If you’re looking for a new phone for the holidays or for 2026, this year’s options have taken a tight turn. Both Apple and Samsung include extra-thin phones in their lineups, bringing up the question of whether a slim design is preferable to the roughly standard sizes we’ve gotten used to. And if you do decide you want to shave some thickness from your everyday phone, which one comes out on top: the Apple iPhone Air or the Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge?
So let’s compare the features of these thin phones. If you press them together, are they much thicker combined than a regular iPhone 17 or Galaxy S25? And do they overcome tradeoffs in battery life, camera and sound quality that come with a thinner design? I’m here to do the math and compare features for you.
Looking to order the iPhone Air? Check out our order guide to learn if you can get it free and other great deals.
Want to buy the Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge? Find out which carriers and retailers are offering the best deals on Samsung’s slim phone.
Don’t miss any of our unbiased tech content and lab-based reviews. Add CNET as a preferred Google source.
The iPhone Air starts at $999.
iPhone Air vs. S25 Edge price comparison
iPhone Air: $999. The iPhone Air takes the place formerly held by the iPhone 16 Plus, making it the only model with a screen larger than the iPhone 17 that isn’t an iPhone 17 Pro.
Galaxy S25 Edge: $1,100. The S25 Edge joins the S25 and S25 Ultra in this year’s Galaxy lineup.
The iPhone Air includes fewer features than the iPhone 17, such as the number of cameras. However, it features a larger display, an A19 Pro processor, and is equipped with 256GB of storage to begin with. Additionally, Apple has consistently applied premium pricing for minor design changes. The original MacBook Air fit into an inter-office envelope and cost $1,799, despite being underpowered compared to the rest of the MacBook line. (Over a few generations, it would eventually become Apple’s entry-level affordable laptop at $999, where it still resides.)
The Galaxy S25 Edge’s higher price ($101) could be an attempt to capture more dollars from customers looking for a phone that sets them apart, but we’re already seeing occasional steep discounts on it.
In both cases, it’s worth noting that the pricing has held up against the Trump administration tariffs so far.
The three colors of the Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge.
iPhone Air vs. S25 Edge dimensions and weight
Now it’s time to go deep — as in, just how thin is the depth of each phone?
No phone manufacturer describes its phones as bulky or chunky, even for extra-large models like the iPhone Pro Max. Yet, the difference between the depths of the iPhone Air and the S25 Edge, as well as the standard phones of each respective family, is stark.
Not counting the camera assembly, which Apple refers to as the “plateau,” most of the iPhone Air’s body is 5.64mm thick. The S25 Edge, at its narrowest point, is a hair thicker at 5.8mm. (Both companies list only the thinnest measurement, not including the cameras.) Compare that to 7.9mm for the iPhone 17 and 7.2mm for the Galaxy S25.
The iPhone Air
The Galaxy Z Fold 7 is actually thinner when open, at 4.2mm, but it also has a larger surface area to accommodate its battery and other components. Other foldables from Chinese companies, such as Huawei, Oppo and Honor, also boast thinner bodies than the iPhone Air or S25 Edge, but only when opened.
And when you press the two thin phones together, do they really match up to the typical phone slab you’re carrying now? Combined (and again, excluding the camera bumps), the iPhone Air and S25 Ultra are 11.44mm thick, which is thicker than either the iPhone 17 or Galaxy S25, and even the iPhone 17 Pro Max at 8.75mm. However, if you want to achieve a more vintage feel, the original first-generation iPhone, released in 2007, measured 11.6mm.
Stacking the iPhone Air (top) and the S25 Edge (bottom) gives you the same thickness as the original first-generation iPhone (if you ignore the camera bumps, and the awkwardness of not seeing either screen).
Surprisingly, the less depth translates to only a slight decrease in weight compared to the other models in each lineup. The iPhone Air weighs 165 grams versus 177 grams for the iPhone 17, while the S25 Edge pips in at just 163 grams but gets barely undercut by the Galaxy S25 at 162 grams.
How big is each phone in the hand? While both are similar, the iPhone Air is slightly shorter and narrower, measuring 156.2mm tall and 74.7mm wide, compared to the S25 Edge’s dimensions of 158.2mm tall and 75.6mm wide.
iPhone Air vs. S25 Edge displays
Apple calls the iPhone Air’s 6.5-inch OLED screen a Super Retina XDR display. It features a high resolution of 2,736×1,260 pixels at a density of 460 ppi (pixels per inch) and can output a maximum of 3,000 nits of brightness outdoors, as well as a minimum of 1 nit in the dark.
The iPhone Air’s display can output 3,000 nits of brightness on a sunny day.
Samsung packed a larger 6.7-inch QHD+ Dynamic AMOLED 2X screen into the S25 Edge, which translates to a high-resolution display measuring 3,120×1,440 pixels at 513 ppi. Its brightness goes up to 2,600 nits.
Both phones’ screens feature adaptive 120Hz refresh rates for smoother performance.
The Galaxy S25 Edge display has a more dense resolution.
Comparing the iPhone Air and S25 Edge cameras
So far, many of the specs have been close enough to weigh each phone fairly evenly. Then, we get to the cameras.
The iPhone Air includes a single rear-facing 48-megapixel wide camera with a 26mm-equivalent field of view and a constant f/1.6 aperture. In its default mode, the camera outputs 24-megapixel “fusion” photos that result from an imaging process where the camera captures a 12-megapixel image (using groups of four pixels acting as one larger pixel for improved light gathering, known as “binning”) and a 48-megapixel reference for additional detail.
