Low demand for 'ultra-thin', Galaxy S25 Edge struggles

Galaxy S25 Edge. Photo: PhoneArena .

As the smartphone industry matures and devices don’t see significant upgrades from generation to generation, brands are scrambling to find something special that will convince users to upgrade. Apple, Samsung, and Chinese phone makers seem to be in a race to see who can make the thinnest smartphone.

However, user surveys and market reactions show that this technology trend has not received good feedback. Sales of the Galaxy S25 Edge, Samsung's first ultra-thin smartphone, have not achieved the "performance" expected. In Vietnam, the device has not exploded in sales, forcing the company to change its distribution policy.

S25 Edge gets off to a rough start

According to tech site The Elec, the Galaxy S25 Edge is performing worse than the Korean company expected on the shelves. Sources say the company has significantly reduced production when it received the report.

Typically, the first three months of a new device's launch are the "golden" period for a product line. The fact that the company has to cut production shows that the situation is very bad for the product mentioned above.

S25 Edge deeply discounted after less than a month. Photo: TGDĐ.

Previously, Samsung planned to replace the Plus line with the Edge because the large-screen model sold the worst among the three Galaxy S models. However, the unsuccessful slim-body model gave the company a headache.

In Vietnam, the Galaxy S25 Edge was released at the end of May. Less than 30 days later, the company had to adjust the price down by 2-5 million VND depending on the memory. This move was made much earlier than the usual launch programs.

According to sources from Tri Thuc - Znews , since it was put on the shelves, the product has only sold about 10-20% of the imported units, equivalent to less than 1,000 units. The remaining quantity creates great inventory pressure for retailers. In addition, the company may soon have to sell this model through many channels, instead of limiting dealers as it is now.

"The 256 GB version will be available at many dealers at the end of July," said a representative of a large system in Vietnam.

Users don't need thin phones

“When upgrading my phone, I pay attention to the camera and battery life. Regarding size, I care about the screen width so that the device is not too 'bulky', and the thickness of current models is not a problem,” Tra My (27 years old, Hanoi ), an iPhone 13 user who is looking to upgrade, shared when asked about the criteria for choosing a device.

This is also the common sentiment of the majority of phone users. According to a survey by Android Police , nearly 75% of phone users do not care about the thinness of the phone but care about other features. 16% of users only care about thinness when they do not "sacrifice" battery life - the way current ultra-thin phone models are doing.

Survey shows that users need more battery life than ultra-thin devices. Photo: PhoneArena.

Only 8% care about the thinness of the device above all other factors.

The main competitor to the S25 Edge, which is 5.8mm thick and was launched in late May, will be the iPhone 17 Air, which is expected to launch in September and is expected to be around 5.6mm thick.

Still, there are signs that users don't feel smartphones are getting too thick, and they don't need phones to get any thinner.

According to TheElec , the S25 Edge is selling lower than Samsung expected and the company has significantly reduced the number of products produced in June. Production reductions usually do not happen early within 1 month of the device's launch.

To "save" 1.5 mm of thickness compared to the S25+, the S25 Edge only has a 3,900 mAH battery capacity compared to 4,900 mAH on the S25+, a 25W charging speed compared to 45W, and omits the telephoto lens.

"Phones like the Galaxy S25 Edge and iPhone 17 Air don't really have a reason to be this thin, other than the wow factor. The only tangible benefit I can think of is weight savings, but is that worth the trade-off if you have to carry a charger or spare battery pack with you everywhere?", Android Police 's Will Sattelberg reviews.

Source: https://znews.vn/nhu-cau-sieu-mong-khong-cao-galaxy-s25-edge-chat-vat-post1563888.html