When it involves smartphones, we often speak about display dimension, cameras and battery life. But this 12 months, a brand new matter has entered the dialog: skinny physique designs. Carrying a slimmer, considerably lighter cellphone has gotten us interested by which trade-offs are price the brand new appears, to not point out premium pricing.So when Samsung launched the super-thin Galaxy S25 Edge earlier this 12 months, it acquired our consideration. Naturally, it sparked hypothesis that Apple would additionally launch a brand new slim cellphone, which arrived earlier this month within the type of the brand new iPhone Air. (Notably, it is not the “iPhone 17 Air,” which suggests Apple could deal with it as a particular case that does not get yearly updates.)How do these two slim telephones evaluate? If you press them collectively, are they mixed a lot thicker than a daily iPhone 17 or Galaxy S25? I’m right here to do the mathematics and evaluate options. Looking to order the iPhone Air? Check out our order information to be taught if you may get it free and different nice offers. Want to purchase the Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge? Find out which carriers and retailers have the perfect offers on Samsung’s slim cellphone. Don’t miss any of our unbiased tech content material and lab-based opinions. Add CNET as a most popular Google supply. The iPhone Air begins at $999. Apple 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 bigger than the iPhone 17 that is not an iPhone 17 Pro. Galaxy S25 Edge: $1,100. The S25 Edge joins the S25 and S25 Ultra on this 12 months’s Galaxy lineup. The iPhone Air consists of fewer options than the iPhone 17, such because the variety of cameras. But it features a bigger show, an A19 Pro processor and is configured with 256GB of storage to start out. Plus, Apple has at all times utilized premium pricing for skinny design modifications. The authentic MacBook Air match into an inter-office envelope and price $1,799, regardless of being underpowered in comparison with the remainder of the MacBook line. (Over a couple of generations, it might ultimately turn into Apple’s entry-level inexpensive laptop computer at $999, the place it nonetheless resides.) The Galaxy S25 Edge’s greater worth (of $101) could possibly be an try and seize extra {dollars} from prospects who’re searching for a cellphone that can set them aside, however we’re already seeing occasional steep reductions on it, like this $400 drop.In each instances, it is price noting that the pricing has held up towards the Trump administration tariffs up to now. The three colours of the Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge. Carly Marsh/CNET 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 Pro Max. Yet the distinction between the depths of the iPhone Air and S25 Edge and the usual telephones of every respective household is stark. Not counting the digital camera meeting, which Apple calls the “plateau,” many of the iPhone Air’s physique is 5.64mm thick. The S25 Edge, at its narrowest level, is a hair thicker at 5.8mm. (Both firms record solely the thinnest measurement, not together with the cameras.) Compare that to 7.9mm for the iPhone 17 and 7.2mm for the Galaxy S25. The iPhone Air Celso Bulgatti/ Zooey Liao/ CNETThe Galaxy Z Fold 7 is definitely thinner when open, at 4.2mm, but it surely additionally has extra floor space to unfold out its battery and different elements. Other foldables from Chinese firms Huawei, Oppo and Honor additionally boast thinner our bodies than the iPhone Air or S25 Edge, however solely when opened. And while you press the 2 skinny telephones collectively, do they actually match as much as the everyday cellphone slab you are carrying now? Combined (and once more, not together with the digital camera bumps), the iPhone Air and S25 Ultra are 11.44mm thick, which is extra chunky than both the iPhone 17 or Galaxy S25, and even the iPhone 17 Pro Max at 8.75mm. But for those who wished to get nearer to an old-time really feel, the unique first-generation iPhone in 2007 sat at 11.6mm. Stacking the iPhone Air (high) and the S25 Edge (backside) offers you an identical thickness as the unique first-generation iPhone (for those who ignore the digital camera bumps, and the awkwardness of not seeing both display). Abrar Al-Heeti/CNETSurprisingly, much less depth interprets to solely rather less 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? While each are fairly comparable, the iPhone Air is barely shorter and narrower at 156.2mm tall and 74.7mm large, in comparison with the S25 Edge’s dimensions of 158.2mm tall and 75.6mm large. iPhone Air vs. S25 Edge shows Apple calls the iPhone Air’s 6.5-inch OLED display a Super Retina XDR show. It has a excessive decision of two,736×1,260 pixels at a density of 460 ppi (pixels per inch) and might output a most of 3,000 nits of brightness outside and simply 1 nit minimal at the hours of darkness. The iPhone Air’s show can output 3,000 nits of brightness on a sunny day. Jesse Orrall/CNETSamsung packed a bigger 6.7-inch QHD+ Dynamic AMOLED 2X display into