The iPhone 17 Air has nothing to worry about now that we've seen the Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge — here’s why

Opinion
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Just being thin is not enough

Galaxy S25 Edge vs. iPhone 17 Air
(Image credit: Future / Front Page Tech)

Even though we knew what was coming with the Galaxy S25 Edge, it was still impressive to finally see the finished product that Samsung unveiled earlier this week.

The phone is as thin as promised while also offering the kind of durable frame that suggests it will hold up under daily use.

The Edge also boasts the kind of premium phone features — a fast-refreshing 6.7-inch display, a top-performing Snapdragon 8 Elite chipset and a 200MP main camera — that make it a compelling choice for anyone looking for a new phone.

Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge Hands On: Thin Phone, Thick Price - YouTube Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge Hands On: Thin Phone, Thick Price - YouTube
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Very thin... but what else?

Galaxy S25 Edge vs Galaxy S25 Ultra.

Galaxy S25 Edge (bottom) next to the Galaxy S25 Ultra (top) (Image credit: Tom's Guide / John Velasco)

Any discussion involving the Galaxy S25 Edge begins with how thin it is — 5.8mm at its thinnest point, to be exact. That really becomes evident when you have the chance to stack it up against another phone — say the 8.2mm thin Galaxy S25 Ultra — to see what a difference a couple millimeters make.

But once you acknowledge what a great job Samsung did shrinking down the size of its phone will maintaining the premium features of a Galaxy S flagship, you're left to figure out what else this phone has going for it that makes it special. The more I examine the Edge, the answer seems to be that it's just another Galaxy S model.

The bigger issue could be the Galaxy S25 Edge's 3,900 mAh battery, the smallest power pack in any S25 model. Samsung is promising all-day battery life, but if it's well short of the Galaxy S25, that's an issue.

The Galaxy S25 Edge comes with Galaxy AI features. But they're the same ones you get on all the S25 devices, including the less expensive Galaxy S25 and S25 Plus. Certainly, those features impress — particularly the ability to perform cross-app actions with Gemini.

But if you're looking for AI capabilities that are specific to the S25 Edge or anything new debuting with this model, it's going to be a very short search. What you get with the other Galaxy S25 phones in terms of AI is what you get with the Edge.

Samsung might contend that's exactly the point — the Galaxy S25 Edge is just as powerful as the rest of its flagships with the bonus of being thinner and easier to tote around. But once you look at the sacrifices Samsung is making to get the Edge that thin you wouldn't be off-base questioning how much like a current Galaxy flagship the new model really is.

Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge hands-on review.

(Image credit: Tom's Guide / John Velasco)

The missing telephoto camera is probably the most notable omission, especially since that's something even the stripped-down Galaxy S24 FE offers.

But the the bigger issue could be the Galaxy S25 Edge's 3,900 mAh battery, the smallest power pack in any S25 model. Samsung is promising all-day battery life for the Edge, but if it's well short of the Galaxy S25 in testing, that's an issue.

Right now, I'm trying to wrap my brain around the fact that the Galaxy S25 Edge starts at $1,099 yet offers a smaller battery and more limited camera setup than the $799 Galaxy S25 and $999 Galaxy S25 Plus.

Perhaps additional testing will help me see beyond that price-to-features conundrum, but that's the thing keeping me from embracing the Edge right now.

How the iPhone 17 Air responds

iPhone 17 Air render

(Image credit: Apple/ Tom's Guide)

It's worth noting that the iPhone 17 Air, should it arrive this fall, will likely have to make sacrifices of its own.

Already, dummy units purporting to show off the phone's design show just a single rear camera — even the Edge offers an ultrawide shooter.

And while reports claim Apple is aiming for battery life on par with the rest of its flagships for the Air, the phone maker faces the same limited space that forced Samsung to use a smaller battery in its ultra-thin model.

The difference is that iPhone 17 Air now has a yardstick to measure itself against — and that yardstick is the Galaxy S25 Edge. Beat what the Edge has to offer, and the iPhone 17 Air could wind up making a lot of hay.

The Galaxy S25 Edge is thin? Apple could simply make the Air thinner, which is what the rumors claim is going to happen. Even with restrictions on battery size, Apple could find a way to make the Air last longer on a charge than the Galaxy S25 Edge does.

And there's also the possibility that Apple offers the iPhone 17 Air for less than $1,000, beating the Edge on price.

I still think Apple needs to offer more than just "a regular iPhone but thinner," particularly if rumored iPhone 17 price increases push up the cost of the Air. But Apple still has several months to figure out how to make a case for the iPhone 17 Air beyond the phone's slender design.

And if it doesn't? Well, we'll be having this conversation again in a few months' time.

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Philip Michaels
Philip Michaels

Philip Michaels is a Managing Editor at Tom's Guide. He's been covering personal technology since 1999 and was in the building when Steve Jobs showed off the iPhone for the first time. He's been evaluating smartphones since that first iPhone debuted in 2007, and he's been following phone carriers and smartphone plans since 2015. He has strong opinions about Apple, the Oakland Athletics, old movies and proper butchery techniques. Follow him at @PhilipMichaels.

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