Samsung simply introduced the Galaxy S25 Edge smartphone, however early rumours make me far more excited for the Xiaomi 16.
The Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge presents a broadly flagship-level expertise at a decidedly flagship-level value, with the important thing twist of a 5.3mm-thick physique.
I can’t assist pondering that Samsung is answering a query nobody was asking, nonetheless, and will even be lacking the purpose totally. A recent Xiaomi 16 leak actually helped make clear issues for me.
Xiaomi 16: A small telephone with endurance
In response to a brand new Weibo publish from Chinese language leaker Sensible Pikachu, the Xiaomi 16 will function a large 6,800mAh battery, regardless of retaining the small display that the sequence is thought for.
For reference, the Xiaomi 15 homes a 6.3-inch OLED show in its (comparatively) compact 152.3 x 71.2 x 8.1mm physique.
Now, I ought to situation a caveat right here. This acknowledged battery capability may effectively be a China-only deal, with the worldwide mannequin receiving a a lot smaller cell.
The Chinese language mannequin of the Xiaomi 15, for instance, got here with a 5,400mAh battery in comparison with 5,240mAh within the the worldwide mannequin.
The distinction isn’t big, nonetheless, and it’s most likely protected to imagine that the worldwide mannequin of the Xiaomi 16 will on the very least match and doubtless exceed the battery capability of its predecessor. This may make its battery extra capacious than the Samsung Galaxy S25 Extremely, not to mention the Edge.
Jon Mundy / Foundry
Is Samsung shedding its Edge?
That will make the Xiaomi 16 a usefully compact telephone (does a thin type issue truly assist anybody?) with a a lot bigger battery than the Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge.
Within the pursuit of skinniness, Samsung has fitted its new telephone with a puny 3,900mAh cell. That’s even smaller than that of the Galaxy S25, which is Samsung’s present Xiaomi 15 equal.
Samsung is usually a dab hand at optimising its telephones to extract stable stamina from them, however I can’t see how the Galaxy S25 Edge goes to be something apart from the runt of the S25 litter on this division.
Anyron Copeman / Foundry
Smaller, extra elegant telephones are a pattern that I’d wish to encourage, however not on the expense of practicality. It’s not only a battery life situation both – due to that slim physique, the Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge loses a devoted telephoto digital camera.
If the Xiaomi 16 follows within the footsteps of its predecessors, it gained’t undergo from both of those main omissions, with the Xiaomi 15 packing a reputable third lens.
That it is also the primary telephone to function Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8 Elite 2 chip is simply the icing on the cake. Add in 100W charging and an earlier-than-expect September launch, and it could see Xiaomi’s telephone completely outgunning the Edge inside months of the latter’s launch – and sure at a a lot lower cost in addition.
Samsung deserves reward for going first with the entire super-skinny flagship telephone idea, with Apple broadly anticipated to comply with.
I’ll maintain out judgement till I’ve had an opportunity to make use of the Galaxy S25 Edge, however I’m leaning extra in direction of Xiaomi’s strategy of a traditional compact flagship with a whopping nice silicon-carbon battery onboard.