Month: June 2025

Shopping for an Amazon tablet? These are the ones you want to buy

(Image credit: Future)

I’ve been reviewing tablets for years, and for my money there’s no better budget Android slate than an Amazon Fire tablet. They’ve earned their reputation for being cheap, durable slates, and the best Amazon Fire tablets let you browse the web and enjoy your favorite books, shows and games without costing an arm and a leg.

Trust me: My team and I review all the major tablets from Amazon, Apple, Google, Samsung and more every year, so I know what your money buys you in this market. I regularly recommend theAmazon Fire HD 10as the best Amazon Fire slate for most readers because it gives you plenty of battery life, capable performance and a nice screen for significantly less than your average iPad.

If you’re willing to spend a bit more and want something nicer than the 10, I recommend upgrading to theAmazon Fire Max 11because it sports a bigger, brighter display, more power and more storage than the Fire HD 10 for roughly a hundred bucks more.

But if you’re on a really tight budget and just need a cheap tablet to browse the web, I bet you’ll be just fine with theAmazon Fire 8. It’s a small, cheap slate with sub-1080p resolution, so it’s not great for enjoying your favorite movies—but it’s one of the best you can get for $100.

I’ve got a lot more advice and recommendations to share below, so scroll down for more help finding the best Amazon Fire tablet for you!

>>>Replacement battery for Amazon Fire HD 10 Plus T76N2P

Best overall

1. Amazon Fire HD 10

The best Amazon Fire tablet for most people

Specifications

CPU:2GHz octa-coreCamera Resolution:5MP front/backDisplay:10.1-inch 1920×1200 LCD TouchStorage:32GB, 64GBMemory :3GB RAMPorts:1x USB-C, headphone jack, microSDDimensions:9.69 x 6.49 x 0.34 inchesWeight:15.29 ounces

Reasons to buy

+Good value for the price
+Sharp, bright screen
+Excellent battery life
+Expandable storage

Reasons to avoid

-Amazon’s poor app selection
-Middling performance
-Lock screen ads

The Amazon Fire HD 10 is a great all-around tablet, which is why I generally recommend it as the best Amazon Fire tablet for most people.

While it’s not the fastest or most beautiful tablet on the market, or even the most premium Amazon tablet (that honor belongs to theFire Max 11), the Fire HD 10 hits a great sweet spot in terms of performance and price.

I say that because (according to our testing) you get great battery life, good performance, and a nice screen for a starting price of $150, making this a more affordable way to enjoy the benefits of having a tablet around without having to pay Apple or Samsung prices.

Its biggest flaws, though, are those endemic to the Amazon Fire tablets in general. Most notably, Amazon’s Fire OS is still app-challenged, missing the Google Play app store — which means you can’t get the full YouTube experience, for example, and you’ll miss out on a lot of great apps not available on Amazon’s app store.

But as long as you’re happy to content yourself with the apps available to you in the Amazon App Store, you can have a lot of fun with the Fire HD 10. It definitely helps to be deeply invested in Amazon’s ecosystem, as these slates are great for streaming videos, reading ebooks and browsing the web.

>>>Replacement battery for Amazon Fire HD 8 7th Generation SX034QT

Best budget option

2. Amazon Fire 8

The best Amazon Fire tablet for those on a budget

Specifications

CPU:2GHz hexa-coreCamera Resolution:2MP (rear), 2MP (front)Display:8-inch 1280×800 LCD TouchStorage:32GB, 64GBMemory:2GBPorts:1 USB-C, 1 microSD slot, 1 Headphone portDimensions:7.94 x 5.4 x 0.37 inchesWeight:11.88 ounces

Reasons to buy

+Bright screen
+Excellent battery life
+Fantastic value
+Strong speakers

Reasons to avoid

-Performance limitations
-Rough cameras
-Amazon’s ecosystem

The Amazon Fire HD 8 is a cheap tablet, and for some that’s the main selling point.

I recommend this slate to Fire shoppers on a budget because its slightly nicer than the bottom of the barrel Fire 7, yet still affordable at $99. And while the 8-inch touchscreen isn’t sharp enough to support 1080p content, it’s more than fine for browsing the web and reading books.

This is a great utility tablet because you get good battery life (nearly 14 hours in our testing) and decent speakers, as well as easy access to Amazon’s various content streaming apps and strong parental controls. Of course, the front and rear cameras are pretty bad, but who uses their tablet to take photos anyway?

And since this tablet isn’t powerful enough to run many demanding apps very well anyway, you won’t miss the full panoply of apps available on Android nearly as much.

>>>Replacement battery for Amazon Kindle Fire HD 10 B00VKIY9RG SR87CV

Best upgrade option

3. Amazon Fire Max 11

The top-tier Amazon Fire tablet

Specifications

CPU:2.2Ghz octa-core Mediatek MT8188JCamera Resolution:8MP front/back; 1080p video recordingDisplay:11-inch 2K (2,000 x 1,200 pixels)Storage:64-128 GBMemory:4GB RAMPorts:1x USB-C, headphone jack, microSDDimensions:10.2 x 6.4 x 0.29 inchesWeight:1.08 pounds

Reasons to buy

+Bright, colorful screen
+Good battery life
+Premium build quality

Reasons to avoid

-Awkward button/port placement
-Tinny speakers
-Limited by FireOS

The Amazon Fire Max 11 is the biggest Fire tablet you can buy right now, and it’s the only one with a 2K (2,000 x 1,200 pixels) display. So if pixels count, this is the Fire tablet you want to buy for streaming shows on the biggest, most vibrant screen possible.

You pay extra for the privilege, of course, as this is not only the biggest but also the most expensive Fire tablet with a starting price of just over $200. But in return you get a speedy 2.2Ghz Mediatek chip that runs games and apps well, 4GB of RAM for speedy multitasking and a pair of decent cameras on the front and back.

