Thinner dimension and options
The iPhone Air is the thinnest iPhone but at 5.6mm thick, however it barely “cheats” that determine with a big digicam plateau. With a 6.5-inch show, the iPhone Air strikes a stable center floor between the dimensions of the iPhone 16 Pro and Pro Max. However, a single rear digicam, no backside speaker, and shorter battery life are key limitations.
Pros
- Extremely thin, measuring simply 5.6mm thick
- Powered by A19 Pro chip (binned)
- Same battery life as iPhone 16 Pro
- MagSafe, Action button, Camera Control all onboard
- Square side ratio selfie cam
Cons
- Slow USB 2.0 Type-C port
- Only one rear digicam
- Large digicam plateau
- Only has an earpiece speaker
- eSIM solely in all areas
Thin however versatile
The Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge is not fairly as thin because the iPhone Air, however it has a dual-camera system and a slimmer digicam bump. Plus, you get a 6.7-inch show for viewing content material, a smaller hole-punch digicam cutout, and a sooner USB-C port.
Pros
- Dual-camera system with 200MP important and 12MP ultrawide lens
- Faster USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type-C port for charging and information switch
- 2 grams lighter than iPhone Air
- Larger 6.7-inch AMOLED show with smaller digicam cutout
Cons
- $100 costlier at full worth
- 0.2mm thicker than iPhone Air
- Small 3,900mAh capability paired with larger display screen leads to quick battery life
Thin telephones are in, and the iPhone Air and the Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge are going to be the highest choices for ultra-slim flagships heading into 2025. I purchased a Galaxy S25 Edge with my very own money and plan to do the identical with the iPhone Air, and on this information, I’ll assist you determine how these two smartphones evaluate.
For those that do not fairly perceive the attraction of thin telephones, here is a fast overview. There are actually some individuals who use each proportion of their telephone’s battery life every day and all of its options. However, there’s additionally a subset of customers that do not want extraordinarily lengthy battery life or a pro-grade digicam system. For them, it is arguably higher to hold a thin and lightweight telephone every day, and add separate instruments like a MagSafe/Qi2 battery pack or a devoted digicam once they’re actually wanted.
If that sounds such as you, an iPhone Air or Galaxy S25 Edge could be the change you want. I ditched heavy and thick flagships this 12 months and have not appeared again. But you will wish to choose the proper one — here is the best way to determine.
iPhone Air vs. Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge: Design and show
Smartphone producers have been dishonest on thinness for ages with digicam bumps and artistic math — there is not a single model that features the thickness of the digicam bump of their official measurements, and foldable telephones even omit the dimensions of the interior bezel when speaking about their unfolded measurements.
However, the iPhone Air takes this follow to the intense. It does not have a digicam bump; it has a digicam plateau, and it virtually homes your complete telephone — the remainder of the chassis is crammed nearly totally with battery. This technique makes the iPhone Air really feel impossibly thin, with a lot of the physique measuring solely 5.6mm thick. At the identical time, the plateau will protrude additional off the again of the telephone than the Galaxy S25 Edge.
By comparability, Samsung made the Galaxy S25 Edge measure 5.8mm thick. The distinction of 0.2mm in thickness may sound minuscule, however early first impressions from those that have held the Air appear to indicate it is a distinction you may really feel, which can be attributed to its curvier chassis.
There’s an enormous distinction in display screen dimension and general kind issue between the iPhone Air and Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge. The former has a 6.5-inch display screen, which slots in between what would sometimes be a base or a plus-sized telephone. Meanwhile, the Galaxy S25 Edge has a 6.7-inch show that is equivalent in dimension to the Galaxy S25 Plus. Both telephones are utilizing AMOLED screens with 120Hz LTPO assist, however the iPhone is barely brighter, topping out at 3,000 nits.
It’s price noting that as a result of all of the parts within the iPhone Air digicam plateau, Apple needed to shift the Dynamic Island and Face ID sensors all the way down to make all the things match. This means the pill-shaped digicam cutout will lower deeper into the iPhone Air show, obstructing extra of your content material. The Galaxy S25 Edge has a hole-punch digicam cutout within the show that is rather more minimal than what the iPhone Air presents.
The iPhone Air additionally has an anti-reflective coating much like that of the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra. Both telephones use a titanium development for sturdiness and have IP68 certification in opposition to mud and water ingress.
Personally, I’m torn on which telephone appears higher. To me, the fairly small rear digicam bump is a big attraction of the Galaxy S25 Edge, however it’s arduous to not be impressed by the 5.6mm thickness of the iPhone Air.
iPhone Air vs. Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge: Hardware and specs
The iPhone Air and Galaxy S25 Edge each impressively retain related efficiency to that of their “Pro” and “Ultra” counterparts. Apple put the A19 Pro chipset within the iPhone Air, however it’s technically a binned model of the system-on-a-chip with one fewer GPU core. For what it is price, the Galaxy S25 Edge has the very same Snapdragon 8 Elite for Galaxy processor as its predecessors with equivalent core counts.
Both telephones sport 12GB of reminiscence. You can get the iPhone Air in as much as 1TB of storage, whereas the Galaxy S25 Edge is capped at 512GB.
