Technologies
Thin Phone Duel: iPhone Air vs. Galaxy S25 Edge
Does a thin design really make that much of a difference? Here’s the skinny on the slim phones from Apple and Samsung.

If you’re looking for a new phone for the holidays or for 2026, this year’s options have taken a tight turn. Both Apple and Samsung include extra-thin phones in their lineups, bringing up the question of whether a slim design is preferable to the roughly standard sizes we’ve gotten used to. And if you do decide you want to shave some thickness from your everyday phone, which one comes out on top: the Apple iPhone Air or the Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge?
So let’s compare the features of these thin phones. If you press them together, are they much thicker combined than a regular iPhone 17 or Galaxy S25? And do they overcome tradeoffs in battery life, camera and sound quality that come with a thinner design? I’m here to do the math and compare features for you.
Looking to order the iPhone Air? Check out our order guide to learn if you can get it free and other great deals.
Want to buy the Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge? Find out which carriers and retailers are offering the best deals on Samsung’s slim phone.
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iPhone Air vs. S25 Edge price comparison
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iPhone Air: $999. The iPhone Air takes the place formerly held by the iPhone 16 Plus, making it the only model with a screen larger than the iPhone 17 that isn’t an iPhone 17 Pro.
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Galaxy S25 Edge: $1,100. The S25 Edge joins the S25 and S25 Ultra in this year’s Galaxy lineup.
The iPhone Air includes fewer features than the iPhone 17, such as the number of cameras. However, it features a larger display, an A19 Pro processor, and is equipped with 256GB of storage to begin with. Additionally, Apple has consistently applied premium pricing for minor design changes. The original MacBook Air fit into an inter-office envelope and cost $1,799, despite being underpowered compared to the rest of the MacBook line. (Over a few generations, it would eventually become Apple’s entry-level affordable laptop at $999, where it still resides.)
The Galaxy S25 Edge’s higher price ($101) could be an attempt to capture more dollars from customers looking for a phone that sets them apart, but we’re already seeing occasional steep discounts on it.
In both cases, it’s worth noting that the pricing has held up against the Trump administration tariffs so far.
iPhone Air vs. S25 Edge dimensions and weight
Now it’s time to go deep — as in, just how thin is the depth of each phone?
No phone manufacturer describes its phones as bulky or chunky, even for extra-large models like the iPhone Pro Max. Yet, the difference between the depths of the iPhone Air and the S25 Edge, as well as the standard phones of each respective family, is stark.
Not counting the camera assembly, which Apple refers to as the «plateau,» most of the iPhone Air’s body is 5.64mm thick. The S25 Edge, at its narrowest point, is a hair thicker at 5.8mm. (Both companies list only the thinnest measurement, not including the cameras.) Compare that to 7.9mm for the iPhone 17 and 7.2mm for the Galaxy S25.
The Galaxy Z Fold 7 is actually thinner when open, at 4.2mm, but it also has a larger surface area to accommodate its battery and other components. Other foldables from Chinese companies, such as Huawei, Oppo and Honor, also boast thinner bodies than the iPhone Air or S25 Edge, but only when opened.
And when you press the two thin phones together, do they really match up to the typical phone slab you’re carrying now? Combined (and again, excluding the camera bumps), the iPhone Air and S25 Ultra are 11.44mm thick, which is thicker than either the iPhone 17 or Galaxy S25, and even the iPhone 17 Pro Max at 8.75mm. However, if you want to achieve a more vintage feel, the original first-generation iPhone, released in 2007, measured 11.6mm.
Surprisingly, the less depth translates to only a slight decrease in weight compared to the other models in each lineup. The iPhone Air weighs 165 grams versus 177 grams for the iPhone 17, while the S25 Edge pips in at just 163 grams but gets barely undercut by the Galaxy S25 at 162 grams.
