iPhone Air vs Galaxy S25 Edge: Comparing the World’s Sleekest Flagships!

Apple recently dropped four new iPhones in India and globally. While the iPhone 17 series had all the usual suspects, there was one new entrant, the iPhone Air, Apple's slimmest iPhone yet.

However, despite its sleek form factor, the iPhone Air packs top-of-the-line hardware. Although it wasn't the only one of its kind. The Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge follows the same formula. But how does it fare against the iPhone Air? Let's find out!

iPhone Air vs Galaxy S25 Edge

Design, Build, Display

There are some minor differences in the design of the iPhone Air and Galaxy S25 Edge. The iPhone Air has a rounded frame, making it more comfortable to grip, while the S25 Edge opts for a flatter, sharper frame, although in our testing of the latter, we didn't experience any discomfort gripping the device.

Both phones are pretty evenly matched in terms of build quality, opting for glass protection on both sides and titanium frames. They also have an IP68 rating for protection against dust and water, while Apple has done away with a physical SIM slot to improve battery capacity. Finally, the iPhone Air (5.6mm Thick) is slightly sleeker than the Galaxy S25 Edge (5.8mm Thick).

Despite their ultra-slim designs, the iPhone Air and Galaxy S25 Edge make no compromises on display quality. While the Galaxy S25 Edge has the upper hand in terms of resolution and sharpness, the iPhone Air's screen supports Dolby Vision and can achieve a slightly higher peak brightness.

Cameras

For optics, the iPhone Air gets a single 48MP Fusion rear camera with an f/1.6 aperture, sensor-shift OIS, and 2x optical zoom. Up front, the iPhone Air opts for an 18MP Center Stage selfie camera with an f/1.9 aperture, PDAF, and OIS as well as an SL 3D depth sensor. The iPhone Air can record 4K video at up to 60fps and Dolby Vision HDR video on both the front and rear cameras.

On the flip side, the Galaxy S25 Edge features two rear cameras, a 200MP ISOCELL HP2 primary sensor with an f/1.7 aperture, PDAF, and OIS and a 12MP Sony IMX564 ultrawide lens with an f/2.2 aperture. Up front, the S25 Edge is equipped with a 12MP ISOCELL 3LU selfie camera with dual-pixel PDAF.

The Galaxy S25 Edge doesn't just offer more flexibility with the addition of the ultrawide lens but also opts for a larger primary sensor. In our review, we noted that the Galaxy S25 Edge's cameras were well tuned, delivering excellent results across the board.

We are yet to test out the iPhone Air's cameras. However, given Apple's camera tunning expertise, we expect the iPhone Air's main camera to keep pace with the S25 Edge, despite its smaller size. And while Samsung offers more flexibility in video recording, Apple still reigns supreme in smartphone videography. Additionally, the iPhone Air also offers a major selfie camera upgrade.

Overall, the Galaxy S25 Edge takes a narrow win for its superior flexibility and excellent image quality, while the iPhone Air holds its ground with stellar camera performance and remains the better choice for video recording.

Performance, Battery

In terms of performance, both phones use the absolute best chips for their respective platforms. Although the ultra-sleek form factor will likely limit their true potential. The A19 Pro features a 6-core CPU and a custom 5-core GPU, as opposed to 6-core on the iPhone 17 Pro models, while the Snapdragon 8 Elite SoC boasts an 8-core CPU and the Adreno 830 GPU.

The Snapdragon 8 Elite chip on the S25 Edge manages most tasks you throw at it efficiently and effectively. We didn't experience any major throttling when gaming or overheating when recording videos. We haven't tested out the iPhone Air yet, although its A19 Pro chip can run console games, giving it a leg up in gaming at least. We will do a full breakdown of the performance comparison between the two chips.

Apple doesn't reveal battery capacities, but the iPhone Air is estimated to pack a 2,900 mAh cell, about 30% smaller than the Galaxy S25 Edge's 3,900 mAh unit. Still, iPhones have long excelled in efficiency, and Apple promises all-day battery life with the Air. Meanwhile, in our Galaxy S25 Edge review, the phone comfortably cleared the all-day test, delivering reliable endurance.

iPhone Air vs Galaxy S25 Edge: Conclusion

Both the iPhone Air and Galaxy S25 Edge prove that slim doesn't mean compromise, packing premium hardware into ultra-sleek designs. The iPhone Air shines with its refined build, brighter Dolby Vision display, efficient A19 Pro chip, and unmatched video recording capabilities. It also brings a significant selfie camera upgrade, making it a strong choice for content creators.

On the other hand, the Galaxy S25 Edge edges ahead with a sharper display, a larger and more versatile camera system, and a bigger battery that easily delivers all-day performance. While Apple's efficiency ensures the Air can keep pace in endurance, Samsung's offering provides more flexibility overall. Ultimately, the Galaxy S25 Edge wins by a slim margin, but if video recording is your top priority, the iPhone Air remains the better option.