The iPhone Air is powered totally by Apple chips, together with the Apple C1X modem for mobile and Apple N1 for common connectivity. It helps Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 6, and Thread, however crucially, the Apple C1X solely helps normal 5G — there is not any mmWave assist just like the Galaxy S25 Edge.
|
Category |
iPhone Air |
Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge |
|
OS |
iOS 26 (5 OS upgrades assured) |
One UI 7 (as much as seven OS upgrades) |
|
Display |
6.5‑inch (diagonal) all‑display screen OLED show, 120Hz LTPO, 3,000 nits peak brightness |
6.7-inch QHD+ Dynamic AMOLED 2X, 120Hz LTPO 2,600 nits peak brightness |
|
Processor |
Apple A19 Pro |
Snapdragon 8 Elite for Galaxy |
|
RAM |
12GB |
12GB |
|
Storage |
256GB, 512GB, 1TB |
256GB, 512GB |
|
Rear Camera 1 |
48MP Fusion major, 26 mm, ƒ/1.6 aperture, sensor-shift optical picture stabilization 2x optical-quality zoom |
200MP extensive, f/1.7, 24mm, OIS, PDAF, 0.6µm 2x optical-quality zoom |
|
Rear Camera 2 |
N/A |
12MP ultrawide, f/2.2, 13mm, PDAF, 1.4µm |
|
Selfie Camera |
18MP Center Stage digicam ƒ/1.9 aperture Autofocus with Focus Pixels |
12MP, f/2.2, 26mm, PDAF |
|
Audio |
Earpiece speaker |
Stereo audio system |
|
Connectivity |
Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 6, Thread, NFC, 5G, MagSafe, USB-C (2.0) |
Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 5.4, NFC, 5G, USB-C (3.2) |
|
Protection |
IP68 |
IP68 |
|
Battery |
3,149mAh (per EU filings) |
3,900mAh |
|
Charging |
20W wired and MagSafe/Qi2; 0% to 50% in half-hour |
25W |
|
Dimensions |
156.2 x 74.7 x 5.64mm |
158.2 x 75.6 x 5.8mm |
|
Weight |
165g |
163g |
|
Colors |
Space Black, Cloud White, Light Gold, Sky Blue |
Titanium Icyblue, Titanium Silver, Titanium Jetblack |
The iPhone Air has a significant benefit in supporting MagSafe and Qi2 with no exterior instances or equipment required. This will make topping up the comparatively small 3,149mAh battery straightforward with chargers just like the official MagSafe battery pack or third-party choices. Samsung did not embrace Qi2 magnets on the Galaxy S25 Edge, so you will want a case and a battery pack to magnetically recharge the three,900mAh battery.
There are a number of different iPhone Air {hardware} limitations to level out: there is not any backside speaker, and the USB-C port is barely USB 2.0. The Samsung Galaxy S25 does not have both downside, with stereo audio system and a USB 3.2 Gen 1 port.
iPhone Air vs. Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge: Cameras
The iPhone Air has one rear digicam on the again — it is a 48MP sensor that Apple claims to successfully be two cameras, because it helps 2x optical-quality zoom. By that logic, the Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge successfully has three cameras. The Galaxy S25 Edge’s important digicam is a 200MP sensor that may additionally present 2x optical-quality zoom by way of a method referred to as sensor cropping. On prime of that, the Samsung telephone has a 12MP ultrawide digicam for extensive photographs.
Apple’s 18MP front-facing digicam on the iPhone Air is spectacular. It encompasses a sq. sensor that permits horizontal and portrait selfies with out bodily rotating the gadget. Samsung does not have this characteristic on the Galaxy S25 Edge; its front-facing digicam is the same old 4:3 side ratio. The 12MP, f/2.2 sensor remains to be stable and might produce nice pictures.
iPhone Air vs. Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge: Which must you purchase?
The feel and appear of the Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge is downright mind-blowing, and there look like fewer compromises than the iPhone Air. Compared to Apple’s thin handset, the Galaxy S25 Edge has a flagship processor with out binning, a sooner USB-C port, stereo audio system, a rear ultrawide digicam, a bigger show, and a smaller front-facing digicam cutout. However, it is barely thicker and costlier than the iPhone Air.
There’s only one motive why it is extraordinarily tough to suggest the Galaxy S25 Edge over the iPhone Air. The former does not have Qi2 magnets onboard, and this looks like a compulsory characteristic for thin telephones with shorter battery life. The iPhone Air, having MagSafe and Qi2 assist, means you may rapidly and simply prime up the telephone with a battery pack in a pinch. It’ll be a lot more durable to take action on the Galaxy S25 Edge with no case, and including a case considerably defeats the purpose of a thin telephone.
Otherwise, the selection may come down as to if you favor iOS 26 or One UI 7. Neither telephone is ideal, however each the iPhone Air and Galaxy S25 Edge are a breath of contemporary air for folks disenfranchised by thick, heavy smartphones.
Thin above all else
The iPhone Air is for individuals who desire a futuristic-feeling telephone with thinness that feels too good to be true. It channels the iPod Nano, and followers of thin-and-light devices will adore it. However, you will must tolerate iOS and some vital {hardware} compromises to get that new kind issue.
The extra good selection
The Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge feels prefer it presents fewer compromises than the iPhone Air, however admittedly, it is not as thin. With this telephone, you retain two rear cameras and get a much bigger display screen whereas retaining a 5.8mm kind issue.