Thinner measurement and options
The iPhone Air is the thinnest iPhone but at 5.6mm thick, nevertheless it barely “cheats” that determine with a big digital camera plateau. With a 6.5-inch show, the iPhone Air strikes a stable center floor between the scale of the iPhone 16 Professional and Professional Max. Nonetheless, a single rear digital camera, no backside speaker, and shorter battery life are key limitations.
Execs
- Extraordinarily skinny, measuring simply 5.6mm thick
- Powered by A19 Professional chip (binned)
- Identical battery life as iPhone 16 Professional
- MagSafe, Motion button, Digicam Management all onboard
- Sq. facet ratio selfie cam
Cons
- Sluggish USB 2.0 Sort-C port
- Just one rear digital camera
- Massive digital camera plateau
- Solely has an earpiece speaker
- eSIM solely in all areas
Skinny however versatile
The Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge is not fairly as skinny because the iPhone Air, nevertheless it has a dual-camera system and a slimmer digital camera bump. Plus, you get a 6.7-inch show for viewing content material, a smaller hole-punch digital camera cutout, and a quicker USB-C port.
Execs
- Twin-camera system with 200MP primary and 12MP ultrawide lens
- Quicker USB 3.2 Gen 1 Sort-C port for charging and information switch
- 2 grams lighter than iPhone Air
- Bigger 6.7-inch AMOLED show with smaller digital camera cutout
Cons
- $100 dearer at full value
- 0.2mm thicker than iPhone Air
- Small 3,900mAh capability paired with larger display ends in quick battery life
Skinny 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 will assist you determine how these two smartphones evaluate.
For many who do not fairly perceive the attraction of skinny telephones, this is a fast overview. There are definitely some individuals who use each share of their cellphone’s battery life every day and all of its options. Nonetheless, there’s additionally a subset of customers that do not want extraordinarily lengthy battery life or a pro-grade digital camera system. For them, it is arguably higher to hold a skinny and lightweight cellphone each day, and add separate instruments like a MagSafe/Qi2 battery pack or a devoted digital camera after they’re actually wanted.
If that sounds such as you, an iPhone Air or Galaxy S25 Edge is likely to be the change you want. I ditched heavy and thick flagships this 12 months and have not appeared again. However you will need to choose the correct one — this is tips on how to determine.
iPhone Air vs. Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge: Design and show
Smartphone producers have been dishonest on thinness for ages with digital camera bumps and artistic math — there is not a single model that features the thickness of the digital camera bump of their official measurements, and foldable telephones even omit the scale of the interior bezel when speaking about their unfolded measurements.
Nonetheless, the iPhone Air takes this follow to the acute. It would not have a digital camera bump; it has a digital camera plateau, and it virtually homes your complete cellphone — the remainder of the chassis is stuffed virtually solely with battery. This technique makes the iPhone Air really feel impossibly skinny, with a lot of the physique measuring solely 5.6mm thick. On the identical time, the plateau will protrude additional off the again of the cellphone 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 point out it is a distinction you possibly can really feel, which can be attributed to its curvier chassis.
There is a huge distinction in display measurement and total type issue between the iPhone Air and Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge. The previous has a 6.5-inch display, which slots in between what would sometimes be a base or a plus-sized cellphone. In the meantime, the Galaxy S25 Edge has a 6.7-inch show that is an identical in measurement to the Galaxy S25 Plus. Each telephones are utilizing AMOLED screens with 120Hz LTPO assist, however the iPhone is barely brighter, topping out at 3,000 nits.
It is value noting that as a result of all of the parts within the iPhone Air digital camera plateau, Apple needed to shift the Dynamic Island and Face ID sensors all the way down to make all the pieces match. This implies the pill-shaped digital camera cutout will lower deeper into the iPhone Air show, obstructing extra of your content material. The Galaxy S25 Edge has a hole-punch digital camera cutout within the show that is way more minimal than what the iPhone Air affords.
The iPhone Air additionally has an anti-reflective coating much like that of the Samsung Galaxy S25 Extremely. Each telephones use a titanium development for sturdiness and have IP68 certification towards mud and water ingress.
