They might not be the highest-selling smartphones on the market, however do not sleep on the benefits {that a} skinny and lightweight cellphone may give you. Lighter than most, extra snug to carry — and simply plain interesting by way of design — the Apple iPhone Air and Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge are the way forward for slim telephones (and the inspiration for foldables just like the Galaxy Z Fold 7 and rumored iPhone Fold).
However are you giving up an excessive amount of else for a slim cellphone? In the event you press them collectively, are they a lot thicker mixed than an everyday iPhone 17 or Galaxy S25 (or the brand new Galaxy S26)? And do they overcome trade-offs in battery life, digital camera and sound high quality that include a thinner design? I am right here to do the maths and examine options for you.
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Wish to purchase the Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge? Discover out which carriers and retailers are providing the greatest offers on Samsung’s slim cellphone.
The iPhone Air begins at $999.
iPhone Air vs. S25 Edge worth comparability
iPhone Air: $999. The iPhone Air takes the place previously held by the iPhone 16 Plus, making it the one mannequin with a display screen bigger than the iPhone 17 that is not an iPhone 17 Professional.
Galaxy S25 Edge: $1,100. The S25 Edge joins the S26 and S26 Extremely on this yr’s Galaxy lineup.
The iPhone Air consists of fewer options than the iPhone 17, such because the variety of cameras. Nonetheless, it incorporates a bigger show, an A19 Professional processor, and is supplied with 256GB of storage to start with. Moreover, Apple has constantly utilized premium pricing for minor design modifications. The unique MacBook Air match into an inter-office envelope and value $1,799, regardless of being underpowered in comparison with the remainder of the MacBook line. (Over a number of generations, it could finally change into Apple’s entry-level inexpensive laptop computer at $999, the place it nonetheless resides.)
The Galaxy S25 Edge’s greater worth ($101) might be an try to seize extra {dollars} from prospects on the lookout for a cellphone that units them aside, however we’re already seeing occasional steep reductions on it.
In each instances, it is value noting that the pricing has held up towards the Trump administration tariffs to date.
The Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge is available in three colours.
iPhone Air vs. S25 Edge dimensions and weight
Now it is time to go deep — as in, simply how skinny is the depth of every cellphone?
No cellphone producer describes its telephones as cumbersome or chunky, even for extra-large fashions just like the iPhone Professional Max. But, the distinction between the depths of the iPhone Air and the S25 Edge, in addition to the usual telephones of every respective household, is stark.
Not counting the digital camera meeting, which Apple refers to because the “plateau,” a lot of the iPhone Air’s physique is 5.64mm thick. The S25 Edge, at its narrowest level, is a hair thicker at 5.8mm. (Each corporations listing solely the thinnest measurement, not together with the cameras.) Examine that to 7.9mm for the iPhone 17 and seven.2mm for the Galaxy S25.
The iPhone Air is 5.64mm thick.
The Galaxy Z Fold 7 is definitely thinner when open, at 4.2mm, however it additionally has a bigger floor space to accommodate its battery and different elements. Different foldables from Chinese language corporations, akin to Huawei, Oppo and Honor, additionally boast thinner our bodies than the iPhone Air or S25 Edge, however solely when opened.
And whenever you press the 2 skinny telephones collectively, do they actually match as much as the everyday cellphone slab you are carrying now? Mixed (and once more, excluding the digital camera bumps), the iPhone Air and S25 Extremely are 11.44mm thick, which is thicker than both the iPhone 17 or Galaxy S25, and even the iPhone 17 Professional Max at 8.75mm. Nonetheless, if you wish to obtain a extra classic really feel, the unique first-generation iPhone, launched in 2007, measured 11.6mm.
Stacking the iPhone Air (high) and the S25 Edge (backside) offers you a similar thickness as the unique first-generation iPhone (when you ignore the digital camera bumps, and the awkwardness of not seeing both display screen).
