Samsung Galaxy S25 vs Motorola Edge 2024: Is the Galaxy worth spending more on?
Samsung’s upcoming flagships
The Samsung Galaxy S25 is expected to launch in early 2025, with a Snapdragon 8 Elite processor and a larger display, and may soon become the best base model flagship on the market. Perhaps the biggest drawback of this phone is the price compared to mid-range phones like the Motorola Edge 2024.
for
- Powered by Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite chipset for superior performance (rumored)
- New Galaxy AI features and overhauled One UI 7 operating system (hypothetical)
- Bigger screen, subtle design tweaks (rumored)
- Seven years of comprehensive operating system upgrades (expected)
be opposed to
- Same camera system as its predecessor (rumored)
- It has not been launched yet and is expected to be released in mid-to-late January 2025.
- More expensive than the Motorola Edge 2024, and possibly even more expensive than last year’s model
Motorola’s mid-range rival
The Motorola Edge 2024 may be a good value phone, but the Qualcomm Snapdragon 7s Gen 2 inside will make it a tough sell compared to the Samsung Galaxy S25. However, with the phone priced below $300, buyers may be willing to make some compromises.
for
- Best-in-class design, vegan leather back panel
- Excellent Motorola software, despite Android 14
- Good battery life and relatively fast charging
- pOLED display adopts eye protection technology and is beautiful and elegant
be opposed to
- Processor is slow
- Android operating system upgrade only provides 2 years of software support
- This phone has a high MSRP
When we first reviewed the Motorola Edge 2024, it cost $550 and had no hardware to match that price point. Half a year later, the Motorola Edge 2024 is usually selling for less than $300. At such a low cost, the Edge 2024 is easier to consider — even if it has some compromises compared to modern flagships.
If you’re looking for a new smartphone, you may be wondering just how much you need to spend to get a great experience. This comparison will help you because we are comparing the upcoming Samsung Galaxy S25 with the Motorola Edge 2024. A true flagship phone. Let’s see which one is the best Android phone for you (and which one is the best value).
Samsung Galaxy S25 vs. Motorola Edge 2024: Design and Display
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At first glance, the Motorola Edge 2024 might look cheap compared to the Galaxy S25’s rumored design. Samsung’s next flagship is expected to feature a glass back, brushed aluminum rails, and a large single-lens camera bump. In comparison, the Motorola Edge 2024 has a vegan leather back and only comes in one Midnight Blue colorway. It does have aluminum rails, but from a distance, Motorola’s design language isn’t eye-catching.
The good news, according to our reviewers, is that the Motorola Edge 2024 feels much better in the hand. The curved display and back panel make the phone more comfortable to hold than rectangular, boxy flagships like the Galaxy S24 series. Plus, the vegan leather material adds grip compared to smooth glass or plastic. In other words, don’t underestimate the design of the Motorola Edge 2024.
The full specifications of the Samsung Galaxy S25 are not yet known, but we can infer that the Motorola Edge 2024 will be larger than Samsung’s base model flagship. Motorola’s mid-range phone features a 6.6-inch pOLED display with a resolution of 2400 x 1080 and a refresh rate of 144Hz. The Galaxy S25 is expected to have a larger screen this year, but it will only increase to 6.2 inches, so it will still be smaller than the Motorola Edge 2024.
If Samsung continues its long-standing design trend with the Galaxy S25, the phone should be smaller and lighter than the Motorola Edge 2024. Only 168 grams. The Samsung Galaxy S25 may be great for people who want a compact phone, but the Motorola Edge 2024 gives you the chance to get a screen roughly the same size as the Galaxy S25 Plus on a budget.
While the Motorola Edge 2024 does have a camera bump, it’s much smaller than expected from the Galaxy S25’s camera housing. Overall, Motorola’s design language is less flashy. Although the company calls the phone’s color Midnight Blue, it’s essentially black.
Both phones are expected to feature a punch-hole selfie camera, USB-C, and have an IP68 dust and water resistance rating. If you like unique colors, you have to buy the Galaxy S25 – expect it to come in Moonlight Blue, Silver Shadow, Sparkling Blue, and Sparkling Green.
Samsung Galaxy S25 vs Motorola Edge 2024: Hardware and specs
In terms of hardware, the Samsung Galaxy S25 will beat the Motorola Edge 2024. Of course, that’s because the Motorola Edge 2024 will likely be hundreds of dollars cheaper than Samsung’s upcoming flagship. Still, the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite chip will almost certainly power the Galaxy S25 and will beat the Qualcomm Snapdragon 7s Gen 2 in Motorola Edge 2024.