How big is each phone in the hand? While both are similar, the iPhone Air is slightly shorter and narrower, measuring 156.2mm tall and 74.7mm wide, compared to the S25 Edge’s dimensions of 158.2mm tall and 75.6mm wide.
iPhone Air vs. S25 Edge displays
Apple calls the iPhone Air’s 6.5-inch OLED screen a Super Retina XDR display. It features a high resolution of 2,736×1,260 pixels at a density of 460 ppi (pixels per inch) and can output a maximum of 3,000 nits of brightness outdoors, as well as a minimum of 1 nit in the dark.
Samsung packed a larger 6.7-inch QHD+ Dynamic AMOLED 2X screen into the S25 Edge, which translates to a high-resolution display measuring 3,120×1,440 pixels at 513 ppi. Its brightness goes up to 2,600 nits.
Both phones’ screens feature adaptive 120Hz refresh rates for smoother performance.
Comparing the iPhone Air and S25 Edge cameras
So far, many of the specs have been close enough to weigh each phone fairly evenly. Then, we get to the cameras.
The iPhone Air includes a single rear-facing 48-megapixel wide camera with a 26mm-equivalent field of view and a constant f/1.6 aperture. In its default mode, the camera outputs 24-megapixel «fusion» photos that result from an imaging process where the camera captures a 12-megapixel image (using groups of four pixels acting as one larger pixel for improved light gathering, known as «binning») and a 48-megapixel reference for additional detail.
Apple also claims the iPhone Air can capture 2x-zoomed (52mm-equivalent) telephoto images that are 12 megapixels in dimension and represent a crop of the center of the image sensor.
The S25 Edge features two built-in rear cameras: a 200-megapixel wide-angle lens and a 12-megapixel ultrawide lens. There’s no dedicated telephoto camera, so the S25 Edge also offers a 2x-zoomed crop that shoots photos at 12 megapixels in size.
The front-facing selfie cameras on each phone differ significantly. The iPhone Air introduces a new 18-megapixel camera with an f/1.9 aperture. But the increased resolution over the S25 Edge’s 12-megapixel selfie camera isn’t what’s notable.
Apple calls it a Center Stage camera because it features a square sensor that can capture tall or wide shots without requiring the user to physically turn the phone, unlike the 4:3 ratio sensors found in typical selfie cameras. It can adapt the aspect ratio based on the number of people it detects in front of the camera: a traditional portrait orientation when you’re snapping a photo of yourself, for example, or switch to a landscape orientation when two friends stand next to you in the frame.
iPhone Air vs. S25 Edge batteries
When it comes to concerns, the battery life of thin phones is at the top of the list. The insides of most phones are packed with as much battery as will fit, so making a phone slimmer naturally means removing space for the battery. With either model, you end up sacrificing battery power for design. But how much?
Apple doesn’t list the iPhone Air’s battery capacity, but claims «all-day battery life» and up to 27 hours of video playback. It also sells a special iPhone Air MagSafe Battery add-on that magnetically snaps to the back of the phone and works only with the iPhone Air. In her review, CNET’s Senior Tech Reporter Abrar Al-Heeti drained the battery in 12 hours over a phone-intensive day, but did end a more typical day with 20% remaining.
The S25 Edge features a 3,900-mAh battery, which Samsung claims will support up to 24 hours of video playback. (Come on, phone manufacturers, our phones aren’t televisions left running in the background.)
In her S25 Edge review, Al-Heeti noted that the phone also generally lived up to Samsung’s own «all-day battery life» boast, saying, «Ultimately, you’ll get less juice out of that slimmer build, but S25 Edge offers just enough battery life to make me happy…But the S25 Edge has shifted my priorities. I’m enjoying the sleek form factor so much that I’m willing to make some compromises, even if that means I have to be sure to charge my phone each night, which is something I tend to do anyway.»
