Head to head

Samsung Galaxy S25+ vs iPhone Air

Samsung Galaxy S25+ leads 6 to 3 on the 9 rankable specs.

Catalog as of September 1, 2026

Why, in numbers

Weight: Samsung Galaxy S25+ lists 190 g (6.70 oz) (Samsung sheet, 2026-09-02); iPhone Air lists 158 g (5.57 oz) (Apple sheet, 2026-09-02).
Size: Samsung Galaxy S25+ lists 6.7 inches (Samsung sheet, 2026-09-02); iPhone Air lists 6.55 inches (Apple sheet, 2026-09-02).
Chipset: Samsung Galaxy S25+ lists Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite for Galaxy (3 nm) (Samsung sheet, 2026-09-02); iPhone Air lists Apple A19 Pro (3 nm) (Apple sheet, 2026-09-02).
Max optical zoom: Samsung Galaxy S25+ lists 3x optical zoom (Samsung sheet, 2026-09-02); iPhone Air lists 2x (sensor crop) (Apple sheet, 2026-09-02).
Capacity: Samsung Galaxy S25+ lists 4,900 mAh (Samsung sheet, 2026-09-02); iPhone Air lists 3,200 mAh (Apple sheet, 2026-09-02).

Manufacturer list price, not a live offer. Confirm current pricing before you buy.

Buying for

Every rankable spec counts once. Pick a lens to score only what matters for your phone.

Your devices

Select your ecosystem to flag non-functional features or platform lock-in.

Straight answer

Overall: 6 to 3

Buy the Samsung Galaxy S25+.

Leads 6 of 9 rankable overall specs; iPhone Air takes 3.
Size: 6.7 inches vs 6.55 inches
Max optical zoom: 3x optical zoom vs 2x
Same list price, so the spec lead is the whole story.

6 Samsung Galaxy S25+9 rankable of 48 specsiPhone Air 3

Deal-breakers

tick what would make you walk away

No stylusrow
No pen input for handwritten notes or markup.
Trips:Samsung Galaxy S25+ · NoTrips:iPhone Air · No
No headphone jackrow
Wired headphones need a USB-C dongle.
Trips:Samsung Galaxy S25+ · NoTrips:iPhone Air · No
No charger in the boxrow
Budget another $20 to $40 for a fast charger.
Trips:Samsung Galaxy S25+ · NoTrips:iPhone Air · No
No microSD slotrow
Storage is fixed at what you buy.
Trips:Samsung Galaxy S25+ · NoTrips:iPhone Air · No

At a glance

The handful of numbers that decide most purchases in this category.

5 of 6 differ

Weight

Samsung

190 g (6.70 oz)

Apple

158 g (5.57 oz)

Size

Samsung

6.7 inches

Apple

6.55 inches

Chipset≠

Samsung

Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite for Galaxy (3 nm)

Apple

Apple A19 Pro (3 nm)

RAMsame

Samsung

12 GB

Apple

12 GB

Max optical zoom

Samsung

3x optical zoom

Apple

2x (sensor crop)

Capacity

Samsung

4,900 mAh

Apple

3,200 mAh

The 90-Day Owner Regret Check

Documented ergonomic quirks, hardware annoyances, and maintenance realities reported by real owners.

Post-Purchase Truths

Samsung: What to watch for

Hidden Cost
No wall charging adapter included in the retail box.
Packaging contains only a Type-C cable; high-speed wall charging bricks must be purchased separately if you do not already own one.

Apple: What to watch for

Hidden Cost
No wall charging adapter included in the retail box.
Packaging contains only a Type-C cable; high-speed wall charging bricks must be purchased separately if you do not already own one.

Samsung Galaxy S25+$9996 wins

iPhone Air$9993 wins

Body Display Platform Memory Rear camera Front camera Battery & charging Audio Connectivity Features

40 of 48 attributes differ. Identical rows are dimmed.