However, there are some areas where the Motorola Edge 2024 will beat the Galaxy S25. First, the Edge 2024 supports 68W wired charging speeds, which is faster than anything Samsung has offered in the past. In addition, the battery capacity of Edge 2024 is 5,000mAh. Although there are rumors that Samsung will increase the capacity of the Galaxy S25 to 5,000mAh, this has not been confirmed yet.
| category | Samsung Galaxy S25 | Motorola Edge 2024 |
|---|---|---|
| processor | Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite (rumored) | Qualcomm Snapdragon 7s 2nd generation |
| exhibit | 6.3-inch AMOLED screen (rumored) | 6.6-inch pOLED, 2400 x 1080 resolution (402 ppi), 10 bits, 144Hz refresh rate |
| memory | unknown | 8GB |
| storage | 128GB, 256GB (assumed) | 256GB uMCP |
| Battery | 5,000mAh (rumored) | 5000mA |
| TOLL | USB-C wired, wireless, reverse wireless; exact wattage unknown | 68W wired, 15W wireless |
| operating system | One UI 7, Android 15 | Android 14 |
| rear camera | 50MP wide angle, 12MP ultra wide angle, 10MP telephoto (rumored and/or assumed) | 50MP, f/1.8 primary lens; 13MP ultrawide |
| front camera | 12MP hole-punch camera (rumored and/or assumed) | 32MP, f/2.4 hole-punch camera |
| Connectivity | 5G, Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 5.3, NFC (assumed) | 5G, Wi-Fi 6E |
| aspect | 146.9 x 70.4 x 7.2mm (rumored) | 159.63×71.99×7.99mm |
| weight | 167 grams (assumed) | 174g |
| Protection level | IP68 (assumed) | IP68 |
| color | Moonlight blue, silver shadow, flash blue, flash green (rumor) | Midnight Blue (Vegan Leather Back) |
Camera performance is one of the highlights of the Galaxy S25. It is expected to feature a triple-camera system, including a 50MP wide-angle lens, a 12MP ultra-wide-angle lens, and a 10MP telephoto lens. There is rumored to be a 12MP selfie camera on the front.
While the Motorola Edge 2024 does come with a 50MP primary lens, Samsung has superior sensors and computational photography capabilities. Additionally, Edge 2024 is only available in a dual-lens layout. There’s a 13MP ultra-wide-angle lens and no telephoto lens, which may be sorely missed in 2025.
Samsung Galaxy S25 vs. Motorola Edge 2024: Performance and Software
Performance and software are both in favor of the Samsung Galaxy S25, largely thanks to the Snapdragon 8 Elite chipset inside it. Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8 Elite chip is the successor to the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3, but it’s a much bigger annual upgrade. The processor uses the same custom Oryon cores as the Qualcomm Snapdragon X platform, making it faster. Meanwhile, the Qualcomm Snapdragon 7s Gen 2 inside the Motorola Edge 2024 is definitely a mid-range chip — it’s not on the same level as the company’s flagship processors.
The additional features of the Samsung Galaxy S25 will help it provide artificial intelligence capabilities now and in the future. The phone may come with new Galaxy AI features that go beyond what Motorola can offer. Additionally, the seven years of software support modern Galaxy phones receive will keep them functioning for years to come. In contrast, Motorola’s software support is notoriously poor.
Motorola Edge 2024 will only get two major Android updates and three years of security patches. Starting with Android 14, Android 15 has been released, so software support is nearing completion. It will still be a while before Motorola updates its phones to new Android versions, which is another thing to consider. If longevity and performance are top considerations, you may want to avoid the Motorola Edge 2024.
Samsung Galaxy S25 vs Motorola Edge 2024: Which one should you buy?
It seems easy to want to buy the Motorola Edge 2024 at an attractive price, but the Samsung Galaxy S25 may be a better value. While the Motorola Edge 2024 is serviceable, it will only get one more Android OS upgrade, despite being priced at $300 at launch. The Galaxy S25, on the other hand, will start with Android 15 and then get seven more Android operating system upgrades.
If you can make a Galaxy S25 last a full seven years, or even half of that, it might be a better deal than buying a middling Motorola Edge 2024.
Samsung’s upcoming flagships
The Samsung Galaxy S25 is expected to launch in early 2025, with a Snapdragon 8 Elite processor and a larger display, and may soon become the best base model flagship on the market. Perhaps the biggest drawback of this phone is the price compared to mid-range phones like the Motorola Edge 2024.
Motorola’s mid-range rival
The Motorola Edge 2024 may be a good value phone, but the Qualcomm Snapdragon 7s Gen 2 inside will make it a tough sell compared to the Samsung Galaxy S25. However, with the phone priced below $300, buyers may be willing to make some compromises.