Of course, even this beefy Fire tablet is handicapped by shipping limited to Amazon’s App Store. While you can sideload apps outside the Amazon App Store with enough know-how, it’s a hassle and a lot of effort to go through so you can access Google apps like Gmail and YouTube.

But if you don’t need to use YouTube, Gmail, Google Docs and other Google apps, the Fire Max 11 gives you a pretty premium-feeling slate for over a $100 less than the base iPad. It’s the best Fire tablet to upgrade to if you need more screen and power than the Fire Max 10 can deliver!

Best for older kids

4. Amazon Fire HD 10 Kids Pro

The best Amazon Fire tablet for tweens

Specifications

CPU:2.0GHz octa-core CPUCamera Resolution:5 MP (rear) 2 MP (front)Display:10.1-inch, 1920 x 1200-pixelStorage:32GBPorts:1x USB-C, headphone jack, microSDDimensions:9.7 x 6.5 x 0.4 inchesWeight:17.8 ounces/1.1 pounds

Reasons to buy

+Vibrant screen makes cartoons pop
+Tenacious battery outlasts the competition
+Comprehensive 2-year warranty

Reasons to avoid

-No native Google apps
-Dull audio compared to the competitors

The Amazon Fire HD 10 Kids Pro is basically the same, hardware-wise, as the excellent Amazon Fire HD 10. It’s got the same octa-core processor, 3GB of RAM and vivacious 1,900 x 1,200 display. The big difference is that it’s designed specifically for use by older kids ages 6-12, so it comes with a one-year Amazon Kids+ subscription, a colorful kickstand case, and a comprehensive, no-questions-asked 2-year warranty that covers accidental damage. 

If you’re in the market for a kid-friendly tablet, few competitors can match what the Fire HD 10 Kids Pro offers for $199, particularly with that generous extended warranty. Sure, it has all the same weaknesses as every Fire tablet — most notably, no easy access to the Google Play Store — but if you’re planning to give this to a kid anyway, that’s less of an issue. 

Best for younger kids

5. Amazon Fire HD 10 Kids

The best Amazon Fire tablet for young children

Specifications

CPU:2.0GHz octa-core CPUCamera Resolution:5 MP (rear) 2 MP (front)Display:10.1-inch, 1920 x 1200-pixelStorage:32GBPorts:1x USB-C, headphone jack, microSDDimensions:9.7 x 6.5 x 0.4 inchesWeight:17.8 ounces/1.1 pounds

Reasons to buy

+Durable build
+Great parental controls
+Bright and sharp display

Reasons to avoid

-Lack of Google Play Store apps
-Poor sound quality
-Underwhelming performance

The Amazon Fire HD 10 Kids, like the Fire HD 10 Kids Pro listed above, is effectively a version of the Fire HD 10 that’s tailored for kid-friendly use. It costs as much as the Fire HD 10 Kids Pro ($199) and offers basically the same features, but aimed at children ages three to seven rather than older kids. 

Like its siblings the Fire HD 10 Kids sports a bright display, a durable kid-friendly design, and excellent battery life. Plus, the detailed built-in parental controls give you a lot of control over what a child does on the device, with little risk of them going astray. Sure, the lack of Google Play Store apps limits what you can do with this tablet, but that’s hardly a problem if you’re planning to give it to your 5-year-old so they can have something to watch videos on. If you want a durable, long-lasting tablet tailored to young children, the Amazon Fire HD 10 Kids is a great choice.

How to choose the right Amazon Fire tablet for you

Still not sure which Amazon Fire tablet is right for you? Here are some important things to consider.

Screen size:The Amazon Fire tablets come in a variety of screen sizes ranging from 7 to 10 inches. If you expect to be watching a lot of videos, you’ll want the biggest, nicest screen possible, so consider the Fire HD 10. But if you just want a tablet to browse the web and read ebooks, a smaller display, like those on the Fire 7 or Fire HD 8, will be more than enough for your needs.

Budget:While all of the Amazon Fire tablets are more affordable than anything Apple makes, there’s still a wide price range of $50-$200, or more if you splurge on extras. If you can afford the higher end of that spectrum, the $150 Fire HD 10 is probably the best choice for you. But if you’d rather spend $100, or $50, the Fire HD 8 or Fire 7 (respectively) are decent tablets that should meet your needs.

Age:How old is the person you’re buying this tablet for? Obviously if it’s for you, buy whatever you like, but if you’re getting a cheap Amazon Fire tablet for a younger person, there are a variety of kid-friendly options depending on their age. For those ages 3-7, the Amazon Fire HD 10 Kids offers decent performance, great parental controls, and a colorful drop-resistant case. The Amazon Fire HD 10 Kids Pro offers effectively the same benefits for the same price, but it’s aimed at older kids in the 6-12 range. And if the person you’re buying for is older than that, they should be well-served by the standard Amazon Fire HD 10.

Battery life compared

Battery life is one of the key things to consider when buying a tablet, and even though Amazon’s slates are pretty long-lived you can’t blindly trust the manufacturer’s claims about exactly how long they’ll last.

That’s why we put every tablet we test and review through a series of battery tests, then average the results and compare them against the competition. I’ve assembled the tested battery life of every tablet on this page here in one handy chart, to help you make a more informed buying decision. Battery test results

Amazon Fire Max 11	13:45
Amazon Fire HD 10	12:39
Amazon Fire HD 10 Kids Pro	14:12
Amazon Fire HD 10 Kids	14:32
Amazon Fire HD 8	13:42
Amazon Fire 7	6:56

Frequently Asked Questions

What apps can I run on an Amazon Fire tablet?

I’m so glad you asked! One of the biggest weaknesses of the Amazon Fire tablets is that they run on Amazon’s FireOS, which is a modified version of Android. But while these are technically Android slates, you can’t just buy one and start putting your favorite Google apps on it because the Google Play Store is not accessible on an Amazon Fire tablet.