Body

leads 1-0

Body specifications. Middle column is Samsung Galaxy S25+, right column is iPhone Air.
Dimensions	158.4 × 75.7 × 7.3 mm	156.0 × 74.5 × 5.6 mm
Weight	190 g (6.70 oz)	158 g (5.57 oz) (wins this row: lower)
Build	Enhanced Armor Aluminum frame with Gorilla Glass Victus 2 back	Titanium-aluminum hybrid frame with Ceramic Shield front and back
Water / dust rating	IP68 (up to 1.5m for 30 mins)	IP68 (up to 6m for 30 mins)
Colors	Silver Shadow, Midnight Black, Moon Night Blue, Sparkling Green	Space Black, Cloud White, Sky Blue, Light Gold
Stylus	No	No

Display

leads 3-1

Display specifications. Middle column is Samsung Galaxy S25+, right column is iPhone Air.
Type	Dynamic LTPO AMOLED 2X	Super Retina XDR OLED with ProMotion
Size	6.7 inches (wins this row: higher)	6.55 inches
Resolution	3120 × 1440 (QHD+) (wins this row: higher)	2736 × 1260
Pixel density	513 ppi (wins this row: higher)	460 ppi
Refresh rate	120 Hz (1–120Hz LTPO)	120 Hz (1–120Hz ProMotion)
Peak brightness	2,600 nits peak	3,000 nits outdoor peak / 1,000 nits typical (wins this row: higher)
HDR	HDR10+, HLG	HDR10, Dolby Vision, HLG
Protection	Corning Gorilla Glass Victus 2	Ceramic Shield (front and back)
Always-on display	Yes	Yes

Platform

5 differences

Platform specifications. Middle column is Samsung Galaxy S25+, right column is iPhone Air.
Operating system	Android 15 (One UI 7)	iOS 19
Software support	7 generations of OS upgrades & 7 years security updates	5+ years estimated (typically 6-7 years)
Chipset	Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite for Galaxy (3 nm)	Apple A19 Pro (3 nm)
CPU	8-core Oryon CPU (2× 4.47 GHz Prime + 6× 3.53 GHz Performance)	6-core CPU (2 performance + 4 efficiency)
GPU	Adreno 830	6-core Apple GPU with ray tracing

Memory

1 differences

Memory specifications. Middle column is Samsung Galaxy S25+, right column is iPhone Air.
RAM	12 GB	12 GB
Storage	256 GB	256 GB
Storage options	256 GB, 512 GB (UFS 4.0)	256 GB, 512 GB, 1 TB
microSD	No	No

Rear camera

leads 2-0

Rear camera specifications. Middle column is Samsung Galaxy S25+, right column is iPhone Air.
Main	50 MP (f/1.8, 24mm, Dual Pixel PDAF, OIS) (wins this row: higher)	48 MP Fusion (f/1.6, 26mm, sensor-shift OIS, 2x in-sensor zoom)
Ultrawide	50 MP (f/1.9, 120° FOV, Dual Pixel PDAF)	None
Telephoto	10 MP (f/2.4, 67mm, PDAF, OIS, 3x optical zoom)	None (2x lossless crop via 48MP main)
Max optical zoom	3x optical zoom (wins this row: higher)	2x (sensor crop)
Stabilization	OIS on main and 3x telephoto cameras	Sensor-shift OIS on 48MP Fusion camera
Video	8K at 30 fps, 4K at 30/60/120 fps, HDR10+	4K at 24/25/30/60 fps Dolby Vision HDR, Spatial Video

Front camera

leads 1-0

Front camera specifications. Middle column is Samsung Galaxy S25+, right column is iPhone Air.
Selfie camera	12 MP (f/2.2, 26mm, Dual Pixel PDAF)	24 MP TrueDepth with Center Stage (f/1.9, autofocus) (wins this row: higher)
Selfie video	4K at 30/60 fps	4K at 24/25/30/60 fps Dolby Vision HDR

Battery & charging

leads 1-0

Battery & charging specifications. Middle column is Samsung Galaxy S25+, right column is iPhone Air.
Capacity	4,900 mAh (wins this row: higher)	3,200 mAh
Wired chargingNot on the official sheet	45W fast wired charging (up to 65% in 30 min)	Fast charging up to 50% in 30 min
Wireless charging	15W Fast Wireless Charging 2.0	25W MagSafe / 15W Qi2
Reverse wireless	4.5W Wireless PowerShare	4.5W wired reverse charging
Charger in box	No	No

Audio

1 differences

Audio specifications. Middle column is Samsung Galaxy S25+, right column is iPhone Air.
Speakers	Stereo speakers tuned by AKG	Stereo acoustic transducers with Spatial Audio
Headphone jack	No	No

