Samsung has drawn first blood in the slim phone wars by launching the Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge, ahead of the expected iPhone 17 Air launch late this year.
Samsung’s phone goes up for pre-order at the end of the month and, from our initial hands-on look, there’s plenty for Apple to live up to with the iPhone 17 Air, due to arrive alongside the iPhone 17 in September.
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The chances are, the proposition won’t be that different when Apple shows off it’s trim handset, but there may be some key differences. Let’s take a look at what Apple has to beat, starting with the phone’s raison d’etre. The design.
Design
Samsung’s slimline handset, the Galaxy S25 Edge, is sleeker at 5.8mm and lighter at 163g. That’s a high bar to set. Our own Max Parker also commented on the brilliant in-hand feel. Samsung reckons it’ll be plenty durable, thanks to a titanium frame, IP68 water and dust resistance and a new type of Gorilla Glass Ceramic 2 display coating.
As for the iPhone 17 Air, the reliable Bloomberg reporter Mark Gurman reckons it’ll be 6.25-inches thick. That’s much thinner than the current iPhone 16 Pro (8.25mm) and the thinnest iPhone to date. However, if the reliable analyst Ming-Chi Kuo is correct Apple will build the phone as thin as 5.5mm. We don’t have any word on the weight.
There’s plenty of conjecture. We’ll have to wait and see.
Display
As for the display, Samsung has equipped the Galaxy S25 Edge has a flagship level with 120Hz refresh rate LTPO 3 technology and QHD+ resolution. Recent reports have spoken of an iPhone Air with 6.6-inch display with a 120Hz refresh rate, so very similar to Samsung’s model.
Performance
The performance will play out over time but we know the same Snapdragon 8 Elite on the Galaxy S25 series is going to give the Edge oodles of power, backed by 12GB of RAM.
Recent reports have suggested the iPhone 17 Air may have the next-gen A19 chip, rather than the A19 Pro equipping the more expensive Pro models. We have heard the iPhone 17 Air could have 12GB of RAM to help with Apple Intelligence.
Cameras
In terms of cameras, that’s expected to be a sacrifice, just like it is with Samsung’s model. There are just two sensors on the S25 Edge; a 200MP main sensor similar to the S25 Ultra and a 12MP ultrawide with macro.
It’s all rumours when it comes to Apple, but it’s expected to have just the one sensor, which is not what we’re used to for a flagship level phone in this era. A single 48-megapixel rear camera might be all you get.
Battery
Battery life is the key concern for Samsung fans with a 3,900mAh cell considered low capacity for a phone with a large and powerful screen and the best Snapdragon processor out there doing the heavy lifting. We’ll have to see how it plays out in testing. Samsung does reckon it’ll get you through 24 hours, but we’ll see.
As for Apple, Mark Gurman reckons the iPhone 17 Air will be on a par with other iPhones in the range and that homegrown C1 modem might help with efficiency.
Price
Finally, the price. The Galaxy S25 Ultra costs £1099/$1099, more than the standard edition S25 and less than the flagship Ultra. Similarly, rumours suggest more than the iPhone 17 and less than the iPhone 17 Pro. So maybe around £999? We’ll have to wait til September.