It’s worth noting that both phones support fast charging when used with a 20-watt or higher wired power adapter, allowing them to reach around 50% charge in 30 minutes from a completely discharged state.
iPhone Air vs. S25 Edge processor, storage and operating system
The iPhone Air is powered by Apple’s latest A19 Pro processor, the same one found in the iPhone 17 Pro models (compared to the A19 in the stock iPhone 17). Apple doesn’t list the built-in memory, but we suspect it includes 8GB of RAM (which is recognized as the minimum amount to run AI features such as Apple Intelligence). The base storage configuration is 256GB, with options to order the iPhone Air with 512GB or 1TB capacity. It ships with iOS 26, the latest version of the operating system that Apple released widely this week.
The S25 Edge is powered by a Snapdragon 8 Elite processor, the same one that powers the other S25 models. It includes 12GB of RAM and is available in storage capacities of 256GB and 512GB. The phone comes preinstalled with Android 15.
iPhone Air vs. S25 Edge all specs
Apple iPhone Air vs. Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge
| Apple iPhone Air | Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge | |
| Display size, tech, resolution, refresh rate | 6.5-inch OLED; 2,736 x 1,260 pixel resolution; 1-120Hz variable refresh rate | 6.7-inch QHD+ AMOLED display; 120Hz refresh rate |
| Pixel density | 460ppi | 513 ppi |
| Dimensions (inches) | 6.15 x 2.94 x 0.22 in | 2.98 x 6.23 x 0.23 inches |
| Dimensions (millimeters) | 156.2 x 74.7 x 5.64 mm | 75.6 X 158.2 X 5.8mm |
| Weight (grams, ounces) | 165 g (5.82 oz) | 163g (5.75 oz) |
| Mobile software | iOS 26 | Android 15 |
| Camera | 48-megapixel (wide) | 200-megapixel (wide), 12-megapixel (ultrawide) |
| Front-facing camera | 18-megapixel | 12-megapixel |
| Video capture | 4K | 8K |
| Processor | Apple A19 Pro | Snapdragon 8 Elite |
| RAM + storage | RAM N/A + 256GB, 512GB, 1TB | 12GB RAM + 256GB, 512GB |
| Expandable storage | None | No |
| Battery | Up to 27 hours video playback; up to 22 hours video playback (streamed).Up to 40 hours video playback, up to 35 hours video playback (streamed) with iPhone Air MagSafe Battery | 3,900 mAh |
| Fingerprint sensor | None (Face ID) | Under display |
| Connector | USB-C | USB-C |
| Headphone jack | None | None |
| Special features | Apple N1 wireless networking chip (Wi-Fi 7 (802.11be) with 2×2 MIMO), Bluetooth 6, Thread. Action button. Apple C1X cellular modem. Camera Control button. Dynamic Island. Apple Intelligence. Visual Intelligence. Dual eSIM. 1 to 3,000 nits brightness display range. IP68 resistance. Colors: space black, cloud white, light gold, sky blue. Fast charge up to 50% in 30 minutes using 20W adapter or higher via charging cable. Fast charge up to 50% in 30 minutes using 30W adapter or higher via MagSafe Charger. | IP88 rating, 5G, One UI 7, 25-watt wired charging, 15-watt wireless charging, Galaxy AI, Gemini, Circle to Search, Wi-Fi 7. |
| US price starts at | $999 (256GB) | $1,100 (256GB) |
Technologies
Prime Video Hits Pause on Error-Filled AI Recaps
People reported the AI tool struggling with interpreting key scenes properly.
Amazon launched a limited beta of AI-generated Video Recaps for selected in-house Prime Video shows last month — titles like Fallout, Jack Ryan, The Rig, Upload and Bosch. But now the feature has made a generative AI about-face, with reports of it being removed from the app after fans found errors in the Fallout recap and posted about them online.
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The Video Recaps feature stitches together video clips, audio effects, snippets of dialog, music and an AI-generated voiceover narration. According to Amazon, it «analyzes a season’s key plot points and character arcs to deeply understand the most pivotal moments that will resonate with viewers as they enter the next season.»
But as reported earlier by GamesRadar, a viewer recently posted in the r/Fallout subreddit that the season one recap incorrectly dated Cooper Howard’s flashbacks to 1950 when they were actually set in 2077.
