Smartphones · Tool Face-Off

iPhone 17 Air vs Samsung Galaxy S25

Quick answer

The Samsung Galaxy S25 is a proven, available powerhouse with flagship AI chops. The iPhone 17 Air is Apple's boldest design bet yet — razor-thin and feather-light, but you pay for that silhouette in battery and camera compromises.

Our pick

iPhone 17 Air

Apple's thinnest iPhone ever — beauty with trade-offs

4.2★

Samsung Galaxy S25

Compact Android flagship with Galaxy AI baked in

4.2★

Starting Price

~$899

~$799

Thickness

~5.5 mm (world's thinnest iPhone)

~7.2 mm

Weight

~145 g

~162 g

Chipset

Apple A18 (3 nm)

Snapdragon 8 Elite (3 nm)

Rear Cameras

Single 48 MP main (no telephoto)

50 MP main + 10 MP telephoto + 12 MP ultrawide

Battery Capacity

~2,800 mAh (smaller due to thin design)

4,000 mAh

Display

6.6-in Super Retina XDR OLED, 60 Hz

6.2-in Dynamic AMOLED, 120 Hz adaptive

RAM

8 GB

12 GB

Storage Options

128 GB / 256 GB

128 GB / 256 GB / 512 GB

AI Features

Apple Intelligence (on-device + ChatGPT tie-in)

Galaxy AI (Gemini + on-device models)

OS Updates Guaranteed

6+ years (iOS)

7 years (Android + One UI)

5G mmWave Support

Yes (US models)

Yes

iPhone 17 Air

Performance★★★★½

Battery Life★★★☆☆

Software & AI★★★★½

Camera Quality★★★★☆

Design & Build★★★★★

Value for Money★★★½☆

Ecosystem & Integrations★★★★★

Samsung Galaxy S25

Performance★★★★½

Battery Life★★★★☆

Software & AI★★★★½

Camera Quality★★★★½

Design & Build★★★★☆

Value for Money★★★★☆

Ecosystem & Integrations★★★★☆

Worth knowing

The iPhone 17 Air is reportedly the thinnest Apple device since the iPod nano — at ~5.5 mm it's almost comically svelte.
Samsung's Galaxy S25 ships with Snapdragon 8 Elite globally, ditching Exynos entirely — a first for a base S-series.
The Air's single rear camera is a notable step back from even the iPhone 16 lineup, which had at least two lenses.
Galaxy S25 promises 7 years of OS and security updates, beating most flagship Android rivals.
Apple Intelligence features are still rolling out in phases, while Galaxy AI launched more fully-formed on the S25.

The iPhone 17 Air is so thin that early teardowns suggest the SIM tray was basically the thickest component — Apple reportedly considered removing it entirely just to shave another 0.2 mm.

If you want

You want the sleekest, lightest phone to slip into a pocket

Nothing on the market in 2025 beats the Air's jaw-dropping thinness and featherweight feel.

→ Pick iPhone 17 Air

If you want

You care most about camera versatility and battery endurance

The S25's triple-camera system and 4,000 mAh battery leave the Air's compromises in the dust.

→ Pick Samsung Galaxy S25

If you want

You're already deep in the Apple ecosystem (Mac, iPad, AirPods)

Continuity, AirDrop, iMessage, and Apple Intelligence work seamlessly together in ways Android simply can't replicate.

→ Pick iPhone 17 Air