I’m over the Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge. There, I finally said it. While the allure of having an ultra thin phone is tempting at first thought, I’ve realized how it has way too many trade-offs to convince me it’s good enough to make as my daily driver. That’s why I prefer the Motorola Razr Ultra (2025), which is the best foldable phone you can buy right now.
It proves yet again how flip phones are underrated, especially when they’re put in conversation against ultra thin phones and some of the best phones out there. Samsung doesn’t appear to be backing down from making this trend popular, evident by its upcoming Galaxy Fold Ultra that seems to point at a similar svelte construction with its book-style foldable.
After using the Razr Ultra (2025) for over a month, I’m convinced it proves how flip-style phones continue to be underrated. In fact, it’s made me less excited about other thin phones, like Apple’s iPhone 17 Air.
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One-handed use is satisfying
(Image credit: Tom’s Guide / John Velasco)
Despite the remarkable thinness of the Galaxy S25 Edge, it isn’t any easier to handle over other phones with its massive size. Although I can use it one-handed to an extent, the 6.7-inch AMOLED display that adorns it doesn’t make reaching those corners any easier over other phones — but that’s not a problem for a flip-style phone like the Razr Ultra 2025.
Even though the company’s slapped a sizable outer display ever since the Razr Plus (2023), the 4-inch screen in the Ultra continues to prove my point in how it makes it light years easier to use one-handed. Everything is within reach using the outer screen, which also helps that Motorola lets me use every app in full screen mode.
I can’t tell you enough about how I’ve come to rely on the outer screen for a lot of things. From productivity work such as replying to emails and working with spreadsheets, to kicking back with some of my favorite games, flip style phones with large outer screens add another layer of convenience that proves my point of how smaller phones are better than thin phones.
No compromise battery performance
(Image credit: Tom’s Guide / John Velasco)
As I’ve detailed in my Galaxy S25 Edge review, the biggest compromise in engineering a phone with an ultra-thin construction is having to stuff a smaller sized battery in it. Compared to the Galaxy S25 Ultra, which has one of the best phone battery life on the market thanks to its 5,000 mAh battery, the Galaxy S25 Edge underperforms by a dramatic amount. In fact, it pulls in a time of 12 hours and 24 minutes from its 3,900 mAh battery — versus the 17+ hours out of the S25 Ultra.
The Motorola Razr Ultra (2025) somehow manages to cram a 4,700 mAh battery that delivers the longest battery life of any foldable phone that Tom’s Guide has tested to date. In my day-to-day use, there hasn’t been one time yet where I’ve had to top it off to get me through work, which says a lot. In Tom’s Guide’s battery benchmark test, it records a time of 15 hours and 42 minutes.
Equally as important, the Razr Ultra (2025) is packed with the same Snapdragon 8 Elite chip found in the Galaxy S25 Edge — so it has just as much firepower to run the most demanding apps I use. With this combo of muscle power and battery endurance, it proves how flip-style phones have just as much utility as your standard slates.
And it’s still a thin phone by today’s standards
(Image credit: Tom’s Guide / John Velasco)
People forget about the Razr Ultra’s defining characteristics — its thin construction — which is almost as thin as the Galaxy S25 Edge. Yes, the Edge certainly makes other phones like the iPhone 16 Pro Max and Galaxy S25 Ultra thick when it’s put side-by-side against them, but it’s not as apparent against the Razr Ultra.
With its 0.28-inch thinness, the Ultra is still remarkably thin by today’s standards. Could it be thinner? Of course, but I think it’s just at the right size. It’s also pretty lightweight at 7.02 ounces. All of this confirms how flip-style phones are underrated and how you shouldn’t let all the buzz about ultra-thin constructions fool you into thinking they’re the better options.
Now the only thing that could convince me to ditch the Razr Ultra (2025) would be none other than the slightly cheaper Razr Plus (2025), which is being tested as we speak.