That means that unless you want to futz around with sideloading apps, you can’t easily install a significant number of Android apps that other Android tablets have access to. Basic Google apps like Gmail, Google Docs and YouTube are not easily available on a Fire tablet. You can still access those services by opening a web browser and using the web versions, but you should know this key limitation of Fire tablets before you buy one.

How do I get rid of lockscreen ads?

Good question! Like Amazon Kindles, Fire tablets can be ordered with or without lockscreen ads. It costs $15 more to buy one without lockscreen ads, but that means you won’t have to stare at promos for products when your tablet is locked.

Luckily, if you decide to get rid of ads later (or you get an ad-supported Fire as a gift and want to banish the advertising) you can. Just head to Amazon’s website, log into your account and navigate to the “Manage Your Devices” page.

From your Devices page, click on the Fire tablet you wish to remove ads on and select the “Special offers” section, then navigate to the “Remove offers” option. Click it, pay a $15 fee and voila—no more ads!

How we test Amazon Fire tablets

Before we start reviewing a new Amazon Fire tablet, we send it to our lab, where it gets run through a series of tests that help us measure its capabilities. 

First, we run as many benchmarks as that tablet will allow, to see how fast they are in ways that can be compared directly against competitors. We say “will allow” as Amazon’s Fire slates have trouble with side-loaded Android apps. We then use colorimeters and light meters to measure how colorful and bright these tablets’ screens can get. After that, we put them through our in-house battery test, which times how long it takes — while surfing the web with brightness at 150 nits — to drain a tablet of a charge.

After that, we do the same things you do — browse the web, watch videos, play games, compose emails — as we use the tablet like we own it, for a week or two at least.

No surprises, nothing special

Verdict

The Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge is a remarkably lightweight phone, and it feels different than anything else I’ve tried. The phone offers top-notch performance and stays cool under pressure, but the battery life isn’t great, and the charging speed is too slow. This phone fills a niche for Samsung fans, but it won’t win over a new audience or raise eyebrows among the competition. It’s just a slimmer option for folks who weren’t satisfied with the current Galaxy lineup. If the Galaxy S25 Plus is too thick, or the Galaxy S25 Ultra is too much, the Edge fits neatly in between.

Pros

• +Very lightweight and easier to hold for a long time
• +Just as powerful as the Galaxy S25 Ultra
• +Durable and sleek design feels more Ultra than basic

Cons

• -Nothing special to set this phone apart
• -It isn’t the thinnest phone Samsung makes right now
• -The camera options aren’t as good as the rest of the Galaxy lineup

>>>Replacement battery for Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra

Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge review: Two-minute review

Samsungunderstood the assignment with the Galaxy S25 Edge, but it didn’t strive for extra credit. The goal was to make aGalaxy S25 Plusthat’s easier to hold, but Samsung did not set out to make the thinnest phone possible – in fact the Galaxy S25 Edge isn’t even the thinnest phone Samsung makes today. Instead, it did what Samsung does best: it gave us a little more inside a little less.

The Galaxy S25 Edge is a very good phone, and it feels like something unique compared to every other phone I’ve reviewed. The difference is noticeable; it’s much slimmer and lighter than almost everything else, even when wearing a case. Still, the S25 Edge isn’t a revolutionary new design, and I can’t help but anticipate the competition it’s going to face fromApplein the shape of the rumorediPhone 17 Air.

This is the thinnest Galaxy S device Samsung has ever crafted. It’s 1.5mm thinner than the Galaxy S25 Plus, and almost 2.5mm thinner than theGalaxy S25 UItra.

Could I feel that millimeter in my hand? I’m not sure, but between the thinness and the weight reduction – it’s almost a full ounce lighter than the Plus and two ounces lighter than the Ultra – the Galaxy S25 Edge is undoubtedly a standout.Front to back: Galaxy S25 Edge, Galaxy S25, Galaxy S25 Plus, Galaxy S25 Ultra

The Galaxy S25 Edge isn’t the phone for you if you want the thinnest phone possible. It’s the phone for you if you want a Galaxy S25 Plus, but wish it were easier to hold. It’s the Galaxy S25 Ultra, minus the extra bits that you wouldn’t use, like the S Pen stylus. It’s not something totally new, but it’s a better option for the right buyer.

But why didn’t Samsung go for broke? Why not make the Edge the absolute thinnest smartphone ever? TheGalaxy Z Fold 6is 5.6mm thin when it’s unfolded. Had it shaved another 0.3mm off the Edge, Samsung could have at least said that this is the thinnestSamsungphone you can buy.

The answer, of course, is battery life. The Galaxy Z Fold 6 is super thin, but the battery is split between the two halves. Each half of the Z Fold 6 packs only about 2,200mAh of battery life (for 4,400mAh total), which is a lot less than the 3,800mAh the Galaxy S25 Edge offers.

A thinner Galaxy S25 Edge would have meant a smaller battery, and based on my testing, the S25 Edge is using the smallest battery it can get away with.

The Edge had trouble lasting past dinner time in my testing period. If Samsung had made the Edge thethinnest phone ever!, it probably wouldn’t last through my lunch break. I have no doubt Samsung could build such a phone, but I wouldn’t recommend it.

That makes the S25 Edge a pleasantly thin phone that is simply not very special. There are no special features that set it apart from the rest of theGalaxy S25family. There’s nothing new here. It’s a well-crafted device that delivers exactly what I expected; no more and no less. That’s not a bad thing! It’s just… predictable.

>>>Replacement battery for Samsung Galaxy S25+

Front to back: Galaxy S25 Edge, iPhone 16 Pro Max, Galaxy S25 Ultra

The big problem is that Samsung is competing against a specter. The iPhone 17 Air could arrive later this year, and it’s hard not to see the Galaxy S25 Edge as a preemptive attack by Samsung on Apple’s next design concept. Because make no mistake, Apple is going to make a big deal out of going thin.

