A worthy challenger
Samsung is taking the battle to Apple with the Galaxy S26 Edge, which is anticipated to borrow just a few design decisions from the iPhone Air. The thinnest a part of the Galaxy S26 Edge will measure 5.5mm, and it will include a brand new processor, an even bigger battery, and a contemporary ultrawide digicam.
Execs
- We may see 16GB of reminiscence and bigger storage configurations
- Thinner than the iPhone Air at 5.5mm
- Twin-chip technique with Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 and Exynos 2600 variants
- Bigger 4,200mAh battery capability
- Rumored Qi2 assist with inner magnets for MagSafe
Cons
- Bigger digicam bump than iPhone Air, including 5.3mm thickness
- 25W charging speeds, doubtlessly slower Qi2 wi-fi charging assist
- No most important digicam upgrades anticipated
Sleeker design, fewer options
The iPhone Air appears to look cleaner with extra type than the rumored Galaxy S26 Edge look. Nonetheless, it will have one fewer digicam, worse efficiency, and a smaller battery capability. You may additionally get iOS 26 as a substitute of One UI 8.
Execs
- 5.6mm thick with a smaller digicam plateau
- Runs on A19 Professional with 12GB RAM
- Consists of MagSafe, Motion button, and Digicam Management
- Selfie digicam is upgraded to 18MP whereas including sq. sensor design.
Cons
- USB 2.0 Kind-C port is slower than Galaxy S26 Edge
- Important digicam is lower-resolution
- No stereo audio system
- eSIM solely worldwide
- A19 Professional is throttled and has much less reminiscence than rumored Galaxy S26 Edge specs
Samsung kicked off the slim cellphone resurgence in 2025 with the Galaxy S25 Edge. Now, the query is how the tech big will reply to rising opponents. We have seen international challengers from TECNO and mainstream contenders stateside, together with the iPhone Air from Apple. Though the Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge has extra options, the iPhone Air does handle to be slimmer.
Apple achieved this feat by cleverly utilizing the digicam bump on telephones to its benefit. By hiding elements inside the bump, which it now calls a plateau, it made the general physique thinner. Nicely, we now count on Samsung to repeat Apple’s homework with the Galaxy S26 Edge. It is rumored to be even thinner than the iPhone Air whereas packing a good greater digicam bump.
That is quite a bit to think about, so which ultra-slim cellphone must you purchase? Let’s evaluate the rumored Galaxy S26 Edge specs in opposition to the present iPhone Air choices on this speculative breakdown.
Samsung Galaxy S26 Edge vs. iPhone Air: Pricing and availability
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The Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge is just a few months outdated, however we’ll doubtless see a successor quickly alongside the whole Galaxy S26 lineup. Primarily based on present rumors, we count on the Samsung Galaxy S26 Edge to switch each the Galaxy S25 Edge and Plus fashions within the new collection. One rumor disagrees, although. The Galaxy S26 Edge must be priced on the similar $1,099 value, which can get you not less than 256GB of storage.
The iPhone Air is barely cheaper at $999, and it is out there now. The cellphone ships with 256GB of storage as normal and is offered in 4 colorways: Cloud White, Sky Blue, House Black, and Gentle Gold. It is configurable with as much as 1TB of inner storage.
Samsung Galaxy S26 Edge vs. iPhone Air: Design and show
The Samsung Galaxy S26 Edge is anticipated to take main design cues from the iPhone Air. Apple stuffed the vast majority of the iPhone Air with battery, relegating the logic board and key system elements into the digicam bump — now known as a digicam plateau. As such, the iPhone Air digicam bump extends throughout the again of the cellphone, regardless of solely holding one digicam lens.
This technique allowed the iPhone Air to usurp the Galaxy S25 Edge’s thickness. The iPhone Air measures 5.64mm precisely, making it the thinnest iPhone ever and the thinnest commercially out there cellphone within the U.S. proper now.
