iPhone Air vs Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge: which ultra-thin phone is best?

TechRadar

If you’re looking to jump on the latest smartphone trend and pick up a device that prioritizes sleek design above all else, you've got a decision to make.

Transcript

00:00If you're looking to jump on the latest smartphone trend, then ultra-thin phones are where it's at.

00:08The Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge launched back in May, but it's finally been joined by the Apple iPhone

00:12Air, and both devices take different approaches in finding the right balance between form and

00:16function. So, which approach is best and which ultra-thin phone should you buy? In this guide,

00:20we'll run through the key differences between the iPhone Air and the Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge

00:24to help you answer that question. Both the Edge and the Air follow the same design formula in that

00:32they're a flagship product made as thin as possible. A thinner body means far less volume. The iPhone

00:36Air, for instance, is 31% smaller than the iPhone 17 Pro, which also means cutting back on certain

00:41features and experiences. Apple's phone features a stunning design with slightly tapered edges,

00:45measuring 5.6mm at its thinnest point and weighing 165g. To achieve such a slim profile, many of the

00:51Air's core components are housed inside the so-called camera plateau, which maximizes space for the

00:56battery below. And despite this component Tetris, you do still get Face ID, the action button and

01:00even the camera control button on the iPhone Air, which helps maintain its flagship feeling.

01:04As for colours, you've got four options, sky blue, light gold, cloud white and space black.

01:09We've got the light gold version here, which fits with the Air's weightless aesthetic,

01:12but you do lose out on the vibrancy of the Cosmic Orange iPhone 17 Pro.

01:15Then there's the Galaxy S25 Edge, which, at 5.8mm, is a touch thicker than the iPhone Air,

01:20but it's also a tiny bit lighter at 163g. In the hand, it's just as stunning as Apple's

01:25super-slim phone, but Samsung has opted for a more industrial aesthetic that looks very similar

01:29to what we've been seeing in the Galaxy lineup for a few years now.

01:32Still, where the Edge loses out to the Air in visual uniqueness, it more than makes up for it

01:35in hardware. Samsung's phone has a 20% larger battery, a bigger screen and two cameras rather

01:40than one. And remember that this is also a lighter phone, despite that extra 0.2mm thickness.

01:45As for durability, both the Air and Edge get an IP68 dust and water-resistant rating,

01:49which is the standard for flagship phones in 2025.

01:55As mentioned, the iPhone Air has a slightly smaller screen than the S25 Edge, but its 6.5-inch

01:59panel does come with HDR10 support, Ceramic Shield 2 scratch and glare protection,

02:03and a peak brightness of 3000 nits. It's also worth saying that this isn't a small display by any means,

02:08and in fact, the Air is the second-largest iPhone you can buy after the Pro Max.

02:12The S25 Edge's screen measures 6.7 inches, its bezels are marginally thinner,

02:16and it also features both HDR10 Plus support and Gorilla Glass Ceramic 2 protection.

02:20You will have to settle for a lower-peak brightness of 2600 nits compared to the Air,

02:24and you don't get the Galaxy S25 Ultra's antique glare coating.

02:27But this is still a sharp, vibrant display that performs well in bright sunlight,

02:31so this is really a question of size preference.

02:36Both of these phones have reduced camera capabilities compared to their flagship counterparts,

02:40and both boast different photography tricks over the other. The Galaxy S25 Edge features a

02:44200-megapixel main camera, which is identical to the one in the Galaxy S25 Ultra, and crucially,

02:49the phone also comes with a second 12-megapixel ultrawide lens. That 200-megapixel sensor captures

02:54great photos in various lighting conditions, and it also gives you a 2x optical zoom option.

02:58But seeing as this is a sensor crop rather than a true telephoto lens, the zoom results aren't

03:02anything to write home about. The iPhone Air manages similar photographic performance minus the

03:07Edge's 12-megapixel ultrawide lens. Its 48-megapixel main fusion camera is identical to the one you'll

03:11find on the rest of the iPhone 17 lineup, and while again it offers 2x zoom by cropping the sensor,

03:16you'll need to go for a pro model if you're used to the quality of a dedicated telephoto lens.

