Testing Samsung's Super Thin Galaxy S25 Edge

Samsung recently launched the Galaxy S25 Edge, a super thin smartphone that will compete with Apple's upcoming iPhone 17 Air. To see what it's like using such a thin phone, MacRumors video editor Dan Barbera used it as his main device for two weeks to see what it might be like to use Apple's equivalent later this year.


The Galaxy S25 Edge has a 6.7-inch display, so it's a larger smartphone, but because it's so thin and light, it's easy to hold. It's just 5.8mm thick and it weighs 163 grams, and it's so light that it almost feels like a plastic dummy phone. Apple's ‌iPhone 17 Air‌ could be even thinner at 5.5mm, and it will have a similar display size at 6.6 inches, so it should be a lot like the S25 Edge.

These super thin smartphones need to be used without a case to get the full effect, since a case is just going to increase the weight and thickness. A slim case might not be too bad, but it seems silly to shell out money for a super thin smartphone just to stick it inside a thick case.

With such a thin body, the Galaxy S25 Edge doesn't have as much room for a battery as other Samsung smartphones, so battery life is lacking. It's still possible to get through the day without a charge, but if you're a heavy user, you're probably going to need to top up your battery every so often during the day. Samsung has battery optimization settings that prioritize battery life, but those options affect game performance.

Apple will likely have some of the same issues with battery life, though optimizations are being implemented through AI battery settings in iOS 19. The efficiency of the C1 modem that the ‌iPhone 17 Air‌ will use will also help, plus Apple is going to sell an add-on battery pack alongside it.

Camera functionality is a tradeoff on the Galaxy S25 Edge, because it only has the 200-megapixel main lens and a 12-megapixel ultra wide lens with no telephoto lens. Other Samsung devices have triple-lens camera setups. The ‌iPhone 17 Air‌ will suffer from the same issue, and it's only going to get a single-lens main camera due to space constraints.

Samsung is selling the Galaxy S25 Edge for $1,100, which is not too far off from the higher-end and more feature rich Galaxy smartphones. Apple's ‌iPhone 17 Air‌ could come in cheaper at around $899, but that pricing plan was before any potential increases due to tariffs.

Do you plan to get the ‌iPhone 17 Air‌ this year? How do you think it will measure up to the S25 Edge? Let us know in the comments below.

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Top Rated Comments

Apple Knowledge Navigator Avatar
1 week ago
This review was a little thin on the ground?
Score: 17 Votes (Like | Disagree)
sw1tcher Avatar
1 week ago
These super thin smartphones need to be used without a case to get the full effect, since a case is just going to increase the weight and thickness. A slim case might not be too bad, but it seems silly to shell out money for a super thin smartphone just to stick it inside a thick case.

Apple will likely have some of the same issues with battery life, though optimizations are being implemented through AI battery settings in iOS 19. The efficiency of the C1 modem that the iPhone 17 Air will use will also help, plus Apple is going to sell an add-on battery pack alongside it.
Seems silly to shell out money for a super thin smartphone just to stick it inside a thick battery case ('https://www.macrumors.com/2025/05/03/iphone-17-air-battery-case-report/').
Score: 14 Votes (Like | Disagree)
snipr125 Avatar
1 week ago
Galaxy S25 Edge has a 3,900 Mh battery, the iPhone 17 Air is reported to have a 2800 Mh battery. Its going to be interesting to see how this pans out for sure.
Score: 11 Votes (Like | Disagree)
pugxiwawa Avatar
1 week ago
That's nothing. Apple is coming out with thinner Memoji!
Score: 11 Votes (Like | Disagree)
ignatius345 Avatar
1 week ago

Seems silly to shell out money for a super thin smartphone just to stick it inside a thick battery case ('https://www.macrumors.com/2025/05/03/iphone-17-air-battery-case-report/').
The more I think about it, it's starting to seem more silly to me to have a thick and heavy phone in my pocket when I rarely see the wrong side of 40% charge on my 15 Pro on the average day. I have plenty of scenarios where I'm out for two, three hours max and would love to have a super thin phone in my pocket for that whole time.

But on the day when I'm headed the airport or a long day out using transit instead of my car, or maybe a hike? In that case I would either put it in a battery case or just throw a battery in my backpack. The devil is in the details, but I don't hate the idea of decoupling the long-life battery and the phone so I can make a choice about what I need on a given day.
Score: 9 Votes (Like | Disagree)
d-klumpp Avatar
1 week ago
Thanks, Dan! I'm excited about the Air form, even at the expense of compromised battery life. Less bulk in the pocket is critical (i.e., also never use a case)! But I always opt for Pros specifically to have the best cameras, and I'm not sure I'm willing to compromise on the cameras for Airiness.
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)