Surprisingly, the much less depth interprets to solely a slight lower in weight in comparison with the opposite fashions in every lineup. The iPhone Air weighs 165 grams versus 177 grams for the iPhone 17, whereas the S25 Edge pips in at simply 163 grams however will get barely undercut by the Galaxy S25 at 162 grams.
How huge is every cellphone within the hand? Whereas each are related, the iPhone Air is barely shorter and narrower, measuring 156.2mm tall and 74.7mm extensive, in comparison with the S25 Edge’s dimensions of 158.2mm tall and 75.6mm extensive.
iPhone Air vs. S25 Edge shows
Apple calls the iPhone Air’s 6.5-inch OLED display screen a Tremendous Retina XDR show. It incorporates a excessive decision of two,736×1,260 pixels at a density of 460 ppi (pixels per inch) and might output a most of three,000 nits of brightness outdoor, in addition to a minimal of 1 nit at midnight.
The iPhone Air’s show can output 3,000 nits of brightness on a sunny day.
Samsung packed a bigger 6.7-inch QHD+ Dynamic AMOLED 2X display screen into the S25 Edge, which interprets to a high-resolution show measuring 3,120×1,440 pixels at 513 ppi. Its brightness goes as much as 2,600 nits.
Each telephones’ screens characteristic adaptive 120Hz refresh charges for smoother efficiency.
The Galaxy S25 Edge show has a extra dense decision.
Evaluating the iPhone Air and S25 Edge cameras
Thus far, lots of the specs have been shut sufficient to weigh every cellphone pretty evenly. Then, we get to the cameras.
The iPhone Air features a single rear-facing 48-megapixel extensive digital camera with a 26mm-equivalent area of view and a continuing f/1.6 aperture. In its default mode, the digital camera outputs 24-megapixel “fusion” pictures that outcome from an imaging course of the place the digital camera captures a 12-megapixel picture (utilizing teams of 4 pixels performing as one bigger pixel for improved gentle gathering, generally known as “binning”) and a 48-megapixel reference for added element.
The iPhone Air consists of only a single 48-megapixel rear digital camera.
Apple additionally claims the iPhone Air can seize 2x-zoomed (52mm-equivalent) telephoto pictures which are 12 megapixels in dimension and symbolize a crop of the middle of the picture sensor.
The S25 Edge options two built-in rear cameras: a 200-megapixel wide-angle lens and a 12-megapixel ultrawide lens. There isn’t any devoted telephoto digital camera, so the S25 Edge additionally affords a 2x-zoomed crop that shoots pictures at 12 megapixels in measurement.
The Galaxy S25 Edge has twin cameras.
The front-facing selfie cameras on every cellphone differ considerably. The iPhone Air introduces a brand new 18-megapixel digital camera with an f/1.9 aperture. However the elevated decision over the S25 Edge’s 12-megapixel selfie digital camera is not what’s notable.
Apple calls it a Heart Stage digital camera as a result of it incorporates a sq. sensor that may seize tall or extensive pictures with out requiring the consumer to bodily flip the cellphone, in contrast to the 4:3 ratio sensors present in typical selfie cameras. It will probably adapt the facet ratio primarily based on the variety of folks it detects in entrance of the digital camera: a standard portrait orientation whenever you’re snapping a photograph of your self, for instance, or change to a panorama orientation when two buddies stand subsequent to you within the body.
iPhone Air vs. S25 Edge batteries
Relating to considerations, the battery lifetime of skinny telephones is on the high of the listing. The insides of most telephones are filled with as a lot battery as will match, so making a cellphone slimmer naturally means eradicating area for the battery. With both mannequin, you find yourself sacrificing battery energy for design. However how a lot?
Apple does not listing the iPhone Air’s battery capability, however claims “all-day battery life” and as much as 27 hours of video playback. It additionally sells a particular iPhone Air MagSafe Battery add-on that magnetically snaps to the again of the cellphone and works solely with the iPhone Air. In her evaluate, CNET’s Senior Tech Reporter Abrar Al-Heeti drained the battery in 12 hours over a phone-intensive day, however did finish a extra typical day with 20% remaining.
The Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge vs. iPhone Air.
