iPhone 17 Air Vs Galaxy S25 Edge Compared: Which Is The Thin Phone For You?

Two of the biggest smartphone manufacturers both released ultra-thin devices recently, Apple with the iPhone Air and Samsung with the Galaxy S25 Edge. Despite having super-svelte designs, however, both devices still manage to pack some flagship specs, which gives potential buyers a lot to think about when making a purchasing decision. Here’s a rundown of what both phones have to offer.

Which New Phone Is The Thinnest And What To Expect For Performance

While both the iPhone Air and the Galaxy S25 Edge deliver on the promise of a light and thin phone, Apple was able to make its device just a bit thinner. The iPhone Air measures in at 5.64mm “thick” and 5.82 ounces, while the Galaxy S25 Edge comes in at 5.88mm “thick” and just 5.75 ounces. Whichever one you buy, it definitely won’t weigh you down.


The iPhone Air is powered by an Apple A19 Pro -- the same chip as its Pro-branded siblings, but with one less GPU core. Meanwhile, the Galaxy S25 Edge is equipped with a Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite. With these chips, both devices should be able to deliver excellent performance with a wide variety of workloads, including gaming. Sustained performance, however, may trail thicker and heavier phones that are equipped with more capable cooling systems.

Will Samsung Have An Edge With Its Display?

The displays are also quite nice on both devices. Both come with punchy OLED displays, although the screen on the Galaxy S25 Edge is slightly larger at 6.7”, versus the iPhone Air’s 6.5”. For those who often use their phone outside, the iPhone Air might be the slightly better choice as it can reach a peak brightness of 3,000 nits, though the Galaxy S25 Edge is no slouch, with a peak brightness of 2,600 nits.


As for battery life, both devices are rated for similar performance, but Apple claims an edge on this front. Samsung says users can expect up to 24 hours of video playback on the Galaxy S25 Edge with its 3,900 mAh battery. Meanwhile, Apple claims that iPhone Air will provide users with 27 hours of video playback with its 3,149 mAh battery. Battery life on both phones is decent considering their size, but it obviously won't match larger / thicker devices with similar specs, but larger batteries.

Thin Phone Cameras Face Off

The camera systems are where the biggest differences lie. Samsung has two rear cameras on the Galaxy S25 Edge, a 200MP f/1.7 0.6-micron main camera alongside a 12MP f/2.2 1.4-micron 120-degree ultrawide shooter. Apple is offering only one camera on the rear of the iPhone Air, a 26mm 48MP Fusion camera with an f/1.6 aperture. Both phones come with competent front facing cameras for selfies and video calls, with the Galaxy S25 Edge sporting a 12MP f/2.2 1.12-micron selfie camera and the iPhone Air implementing an 18MP Center Stage camera with f/1.9 aperture.

Buyers in the market for a new phone that can delivers both substance and style have two great options this year, with the key difference being the camera systems, and of course the OS. The Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge comes in two storage configs, starting at 256GB of storage and going up to 512GB. The iPhone Air also starts with 256GB of storage, but can be configured with up to 1TB of storage.