Apple is going to pretend it invented the millimeter. If and when Apple launches an iPhone Air in September, it will act like thinness is the biggest design innovation since the capacitive touchscreen. All other specs be damned! And I think Apple will be willing to shrink the battery and cut back on cameras even more severely than Samsung.

If that happens, the iPhone 17 Air will probably be less capable than the Galaxy S25 Edge in many ways, but it will give Apple the all-important bragging rights. Apple could use the dual-OLEDdisplay found on the iPad Pro, and recent rumors suggest the rumored phone will be around 5.5mm, making it thinner than any phone Samsung currently sells.

In a way, this takes the pressure off Samsung. The Galaxy S25 Edge is a very nice phone, and it fits neatly into Samsung’s price ladder as a little nicer than the Galaxy S25 Plus, but not as feature-packed as the Galaxy S25 Ultra. It doesn’t need to prove anything – the Galaxy S25 Edge does fine with less, without trying to be the most.

>>>Replacement battery for Samsung Galaxy S25

Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge review: Price and availability

• Starts at $1,099 / £1,099 / AU$1,849 for 256GB/12GB configuration
• That’s $100 / £100 / AU$500 more than S25 Plus, $200 / £150 less than the Ultra

Left to right: Galaxy S25 Ultra, Galaxy S25 Edge, Galaxy S25 Plus, Galaxy S25

The Galaxy S25 Edge slots in neatly between the Galaxy S25 Plus and S25 Ultra in Samsung’s lineup. It’s closer to the Plus, which makes sense because it lacks more of the Ultra features than it possesses – there’s no S Pen, no telescopic zoom lens, and no big battery inside, for instance, although it is, like the S25 Ultra, built from titanium.

Otherwise, you get most of what you’d expect from the Galaxy S25 Plus, minus the zoom camera. It packs a sensor with a lot of megapixels, and that sensor is actually larger than the main sensor on the Galaxy S25 Plus. Both cameras use sensors that are smaller than the main 200MP sensor on the mighty Galaxy S25 Ultra.

Now I need a moment with my Australian friends, because something very odd is happening down under. The Galaxy S25 Ultra has come down in price by AU$400 since launch, which means it costs less than the Galaxy S25 Edge by AU$100. Also, the S25 Edge seems priced a bit high in Australia compared to the rest of the world – it’s AU$500 more than the Galaxy S25 Plus?! That seems like a mistake, but it’s the real price for now, so I would wait until Samsung offers a discount to buy the Edge.

Storage	US price	UK price	AU price
256GB	$1,099	£1,099	AU$1,849
512GB	$1,219	£1,199	AU$2,049

• Value score:4 / 5

Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge review: Specs

Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge (left) and Galaxy S25 Plus (right) are very similar inside Like the rest of the Galaxy S25 family, the S25 Edge gets 12GB of RAM to support the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite for Galaxy chipset inside. This platform has proven powerful and very efficient in my reviews of the best Android phones this year.

The 6.7-inch display on the S25 Edge seems to be identical to that on the S25 Plus. The main camera uses a new 200MP sensor that we haven’t seen before, which is a bit smaller than the 200MP sensor on the Galaxy S25 Ultra, but larger than the 50MP sensor on the Galaxy S25 Plus. There’s no telephoto lens, but the Edge seems to use the same 12MP ultrawide camera as the S25 Plus.

The Galaxy S25 Edge comes with a 3,900mAh battery under its display, which is even smaller than the 4,000mAh battery beneath the Galaxy S25’s 6.2-inch screen. That’s what you sacrifice when you make a phone thin.

Samsung Galaxy S25
Dimensions	158.2 x 75.6 x 5.8mm
Weight	163g
OS	OneUI 7, Android 15. 7 major Android upgrades promised.
Display	6.7-inch LTPO AMOLED, 120Hz
Chipset	Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite for Galaxy
RAM	12GB
Storage	256GB / 512GB
Battery	3,900mAh
Rear cameras	200MP main, 12MP ultra-wide
Front camera	12MP
Charging	25W wired, 15W wireless
Colors	Titanium Silver, Titanium Icyblue, Titanium Jetblack

Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge review: Design

• Feels exceptionally light when you hold it
• Even with a case, it’s a very thin phone

The real selling point for the Galaxy S25 Edge isn’t the thinness, it’s the lightness. You have to hold this phone to appreciate it; you can’t just look at the S25 Edge if you want to experience how thin and light it is. Photos don’t do justice to the remarkably light weight, and that’s a big part of the experience.

If you get pinky-finger fatigue from balancing your phone, the S25 Edge might be the phone that will save your favorite digit. Even though it has a huge 6.7-inch display, the Galaxy S25 Edge is lighter than theiPhone 16(6.1-inch screen, 170g), or thePixel 9(6.3-inch screen, 198g). It’s only one gram heavier than the 6.2-inch Galaxy S25, but it feels lighter since it’s less dense.

I almost always use a case with my phone, and since Samsung did not have cases ready for my review period, I asked my friends at Casetify to send over their thinnest cases for the Galaxy S25 Edge. Even with a case on the phone, it still feels remarkably thin and light, especially considering that huge screen size. My S25 Edge in a protective Casetify shell is still lighter than my Galaxy S25 Ultra with no case.

The Galaxy S25 Ultra is almost as thick as the Galaxy S25 Edge in a case, including the camera bump

The MagSafe magnets make this Casetify case worth buying

Still thin, even in a case

The design overall looks nearly identical to that of the Galaxy S25 Ultra, but on very close inspection things are less impressive. Frankly, the build quality of the Galaxy S25 Edge seems messy compared to the Ultra or to any Apple iPhone.There are gaps between the frame and the back glass. The SIM card tray doesn’t line up perfectly. There’s a gap between the camera bump and the back of the phone that I worried would pick up dirt – and by the end of my review period, that was the dingiest part of the phone.

