A worthy challenger
Samsung is taking the fight to Apple with the Galaxy S26 Edge, which is expected to borrow a few design choices from the iPhone Air. The thinnest part of the Galaxy S26 Edge will measure 5.5mm, and it’ll come with a new processor, a bigger battery, and a fresh ultrawide camera.
Pros
- We could see 16GB of memory and larger storage configurations
- Thinner than the iPhone Air at 5.5mm
- Dual-chip strategy with Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 and Exynos 2600 variants
- Larger 4,200mAh battery capacity
- Rumored Qi2 support with internal magnets for MagSafe
Cons
- Larger camera bump than iPhone Air, adding 5.3mm thickness
- 25W charging speeds, potentially slower Qi2 wireless charging support
- No main camera upgrades expected
Sleeker design, fewer features
The iPhone Air seems to look cleaner with more style than the rumored Galaxy S26 Edge appearance. However, it’ll have one fewer camera, worse performance, and a smaller battery capacity. You’ll also get iOS 26 instead of One UI 8.
Pros
- 5.6mm thick with a smaller camera plateau
- Runs on A19 Pro with 12GB RAM
- Includes MagSafe, Action button, and Camera Control
- Selfie camera is upgraded to 18MP while adding square sensor design.
Cons
- USB 2.0 Type-C port is slower than Galaxy S26 Edge
- Main camera is lower-resolution
- No stereo speakers
- eSIM only worldwide
- A19 Pro is throttled and has less memory than rumored Galaxy S26 Edge specs
Samsung kicked off the slim phone resurgence in 2025 with the Galaxy S25 Edge. Now, the question is how the tech giant will respond to emerging competitors. We’ve seen global challengers from TECNO and mainstream contenders stateside, including the iPhone Air from Apple. Although the Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge has more features, the iPhone Air does manage to be slimmer.
Apple achieved this feat by cleverly using the camera bump on phones to its advantage. By hiding components within the bump, which it now calls a plateau, it made the overall body thinner. Well, we now expect Samsung to copy Apple’s homework with the Galaxy S26 Edge. It’s rumored to be even thinner than the iPhone Air while packing an even bigger camera bump.
That’s quite a lot to consider, so which ultra-slim phone should you buy? Let’s compare the rumored Galaxy S26 Edge specs against the current iPhone Air offerings in this speculative breakdown.
Samsung Galaxy S26 Edge vs. iPhone Air: Pricing and availability
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The Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge is only a few months old, but we’ll likely see a successor soon alongside the complete Galaxy S26 lineup. Based on current rumors, we expect the Samsung Galaxy S26 Edge to replace both the Galaxy S25 Edge and Plus models in the new series. One rumor disagrees, though. The Galaxy S26 Edge should be priced at the same $1,099 price, which will get you at least 256GB of storage.
The iPhone Air is slightly cheaper at $999, and it’s available now. The phone ships with 256GB of storage as standard and is available in four colorways: Cloud White, Sky Blue, Space Black, and Light Gold. It’s configurable with up to 1TB of internal storage.
Samsung Galaxy S26 Edge vs. iPhone Air: Design and display
The Samsung Galaxy S26 Edge is expected to take major design cues from the iPhone Air. Apple stuffed the majority of the iPhone Air with battery, relegating the logic board and key system components into the camera bump — now called a camera plateau. As such, the iPhone Air camera bump extends across the back of the phone, despite only holding one camera lens.
This strategy allowed the iPhone Air to usurp the Galaxy S25 Edge’s thickness. The iPhone Air measures 5.64mm exactly, making it the thinnest iPhone ever and the thinnest commercially available phone in the U.S. right now.
Now, Samsung will do the same with the Galaxy S26 Edge, but to a greater degree. It will keep its dual vertically-oriented rear cameras, according to leaks and rumors, but the camera bump will now extend across the back. This will result in a camera island — or plateau, or whatever you prefer to call it — that’s greater in surface area than the one on the iPhone Air. Rumors claim the camera bump itself is 5.3mm alone on the Galaxy S26 Edge.
Of course, this large camera bump allows Samsung to make the body of the Galaxy S26 Edge even thinner. It’s said to measure 5.5mm thick, meaning Samsung would pass Apple yet again.
It’s up to the consumer to decide where to draw the line as to which camera bump styles cheat dimensions. Is the iPhone Air really 5.64mm thick if it has a camera plateau? Or is the Galaxy S26 Edge really 5.5mm thick when a camera island taking up a third of the phone’s back adds another 5.3mm of thickness? Only you can decide that, but it’s worth thinking about.
A notable difference between these two phones will be their screens. The iPhone Air has a 6.5-inch display, putting it firmly between standard and “Plus” or “Max/Ultra” phones. However, the Galaxy S26 Edge is rumored to sport a 6.7-inch AMOLED panel for another year, making it the exact same size as a typical Plus model from Samsung. Both the iPhone Air and the Galaxy S26 Edge will certainly have 120Hz refresh rate support, as well as HDR support.
The iPhone Air excels in two key areas: brightness and outdoor visibility. The phone’s display can hit 3,000 nits in outdoor settings, whereas the Galaxy S26 Edge might top out at 2,600 nits if current specs hold. Additionally, the iPhone has a slight anti-glare coating, while the Galaxy S26 Edge may not.
For durability, both phones will use a titanium chassis and offer IP68 certification against dust and water ingress.