Now, Samsung will do the identical with the Galaxy S26 Edge, however to a higher diploma. It would preserve its twin vertically-oriented rear cameras, in accordance with leaks and rumors, however the digicam bump will now lengthen throughout the again. This may lead to a digicam island — or plateau, or no matter you favor to name it — that is higher in floor space than the one on the iPhone Air. Rumors declare the digicam bump itself is 5.3mm alone on the Galaxy S26 Edge.
After all, this huge digicam bump permits Samsung to make the physique of the Galaxy S26 Edge even thinner. It is mentioned to measure 5.5mm thick, which means Samsung would move Apple but once more.
It is as much as the buyer to resolve the place to attract the road as to which digicam bump types cheat dimensions. Is the iPhone Air actually 5.64mm thick if it has a digicam plateau? Or is the Galaxy S26 Edge actually 5.5mm thick when a digicam island taking over a 3rd of the cellphone’s again provides one other 5.3mm of thickness? Solely you may resolve that, but it surely’s price fascinated by.
A notable distinction between these two telephones shall be their screens. The iPhone Air has a 6.5-inch show, placing it firmly between normal and “Plus” or “Max/Extremely” telephones. Nonetheless, the Galaxy S26 Edge is rumored to sport a 6.7-inch AMOLED panel for an additional 12 months, making it the very same dimension as a typical Plus mannequin from Samsung. Each the iPhone Air and the Galaxy S26 Edge will definitely have 120Hz refresh fee assist, in addition to HDR assist.
The iPhone Air excels in two key areas: brightness and outside visibility. The cellphone’s show can hit 3,000 nits in outside settings, whereas the Galaxy S26 Edge may prime out at 2,600 nits if present specs maintain. Moreover, the iPhone has a slight anti-glare coating, whereas the Galaxy S26 Edge could not.
For sturdiness, each telephones will use a titanium chassis and provide IP68 certification in opposition to mud and water ingress.
Samsung Galaxy S26 Edge vs. iPhone Air: {Hardware} and specs
The iPhone Air has specs that look nice on paper, however real-world utilization could also be a unique story. It is powered by the Apple A19 Professional chipset, though this can be a binned model with one fewer GPU core than what you get within the iPhone 17 Professional. The chip itself additionally seems to be throttled in our testing, and for good cause — it will get sizzling rapidly throughout intensive duties, which can drain battery quick.
By comparability, Samsung is anticipated to make use of the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 for Galaxy within the Galaxy S26 Edge. It will enhance on the Snapdragon 8 Elite for Galaxy inside the present Galaxy S25 Edge.
That chip already outperforms the iPhone Air in lots of conditions, so we should always see even higher efficiency from the brand new Samsung. It additionally may provide 16GB of reminiscence, per current leaks, which might one-up the 12GB within the iPhone Air.
|
Class |
Samsung Galaxy S26 Edge |
iPhone Air |
|---|---|---|
|
OS |
One UI 8.5 (as much as seven OS upgrades) |
iOS 26 (5 OS upgrades assured) |
|
Show |
6.7-inch QHD+ Dynamic AMOLED 2X, 120Hz LTPO 2,600 nits peak brightness |
6.5‑inch (diagonal) all‑display OLED show, 120Hz LTPO, 3,000 nits peak brightness |
|
Processor |
Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 for Galaxy |
Apple A19 Professional |
|
RAM |
16GB |
12GB |
|
Storage |
256GB, 512GB |
256GB, 512GB, 1TB |
|
Rear Digicam 1 |
200MP broad, f/1.7, 24mm, OIS, PDAF, 0.6µm 2x optical-quality zoom |
48MP Fusion main, 26 mm, ƒ/1.6 aperture, sensor-shift optical picture stabilization 2x optical-quality zoom |
|
Rear Digicam 2 |
50MP ultrawide |
N/A |
|
Selfie Digicam |
12MP, f/2.2, 26mm, PDAF |
18MP Heart Stage digicam ƒ/1.9 aperture Autofocus with Focus Pixels |
|
Audio |
Stereo audio system |
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) |
|
Safety |
IP68 |
IP68 |
|
Battery |
4,200mAh |
3,149mAh (per EU filings) |
|
Charging |
25W wired, Qi2 magnetic |
20W wired and MagSafe/Qi2; 0% to 50% in half-hour |
|
Dimensions |
158.4 x 75.7 x 5.5mm |
156.2 x 74.7 x 5.64mm |
|
Weight |
~163g |
165g |
|
Colours |
Unknown |
House Black, Cloud White, Gentle Gold, Sky Blue |
Each the Galaxy S26 Edge and the iPhone Air compromise in sure areas, however the Air appears to surrender extra. It would not have a secondary ultrawide digicam, stereo audio system, or USB 3.2 assist. These are all issues the Galaxy S26 Edge is tabbed to offer, plus magnetic Qi2 assist, rectifying a serious omission on its predecessor.