This phone could have been special. Samsung could have tried something new, like capacitive buttons on the side – a trick that rumors say Apple is considering. It could have had super-fast charging to go with that slim battery. It could have had unique colors or a unique finish.

Instead, it’s just a slimmer version of a phone we got six months ago, and it’s not even a really nice version at that.

• Design score:3 / 5

Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge review: Display

• More Galaxy S25 Plus than Ultra, but that’s pretty great
• Fingerprint scanner was totally unreliable

The Galaxy S25 Edge, like the Galaxy S25 Plus, is sort of a hidden gem in Samsung’s lineup when it comes to display quality. While the S25 Ultra has a slightly-larger 6.9-inch screen, all three phones all have the same resolution. When you pack the same pixels into a smaller display, you get a screen that’s technically sharper, in terms of pixel density.

Which is to say the Galaxy S25 Edge has a fantastic screen, one of the best you can find on any phone. It is plenty bright, even in bright sunlight, though the Ultra does beat the Edge thanks to the addition of the remarkable coating that Samsung has been using for a couple of years to eliminate glare on its flagship flat phone.

The display can refresh at up to 120Hz – take thatiPhone 16 Plus– and thanks to LTPO tech you can even get a full-color always-on display that refreshes as slowly as 1Hz to save power.

I’ve never had great luck with Samsung’s fingerprint scanners, and the S25 Edge didn’t recognize me any faster than other Galaxy phones, and unlocking failed more often than not. I know I have fingerprints because myOnePlus 13sees them with 99% accuracy, so I assume this is a Samsung problem, not ameproblem.

• Display score:5 / 5

Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge review: Software

• OneUI 7 is well built, but doesn’t add much to the Edge experience
• AI features can be useful, but many feel like even more bloat

For better and for worse, the Galaxy S25 Edge uses the same One UI 7 interface as the rest of the Galaxy S25 family, with Android 15 serving as the engine. Samsung and Google seem to be locked in a perpetual struggle to control Samsung’s phones, so you’ll get two web browsers, two photo gallery apps, even two wallets and two different password managers.

It’s getting to be a bit much. I’m the first to insist that Samsung’s software – like its Internet web browser – performs better than Google’s alternative. But nobody wants two of everything; you don’t get an extra steering wheel when you buy a car. It’s time for Samsung to end the duplicate-apps project.

There are plenty of Galaxy AI features on the phone, and it comes with Google Gemini preloaded and ready to take over the power button at your beck and call.

I think we may have already hit the wall with AI features. Samsung has been touting its Now Brief widget and app since the Galaxy S25 launched, and it’s a completely useless piece of software. It’s supposed to learn things about me and then offer information tailored to my needs, but nothing like that happens.

I’ve been wearing aGalaxy Watch UltraandGalaxy Buds 3 Prowhile using the S25 Edge for weeks. The Now Brief offers no more than today’s weather, a missive that feels creepy coming from an AI (‘Wishing you well’?!), and the first few events on my work calendar, which are usually the first three people who took the day off and logged it properly.

At worst, Now Brief offers me partisan political news. I filter out most politics from my social feeds, and I don’t talk about politics in my text messages, so I’m not sure why Now Brief thinks politics are what interests me. It’s inescapable.

Thankfully, Samsung has confirmed that the Galaxy S25 Edge will get seven years of major Android and security updates, so it should last through Android 22, just like the rest of the Galaxy S25 family.

• Software score:3 / 5

Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge review: Cameras

• Exactly what I expected based on the specs
• Samsung’s processing can be fun, or inconsistent

When I heard that the Galaxy S25 Edge would use fewer cameras than its S25 stablemates, with one big 200MP main sensor and a supporting ultra-wide, I was excited at the prospect. After all, one of Leica’s most popular cameras, theLeica Q3, uses a single large sensor and a wide lens, and fakes all of the zoom with digital cropping. If anybody can pull off the same trick on a camera phone, it’s Samsung.

Nope. I’m disappointed to say the cameras are fine, but not groundbreaking. I was hoping the Edge would be a trendsetter. Instead, it runs down the middle of the road without faltering. It does a great job at the things Samsung camera phones do well, but it can’t handle the all-in-one duties of the Galaxy S25 Ultra.

There are no surprises with the Galaxy S25 Edge cameras. The main camera uses a 200MP sensor with a wide lens, and that sensor is a bit smaller than the 200MP sensor on the Galaxy S25 Ultra. No surprise then that the Ultra is still the best Samsung camera phone, in more ways than one.

The main camera produces images that are a bit fuzzier than what I got from the Galaxy S25 Ultra, and I was surprised to find the colors dialed back a bit as well. The Edge’s cameras don’t seem to be tuned to pop colors as much as the Ultra cameras do. It still managed to take excellent food photos and warm portraits, like I expect from Samsung.

Taken with Galaxy S25 Edge

Taken with Galaxy S25 Ultra

Galaxy S25 Ultra 100% crop

If you need a zoom lens, the S25 Edge isn’t going to satisfy you. The digital zoom doesn’t come close to providing the detail and quality I get with optical zoom on the Galaxy S25 Ultra andiPhone 16 Pro Max. A heron across the river looked like a white, featherless blob when I snapped a pic with the Edge. The iPhone and Galaxy Ultra images revealed a beak and some plumage.

Taken with Galaxy S25 Edge

Taken with the Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max

iPhone 16 Pro Max 5X optical zoom, enhanced to 10X

If you take a lot of photos outdoors, the S25 Ultra has a coating on the display to reduce glare, and it makes a big difference even compared to the S25 Edge, which has a nearly-identical display otherwise. The Edge can get bright, but it’s much easier to see the Ultra’s screen if the sun is shining directly on you.