03:20The Air doesn't offer any fancy tricks to make up for its lack of an ultrawide lens,

03:24but it does feature Apple's new 18-megapixel centre-stage selfie camera, which lets you record

03:28selfies in different aspect ratios without needing to rotate the phone. This basically means that selfies

03:32captured with the iPhone Air are considerably better than those taken with other phones, including the

03:36Galaxy S25 Edge. So in essence, the question of which phone is better for photography comes down to the

03:41type of photos you take most often. The Air and Edge are pretty equal when it comes to wide

03:45photography, while the Edge takes the ultrawide crown and the Air wins out for selfies.

03:52In their respective thin phones, Apple and Samsung have pulled no punches when it comes to under-the-hood

03:56specs. The Galaxy S25 Edge features the same Snapdragon 8 Elite for Galaxy chipset as used by the best

04:01Samsung phones, and it's paired with 12GB of RAM and either 256GB or 512GB of storage. The performance

04:08of that chipset is slightly throttled to better manage heat dissipation within the phone, so it

04:12won't quite match the Galaxy S25 Ultra in benchmark tests. But this is still an extremely powerful

04:17handset nonetheless. The S25 Edge runs Android 15 and is guaranteed to receive 7 years of software

04:22and security updates. It also comes packed with a host of Galaxy AI and Google Gemini features,

04:27which make it one of the best phones around if you're willing to embrace AI. The iPhone Air,

04:30meanwhile, features the same A19 Pro chipset as the iPhone 17 Pro Max. As with the Edge, Apple's Pro

04:35iPhones will perform slightly better when it comes to benchmark scores, but in our testing we didn't

04:39really notice a day-to-day discrepancy between the iPhone Air and Apple's best iPhones. Now,

04:44the iPhone Air doesn't have as many AI features as the S25 Edge, and Apple intelligence is still

04:48less than complete. But iOS 26 is a radical software overhaul that's clearly designed to accentuate the

04:53curves and overall sleekness of the iPhone Air specifically. Liquid glass, for instance, looks absolutely

04:58stunning on Apple's super slim iPhone, so even without those AI features, the Air is more than a software

05:02match for the Galaxy S25 Edge. We've already talked about how both of these phones bring

05:09compromises in the camera department, and similar sacrifices have been made when it comes to their

05:13respective batteries. The Galaxy S25 Edge features a 3900mAh battery, which is 20% smaller than the

05:19one in the S25 Ultra and the S25 Plus. In testing, we managed to eek just under 13 hours of battery life

05:25out of this dinky cell, so you'll probably need to charge the Edge before the day is out. As for charging,

05:29the phone features 25-watt wired capabilities, which can charge it to around 55% in 30 minutes,

05:34as well as 15-watt wireless charging when used with a Qi-ready case. The iPhone Air makes things

05:38even smaller, as the widely accepted 3149mAh battery is almost 40% smaller than the one you'll

05:45find in the iPhone 17 Pro Max. In testing, we managed to get just over 10 hours of life out of

05:49the phone, which again covers the working day, but not morning to night. It's worth saying that,

05:53alongside the iPhone Air, Apple introduced a MagSafe battery pack designed specifically for this phone,

05:58and you'll get up to 60% more charge with this pack attached. Mind you, if you do that,

06:02you're then losing out on the key selling point of Apple's Super Slim handset,

06:05so this can't really be marked as a victory for the Air.

06:10So, which Super Slim phone should you choose? As we've discussed, Apple's iPhone Air has a more

06:15eye-catching design and a much better selfie camera, while the Edge gets that ultra-wide lens,

06:19a bigger screen, a slightly longer-lasting battery and faster charging. Both devices,

06:23both powerful chipsets and great software, so this really comes down to which aesthetic and OS

06:26package you prefer. The S25 Edge gets some great AI features, but iOS 26 feels tailor-made for the

06:32Air in a way that, for us, makes it feel that little bit more special. Let us know which Super Slim

06:36device you prefer in the comments, and for the latest deals on the iPhone Air and the Galaxy S25 Edge,

06:41head to the description below.

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