how Apple's and Samsung's super-thin flagships stack up

Model

Apple

SoC

A19 Professional 6-core CPU, 5-core GPU

Show

6.5-inch 2736 x 1260 pixel decision Tremendous Retina XDR show

RAM

N/A

Storage

256GB, 512GB, 1TB

Ports

USB-C (helps USB 2)

The tremendous skinny iPhone Air is simply 5.6mm thick and includes a single 48-megapixel digicam lens. Its show is available in at 6.5-inches with helps for ProMotion 120Hz, and its back and front options ceramic protect building.
Model

Samsung

SoC

Octa-core Snapdragon 8 Elite (3nm)

Show

6.7-inch 3120 x 1440 pixel decision QHD+ Dynamic AMOLED2X

RAM

12GB

Storage

256GB / 512GB

Battery

3,900 mAh

Samsung’s Galaxy S25 Edge includes a skinny design and a rear-facing dual-camera array with an f/1.7 200-megapixel large and f/2.2 12-megapixel ultrawide shooter.

At its “Awe dropping” keynote occasion on September 9, Apple unveiled the iPhone 17 collection, together with the iPhone 17, iPhone 17 Pro, iPhone 17 Pro Max, and a brand new member of the iPhone household: the iPhone Air.

For months, rumors and leaks advised that Apple would launch an ultra-slim flagship telephone this yr, lengthy known as the iPhone 17 Air. For its official launch, Apple determined to maintain the title easy with iPhone Air, borrowing the ‘Air’ moniker from its lineup of slim iPads and MacBooks.

The iPhone Air is the thinnest iPhone Apple has ever produced, with Apple CEO Tim Cook dinner describing it as “professional efficiency in a skinny and lightweight design.” Nevertheless, the iPhone Air is not the one ultra-thin smartphone debuting this yr. In Could, Samsung launched the Galaxy S25 Edge, its interpretation of what a slim smartphone could be.

Let’s take an in depth have a look at the principle variations between the iPhone Air and Galaxy S25 Edge, together with specs, pricing, availability, design, and extra.

Worth, specs, and availability

	Apple iPhone 17 Air	Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge
Model	Apple	Samsung
SoC	A19 Professional 6-core CPU, 5-core GPU	Octa-core Snapdragon 8 Elite (3nm)
Show	6.5-inch 2736 x 1260 pixel decision Tremendous Retina XDR show	6.7-inch 3120 x 1440 pixel decision QHD+ Dynamic AMOLED2X
RAM	N/A	12GB
Storage	256GB, 512GB, 1TB	256GB / 512GB
Ports	USB-C (helps USB 2)	USB-C
Entrance digicam	f/1.9 18-megapixel (Middle Stage)	f/2.2 12-megapixel
Rear digicam	f/1.7 48-megapixel	f/2.2 12-megapixel (Extremely Broad) f/1.7 200-megapixel (Broad)
Dimensions	6.1 x 2.9 x 0.22-inches (156 x 74.7 x 5.64mm)	0.26 x 2.99 x 0.23-inches (158.2 x 75.6 x 5.8mm)
Colours	Sky Blue, Mild Gold, Cloud White, House Black	Titanium Black, Titanium Silver
Weight	5.82oz (165g)	5.7oz (163g)
Cost velocity	MagSafe wi-fi charging as much as 20W with 30W adapter or greater	25W Tremendous Quick Charging FastWireless Charging 2.0 Wi-fi PowerShare

The Galaxy S25 Edge was launched in Could 2025, beginning at $1,100 for the 256GB mannequin. It includes a 6.7-inch Dynamic AMOLED 2X show with an adaptive 120Hz refresh charge, and is offered in 256GB and 512GB storage choices. The S25 Edge is available in three colours: titanium icy blue, titanium jetblack, and titanium silver.

The iPhone Air will probably be out there for pre-order beginning September 12 and can launch on September 19. The 256GB mannequin begins at $1,000, which is $100 lower than the S25 Edge, and it includes a barely smaller 6.5-inch Tremendous Retina XDR show, with a ProMotion 120Hz refresh charge, and is offered in 256GB, 512GB, and 1TB storage choices. The iPhone Air is available in 4 colours: sky blue, gentle gold, cloud white, and house black.