• Camera score:3 / 5

Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge review: Camera samples

Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge review: Performance

• Excellent performance from the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite
• The Edge stayed very cool under conditions that break other phones

I was expecting excellent performance from the Galaxy S25 Edge, and this phone delivered beyond my expectations. It was plenty fast, with that overclocked Snapdragon 8 Elitefor Galaxychipset providing a bit more boost than you’ll get on a non-Samsung Snapdragon phone. Samsung has also done a remarkable job of keeping the phone cool, even when you push the performance to the limit.

I perform a stress test where I run multiple mapping apps on a phone, and play music over Bluetooth, then sit the phone above my car dashboard in the sunshine. Most phones take less than an hour of this punishment before they shut down due to overheating.

The S25 Edge never quit, managing to stay cool enough to function for as long as I needed. That’s incredible – every iPhone, Pixel phone, and Galaxy phone I’ve tested has failed this endurance test. The Edge really lives up to Samsung’s claims of much better cooling – that 10% larger vapor chamber clearly makes a real difference.

This makes the Galaxy S25 Edge an easy contender for a best gaming phone ranking. It offers great performance and superior cooling – everything a gaming phone needs.

I also had fun playing games with the Galaxy S25 Edge clipped onto my Xbox wireless controller using a cheap third-party attachment fromAmazon. The phone is so lightweight that gaming for long periods was a breeze – it’s a nice way to kill time while I wait for my Switch 2 to arrive.

• Performance score:5 / 5

Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge review: Battery

• Good battery for the thin size, but not great
• Couldn’t last a full day if I used it aggressively

As I said above, Samsung could have made a thinner Galaxy S25 Edge, but the battery life would be terrible – as it is, during my review period the S25 Edge often needed a recharge while I was eating dinner, especially if I played games, took a lot of photos, or otherwise taxed the phone heavily.

If I scrolled my social feeds and listened to music on the train into work, I would be concerned about whether the battery would last until the train ride home.

It’s too bad Samsung didn’t use the latest silicon carbon battery technology found in the OnePlus 13, which might have helped it to pack in more power. I also wish this phone charged faster than other Galaxy S25 models, not slower – if it had 80W charging like the latest OnePlus phones I wouldn’t be worried about having to top up throughout the day, because that top-up would take less than 15 minutes.

As it stands, 15 minutes of charging got me just past 25%, and a full charge took about an hour. That’s pretty slow by today’s standards, especially considering that this battery is smaller than any other inside a Galaxy S25 phone.

Samsung might also be exaggerating its battery claims. It told us to expect the Edge to offer longevity somewhere between the Galaxy S24 and Galaxy S25, but in our lab benchmark tests the S25 Edge lasted for less than 13 hours of constant use where the Galaxy S24 lasted more than 13 hours, and the Galaxy S25 topped 15 hours.If you really need good battery life the Galaxy S25 Plus is the Samsung champ, delivering almost 19 hours of screen time in our rundown test. But it’s not the Edge’s lack of battery life as such that bugs me; it’s how long it takes to top the phone up.

• Battery score:3 / 5

Buy it if…

The Galaxy S25 Plus would be perfect if it were easier to hold
The Galaxy S25 Edge is the Galaxy S25 Plus minus millimeters and ounces, so it’s easier to grab and easier to hold for longer.

You want the second-thinnest Samsung phone
The Galaxy S25 Edge is the thinnest Galaxy S phone, and if you don’t like foldable phones it’s the thinnest Samsung phone you care about.

Don’t buy it if…

You thought it would be the thinnest
The Galaxy S25 Edge isn’t really the thinnest anything, but it is very light, and that might be more important when you’re holding it for a long time.

You’re taking photos in bright sunlight… from far away
The Galaxy S25 Ultra remains the Samsung camera champ, with its anti-glare screen coating that helps in bright light plus its real optical zoom lenses… plural.

PC builders do love a good brand feud, and MSI vs. Gigabyte is practically the Lakers vs. Celtics of the motherboard world — maybe not as loud as the NVIDIA vs. AMD GPU battle, but just as personal. If you’ve spent any time on Reddit, PCPartPicker, or your favorite tech YouTuber’s discord, you know exactly why. You’ll rarely get a straight answer when you ask the internet who makes better motherboards. You’ll get opinions — and lots of them. Even after a debate has been settled and a winner has been declared, someone brings up boot speed or some other minutiae just to stir the pot. Nobody in these threads reports any noticeable performance losses. One builder in r/buildapc, who happened to own both an MSI B650 Tomahawk and a Gigabyte B650 Aorus B650 Elite AX (both AM5 motherboards) summed it up pretty nicely: “Performance-wise they’re gonna be pretty much identical. I’ve had both motherboards and I like MSI’s BIOS a little better.”That’s the recurring theme here: Performance is almost always a non-starter, but MSI motherboards do carry a small but noticeable lead thanks to a cleaner BIOS and straightforward software. We dug through users’ posts and forums to see what people are actually saying between these two motherboard makers.>>>Replacement battery for Gigabyte Aorus 15 XE5 15G 15P 17G 17HMSI’s BIOS is better, and a poor Gigabyte user found out the hard way

