Thin phones head to head: iPhone Air vs. Galaxy S25 Edge

phoneDevice makers have been steadily making their devices thinner – get Early iPhone Or an Android phone if you don’t believe me – but the current crop is taking slim designs to the extreme. The apple iPhone Air And Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge It represents the current peak of thinness.

But are you giving up a lot of other things for a thin phone? If I press them together, are they thicker than normal? iPhone 17 or Galaxy S25? Do they overcome the trade-offs in Battery life, camera and Sound quality Which comes with a slimmer design? I’m here to do the math and compare features for you.

Looking to order iPhone Air? Check out our System guide To see if you can get it for free and other great deals.

Want to buy Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge? Find out which carriers and retailers offer Best offers On a slim Samsung phone.

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iPhone Air and S25 Edge price comparison

• iPhone Air: $999. The iPhone Air takes over the position previously held by the iPhone 16 Plus, making it the only model with a larger screen than the iPhone 17 and not the iPhone 17 Pro.

• Galaxy S25 Edge: $1100. The S25 Edge joins the S25 and S25 Ultra in this year’s Galaxy lineup.

The iPhone Air includes fewer features than the iPhone 17, such as the number of cameras. However, it features a larger display, an A19 Pro processor, and is equipped with 256GB of storage initially. Additionally, Apple has consistently implemented premium pricing for minor design changes. The original MacBook Air fits into an internal envelope and costs $1,799, though it’s twice as powerful as the rest of the MacBook line. (Over a few generations, it would eventually become Apple’s affordable $999 laptop, where it still exists.)

The higher price of the Galaxy S25 Edge ($101) could be an attempt to get more bucks from customers looking for a phone that will set them apart from the crowd, but we’re already seeing deep discounts on it from time to time.

Either way, it’s worth noting that the pricing has held up Trump administration definitions yet.

iPhone Air and S25 Edge dimensions and weight

Now it’s time to dig deeper – as in how thick is each phone?

No phone manufacturer describes their phones as bulky or chunky, even for very large models like the iPhone Pro Max. However, the difference between the depth of the iPhone Air and the S25 Edge, as well as the standard phones of each family, is quite large.

Aside from the camera array, which Apple refers to as the “plateau,” most of the iPhone Air’s body is 5.64mm thick. The S25 Edge, at its narrowest point, is a hair thicker at 5.8mm. (Both companies only list the thinnest measurement, not including cameras.) Compare that to 7.9mm for the iPhone 17 and 7.2mm for the Galaxy S25.

The Galaxy Z Fold 7 is actually thinner when unfolded, at 4.2mm, but it also has more surface area to accommodate the battery and other components. Other mounts from Chinese companies, such as Huawei, OPPO and honor, They also feature thinner bodies than the iPhone Air or S25 Edge, but only when unfolded.

And when you squeeze the two thin phones together, do they really match the typical phone panel you’re holding now? Combined (and again, excluding the camera bump), the iPhone Air and S25 Ultra are 11.44mm thick, which is thicker than the iPhone 17 or Galaxy S25, and even the iPhone 17 Pro Max is 8.75mm thick. However, if you want to achieve a more vintage feel, the original first generation iPhone, released in 2007, measured 11.6mm.

Surprisingly, the less depth translates into only a slight reduction in weight compared to the other models in each group. The iPhone Air weighs 165g versus the iPhone 17’s 177g, while the S25 Edge weighs just 163g but is barely outweighed by the Galaxy S25 at 162g.

How big is each phone in the hand? While both are similar, the iPhone Air is slightly shorter and narrower, at 156.2mm long and 74.7mm wide, compared to the S25 Edge’s dimensions of 158.2mm long and 75.6mm wide.

Shows iPhone Air vs. S25 Edge

Apple calls the iPhone Air’s 6.5-inch OLED display the Super Retina XDR display. It has a high resolution of 2736 x 1260 pixels with a pixel density of 460 pixels per inch, and can output a maximum brightness of 3000 nits outdoors, plus a minimum of 1 nits in the dark.

Samsung has packed a larger 6.7-inch QHD+ Dynamic AMOLED 2X display into the S25 Edge, which translates to a full-HD display measuring 3,120 x 1,440 pixels at 513 ppi. Its brightness reaches 2600 lumens.

Both phone screens feature adaptive refresh rates of 120 Hz for smoother performance.

Comparison of iPhone Air and S25 Edge cameras

Until now, many of the specifications were close enough for each phone to weigh fairly equally. Then we get to the cameras.

iPhone Air has a single 48-megapixel wide rear camera with a 26mm equivalent field of view and a fixed f/1.6 aperture. In its default mode, the camera outputs 24-megapixel “fusion” images that result from a shooting process where the camera captures a 12-megapixel image (using groups of four pixels that act as one larger pixel to improve light gathering, known as “binning”) and a 48-megapixel reference for more detail.

Apple also claims that the iPhone Air can take 2x zoom (52mm equivalent) telephoto photos that are 12MP and cropped from the center of the image sensor.

The S25 Edge features two built-in rear cameras: a 200MP wide-angle lens and a 12MP ultra-wide lens. There’s no dedicated telephoto camera, so the S25 Edge also offers a 2x zoom feature that takes 12-megapixel photos.

