Samsung's upcoming flagship
Expected to launch in early 2025 with a Snapdragon 8 Elite processor and a bigger display, the Samsung Galaxy S25 could quickly become the best base-model flagship on the market. Compared to a midranger like the Motorola Edge 2024, the phone's biggest drawback might be the price.
For
- Powered by Qualcomm's Snapdragon 8 Elite chipset for supreme performance (rumored)
- New Galaxy AI features and overhauled One UI 7 operating system (assumed)
- Bigger screen, minor design tweaks (rumored)
- Seven years of full OS upgrades (expected)
Against
- Same camera system as its predecessor (rumored)
- Not currently available, expected launch window of mid-to-late January 2025
- More expensive than the Motorola Edge 2024, and perhaps even more expensive than last year's model
Motorola's midrange competitor
The Motorola Edge 2024 might be a decent phone for the price, but the Qualcomm Snapdragon 7s Gen 2 inside will make it a tough sell compared to the Samsung Galaxy S25. Although, with discounts bringing the phone under $300, buyers might be willing to make a few compromises.
For
- Stellar design with vegan leather back
- Excellent Motorola software, albeit with Android 14
- Good battery life and relatively fast charging speeds
- pOLED display is great to look at with eye-friendly tech
Against
- Slow processor
- Only 2 years of software support for Android OS upgrades
- MSRP is high for what this phone offers
When we first reviewed the Motorola Edge 2024, it was priced at $550 and didn't have the hardware to match that price point. Fast forward half a year, and the Motorola Edge 2024 is routinely available for under $300. At such a low cost, the Edge 2024 is a lot easier to consider — even if it comes with a few compromises compared to modern flagships.
If you're looking for a new smartphone, you might be wondering how much you really need to spend to get a great experience. This comparison will help you out because we're comparing the upcoming Samsung Galaxy S25 to the Motorola Edge 2024. One is a midrange phone now priced like a budget device, and the other is a bona-fide flagship. Let's figure out which one is the best Android phone for you (and which 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 appear cheap-looking compared to the Galaxy S25's rumored design. Samsung's next flagship is expected to feature a glass back, brushed aluminum rails, and large DSLR-style camera bumps. By comparison, the Motorola Edge 2024 features a vegan leather back and only one Midnight Blue colorway. It does have aluminum rails, but from afar, Motorola's design language doesn't stand out.
The good news is that the in-hand feel of the Motorola Edge 2024 is much better, according to our reviewer. There's a curved display and back panel that makes the phone more comfortable to hold than rectangular, boxy flagships like the Galaxy S24 series. Additionally, the vegan leather material adds a grippy feel compared to slippery glass or plastic. In other words, don't underestimate the Motorola Edge 2024's design.
The full specs of the Samsung Galaxy S25 aren't known for sure, but we can infer that the Motorola Edge 2024 will be bigger than Samsung's base-model flagship. Motorola's midranger has a 6.6-inch pOLED display with a 2400 x 1080 resolution and a 144Hz refresh rate. The Galaxy S25 is expected to get a bigger screen this year, but it'll only be bumped to 6.2 inches, so it'll still be smaller than the Motorola Edge 2024.
If Samsung continues its longtime design trends with the Galaxy S25, that phone should be smaller and lighter than the Motorola Edge 2024. The latter measures 159.63 x 71.99 x 7.99mm and weighs 174 grams, whereas the Galaxy S24 weighed just 168 grams. The Samsung Galaxy S25 might be great for people who want a compact phone, but the Motorola Edge 2024 gives you the chance to get a screen roughly the size of a Galaxy S25 Plus on a budget.
While the Motorola Edge 2024 does have a camera bump, it's much smaller than the Galaxy S25's camera housing is expected to be. Overall, Motorola's design language is less flashy. Although the company calls the phone's color Midnight Blue, it's basically black.
Both phones expectedly feature a hole-punch selfie camera, USB-C, and have an IP68 dust and water-resistance rating. If you like unique colors, you'll have to get the Galaxy S25 — it is expected to come in Moon Night 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 blow the Motorola Edge 2024 out of the water. Of course, that's because the Motorola Edge 2024 will likely be multiple hundreds of dollars cheaper than Samsung's upcoming flagship. Still, the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite chip is all but certain to power the Galaxy S25 and will trounce the Qualcomm Snapdragon 7s Gen 2 in the Motorola Edge 2024.