Design and construct

Skinny is the secret

One factor the iPhone Air and Galaxy S25 Edge share is their extraordinarily slim designs. Each telephones are noticeably thinner than their Professional and Extremely counterparts, and so they’re additionally a lot lighter. When you ignore the digicam bumps, the iPhone Air is a powerful 5.6mm thick, whereas the S25 Edge is 5.8mm thick, making the iPhone Air only a bit thinner.

For some perspective, the iPhone 17 Professional is 8.75mm thick, and the S25 Extremely is 8.2mm thick, making the thinner dimension of the iPhone Air and S25 Edge fairly outstanding. The iPhone Air is the thinnest iPhone ever made, surpassing the iPhone 6, and the Galaxy S25 Edge is the thinnest Galaxy S Sequence system ever produced.

The Galaxy S25 Edge sitting on the floor on its edge

Trying on the entrance of the telephones, there is not a lot distinction from what we’re used to. The iPhone Air’s show appears to be like just like different iPhone fashions with Dynamic Island, and the S25 Edge resembles the remainder of the Galaxy S25 collection with its hole-punch digicam cutout.

The place the 2 actually differ is the rear. The S25 Edge includes a easy twin vertical digicam setup, whereas the iPhone Air has a bigger digicam bar that stretches throughout the again of the system, which Apple calls its “digicam plateau.” Each telephones have a titanium body. For defense, the iPhone Air makes use of Ceramic Defend 2 on each the back and front, which Apple claims is thrice extra scratch-resistant, whereas the S25 Edge has Corning Gorilla Glass Victus 2 on the again and Corning Gorilla Glass Ceramic 2 on the entrance show, each providing substantial safety. So if you happen to’re involved about dropping both system, each are well-shielded.

Relating to weight, the iPhone Air measures 5.82 ounces (165 grams), whereas the S25 Edge is barely lighter at 5.75 ounces (163 grams). It is also value noting that the iPhone Air is barely appropriate with eSIM worldwide, whereas the S25 Edge helps each eSIM and a bodily SIM card.

Show

The iPhone Air’s show is smaller, however brighter

The shows on the iPhone Air and S25 Edge have just a few notable variations. The Galaxy S25 Edge includes a 6.7-inch Dynamic AMOLED 2X show with a 3120 x 1440 pixel decision at 513 ppi (pixels per inch), a 120Hz adaptive refresh charge, and peak brightness of two,600 nits.

In distinction, the iPhone Air sports activities a 6.5-inch Tremendous Retina XDR OLED show with a 2736 x 1260 pixel decision at 460 ppi. It helps ProMotion, Apple’s adaptive refresh charge expertise, which gives as much as a 120Hz refresh charge. Though the iPhone Air’s show is barely smaller than the S25 Edge’s, it compensates by being a lot brighter, reaching as much as 3,000 nits of peak brightness, and that includes an anti-reflective coating — one thing the S25 Edge lacks.

Due to this fact, whereas the S25 Edge has a barely bigger display, the iPhone Air’s is brighter and simpler to see open air.

Internals

Each are highly effective, however battery-life differs

Below the hood, the iPhone Air and Galaxy S25 Edge are very completely different. Whereas the iPhone Air is powered by Apple’s A19 Professional chipset, the Galaxy S25 Edge is provided with Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8 Elite chipset.

The Snapdragon 8 Elite chipset has been round for nearly a yr, and it is clear that it delivers excellent efficiency. For the reason that iPhone Air hasn’t been launched but, I am unable to do a direct comparability right here. As an alternative, let us take a look at final yr’s A18 Professional to get a way of what efficiency would possibly appear like. Total, the Snapdragon 8 Elite tends to outperform the A18 Professional in multi-core Geekbench 6 benchmarks. Nevertheless, the A18 Professional has a slight edge over the Snapdragon 8 Elite in single-core efficiency. With out stepping into an in depth numbers recreation, I feel it is honest to say that each the Snapdragon 8 Elite and the upcoming A19 Professional are very highly effective chipsets, and you’ll’t go flawed with both one. Each will supply a easy expertise it doesn’t matter what you are doing.

