Samsung wants to avoid a bendgate disaster with a durable Galaxy S25 Edge

The Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge is set to become one of the thinnest smartphones on the market, and making any piece of technology that slim is a balance. By making a phone slimmer, battery life and performance could drop as a consequence. Additionally, thinner devices are more likely to bend, especially if they're using the same materials and construction as their thicker counterparts — anyone remember "bendgate" on the iPhone 6?

Luckily, it seems that Samsung is aware of the risks of building an ultra-slim smartphone and plans to attack durability concerns head-on. While Samsung has been tight-lipped regarding Galaxy S25 Edge specs, Samsung's UK Marketing Director Annika Bizon confirmed to TechRadar that durability is one of two "really exciting" features for the South Korean company.

First, Bizon discussed the accomplishment of building a flagship phone in a form factor rumored to be just 5.84mm thick. "I can’t say too much, but what I will say is that [the Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge] is about beautiful form factor. And there are two points I want to make,” Bizon told TechRadar. “One is that it’s absolutely stunning. And if you think about the technology that’s going into that size of space, it’s pretty impressive."

Next, the Samsung exec touted the Galaxy S25 Edge's durability, which is crucial for the phone to be successful. Thinner phones are widely believed to be less durable than thicker ones, and the company will need to dispel that notion to get customers to buy into the Galaxy S25 Edge's impossible form factor.

"The second thing I’ll say concerns durability. With anything slim, durability [has to come as part of the package]. Those are the two features [of the Edge] that are exciting [for us]," said Bizon in the TechRadar interview. "Well, I know durability isn't exciting — but it's really important. So watch this space, because there are some exciting things to come regarding this phone."

As has been the case with past Galaxy S25 Edge teasers, these comments about the phone's durability are quite cryptic. Fortunately, recent Galaxy S25 Edge rumors and leaks might shed some light on what durability breakthroughs Samsung is talking about. A report from SamMobile predicts the smartphone will use an Armor Aluminum frame, but in a first for Samsung, could feature ceramic on the back. At the moment, it's unclear whether the back is tipped to be fully ceramic or glass-infused ceramic.

Why ceramic could be the perfect material for the Galaxy S25 Edge

I'm inclined to believe that Samsung has a few other durability tricks up its sleeve beyond the rumored use of ceramic. That's because ceramic isn't exactly new to smartphones. Ceramic-infused glass is currently used on the Galaxy S25 Ultra's Gorilla Armor, and it's also available as Ceramic Shield on iPhones. Additionally, longtime Android fans might remember that the Samsung Galaxy S10 Plus was actually offered in a ridiculous $1,2500 variant with a fully-ceramic back.

But focusing on the ceramic rumor reveals a few key benefits for the Galaxy S25 Edge. For starters, ceramic is stronger than glass, which would help the Galaxy S25 Edge's durability. Wireless charging also works through both ceramic and ceramic-infused glass, so that's still an option. Although the frame of the Galaxy S25 Edge is still rumored to be aluminum, a ceramic back and/or a ceramic-infused glass front could add structural integrity to this phone — reducing the likelihood of the Galaxy S25 Edge bending.

The other benefit of ceramic no one seems to be talking about is that it has a higher thermal conductivity than glass. What does this mean for the Galaxy S25 Edge? Essentially, it means heat coming from the rumored Snapdragon 8 Elite chipset and the battery would be dissipated better with a ceramic back compared to glass. This could reduce thermal throttling and allow the Galaxy S25 Edge to perform well despite its constrained form factor.

Even if the rumors are true, and ceramic is the only durability improvement offered on this phone, it could go a long way to making the Galaxy S25 Edge less prone to bending than other thin phones.

Why is Samsung making a Galaxy S25 Edge in the first place?

If there's a theme with the Galaxy S25 Edge, at least from Samsung's perspective, it's limiting compromises. The goal of this handset appears to be to offer an ultra-thin smartphone with as few sacrifices as possible.

“The thing with slim phones is people want to know that they’re still getting very good technology," Bizon explains. "Innovation is in our DNA. It’s about the right timing, and when we think a product is ready to take to market, coupled with the fact that people do want form factor changes."