Battery life may very well be higher on the Samsung Galaxy S26 Edge, too. It will ship with a bigger 4,200mAh battery, in accordance with rumors. That is nonetheless lower than most telephones in its dimension class, however it’s far more than the three,149mAh battery within the iPhone Air.
Fact be instructed, Apple manages to squeeze a stunning quantity of battery life from the iPhone Air, so we’ll have to check these telephones earlier than giving a battery verdict.
One other separator between these telephones is their digicam choices. Apple has the benefit in selfie seize, with a sq. sensor that may take vertical or portrait pictures with out rotating the machine. It might additionally use Heart Stage to zoom out within the software program to suit everybody within the photograph. As compared, the Galaxy S26 Edge’s selfie digicam is not anticipated to incorporate any of those tips.
The Samsung Galaxy S26 Edge may have the standout rear digicam system, with a 200MP main shooter and a 50MP ultrawide digicam. The iPhone Air solely has a 48MP digicam sensor on the again. Whereas it could possibly use sensor crop to imitate 2x optical zoom just like the Galaxy S26 Edge, there is not any getting across the lack of an ultrawide cam for broad pictures.
Samsung Galaxy S26 Edge vs. iPhone Air: Which must you plan to purchase?
The Samsung Galaxy S26 Edge and the iPhone Air determine to have simply as many variations as similarities. They’re each skinny telephones, however the iPhone Air appears to prioritize minimal design as a lot as a slim and light-weight construct. That is evidenced by the inclusion of just one rear digicam and the comparatively small digicam plateau — not less than in comparison with the Galaxy S26 Edge’s rumored digicam island.
In the meantime, it is clear that the Galaxy S26 Edge would be the winner on paper. It is attempting to be the thinnest cellphone with the least quantity of compromise. In that effort, the Galaxy S26 Edge turns into an eyesore in the way in which the iPhone Air and even the Galaxy S25 Edge should not. Nonetheless, it additionally provides a extra succesful ultrawide sensor, a bigger battery, and a extra highly effective chip, in accordance with rumors.
If you would like the prettiest skinny cellphone, I might argue the iPhone Air nonetheless satisfies that craving finest. These wanting essentially the most options within the thinnest bundle ought to look forward to the Samsung Galaxy S26 Edge as a substitute.
A winner for 2026?
Apple “cheated” thinness through the use of the digicam bump to its benefit, and Samsung seems to be doing the identical with the Galaxy S26 Edge. It will be thinner than the iPhone Air regardless of providing issues like an additional digicam and a bigger battery. The digicam bump is a severe eyesore, although.
Thinnest, for now
The iPhone Air is thinner than the Galaxy S25 Edge, however which may not final lengthy. The brand new Galaxy S26 Edge is anticipated to be slimmer with extra options, making the iPhone Air a troublesome alternative. You may wish to go the Apple route should you favor the Air’s design, need iOS 26, or want a extra compact show dimension.