Connectivity

5 differences

Connectivity specifications. Middle column is Samsung Galaxy S25+, right column is iPhone Air.
Cellular	5G (sub-6 GHz and mmWave)	5G (sub-6 GHz and mmWave in US)
Wi-Fi	Wi-Fi 7 (802.11be tri-band)	Wi-Fi 7 with Apple N1 wireless chip
Bluetooth	Bluetooth 5.4	Bluetooth 5.4
NFC	Yes (Samsung Pay / Google Pay)	Yes (Apple Pay)
USB	USB-C 3.2 Gen 1 (DisplayPort video out)	USB-C 3.2 Gen 2 (up to 10 Gbps)
SIM	Dual eSIM / Nano-SIM + eSIM	Dual eSIM (US model, no physical SIM tray)

Features

3 differences

Features specifications. Middle column is Samsung Galaxy S25+, right column is iPhone Air.
Biometrics	Ultrasonic in-display fingerprint sensor + 2D Face unlock	Face ID (TrueDepth camera)
Extra controls	None	Action Button, Camera Control button
Standout features	Galaxy AI suite (Circle to Search, Now Brief, Live Translate, Note Assist), Samsung DeX desktop mode, UWB support	Ultra-thin 5.6mm chassis, A19 Pro chip, Apple N1 wireless chip, Camera Control button, Action button, Apple Intelligence

Most rows are from the official spec sheet. Marked rows are other published figures or our summary, not lab tests we ran.

Samsung Galaxy S25+ source iPhone Air source

Which one should you buy

Pick this one if

Samsung Galaxy S25+

6.7-inch Galaxy S25+ featuring Snapdragon 8 Elite for Galaxy, QHD+ 120Hz Dynamic AMOLED 2X, 12GB RAM standard, and upgraded 50MP ultrawide.

Snapdragon 8 Elite custom 3nm performance with 12GB RAM standard
Sharp QHD+ 120Hz LTPO screen with slim 7.3mm profile
7 years of full Android OS and security upgrades

What you give up

No built-in S Pen stylus like the Ultra
Telephoto zoom capped at 3x optical

Full Samsung Galaxy S25+ specs →

Pick this one if

iPhone Air

Ultra-thin 5.6mm premium smartphone featuring titanium-aluminum design, 6.55-inch 120Hz ProMotion display, and A19 Pro processor.

Ultra-thin 5.6mm lightweight design (under 160g)
A19 Pro performance and 120Hz ProMotion display
Sleek futuristic minimalist aesthetic

What you give up

Single 48MP rear camera without dedicated ultrawide or telephoto lenses
Smaller battery capacity due to ultra-thin chassis

Full iPhone Air specs →

Best for each use

Photos

Camera first: zoom reach, sensors, stabilisation and video

For photos, buy the Samsung Galaxy S25+.

Leads 2 of 3 rankable photos specs; iPhone Air takes 1.
Max optical zoom: 3x optical zoom vs 2x
Main: 50 MP vs 48 MP Fusion
Same list price, so the spec lead is the whole story.

Battery & updates

All-day battery, fast top-ups and years of software support

Too close to call on battery & updates from the spec sheets. Only capacity is rankable here.

Wired charging: 45W fast wired charging vs Fast charging up to 50% in 30 min
Wireless charging: 15W Fast Wireless Charging 2.0 vs 25W MagSafe / 15W Qi2

Games & video

Games and streaming: chip, refresh rate, brightness, speakers

A genuine coin flip on games & video.

Same price and an even split on everything we can rank.
Chipset: Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite for Galaxy vs Apple A19 Pro
GPU: Adreno 830 vs 6-core Apple GPU with ray tracing

Every answer above is scored from published figures. A lens uses only the rows that matter for that use, including marked rows that are not on the official sheet. Switch lenses interactively in the panel above.

Done deciding?

Open the full standalone spec sheet for either device.

Samsung Galaxy S25+ spec sheet iPhone Air spec sheet

Manufacturer pages: Samsung Galaxy S25+ ↗ · iPhone Air ↗

Common questions

Which is cheaper, the Samsung Galaxy S25+ or the iPhone Air?

Both list at the same price.

What is the biggest catch with the Samsung Galaxy S25+ or iPhone Air?

Both has this deal-breaker: no stylus. No pen input for handwritten notes or markup.

Which is better for photos, the Samsung Galaxy S25+ or the iPhone Air?

For photos, buy the Samsung Galaxy S25+. Leads 2 of 3 rankable photos specs; iPhone Air takes 1. Max optical zoom: 3x optical zoom vs 2x

What cannot be compared from spec sheets?

Of the 48 specs tracked here, 39 are descriptive and cannot be ranked on numbers alone. Spec sheets also cannot measure subjective factors like build quality, real-world performance, or comfort.

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