SEOUL, May 13 (Reuters) - Samsung Electronics ( SSNLF )

made public on Tuesday its slimmest flagship model

to date, complete with enhanced artificial intelligence

features, as it seeks to get ahead of rival Apple ( AAPL ) on

the premium market.

The S25 Edge launch is designed to appeal to increasing

demand, especially from consumers in their 20s and 30s, for more

portable smartphones.

"The feedback was clear - users wanted something slimmer and

easier to carry without sacrificing performance," said Samsung,

which made structural changes to reduce the thickness of

internal components, including the printed circuit board and

thermal systems.

Analysts said the launch was strategically timed to pre-empt

Apple ( AAPL ), which is expected to launch a thinner iPhone in the

second half of this year.

"By releasing the product a few months ahead, Samsung could

inflict some impact on Apple ( AAPL ) and attract consumers looking for

thinner smartphones. It appears to be a calculated decision to

capture that segment of demand," Ryu Young-ho, a senior analyst

at NH Investment & Securities, said.

The S25 Edge will go on sale in South Korea on May 23 and in

the United States on May 30, Samsung said, adding it will roll

it out to about 30 countries, including China and in Europe.

Starting at $1,099, the model has a 6.7-inch (170 mm) screen

and a 5.8 millimetre-thick body, making it larger than the basic

S25 model but only fractionally heavier.

The S25 Edge has Samsung's latest built-in AI functions,

including multimodal AI that allows users to interact with the

device in real time through vision and voice, using the camera

to ask questions.

Samsung did not disclose the production site for the new

model.

It became the world's leading smartphone vendor in the first

quarter of 2025, capturing 20% of the global market and narrowly

surpassing Apple ( AAPL ), which held an 19% share, data from

Counterpoint Research showed.

Samsung last month, however, said second-quarter shipments

could be affected if tariff risks weaken demand.