The iPhone Air includes just a single 48-megapixel rear camera.
Apple also claims the iPhone Air can capture 2x-zoomed (52mm-equivalent) telephoto images that are 12 megapixels in dimension and represent a crop of the center of the image sensor.
The S25 Edge features two built-in rear cameras: a 200-megapixel wide-angle lens and a 12-megapixel ultrawide lens. There’s no dedicated telephoto camera, so the S25 Edge also offers a 2x-zoomed crop that shoots photos at 12 megapixels in size.
The Galaxy S25 Edge’s dual cameras.
The front-facing selfie cameras on each phone differ significantly. The iPhone Air introduces a new 18-megapixel camera with an f/1.9 aperture. But the increased resolution over the S25 Edge’s 12-megapixel selfie camera isn’t what’s notable.
Apple calls it a Center Stage camera because it features a square sensor that can capture tall or wide shots without requiring the user to physically turn the phone, unlike the 4:3 ratio sensors found in typical selfie cameras. It can adapt the aspect ratio based on the number of people it detects in front of the camera: a traditional portrait orientation when you’re snapping a photo of yourself, for example, or switch to a landscape orientation when two friends stand next to you in the frame.
iPhone Air vs. S25 Edge batteries
When it comes to concerns, the battery life of thin phones is at the top of the list. The insides of most phones are packed with as much battery as will fit, so making a phone slimmer naturally means removing space for the battery. With either model, you end up sacrificing battery power for design. But how much?
Apple doesn’t list the iPhone Air’s battery capacity, but claims “all-day battery life” and up to 27 hours of video playback. It also sells a special iPhone Air MagSafe Battery add-on that magnetically snaps to the back of the phone and works only with the iPhone Air. In her review, CNET’s Senior Tech Reporter Abrar Al-Heeti drained the battery in 12 hours over a phone-intensive day, but did end a more typical day with 20% remaining.
The Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge vs. iPhone Air.
The S25 Edge features a 3,900-mAh battery, which Samsung claims will support up to 24 hours of video playback. (Come on, phone manufacturers, our phones aren’t televisions left running in the background.)
In her S25 Edge review, Al-Heeti noted that the phone also generally lived up to Samsung’s own “all-day battery life” boast, saying, “Ultimately, you’ll get less juice out of that slimmer build, but S25 Edge offers just enough battery life to make me happy…But the S25 Edge has shifted my priorities. I’m enjoying the sleek form factor so much that I’m willing to make some compromises, even if that means I have to be sure to charge my phone each night, which is something I tend to do anyway.”
It’s worth noting that both phones support fast charging when used with a 20-watt or higher wired power adapter, allowing them to reach around 50% charge in 30 minutes from a completely discharged state.
iPhone Air vs. S25 Edge processor, storage and operating system
The iPhone Air is powered by Apple’s latest A19 Pro processor, the same one found in the iPhone 17 Pro models (compared to the A19 in the stock iPhone 17). Apple doesn’t list the built-in memory, but we suspect it includes 8GB of RAM (which is recognized as the minimum amount to run AI features such as Apple Intelligence). The base storage configuration is 256GB, with options to order the iPhone Air with 512GB or 1TB capacity. It ships with iOS 26, the latest version of the operating system that Apple released widely this week.
The S25 Edge is powered by a Snapdragon 8 Elite processor, the same one that powers the other S25 models. It includes 12GB of RAM and is available in storage capacities of 256GB and 512GB. The phone 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 EdgeDisplay size, tech, resolution, refresh rate 6.5-inch OLED; 2,736 x 1,260 pixel resolution; 1-120Hz variable refresh rate6.7-inch QHD+ AMOLED display; 120Hz refresh rate 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)Mobile software iOS 26Android 15Camera 48-megapixel (wide)200-megapixel (wide), 12-megapixel (ultrawide)Front-facing camera 18-megapixel12-megapixelVideo capture 4K8KProcessor Apple A19 ProSnapdragon 8 EliteRAM + storage RAM N/A + 256GB, 512GB, 1TB12GB RAM + 256GB, 512GBExpandable storage NoneNoBattery Up to 27 hours video playback; up to 22 hours video playback (streamed). Up to 40 hours video playback, up to 35 hours video playback (streamed) with iPhone Air MagSafe Battery3,900 mAhFingerprint sensor None (Face ID)Under displayConnector USB-CUSB-CHeadphone jack NoneNoneSpecial features Apple N1 wireless networking chip (Wi-Fi 7 (802.11be) with 2×2 MIMO), Bluetooth 6, Thread. Action button. Apple C1X cellular modem. Camera Control button. Dynamic Island. Apple Intelligence. Visual Intelligence. Dual eSIM. 1 to 3,000 nits brightness display range. IP68 resistance. Colors: space black, cloud white, light gold, sky blue. Fast charge up to 50% in 30 minutes using 20W adapter or higher via charging cable. Fast charge up to 50% in 30 minutes using 30W adapter or higher via MagSafe Charger.IP88 rating, 5G, One UI 7, 25-watt wired charging, 15-watt wireless charging, Galaxy AI, Gemini, Circle to Search, Wi-Fi 7.US price starts at $999 (256GB)$1,100 (256GB)
Watch this: iPhone Air, One Month Later: Camera and Battery Worries Put to Rest
05:55