Samsung Galaxy S26 Edge vs. iPhone Air: Hardware and specs
The iPhone Air has specs that look great on paper, but real-world usage may be a different story. It’s powered by the Apple A19 Pro chipset, although this is a binned version with one fewer GPU core than what you get in the iPhone 17 Pro. The chip itself also appears to be throttled in our testing, and for good reason — it gets hot quickly during intensive tasks, which will drain battery fast.
By comparison, Samsung is expected to use the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 for Galaxy in the Galaxy S26 Edge. It’ll improve on the Snapdragon 8 Elite for Galaxy within the current Galaxy S25 Edge.
That chip already outperforms the iPhone Air in many situations, so we should see even better performance from the new Samsung. It also could offer 16GB of memory, per recent leaks, which would one-up the 12GB in the iPhone Air.
|
Category |
Samsung Galaxy S26 Edge |
iPhone Air |
|---|---|---|
|
OS |
One UI 8.5 (up to seven OS upgrades) |
iOS 26 (five OS upgrades guaranteed) |
|
Display |
6.7-inch QHD+ Dynamic AMOLED 2X, 120Hz LTPO 2,600 nits peak brightness |
6.5‑inch (diagonal) all‑screen OLED display, 120Hz LTPO, 3,000 nits peak brightness |
|
Processor |
Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 for Galaxy |
Apple A19 Pro |
|
RAM |
16GB |
12GB |
|
Storage |
256GB, 512GB |
256GB, 512GB, 1TB |
|
Rear Camera 1 |
200MP wide, f/1.7, 24mm, OIS, PDAF, 0.6µm 2x optical-quality zoom |
48MP Fusion primary, 26 mm, ƒ/1.6 aperture, sensor-shift optical image stabilization 2x optical-quality zoom |
|
Rear Camera 2 |
50MP ultrawide |
N/A |
|
Selfie Camera |
12MP, f/2.2, 26mm, PDAF |
18MP Center Stage camera ƒ/1.9 aperture Autofocus with Focus Pixels |
|
Audio |
Stereo speakers |
Earpiece speaker |
|
Connectivity |
Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 5.4, NFC, 5G, USB-C (3.2) |
Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 6, Thread, NFC, 5G, MagSafe, USB-C (2.0) |
|
Protection |
IP68 |
IP68 |
|
Battery |
4,200mAh |
3,149mAh (per EU filings) |
|
Charging |
25W wired, Qi2 magnetic |
20W wired and MagSafe/Qi2; 0% to 50% in 30 minutes |
|
Dimensions |
158.4 x 75.7 x 5.5mm |
156.2 x 74.7 x 5.64mm |
|
Weight |
~163g |
165g |
|
Colors |
Unknown |
Space Black, Cloud White, Light Gold, Sky Blue |
Both the Galaxy S26 Edge and the iPhone Air compromise in certain areas, but the Air seems to give up more. It doesn’t have a secondary ultrawide camera, stereo speakers, or USB 3.2 support. These are all things the Galaxy S26 Edge is tabbed to provide, plus magnetic Qi2 support, rectifying a major omission on its predecessor.
Battery life could be better on the Samsung Galaxy S26 Edge, too. It’ll ship with a larger 4,200mAh battery, according to rumors. That’s still less than most phones in its size class, but it is way more than the 3,149mAh battery in the iPhone Air.
Truth be told, Apple manages to squeeze a surprising amount of battery life from the iPhone Air, so we’ll have to test these phones before giving a battery verdict.
Another separator between these phones is their camera offerings. Apple has the advantage in selfie capture, with a square sensor that can take vertical or portrait shots without rotating the device. It can also use Center Stage to zoom out in the software to fit everyone in the photo. In comparison, the Galaxy S26 Edge’s selfie camera isn’t expected to include any of these tricks.
The Samsung Galaxy S26 Edge will have the standout rear camera system, with a 200MP primary shooter and a 50MP ultrawide camera. The iPhone Air only has a 48MP camera sensor on the back. While it can use sensor crop to mimic 2x optical zoom like the Galaxy S26 Edge, there’s no getting around the lack of an ultrawide cam for wide shots.
Samsung Galaxy S26 Edge vs. iPhone Air: Which should you plan to buy?
The Samsung Galaxy S26 Edge and the iPhone Air figure to have just as many differences as similarities. They’re both thin phones, but the iPhone Air seems to prioritize minimal design as much as a slim and lightweight build. That’s evidenced by the inclusion of only one rear camera and the relatively small camera plateau — at least compared to the Galaxy S26 Edge’s rumored camera island.
Meanwhile, it’s clear that the Galaxy S26 Edge will be the winner on paper. It’s trying to be the thinnest phone with the least amount of compromise. In that effort, the Galaxy S26 Edge becomes an eyesore in the way the iPhone Air and even the Galaxy S25 Edge are not. However, it also adds a more capable ultrawide sensor, a larger battery, and a more powerful chip, according to rumors.
If you want the prettiest thin phone, I’d argue the iPhone Air still satisfies that craving best. Those wanting the most features in the thinnest package should wait for the Samsung Galaxy S26 Edge instead.
A winner for 2026?
Apple “cheated” thinness by using the camera bump to its advantage, and Samsung looks to be doing the same with the Galaxy S26 Edge. It’ll be thinner than the iPhone Air despite offering things like an extra camera and a larger battery. The camera bump is a serious eyesore, though.
Thinnest, for now
The iPhone Air is thinner than the Galaxy S25 Edge, but that might not last long. The new Galaxy S26 Edge is expected to be slimmer with more features, making the iPhone Air a tough choice. You’ll want to go the Apple route if you prefer the Air’s design, want iOS 26, or need a more compact display size.
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