«‘Cooper offers Lucy a choice in the finale: die, or join him’ phrased as if he’d be the one to kill her,» another viewer posted on X, describing one of the other AI errors in the recap.
Several outlets then noted that the recap option in the app seems to have disappeared. CNET Senior Editor Corinne Reichert’s app still displays the recap option, but nothing happens when it’s clicked.
As someone with a terrible memory, I would really, really like these types of features to work. Hope springs eternal, I guess.
Amazon did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Technologies
Today’s NYT Mini Crossword Answers for Saturday, Dec. 13
Here are the answers for The New York Times Mini Crossword for Dec. 13.
Looking for the most recent Mini Crossword answer? Click here for today’s Mini Crossword hints, as well as our daily answers and hints for The New York Times Wordle, Strands, Connections and Connections: Sports Edition puzzles.
Need some help with today’s Mini Crossword? It’s so long, it’s almost not a mini version today. Read on for the answers. And if you could use some hints and guidance for daily solving, check out our Mini Crossword tips.
If you’re looking for today’s Wordle, Connections, Connections: Sports Edition and Strands answers, you can visit CNET’s NYT puzzle hints page.
Read more: Tips and Tricks for Solving The New York Times Mini Crossword
Let’s get to those Mini Crossword clues and answers.
Mini across clues and answers
1A clue: Field trip vehicle
Answer: BUS
4A clue: Peter’s antagonist, in a musical tale
Answer: WOLF
8A clue: «Keep me posted,» in texts
Answer: LMK
9A clue: Opera solo
Answer: ARIA
10A clue: ___Pen (emergency device)
Answer: EPI
11A clue: With 12-Across, gets in order
Answer: SETS
12A clue: With 14-Across, what a tennis champ might win a match in
Answer: STRAIGHT
14A clue: See 12-Across
Answer: SETS
15A clue: «A long time ___ in a galaxy far, far away …»
Answer: AGO
16A clue: Shy and gentle
Answer: MEEK
17A clue: Prefix with apology or answer
Answer: NON
18A clue: Comes to a close
Answer: ENDS
19A clue: Have to pay
Answer: OWE
Mini down clues and answers
1D clue: «Goodness gracious!»
Answer: BLESSME
2D clue: Indefinitely many, informally
Answer: UMPTEEN
3D clue: Avoided, as an issue
Answer: SKIRTED
4D clue: «Now, where ___?»
Answer: WASI
5D clue: Green topping at a pizza parlor
Answer: OREGANO
6D clue: John who played Churchill on «The Crown»
Answer: LITHGOW
7D clue: Sneaky trick to «pull»
Answer: FASTONE
13D clue: Doesn’t just assume one has permission
Answer: ASKS
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Technologies
Apple Watch Series 11 vs. Series 10: Are the Differences Enough to Justify Upgrading?
At first glance, the new Apple Watch Series 11 looks a lot like its previous-year model. We compare the specs to see what’s changed.
If you’re looking at getting an Apple Watch this holiday season, you have a tough choice: Should you buy the latest Apple Watch Series 11, or find a Series 10 that has most of the same features at a lower cost? Apple made incremental changes to its flagship smartwatch, while also introducing significant improvements to the Apple Watch Ultra 3 and Apple Watch SE 3.
There are still enough differences to make you look twice at moving up (especially if you’re coming from an older model). Let’s compare the models side by side and tease out the finer details.
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Pricing the Apple Watch Series 11
The Series 11 has kept the same price as the Series 10. It starts at $399 for the model with an aluminum body or $699 for one made of titanium.
Add $30 for the larger 46mm case size in aluminum, or $50 for titanium. Opting for a model with a cellular radio that connects independently to networks adds $100. And if you choose a band made of something other than rubber or textile — a stainless steel link bracelet, for example — the price climbs further. Unfortunately, you can’t order just the watch case; you have to select a new band, even if it ends up in your drawer in favor of one you already own and prefer.
There’s also a titanium Apple Watch Hermès model available in silver titanium in both sizes that starts at $1,249.