the S25 Edge, which interprets to a high-resolution show measuring 3,120 x 1,440 pixels at 513 ppi. Its brightness goes as much as 2,600 nits. Both telephones’ screens characteristic adaptive 120Hz refresh charges for smoother efficiency. The Galaxy S25 Edge show has a extra dense decision. Jesse Orrall/CNET Comparing the iPhone Air and S25 Edge cameras So far, most of the specs have been shut sufficient to weigh every cellphone pretty evenly. But then we get to the cameras. The iPhone Air features a single rear-facing 48-megapixel large digital camera with a 26mm-equivalent discipline of view and a relentless f/1.6 aperture. In its default mode, the digital camera outputs 24-megapixel “fusion” pictures which are the results of an imaging course of the place the digital camera captures a 12-megapixel picture (utilizing teams of 4 pixels appearing as one bigger pixel for higher gentle gathering, referred to as “binning”) and a 48-megapixel reference for extra element. The iPhone Air consists of only a single 48-megapixel rear digital camera. Jesse Orrall/ Zooey Liao/ CNETApple 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 consists of two built-in rear cameras, a 200-megapixel large and a 12-megapixel ultrawide. There’s no devoted telephoto digital camera, so the S25 Edge additionally presents a 2x-zoomed crop that shoots pictures at 12 megapixels in dimension. The Galaxy S25 Edge’s twin cameras. Jesse Orrall/CNETThe front-facing selfie cameras on every cellphone are fairly completely different. The iPhone Air introduces a brand new 18-megapixel digital camera with an f/1.9 aperture. But the elevated decision over the S25 Edge’s 12-megapixel selfie digital camera is not what’s notable. Apple calls it a Center Stage digital camera as a result of it has a sq. sensor that may seize tall or large photographs with out bodily turning the cellphone, in comparison with the 4:3 ratio sensors in typical selfie cameras. It can adapt the facet ratio based mostly on the variety of folks it detects in entrance of the digital camera: a standard portrait orientation while you’re snapping a photograph of your self, for instance, or change to a panorama orientation when two pals stand subsequent to you within the body. iPhone Air vs. S25 Edge batteries When it involves considerations, the battery lifetime of skinny telephones tops the record. The insides of most telephones are filled with as a lot battery as will match, so making a cellphone slimmer naturally means eradicating house for the battery. With both mannequin, you find yourself sacrificing battery energy for design. But how a lot? Apple would not record 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. Jesse Orrall/ Zooey Liao/ CNETThe S25 Edge features a 3,900-mAh battery that Samsung claims will play 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, “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 price noting that each telephones assist quick charging when utilizing a 20-watt or greater wired energy adapter, going from zero to round 50% cost in 30 minutes. iPhone Air vs. S25 Edge processor, storage and working system The iPhone Air is powered by Apple’s newest A19 Pro processor, the identical one discovered within the iPhone 17 Pro fashions (in comparison with the A19 within the inventory iPhone 17). Apple would not record the built-in reminiscence, however we suspect it consists of 8GB of RAM (which is acknowledged because the minimal quantity to run AI options similar to Apple Intelligence). The base 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 extensively this week. The S25 Edge runs on a Snapdragon 8 Elite processor, the identical one which powers the opposite S25 fashions. It consists of 12GB of RAM and is accessible 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 EdgeShow dimension, tech, decision, refresh fee 6.5-inch OLED; 2,736 x 1,260 pixel decision; 1-120Hz variable refresh rate6.7-inch QHD+ AMOLED show; 120Hz refresh fee 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 program iOS 26Android 15Camera 48-megapixel (large)200-megapixel (large), 12-megapixel (ultrawide)Front-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 Up to 27 hours video playback; as much as 22 hours video playback (streamed). Up to 40 hours video playback, as much as 35 hours video playback (streamed) with iPhone Air MagSafe Battery3,900 mAhFingerprint sensor None (Face ID)Under displayConnector USB-CUSB-CHeadphone jack NoneNoneParticular options Apple N1 wi-fi networking chip (Wi-Fi 7 (802.11be) with 2×2 MIMO), Bluetooth 6, Thread. Action button. Apple C1X mobile modem. Camera Control button. Dynamic Island. Apple Intelligence. Visual Intelligence. Dual eSIM. 1 to 3,000 nits brightness show vary. IP68 resistance. Colors: house black, cloud white, gentle gold, sky blue. Fast cost as much as 50% in 30 minutes utilizing 20W adapter or greater through charging cable. Fast cost as much as 50% in 30 minutes utilizing 30W adapter or greater through MagSafe Charger.IP88 ranking, 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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