’s get at those Mini Crossword clues and answers.

Mini across clues and answers

1A clue: «Link in ___» (promotional catchphrase on social media)
Answer: BIO

4A clue: They’re ground in a coffee grinder
Answer: BEANS

6A clue: Bike riders’ headwear
Answer: HELMETS

8A clue: Variety of tomato whose name is also a meat
Answer: BEEFSTEAK

10A clue: Shoe spec that describes this puzzle?
Answer: EXTRAWIDE

11A clue: «Cha-ching, nothin’ to it!»
Answer: EASYMONEY

Mini down clues and answers

1D clue: Church spot where bats hang out
Answer: BELFRY

2D clue: The first three words of «Green Eggs and Ham,» straight from the narrator
Answer: IAMSAM

3D clue: Boxing punch combo
Answer: ONETWO

4D clue: Purple slices in a salad
Answer: BEETS

5D clue: Oktoberfest glass
Answer: STEIN

6D clue: Prefix with decimal, in coding
Answer: HEXA

7D clue: One-named hit singer with 1985’s «Smooth Operator»
Answer: SADE

8D clue: Spelling ___
Answer: BEE

9D clue: Paper with the answers
Answer: KEY

How to play more Mini Crosswords

The New York Times Games section offers a large number of online games, but only some of them are free for all to play. You can play the current day’s Mini Crossword for free, but you’ll need a subscription to the Times Games section to play older puzzles from the archives.

Technologies

I’m Putting Apple AirTags in Every Suitcase I Own, and They’re on Sale Now at Amazon

I track everything from keys to cars using Apple AirTags. And now that you can get a four-pack for almost $20 off at both Amazon and Best Buy, it’s a good time to stock up.

I knew something was wrong as I stood at the baggage carousel after a return flight from France and my trusty rolling suitcase was nowhere to be seen, even as my fellow passengers collected their bags one by one. My suitcase never did drop onto the carousel that day.

However, I knew there was no reason to panic. Before handing over my suitcase at check-in at the Charles de Gaulle Airport, I had tucked a sophisticated little tracking device into it. So, with just a few taps on my iPhone, I could see that my bag had apparently never left Paris. (Merde!)

Over the years, I’ve come to rely on Apple’s AirTags to keep track of just about all my easy-to-lose valuables. They’re not only good for suitcases; I also use them to track keys, bikes and even my car. I tell everyone who will listen that you can never have too many of these handy devices. That’s why I think it’s worth taking full advantage of sales at both Amazon and Best Buy that slash the price of a four-pack of AirTags down to $80.

Here’s how the Apple AirTag that was in my suitcase on that fateful trip works. It uses an ingenious method of tracking itself, detecting its location from nearby iPhones and using them to anonymously piggyback the coordinates to a secure server where I could look it up on my iPhone. Until just a few years ago, this would have seemed like a scene straight out of a spy movie.

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Instead of wondering if my belongings were stuck on an abandoned luggage cart or strewn across the tarmac, I could see in almost real time that my suitcase was still chilling at Charles de Gaulle airport in Paris. I was able to calmly tell the airline my bag didn’t make the flight, and it made arrangements to have it delivered to me a few days later.

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Apple AirTags are all about peace of mind

By itself, an AirTag isn’t much. A 1.26-inch smooth round puck that looks like a glossy white breath mint, it sinks to the bottom of a bag or dangles from a key chain (with a compatible key ring, sold separately). It’s meant to disappear.

Activating the AirTag was a simple process of pairing with my iPhone. And then, because it obviously doesn’t really do anything out of the box, I forgot about it.

But the next time I couldn’t find my keys? Sorcery. My iPhone didn’t just tell me they were somewhere nearby — it walked me directly to them, thanks to the AirTag’s built-in Ultra Wideband chip. Suddenly, all that time I’d spent retracing my steps and overturning couch cushions in the past felt like ancient history.

Now I have AirTags in or attached to every significant item I’d want to keep track of: My everyday laptop bag, my camera backpack, the suitcase I use most when traveling, my key chain, my car and a smaller sling bag I take on walks. I can pull up the Find My app on any of my Apple devices (or sign in to iCloud on any web browser) and see where my items are and the last time the AirTags registered their locations.

AirTags aren’t just for my everyday items. People I know in the movie business tell me that AirTags are tossed into nearly every bag and Pelican crate, not solely to ensure that the valuable equipment inside doesn’t walk away but to quickly differentiate equipment amid similar looking containers. Some of my friends also attach AirTags to their pets’ collars (though experts say there are better ways to track pets).

AirTags are also useful for things that you want to keep close by

Being able to detect my luggage a continent away provided a sense of relief, to be sure. But at the local level, my AirTags will also trigger an alert when I get too far away from them. For example, if I accidentally forget my camera bag in the car when I stop somewhere for lunch, a Find My notification appears telling me I’ve left it behind. It works the same for newer AirPods models as well.

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Sharing is now a big part of AirTag tracking

My family has two cars, and I wanted to be able to track them both. But it used to be inconvenient to pair the AirTag in the car my wife drives to her iPhone (and the one in my car to my iPhone).

To guard against unwanted tracking, an AirTag will notify nearby iPhones of its existence, so whenever I drove my wife’s car without her in it, I got a notification that an AirTag was traveling with me. (If the owner is near the AirTag, the alert does not appear.)

However, ever since the release of iOS 17, AirTags are shareable, which solves this problem. I shared my AirTag with my wife, and she with me, so regardless of which car I’m driving, I can find it more easily in a crowded parking lot without getting constant, unnecessary alerts.

A new feature to AirTags that arrived with iOS 18.2 is the ability to temporarily share an AirTag’s location with someone I trust. In my luggage example above, if the suitcase was in the airport with me, but the airport’s staff hadn’t yet been able to locate it (not uncommon during peak travel times), I could share its location with an attendant who could quickly retrieve it from areas inaccessible to the public.

Apple AirTag specs

Diameter: 1.26 inches (31.9 mm)
Height: 0.31 inches (8 mm)
Weight: 0.39 ounces (11 g)
Splash, water and dust resistance: Rated IP67 (maximum depth of 1 meter up to 30 minutes)
Connectivity: Bluetooth 5.0
Battery: Replaceable CR2032 coin cell battery

The only minor annoyance about AirTags

An AirTag includes Bluetooth, the U1 Ultra Wideband chip and an NFC chip to share basic details when it’s in Lost Mode. That’s all powered by a CR2032 coin cell battery, which in my experience lasts roughly a year before I need to replace it.

I get notified when a battery is starting to get low, although there’s no gauge to see how much is left until it goes into the red. And it’s easy to change batteries. But my small fleet of AirTags means I need to swap multiple ones each year. I buy them in packs of 20 that I slowly work through.

AirTags also make great gifts

Apple AirTags consistently appear in our gift guides throughout the year because you can always find another use for one. They’re often reduced in price when sold in packs of four. And there’s an ever-growing ecosystem of ways to mount them, from sturdy vaults that adhere to a car to discrete fabric holders that will keep your favorite classic bomber jacket from flying away. Whenever I show someone how I use AirTags on a bag or keychain, I kind of wish I had a pocket of AirTags to hand out because once someone sees how it works, they’re sold.

Looking to save on more things that’ll make your life easier? Check out our roundup of all the best early Memorial Day deals going on now. We’ve also gathered all the best AirTag accessories of 2025 from across the web so you can get the most use out of them.