Apple no longer sells the Series 10, since the Series 11 replaces it, but you can still find refurbished Series 10 models for less from Apple, and new models from other retailers while supplies last.
Apple Watch Series 11 vs. Series 10: Outward design
The Series 11 and Series 10 share the same case design and materials. The larger model measures 46mm tall by 39mm wide, while the smaller comes in at 42mm by 36mm. (Kudos to Apple for continuing to offer two sizes to accommodate people with different-sized wrists.) They’re also both 1mm slimmer than the Apple Watch models that came before, at 9.7mm.
Despite being mostly the same in dimensions, the Series 11 is slightly heavier than the Series 10. For example, the 46mm aluminum GPS Series 11 weighs 37.8 grams, up slightly from 36.4 grams for the Series 10. The 42mm versions come in at 30.3 grams and 30.0 grams, respectively.
For colors, the Series 11 adds a space gray aluminum option to go along with rose gold, silver and jet black. Both models are also available in titanium finishes of slate, gold and natural.
The physical controls are unchanged: the dial that Apple calls the Digital Crown and a side button (that Apple cleverly calls the «side button»). Only the Apple Watch Ultra includes a third physical control: the Action button.
Also noteworthy: The titanium Series 11 is made of 100% recycled titanium, up from 95% recycled material in the titanium Series 10. The display glass is made of 40% recycled glass in the Series 11; no amount is listed for the Series 10. And the battery in the Series 11 uses 100% recycled cobalt and 95% recycled lithium. (The Series 10 lists only 100% recycled cobalt.)
Series 11 vs. Series 10 screens
The screens on both the Series 11 and Series 10 watches have a wide-angle LTPO 3 OLED display. That means it’s easier to see the contents from an angle, and the always-on display refreshes once per second, allowing the seconds counter to move even when the watch is in inactive mode.
LTPO3 screens are also more power efficient. The screens reach up to 2,000 nits for clear visibility in sunlight and dim down to just 1 nit in darkness.
The key difference between the Series 11 and Series 10 screens lies in the glass covering. On the Series 11 aluminum models, Apple uses Ion-X glass, which it claims is twice as scratch-resistant as the glass on previous aluminum versions. The titanium Series 11 uses a sapphire crystal display.
Apple Watch processor and chips
Normally we’d highlight how the new processor improves on its predecessor, but for 2025 Apple stuck with the same S10 processor found in the Series 10. That also means the other chips remain the same, too: the W3 Apple Wireless chip, the second-generation Ultra Wideband chip (for precise Find My location tracking), a four-core Neural Engine and 64GB of storage.
Battery power: Series 11 vs. Series 10
Battery life is where the two models get really interesting. Apple doesn’t reveal how large the built-in lithium-ion battery is or its capacity, but it is claiming up to 24 hours for the Series 11 compared to 18 hours for the Series 10. In Low Power Mode, that’s up to 38 hours for the Series 11, up from 36 hours in the Series 10.
It’s not entirely clear where Apple squeezed an extra six hours of battery life out of what appears to be mostly identical hardware. Both phones use the same S10 processor, though there are likely software optimizations in WatchOS 26. CNET lead writer Vanessa Hand Orellana found that, at least initially, Apple may be undercounting the battery performance, writing in her review, «With notifications turned on (heavy Slack-ing and texting), at least one 30- to 45-minute outdoor workout a day, a full night of sleep tracking and some mild flashlight use, I’ve consistently managed to squeeze between 27 and 32 hours per charge.»
As for charging the watches, both the Series 11 and Series 10 can be charged up to 80% in about 30 minutes. Apple says that with a 20W power adapter, 15 minutes of fast charging provides up to 8 hours of regular use, while just five minutes is enough for eight hours of sleep tracking — thanks to the watch’s much lower power demands while you’re asleep. Apple’s comparison information for the Series 10 doesn’t list those last two metrics, but that seems more due to it being a marketing point last year versus a new capability in the Series 11.
