The perfect Galaxy S25 Extremely change is one thing I needed to really feel to imagine

The leaks main as much as the launch of the Galaxy S25 sequence had me excited. It regarded like Samsung could be releasing 4 Galaxy S25 fashions concurrently, with the fourth mannequin being a “slim” gadget that may be thinner and lighter than the Extremely whereas retaining a few of its upgraded cameras.

So, after shopping for each Extremely from the Galaxy S20 Extremely to the S24 Extremely, and for the primary time because the inception of Samsung’s Extremely lineup, I had determined to not purchase the Galaxy S25 Extremely. As a substitute, my coronary heart was set on a lighter and extra comfy cellphone, and I used to be sure that it will be the brand new Slim — now referred to as the Galaxy S25 Edge.

I modified my thoughts in a second, although, and all it took was for me to carry the Galaxy S25 Extremely in my hand.

I usually like my Galaxy S24 Extremely. The sharp-cornered design has all the time regarded good, however mixed with a body that has a smaller curve radius than the Galaxy S23 Extremely, it was even much less comfy than its predecessor. I’ve a callus in my palm from utilizing this cellphone all day, and the burden doesn’t assist issues, both. Regardless of the same measurement, the Galaxy S24 Extremely is 11g heavier than a Pixel 9 Professional XL, one thing my spouse found after I dropped it on her face whereas making an attempt to point out her a meme. I used to be hesitant about shedding the S Pen, however now that I personal a Galaxy Tab S10 Plus, I might offload my S Pen utilization to that, seeing as I’ve it in my backpack after I exit or inside arm’s attain after I’m at house.

In fact, the Galaxy S25 Plus would’ve been an choice — it will be smaller, lighter, and fewer awkwardly formed — however it lacks the digicam {hardware} discovered within the Extremely fashions. I couldn’t “downgrade” from my Galaxy S24 Extremely to an S25 Plus and stay with out the zoom lens I’ve grown accustomed to. That’s what had made the rumored Slim so enticing to me. It was presupposed to have the identical 200MP main sensor and 50MP ultrawide lens because the Extremely, topped off with a 3.5x 50MP telephoto. Whereas that’s not an equivalent setup to the Extremely, it will’ve been greater than sufficient for me.

Think about my disappointment, then, when the Galaxy S25 Edge was truly introduced. I just like the identify, however the cellphone itself doesn’t appear to be near what we anticipated, with a late launch date and a worse digicam array than the Galaxy S25 Extremely, and to high all of it off, it won’t be out there right here within the UK. In fact, that’s all nonetheless up within the air since nothing in regards to the cellphone is official in addition to its identify, however I’d’ve been devastated about all of it if not for the truth that I had already modified my thoughts in regards to the Extremely.

I used to be one of many few journalists who bought to deal with the primary Galaxy S25 lineup every week earlier than Galaxy Unpacked. At first, I went trying within the corners for the promised “Slim” mannequin and didn’t discover something of the type. Upset, I turned to the telephones that have been truly there and held the Galaxy S25 Extremely in my hand for the primary time. And oof!

The Galaxy S25 Extremely may occupy the identical footprint as my S24 Extremely, however it feels markedly totally different within the hand. What I observed first was the burden. To make use of the Pixel 9 Professional XL instance once more, the brand new Extremely is three grams lighter than that cellphone and a whopping 14g lighter than my previous Extremely. A 6% discount in weight doesn’t sound like rather a lot, however it all provides up when you think about the opposite ergonomic modifications Samsung has made.

The Galaxy S24 Extremely feels top-heavy, seemingly on account of all of the digicam {hardware} within the cellphone’s high half. The Galaxy S25 Extremely remains to be heavier up high however feels extra balanced than the previous cellphone. Lastly, Samsung has rounded the corners of the Extremely cellphone to make it extra comfy and (hopefully) keep away from calluses. When the rumors first urged Samsung was going to do that, I wasn’t on board. I’ve all the time cherished the boxy design of the Galaxy Be aware sequence and S Extremely fashions, which made them so visually distinct from different smartphones. I had visions of the cellphone being as rounded as the 2 common S25 fashions. Fortunately, Samsung discovered a contented medium. The Galaxy S25 Extremely is boxier than virtually another cellphone I can consider, however the corners are rounded sufficient that it nestles comfortably into my hand.

In that one session with the Galaxy S25 Extremely, I used to be satisfied that I didn’t want to modify to a slim mannequin, and that was earlier than I came upon all of the asterisks about that Galaxy S25 Edge.

In fact, there’s extra to the Galaxy S25 Extremely than how heavy it’s. Samsung will let you know to deal with Galaxy AI, the cameras, or the Snapdragon 8 Elite For Galaxy chip working the present. These are all positives — however they aren’t the sorts of enhancements that I and others like me get excited by anymore, not when the tangible advantages they create are so incremental and can seemingly come to older fashions by way of software program updates. Making a cellphone lighter and extra comfy to carry won’t make headlines in the identical means as fancy AI options do as of late, however it’s the kind of change that issues to me. I believe the ergonomics are one of the best a part of the Galaxy S25 Extremely, and you actually need to really feel it to imagine it. I bought fortunate to take action weeks in the past, and that helped me make up my thoughts about shopping for the cellphone.

Now that the Galaxy S25 Extremely is formally on sale, I urge you to go to a retailer and check out holding it for a second. If you happen to’re coming from an older Extremely, the distinction can be night time and day.