The front selfie cameras on each phone vary greatly. The iPhone Air introduces a new 18-megapixel camera with an f/1.9 lens aperture. But the increased resolution compared to the S25 Edge’s 12MP selfie camera isn’t what’s notable.

Apple calls it the Center Stage Camera because it features a square sensor that can take long or wide shots without requiring the user to physically turn the phone, unlike the 4:3 ratio sensors found in typical selfie cameras. It can adjust the aspect ratio based on how many people it detects in front of the camera: the traditional portrait orientation when you take a photo of yourself, for example, or switch to landscape orientation when two friends stand next to you in the frame.

iPhone Air vs. S25 Edge batteries

When it comes to concerns, the battery life of thin phones is at the top of the list. The internals of most phones hold as much battery as possible, so making a phone slimmer naturally means removing room for the battery. With either model, you end up sacrificing battery power for the sake of design. But how much?

Apple didn’t list the iPhone Air’s battery capacity, but claims “all-day battery life” and up to 27 hours of video playback. They also sell a special iPhone Air MagSafe battery add-on that attaches magnetically to the back of the phone and only works with the iPhone Air. In her review, CNET senior technology correspondent Abrar Al-Hiti drained the battery in 12 hours during an intense phone day, but finished a typical day with 20% remaining.

The S25 Edge features a 3,900 mAh battery, which Samsung claims will support up to 24 hours of video playback. (Come on, phone manufacturers, our phones aren’t background TVs.)

In her review of the S25 Edge, Al-Hiti noted that the phone also generally lives up to Samsung’s “all-day battery life” standard, saying: “Ultimately, you’ll get less power from this slimmer design, but the S25 Edge offers enough battery life to keep me happy… But the S25 Edge has changed my priorities. I enjoy the sleek form factor so much that I’m willing to make some compromises, even if it means I have to make sure my phone is charged.” “I call every night, which is something I tend to do anyway.”

It is worth noting that both phones support fast charging when used with a wired power adapter with a capacity of 20 watts or higher, which allows them to reach about 50% of charge within 30 minutes from a completely discharged state.

iPhone Air and S25 Edge processor, storage and operating system

The iPhone Air is powered by Apple’s latest A19 Pro processor, the same processor found in the iPhone 17 Pro models (compared to the A19 found in the iPhone 17). Apple didn’t list onboard memory, but we suspect it includes 8GB of RAM (which is considered the minimum to run AI features like Apple Intelligence). The base storage configuration is 256GB, with options to order the iPhone Air in 512GB or 1TB capacity. Ships with iOS 26the latest version of the operating system that Apple launched widely this week.

The S25 Edge is powered by the Snapdragon 8 Elite processor, the same processor that powers the other S25 models. It includes 12GB of RAM and is available in 256GB and 512GB storage capacities. The phone comes pre-installed Android 15.

All specs between iPhone Air and S25 Edge

Apple iPhone Air vs. Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge

	Apple iPhone Air	Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge
Display size, technology, resolution, refresh rate	6.5 inch OLED; 2,736 x 1,260 pixel resolution; Variable refresh rate 1-120Hz	6.7-inch QHD+ AMOLED screen; 120 Hz refresh rate
Pixel density	460 dpi	513 dpi
Dimensions (inches)	6.15 x 2.94 x 0.22 inches	2.98 x 6.23 x 0.23 inches
Dimensions(mm)	156.2 x 74.7 x 5.64 mm	75.6 x 158.2 x 5.8 mm
Weight (grams, ounces)	165 g (5.82 oz)	163 grams (5.75 ounces)
Mobile software	iOS 26	Android 15
camera	48 MP (wide)	200 MP (wide), 12 MP (ultra-wide)
Front camera	18 megapixel	12 megapixel
Capture video	4K	8 k
Processor	Apple A19 Pro	Snapdragon 8 Elite
RAM + Storage	RAM N/A + 256GB, 512GB, 1TB	12 GB RAM + 256 GB, 512 GB
Expandable storage	no one	no
battery	Up to 27 hours of video playback; Up to 22 hours of video playback (streaming). Up to 40 hours of video playback, up to 35 hours of video playback (streaming) with iPhone Air MagSafe battery	3,900 mAh
Fingerprint sensor	None (Face ID)	Under the offer
conductor	USB C	USB C
Headphone jack	no one	no one
Special features	Apple N1 wireless chip (Wi-Fi 7 (802.11be) with 2×2 MIMO), Bluetooth 6, Thread. Action button. Apple C1X Cellular Modem. Camera control button. Dynamic island. Apple intelligence. Visual intelligence. Dual SIM card. Brightness display range from 1 to 3000 nits. IP68 resistance. Colors: Space Black, Cloud White, Light Gold, Sky Blue. Fast charge up to 50% in 30 minutes using a 20W adapter or higher via the charging cable. Fast charge up to 50% in 30 minutes using a 30W or higher adapter via a MagSafe charger.	IP88 rating, 5G, One UI 7, 25W wired charging, 15W wireless charging, Galaxy AI, Gemini, Circle to Search, Wi-Fi 7.
US price starts from	$999 (256GB)	$1,100 (256GB)