Comparing the sensors of the Series 11 and Series 10
The Apple Watch’s sensors power health features that range from heart-rate monitoring to depth sensing to precise location tracking. That said…
They’re identical in the Series 11 and Series 10. No changes here.
Another change: Connectivity in the Series 11 and Series 10
One of the more notable changes in the cellular models of the Series 11 is support for 5G networks, specifically a power-efficient type called 5G Reduced Capacity (or 5G RedCap). That allows it to connect to both 5G and LTE networks without having to go through a connected iPhone, and the 5G speeds should be better. By comparison, the cellular Series 10 supports LTE and UMTS (3G).
Part of incorporating 5G into the Series 11 models is a redesigned cellular antenna and an algorithm that «simultaneously engages the two system antennas when needed, significantly increasing the signal strength,» according to Apple’s Series 11 press release. That algorithm is exclusive to the Series 11 and Apple Watch Ultra 3, per Apple.
Both Apple Watch models support Wi-Fi 4 (802.11n) at 2.5GHz and 5GHz speeds. (Apple’s comparison page only lists the speeds for the Series 11, but an Apple Watch Wi-Fi support page notes 5GHz has been supported since the Series 6 watches.)
Both watches talk to the iPhone and other peripherals using Bluetooth 5.3.
WatchOS 26 on the Apple Watch Series 11 and Series 10
The new features of WatchOS 26 come to both watch models, including hypertension notifications, Sleep Score and the Blood Oxygen app (making its reappearance in the US amid an ongoing legal dispute). Apple’s comparison page lists the new Wrist Flick gesture for the Series 11 but not the Series 10, but that must be a typo because I can confirm that it works on my Series 10 watch.
Apple Watch Series 11 vs. Apple Watch Series 10
| Apple Watch Series 11 | Apple Watch Series 10 | |
| Design & sizes | Rectangular, 42mm, 46mm | Rectangular, 42mm, 46mm |
| Display | 42mm: 446 x 374 pixels, LTPO3 OLED Retina display, Wide-angle OLED 46mm: 416 x 496 pixels, LTPO3 OLED Retina display, Wide-angle OLED | 446 x 374 ppi, LTPO3 OLED Retina display, Wide-angle OLED |
| Brightness | Between 1 and 2000 nits | 2000 nits |
| Thickness & weight | 46mm size: 9.7mm; 37.8g (aluminum), 36.9g (aluminum GPS+Cellular), 43.1g (titanium) 42mm size: 9.7mm; 30.3g (aluminum), 29.7g (aluminum GPS+Cellular), 34.6g (titanium) | 9.7mm; 30-41.7g (46mm titanium model) |
| Material & finish | Aluminum: jet black, rose gold or silver finish; titanium: slate, gold or natural finish | Aluminum: jet black, rose gold or silver finish; titanium: slate, gold or natural finish |
| Durability | 5ATM Water + IP6X (dust) | 5ATM Water + IP6X (dust) |
| Battery life | Up to 24 hours, up to 38 hours Low Power (always-on) + Fast charge: 80% in 30 min, 100% in 60 min | 24-30 (always-on) + Fast charge: 80% in 30 min, 100% in 60 min |
| Sensors | ECG, 3rd-gen optical heart sensor, skin temp, depth gauge, SpO2, Noise monitoring, water temperature, compass | ECG, heart rate, skin temp, depth gauge, SpO2, Noise monitoring |
| Emergency features | Satellite SOS, Emergency SOS, Fall detection, Crash detection, Check in and Backtrack | Emergency SOS, Fall detection, Crash detection, Check in and Backtrack |
| AI & coaching | Siri (voice assistant); Workout Buddy | Siri (voice assistant); Workout Buddy |
| Processor | S10 SiP with 64-bit dual-core processor, W3 Apple wireless chip | S10 SiP with 64-bit dual-core processor, W3 Apple wireless chip |
| RAM/Storage | 64GB (storage) | 64GB (storage) |
| Payments | Apple Pay | Apple Pay |
| Price (US) | $399-$750 (titanium) | $399-$750 (titanium) |
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