Samsung blew consumers away – this writer included – with the release of the ultra-slim Galaxy S25 Edge in May.
We’d seen it teased multiple times ahead of its release, but it was only once I got the phone in my hands that I really understood the point. It’s just so much slimmer and lighter than you’d expect from a 6.7-inch phone – and it’s ruined heavy, big-screen phones for me as a result.
However, Samsung isn’t the only manufacturer with plans to release an ultra-thin flagship phone in 2025; keen to capitalise on the interest, Apple is rumoured to be working on its own equivalent, tentatively dubbed the iPhone 17 Air.
But with the Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge already measuring in at an impressive 5.8mm thick, how could Apple’s alternative compare?
While we’re likely still a few months from Apple officially unveiling its super-slim smartphone, there are plenty of rumours and leaks that give us a good idea of what Apple is aiming for – and if it can achieve it, it could be even thinner than Samsung’s Galaxy S25 Edge.
Apple’s aiming for the thinnest iPhone ever
Apple’s ultra-slim iPhone 17 Air is, as the name suggests, set to be the thinnest, sleekest model of iPhone to date – but there’s no general consensus on just how thin the smartphone could be.
Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo claims that the iPhone 17 Air will be 5.5mm at its thinnest point. If true, that’d make the iPhone marginally slimmer than the Galaxy S25 Edge – but it’s worth noting that Kuo claims it’ll be 5.5mm ‘at its thinnest point’, suggesting that the camera housing and other elements could add to the overall thickness in certain areas.
Interestingly, a separate source, allegedly from ‘inside Apple’s supply chain’, also claims that the iPhone 17 Air could measure in at 5.5mm thick.
There’s also the leaked dummy doing the rounds, purportedly from an iPhone 17 Air mould straight from China.
Interestingly, the unit seems to measure in slightly thicker than other claims at 5.65mm, but it’d still make it thinner than the Galaxy S25 Edge – just about, anyway.
If you need help visualising just how thin this is, there are plenty of videos doing the rounds with the dummy model.
… but it might not be Galaxy S25 Edge slim
That said, not all analysts and leakers are quite as confident, with some claiming that the iPhone 17 Air could indeed be a little thicker than the 5.8mm-thick Galaxy S25 Edge.
That includes some pretty well-known names in the world of smartphone leaks. Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman claims, rather cryptically, that the iPhone 17 Air will be 2mm thinner than the iPhone 16 Pro. Given that the 16 Pro measures 8.25mm thick, that’d suggest that the iPhone 17 Air could come in at 6.25mm.
Analyst Jeff Pu has also weighed in, claiming that the iPhone 17 Air will be around 6mm thick, while The Information’s sources claim it’ll be anywhere between 5mm and 6mm thick.
That’s a roundabout way of saying that there’s no clear consensus on just how thick the iPhone 17 Air could be when it’s revealed later this year. It could leave the Galaxy S25 Edge in the dust, but conversely, it could trail behind Samsung’s recent hardware innovation.
It’ll certainly be interesting to see just what Apple has pulled off once it officially reveals the handset, likely in September alongside the rest of the iPhone 17 collection – though nothing has been confirmed just yet.