The S25 Edge incorporates a 3,900-mAh battery, which Samsung claims will assist as much as 24 hours of video playback. (Come on, cellphone producers, our telephones aren’t televisions left operating within the background.)
In her S25 Edge evaluate, Al-Heeti famous that the cellphone additionally typically lived as much as Samsung’s personal “all-day battery life” boast, saying, “In the end, you may get much less juice out of that slimmer construct, however S25 Edge affords simply sufficient battery life to make me completely happy…However the S25 Edge has shifted my priorities. I am having fun with the glossy type issue a lot that I am keen to make some compromises, even when which means I’ve to you should definitely cost my cellphone every night time, which is one thing I are likely to do anyway.”
It is value noting that each telephones assist quick charging when used with a 20-watt or greater wired energy adapter, permitting them to succeed in round 50% cost in half-hour from a totally discharged state.
iPhone Air vs. S25 Edge processor, storage and working system
The iPhone Air is powered by Apple’s newest A19 Professional processor, the identical one discovered within the iPhone 17 Professional fashions (in comparison with the A19 within the inventory iPhone 17). Apple does not listing the built-in reminiscence, however we suspect it consists of 8GB of RAM (which is acknowledged because the minimal quantity to run AI options akin to Apple Intelligence). The bottom storage configuration is 256GB, with choices to order the iPhone Air with 512GB or 1TB capability. It ships with iOS 26, the newest model of the working system that Apple launched broadly this week.
The S25 Edge is powered by a Snapdragon 8 Elite processor, the identical one which powers the opposite S25 fashions. It consists of 12GB of RAM and is offered in storage capacities of 256GB and 512GB. The cellphone comes preinstalled with Android 15.
iPhone Air vs. S25 Edge all specs
Apple iPhone Air vs. Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge
Apple iPhone AirSamsung Galaxy S25 Edge Show measurement, tech, decision, refresh price 6.5-inch OLED; 2,736 x 1,260 pixel decision; 1-120Hz variable refresh rate6.7-inch QHD+ AMOLED show; 120Hz refresh price Pixel density 460ppi513 ppiDimensions (inches) 6.15 x 2.94 x 0.22 in2.98 x 6.23 x 0.23 inchesDimensions (millimeters) 156.2 x 74.7 x 5.64 mm75.6 X 158.2 X 5.8mmWeight (grams, ounces) 165 g (5.82 oz)163g (5.75 oz)Cell software program iOS 26Android 15Camera 48-megapixel (extensive)200-megapixel (extensive), 12-megapixel (ultrawide)Entrance-facing digital camera 18-megapixel12-megapixelVideo seize 4K8KProcessor Apple A19 ProSnapdragon 8 EliteRAM + storage RAM N/A + 256GB, 512GB, 1TB12GB RAM + 256GB, 512GBExpandable storage NoneNoBattery As much as 27 hours video playback; as much as 22 hours video playback (streamed). As much as 40 hours video playback, as much as 35 hours video playback (streamed) with iPhone Air MagSafe Battery3,900 mAhFingerprint sensor None (Face ID)Beneath displayConnector USB-CUSB-CHeadphone jack NoneNoneSpecial options Apple N1 wi-fi networking chip (Wi-Fi 7 (802.11be) with 2×2 MIMO), Bluetooth 6, Thread. Motion button. Apple C1X mobile modem. Digicam Management button. Dynamic Island. Apple Intelligence. Visible Intelligence. Twin eSIM. 1 to three,000 nits brightness show vary. IP68 resistance. Colours: area black, cloud white, gentle gold, sky blue. Quick cost as much as 50% in half-hour utilizing 20W adapter or greater by way of charging cable. Quick cost as much as 50% in half-hour utilizing 30W adapter or greater by way of MagSafe Charger.IP88 score, 5G, One UI 7, 25-watt wired charging, 15-watt wi-fi charging, Galaxy AI, Gemini, Circle to Search, Wi-Fi 7.US worth begins at $999 (256GB)$1,100 (256GB)
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