A recent comment in a candid March 2025 r/PcBuildHelp thread broke it down bluntly: “MSI [BIOS] is leagues better than Gigabyte. Unless there’s a really huge price difference, MSI every day. Gigabyte is actually awful on the software side.” Even a cynical r/pcmasterrace poster who slags every vendor still admitted, “MSI is probably the better of the bunch. Good BIOS and fairly user-friendly.” On Gigabyte motherboards, the latest AM5 firmware has improved, but complaints about slow cursor lag and buried EXPO settings still plague some users.One poor soul on r/gigabyte, building his first AMD PC (7800X3D on a Gigabyte X670 motherboard) after years on Intel, described it like this: “When I enter the bios itself, everything is extremely laggy … I move the mouse, mouse trails [at] about 1 second lag before the mouse moves to when it stops moving.” Hoping a firmware update might fix things, they opened the BIOS on Windows 11 and fired up Q-Flash, only to be stuck on a screen that read “verifying file” and crawling to 69 % in four hours. At one point, they wrote, “This could be the end folks.”Eventually, Gigabyte support called back and advised a full reset. It’s not that Gigabyte can’t get there, but as this post (and many others) show, MSI motherboards can handle BIOS better, and since the majority of the crowd is gamers who don’t want to wrestle with firmware, MSI tends to be the safer pick for gaming builds like these.>>>Replacement battery for Gigabyte Aorus 15 XE5 15G 15P 17G 17HGigabyte beats MSI in the more for less spec sheet game

MSI has the smoother BIOS, but when spec-chasing builders add up the ports and lanes, they keep landing on Gigabyte’s mid-tier Aorus boards. One B850 Aorus Elite owner bragged on r/gigabyte that he’s running “the 5070 Ti in the top PCIe slot and per GPU-Z it’s in x16 mode and all three NVMe drives are working.” Another user with the same motherboard verified, “There is no lane sharing on the b850 Aorus Elite … I confirmed the 5070 ti is running in x16 mode in GPU-Z.” That kind of unrestricted Gen-5 M.2 layout is rare under $260. Now, to try that on an equivalent MSI MAG Tomahawk, and something has to give — either you drop a drive, or one slot falls back to Gen-4 so the VRMs don’t fry your board. It’s not just the lanes, as TechPowerUp’s review of the same motherboard points out a whopping 10 USB-A ports on the rear I/O and built-in Wi-Fi 7 — features you’d have to jump up to the MPG or the MEG tier on team MSI.And because Gigabyte fields so many SKUs, open-box bargains are common — Micro Center cleared X670E Aorus Masters for $230 open-box in March, less than half their launch price. If you’re stuffing your cart with capture cards or half a dozen SSDs, you don’t have to be an expert to know when a bargain is a bargain.

Switch 2 docking is simple — just a few connections and you’re gaming on the big screen

TheNintendo Switch 2might be designed for portable gaming, but its real magic happens when you connect it to your TV or monitor for the full big-screen experience.

Maybe you’re settling in for a marathonMario Kart Worldgaming session, or simply want to show off your skills. Docking your Switch 2 transforms it from a handheld device into a proper home console.

The setup process is refreshingly simple, requiring just a few cable connections and the included dock. Nintendo has streamlined the entire experience to get you gaming on the big screen as quickly as possible.

Follow these simple steps and you’ll have your Switch 2 connected and displaying games on the big screen in just a few minutes.

>>>Replacement battery for Nintendo 3DS XL And 3DS XL

1. Remove the dock’s back panel

Take off the back panel of the Switch 2 dock bypulling it back from the top.This reveals all the connection ports you’ll need for setup.

Keep the panel somewhere safe while you’re connecting cables, as you’ll need to put it back on later.

>>>Replacement battery for Nintendo Switch Joy-con Controller

2. Connect the HDMI cable to your display

Plug one end of an HDMI cable into the middle porton the dock (it’s clearly marked and sits between the other two ports).

Thenconnect the other end to any available HDMI input on your TV or monitor. Make sure both connections are secure and remember which HDMI input you’re using so you can select it later.

3. Connect the power adapter

Plug the Nintendo Switch 2 power adapter into the dock’s power port, thenconnect the other end to a wall outlet.

For best results, use only the official Nintendo power adapter that came with your Switch 2.

4. Position the dock

Position the dock on a stable, flat surfacenear your TV where it won’t get knocked over.

It’s also a good idea to ensure there’s adequate ventilation around the dock as it will generate heat during your gaming sessions.

5. Insert your Switch 2

Gently slide your Nintendo Switch 2 into the dockwith the screen facing the same direction as the dock’s front opening.

Turn on your TV or monitorand use your remote toselect the HDMI inputyou connected earlier. Your Switch 2 will automatically detect the connection and switch to docked mode for big-screen gaming.

Now sit back and enjoy your games with improved resolution and performance on the big screen!

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Now you’ve learned how to connect yourNintendo Switch2 to your TV monitor, why not take a look at our other useful Switch 2 guides?

I’m so impressed with how it can capture moving objects in a split second with unbelievable detail.

Our Verdic

I’ve only spent a weekend with this budget Poco camera phone, and I’m already in love. Xiaomi’s Poco F7 Ultra is a flagship in disguise, and the camera quality has seriously shocked me. I’m mega impressed with how sharp it can capture a moving subject (like my dog mid-air flying after a tennis ball), and I think in this aspect it might even be better than the Samsung S25 Ultra, which I’ve recently tested. Despite this being an AI camera phone, it’s very subtle. There’s no overprocessing images with ultra HDR, but the shots do look very well exposed and sharp in every scene. I’m hoping to dive deeper into the Poco F7 Ultra’s camera the more time I spend with it, but as far as first impressions go, this Poco knocked it out of the park for me.

For

• Unbelievably sharp images
• Competitively priced
• Nice design

Against

• Almost too lightweight
• Feels mid-range aside from the camera

The Poco F7 Ultra is a few months old now, released back in March, but after getting my hands on it for a few days, I’m already confident that it could be one of the best valuebudget camera phonesof 2025.

I’m willing to bet that you’ve probably never heard of a Poco phone before, though you might be more familiar with its parent company, since Poco is a sub-brand of Xiaomi – a Chinese manufacturer of some of thebest camera phoneson the market. TheXiaomi 15 seriesblew our reviews editor away when he tested it, to the point that he said” I never want to see a Samsung or iPhone ever again”. After using the Poco F7 Ultra this past weekend, I’m starting to understand what he meant.