In relation to battery life, the S25 Edge includes a 3,900mAh battery, which Samsung claims can last as long as 24 hours of video playback. Apple hasn’t shared the precise battery dimension of the iPhone Air, however it’s estimated to be round 2,800mAh. As with Apple units, although, do not be too involved concerning the smaller battery dimension — iPhones usually have smaller batteries than Androids, however they make up for it with superior software program and {hardware} optimization. In keeping with Apple, the iPhone Air can last as long as 27 hours of video playback.

Cameras

What units the iPhone Air and the Galaxy S25 Edge other than the iPhone 17 Professional and the Galaxy S25 Extremely is their digicam setup. Whereas the iPhone 17 Professional includes a triple 48-megapixel Fusion digicam system, and the S25 Extremely boasts a quad-camera association led by a 200-megapixel foremost sensor, the iPhone Air and the S25 Edge have fewer cameras as a consequence of their thinner design.

The Galaxy S25 Edge has two rear cameras: a f/1.7 200-megapixel foremost lens and a f/2.2 12-megapixel ultra-wide. It would not have the S25 Extremely’s 10-megapixel 3x telephoto lens or the 50-megapixel 5x telephoto. Its ultra-wide digicam, which is 12 megapixels, is not as massive because the 50-megapixel ultra-wide on the S25 Extremely both.

Trying on the iPhone Air, it options just one rear digicam, a f/1.6 48-megapixel Fusion foremost digicam. So in comparison with the iPhone 17 Professional, it lacks a 48-megapixel ultra-wide and 48-megapixel telephoto. The place the S25 Edge has the benefit over the iPhone Air is its 12-megapixel ultra-wide digicam, because the iPhone Air lacks an ultra-wide lens altogether.

One space the place the iPhone Air excels is in its selfie digicam, because of an 18-megapixel Middle Stage entrance digicam that is additionally present in the whole iPhone 17 lineup. Not like the S25 Edge’s 12-megapixel entrance digicam, the iPhone Air’s Middle Stage digicam can alter its discipline of view routinely based mostly on the variety of folks in your selfie, and it will probably even change between portrait and panorama modes with no need to maneuver the telephone.

Verdict: Must you get the iPhone Air or the Galaxy S25 Edge?

The iPhone Air is $100 cheaper and is thinner

The iPhone Air and the Galaxy S25 Edge are each technological marvels. They each pack spectacular {hardware} into a light-weight, slim titanium chassis and have beautiful shows. Which one is best for you relies on your preferences.

When you’re contemplating making an attempt an ultra-slim smartphone this yr, one key benefit the iPhone Air has over the Galaxy S25 Edge is value. The 256GB iPhone Air begins at $1,000, whereas the 256GB Galaxy S25 Edge begins at $1,100. So, if saving cash is essential to you, the iPhone Air is the higher selection.

Design-wise, it comes down to non-public style, however I discover the iPhone Air’s design far more visually interesting than the Galaxy S25 Edge. It is barely thinner and stands out, and I personally do not thoughts the digicam plateau that protrudes from the again, though others might have very completely different opinions. One other consider your determination is whether or not you favor Android or iOS. When you’re already built-in into the Apple ecosystem with AirPods, a Mac, or an Apple Watch, then the iPhone Air is clearly the higher selection.

Whereas the iPhone Air’s show is barely smaller than the S25 Edge’s, I consider its brighter display and anti-reflective coating make it far more interesting. I choose a telephone that is brighter and simpler to see open air moderately than one which’s solely 0.2 inches bigger. Contemplating that, together with the design and efficiency, I feel the iPhone Air is likely to be the higher selection right here. Nevertheless, if you happen to’re a giant Android fan and worth the openness and customization it gives, the S25 Edge might appear extra enticing to you, which is comprehensible.

The iPhone Air begins at $1,000 for the 256GB mannequin. If you wish to be one of many first to get your palms on one, it will likely be out there for pre-order beginning on September 12 at 5AM PST/8AM EST, with the telephone delivery September 19. The Galaxy S25 Edge is already out there, and you’ll choose it up beginning at $1,100.

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