There are some areas where the Motorola Edge 2024 will beat out the Galaxy S25, though. For starters, the Edge 2024 supports 68W wired charging speeds, which are much higher than anything Samsung has offered in the past. Additionally, the Edge 2024 has a 5,000mAh battery capacity. While it's rumored that Samsung will bump the Galaxy S25's capacity to 5,000mAh, it's not confirmed yet.
| Category | Samsung Galaxy S25 | Motorola Edge 2024 |
|---|---|---|
| Processor | Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite (rumored) | Qualcomm Snapdragon 7s Gen 2 |
| Display | 6.3-inch AMOLED screen (rumored) | 6.6-inch pOLED, 2400 x 1080 resolution (402 ppi), 10-bit, 144Hz refresh rate |
| Memory | Unknown | 8GB |
| Storage | 128GB, 256GB (assumed) | 256GB uMCP |
| Battery | 5,000mAh (rumored) | 5000mAh |
| Charging | USB-C wired, wireless, reverse wireless; exact wattage unknown | 68W wired, 15W wireless |
| Operating system | One UI 7, Android 15 | Android 14 |
| Rear cameras | 50MP wide, 12MP ultra-wide, 10MP telephoto (rumored and/or assumed) | 50MP, f/1.8 main; 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 |
| Dimensions | 146.9 x 70.4 x 7.2mm (rumored) | 159.63 x 71.99 x 7.99mm |
| Weight | 167g (assumed) | 174g |
| IP rating | IP68 (assumed) | IP68 |
| Colors | Moon Night Blue, Silver Shadow, Sparkling Blue, and Sparkling Green (rumored) | Midnight Blue (vegan leather back) |
Camera performance is one area where the Galaxy S25 will shine. It's expected to have a triple-camera system with a 50MP wide lens, a 12MP ultrawide, and a 10MP telephoto lens. On the front, there's rumored to be a 12MP selfie camera.
While the Motorola Edge 2024 does have a 50MP main camera, Samsung has the superior sensor and computational photography. Plus, the Edge 2024 only offers a dual-camera layout. There's a 13MP ultrawide and no telephoto lens, something that may be sorely missed in 2025.
Samsung Galaxy S25 vs. Motorola Edge 2024: Performance and software
Performance and software are ticks 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 much bigger than an annual upgrade. This processor uses the same custom Oryon cores as Qualcomm's Snapdragon X platform and is faster as a result. Meanwhile, the Qualcomm Snapdragon 7s Gen 2 inside the Motorola Edge 2024 is firmly a midrange chip — it's not on the same level as the company's flagship processors.
The extra power of the Samsung Galaxy S25 will help it provide artificial intelligence features now and in the future. The phone will likely come with new Galaxy AI features that top what Motorola can offer. Additionally, the seven years of software support you get with modern Galaxy phones will keep them up and running for years to come. By comparison, Motorola's software support is notoriously poor.
The Motorola Edge 2024 will only get two major Android updates and three years of security patches. It started with Android 14, and Android 15 is already out, so software support is already nearing the end. It also takes Motorola a while to update its phones to new Android versions, which is another thing to consider. If longevity and performance are top priorities, you may want to avoid the Motorola Edge 2024.
Samsung Galaxy S25 vs. Motorola Edge 2024: Which should you buy?
It might seem easy to want the Motorola Edge 2024 at its attractive price point, however, the Samsung Galaxy S25 is likely to be the better value. Although the Motorola Edge 2024 is serviceable, it'll only get one more Android OS upgrade despite costing $300 at the time of publishing. On the other hand, the Galaxy S25 will start with Android 15 and get seven more Android OS upgrades after that.
If you can make the Galaxy S25 last the full seven years, or even half that, it'll probably be a better value than buying the middling Motorola Edge 2024.
Samsung's upcoming flagship
Expected to launch in early 2025 with a Snapdragon 8 Elite processor and a bigger display, the Samsung Galaxy S25 could quickly become the best base-model flagship on the market. Compared to a midranger like the Motorola Edge 2024, the phone's biggest drawback might be the price.
Motorola's midrange competitor
The Motorola Edge 2024 might be a decent phone for the price, but the Qualcomm Snapdragon 7s Gen 2 inside will make it a tough sell compared to the Samsung Galaxy S25. Although, with discounts bringing the phone under $300, buyers might be willing to make a few compromises.