The first thing I noticed straight away with the Poco F7 Ultra is how fast it can capture a moving subject, and how incredibly sharp its main camera is. I usually start out by using my dog, Tilly, as a beginner test subject when tinkering with new camera phones, and I let out an audible gasp when the F7 Ultra managed to capture her mid-air jumping after her tennis ball with pinpoint precision sharpness. Not even my Sony A7III mirrorless can do this.

I’ll be sharing more of my initial thoughts and first impressions of the Poco F7 Ultra throughout this quick review, but if you’re interested in more household names when it comes to camera phones, take a look at our roundup of thebest iPhones for photography.

>>>Replacement battery for Xiaomi Poco F5 Pro

POCO F7 Ultra: Key specifications

Chipset	Qualcomm SM8750-AB Snapdragon 8 Elite
OS:	Android 15, HyperOS 2
Display:	6.67-inch AMOLED 120HZ (1440 x 3200 pixels)
Main camera:	50 MP f/1.6 (wide) + 32 MP f/2.2 (ultrawide)
Zoom camera:	50 MP, f/2.0, 60mm (telephoto), 2.5x optical zoom
Selfie camera:	32 MP, f/2.0 (wide)
Video:	8K@24fps
Battery	5300

Price

• RRP of £649
• Not available in the US

The biggest selling point of the Poco F7 Ultra might be its triple 50MP camera unit, but it’s also priced extremely well too, at just£549 from Xiaomi UKat the time of writing (including a £100 discount).

I would say that this definitely falls into budget camera phone territory, although it’s not the cheapest Poco model to release this year, given that thePoco X7 serieswas selling for just £249 / $229 back in January. This Poco X series budget line boasts AI features galore and even Google Gemini integration, but lacks as hefty a camera unit as this F7 Ultra model.

For a bit of extra price context, most phones with this kind of spec retail a lot higher. The latest Honor 400 Pro, for example, is a mid-range device that shares a lot of similarities with this camera phone, and is priced similarly too at £699.99.

I think anyone unfamiliar with Poco,Xiaomi, or even Redmi might still be reluctant to spend over £600 on the Poco F7 Ultra. I would be too before getting my hands on it, but I genuinely think this camera phone is exceptional value and quality for the price.

Value score: 5/5

>>>Replacement battery for Xiaomi Poco F3 Redmi K40 Pro K40 Pro

Cameras

• Amazing contrast and exposure for each shot
• Precision accuracy and sharpness for moving subjects
• Doesn’t feel too AI-processed at all

I’ve been testing the Poco F7 Ultra’s camera unit in a few different settings over the last few days, including a walk with my dogs up the field, a stroll along the seafront, and photographng a tiny green caterpillar that made itself comfortable on a pint glass while I was at the pub with friends.

My plan was to test out the performance of the Poco F7 Ultra camera in daily use settings, and I feel like it has completely excelled in every scenario I tested it. I’m yet to take a selfie with this phone camera yet, as I hate doing this without the aid of a Snapchat filter, but I imagine I’ll be just as impressed with the quality of this when the time comes. The zoom quality is pretty good too, and retains its sharpness at 20x zoom and maintains it as best as it can as you go up the scale.

Take a look at the sample image galleries below to see how I’ve been getting on with the Poco F7 Ultra these last few days.

Camera score: 5/5

>>>Replacement battery for Xiaomi Redmi Turbo 3

Sample images

Happy (and very sharp) doggos

General snaps

First impressions

• Excellent array of apps, features and widgets
• Slim and light design that feels mid-range
• Display is lovely and bright

As I mentioned earlier, I haven’t spent too long with this phone yet. Since unboxing it, I’ve managed to shoot some photos at the park and along the seafront, but I’m yet to use it for longer than a weekend or really deep dive into its power and performance.

What Icanoffer you is my initial first impressions of the Poco F7 Ultra, and they’re all pretty positive. For starters, I really like the haptic feedback you get from entering the device passcode and swiping through the phone. The display is lovely and bright, with sharp visuals and text, plus when viewing images in the gallery, they all look really vibrant and crisp. It seems to run smoothly, and I’m yet to experience any lag from general use.

Like most smartphones, the Poco F7 Ultra has a fair few apps pre-installed. There are the usual instant deletes for me, like Booking.com andYouTubeMusic, but I was surprised that several apps I use frequently were installed and ready to go, including Facebook, Spotify,TikTok, Netflix, LinkedIn, Aliexpress, and Amazon Shopping. A few unfamiliar branded apps were part of the roster, such as the ‘Mi Store’ (short for Xiaomi, I imagine) and Mi Browser, but you still get Google Play and Google’s full suite of apps installed so the Mi apps are simply an alternative choice you don’t have to use.

If you’re into AI, then the Poco F7 Ultra can activate Google Gemini assistance by clicking the side button of the phone, and there are a ton of seemingly useful AI tools and features on board to help you with daily admin, such as AI writing, interpretation, translation, and subtitles.

One other feature that I really liked is that the swipe up app drawer (common with most Androids) is already pre-organised for you into categories like photography/entertainment/shopping/communication, which you can swipe through along the top bar to easily find what you need. As someone who has folders on mySamsungS24 for every app type, and arranges the app drawer alphabetically, I thought this was a great little feature.

The phone can also monitor and track your digital wellbeing, which you can access in the settings menu, or if you like, this can be added to the home screen as a helpful widget. I also thought the weather widget on this Poco is a lot more fun than I’m used to on my Samsung, with cute emojis and an interactive video background.

Feature score: 4/5(not extensively tested yet, but very impressed so far)

Buy it if…

• You want an excellent quality camera phone at a great price
• You like sharpness and taking quick action shots
• You love the Android interface and using AI and widgets

Don’t buy it if…

• You’re looking for flagship quality or power
• You want a rugged phone – this one is pretty lightweight
• You don’t like AI, this one has Xiaomi HyperAI and Google Gemini