If you’re tired of carrying a bulky phone everywhere, one of these slim designs can make a big difference. Here’s how the new iPhone Air and the Galaxy S25 Edge stack up.
If there’s one thing customers want to see from the established phone titans, it’s something new. Years of incremental improvements in processors, cameras and displays can occasionally be exciting, but unless you’re upgrading from a several-year-old model, the differences tend to be relatively minor.
So when Samsung released the super-thin Galaxy S25 Edge earlier this year, it got our attention. Naturally, it sparked speculation that Apple would also release a new slim phone, which arrived last week in the form of the new iPhone Air. (Notably, it’s not the «iPhone 17 Air», which suggests Apple may treat it as a special case that doesn’t get yearly updates.)
How do these two slim phones compare? If you press them together, are they combined much thicker than a regular iPhone 17 or Galaxy S25? I’m here to do the math and compare features.
Looking to preorder the iPhone Air? Check out our preorder 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 have 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. 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. But it includes a larger display, an A19 Pro processor and is configured with 256GB of storage to start. Plus, Apple has always applied premium pricing for thin 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 (of $101) could be an attempt to capture more dollars from customers who are looking for a phone that will set them apart, but we’re already seeing occasional steep discounts on it, like this $400 drop.
In both cases, it’s worth noting that the pricing has held up against the Trump administration tariffs so far. 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 S25 Edge and the standard phones of each respective family is stark.
Not counting the camera assembly, which Apple calls the «plateau», most of the iPhone Air’s body is 5.