Personally, I am torn on which cellphone seems to be higher. To me, the moderately small rear digital camera bump is a large attraction of the Galaxy S25 Edge, nevertheless it’s laborious 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 comparable efficiency to that of their “Professional” and “Extremely” counterparts. Apple put the A19 Professional 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 value, the Galaxy S25 Edge has the very same Snapdragon 8 Elite for Galaxy processor as its predecessors with an identical core counts.
Each telephones sport 12GB of reminiscence. You will 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 solely by Apple chips, together with the Apple C1X modem for mobile and Apple N1 for basic connectivity. It helps Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 6, and Thread, however crucially, the Apple C1X solely helps commonplace 5G — there is not any mmWave assist just like the Galaxy S25 Edge.
Class | iPhone Air | Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge |
OS | iOS 26 (5 OS upgrades assured) | One UI 7 (as much as seven OS upgrades) |
Show | 6.5‑inch (diagonal) all‑display 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 Professional | Snapdragon 8 Elite for Galaxy |
RAM | 12GB | 12GB |
Storage | 256GB, 512GB, 1TB | 256GB, 512GB |
Rear Digicam 1 | 48MP Fusion major, 26 mm, ƒ/1.6 aperture, sensor-shift optical picture stabilization 2x optical-quality zoom | 200MP broad, f/1.7, 24mm, OIS, PDAF, 0.6µm 2x optical-quality zoom |
Rear Digicam 2 | N/A | 12MP ultrawide, f/2.2, 13mm, PDAF, 1.4µm |
Selfie Digicam | 18MP Heart Stage digital camera 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) |
Safety | 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 |
Colours | House Black, Cloud White, Mild 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. It will make topping up the comparatively small 3,149mAh battery simple 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 would not have both disadvantage, 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 digital camera 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 primary digital camera is a 200MP sensor that may additionally present 2x optical-quality zoom through a method referred to as sensor cropping. On prime of that, the Samsung cellphone has a 12MP ultrawide digital camera for broad pictures.
Apple’s 18MP front-facing digital camera on the iPhone Air is spectacular. It contains a sq. sensor that permits horizontal and portrait selfies with out bodily rotating the gadget. Samsung would not have this characteristic on the Galaxy S25 Edge; its front-facing digital camera is the same old 4:3 facet ratio. The 12MP, f/2.2 sensor remains to be stable and may produce nice photographs.
iPhone Air vs. Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge: Which do you have to purchase?
The appear and feel of the Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge is downright mind-blowing, and there seem like fewer compromises than the iPhone Air. In comparison with Apple’s skinny handset, the Galaxy S25 Edge has a flagship processor with out binning, a quicker USB-C port, stereo audio system, a rear ultrawide digital camera, a bigger show, and a smaller front-facing digital camera cutout. Nonetheless, it is barely thicker and dearer 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 previous would not have Qi2 magnets onboard, and this appears like a compulsory characteristic for skinny telephones with shorter battery life. The iPhone Air, having MagSafe and Qi2 assist, means you possibly can rapidly and simply prime up the cellphone with a battery pack in a pinch. It will be a lot more durable to take action on the Galaxy S25 Edge with out a case, and including a case considerably defeats the purpose of a skinny cellphone.
In any other case, the selection may come down as to if you favor iOS 26 or One UI 7. Neither cellphone is ideal, however each the iPhone Air and Galaxy S25 Edge are a breath of recent air for folks disenfranchised by thick, heavy smartphones.
Skinny above all else
The iPhone Air is for individuals who desire a futuristic-feeling cellphone with thinness that feels too good to be true. It channels the iPod Nano, and followers of thin-and-light devices will adore it. Nonetheless, you will have to tolerate iOS and some important {hardware} compromises to get that new type issue.
The extra good choice
The Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge feels prefer it affords fewer compromises than the iPhone Air, however admittedly, it is not as skinny. With this cellphone, you retain two rear cameras and get an even bigger display whereas retaining a 5.8mm type issue.
