Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra vs iPhone Air

The Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra and the Apple iPhone Air are chalk and cheese. The Galaxy is a former top-tier flagship, now discounted, that piles on cameras, battery and a stylus; the iPhone Air is a brand-new design piece built to be the thinnest iPhone ever, at a higher price. So here the cheaper phone is actually the more capable one — which, along with the iOS-versus-Android question, makes this a genuinely interesting choice. Here is how they compare, drawn from independent expert reviews of each, with current UK prices.

At a glance

The Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra (around £649.00) is the more capable phone and the cheaper one: a bigger screen, an S Pen, a four-camera system with long zoom and a large battery. The iPhone Air (around £799.00) costs more and does less on paper, but it offers something the Galaxy cannot — an astonishingly thin, light body — along with a fast chip and iOS. If you want the most phone for the least money, the Galaxy is the pick; if the thinnest, sleekest iPhone is what you crave, the Air is unique.

Check the Galaxy S25 Ultra price on Amazon · Check the iPhone Air price on Amazon

Operating system

As always, this comes first. The Galaxy S25 Ultra runs Android with Samsung's One UI, which is customisable and works well with Windows PCs; the iPhone Air runs iOS, which is simpler and links seamlessly to other Apple devices. Pick the ecosystem you already live in, because switching costs more in hassle than any single feature is worth.

Design and build

Their philosophies are opposite. The iPhone Air is all about thinness: at just 5.6 mm and around 165 g it is the slimmest, lightest iPhone made, and it is a genuine head-turner. The Galaxy S25 Ultra is a bigger, more traditional flagship — 162.8 x 77.6 x 8.2 mm and 218 g — but that size buys a larger screen and an integrated S Pen stylus. The Air wins outright on portability and wow factor; the Galaxy on the biggest screen and the stylus.

Screen

Both use excellent panels at 120 Hz. The Galaxy's is larger, a 6.9-inch AMOLED at Quad HD+ resolution, protected by tough glass and peaking at a bright 2600 nits. The iPhone Air's 6.5-inch OLED is smaller but superb and very bright too. The choice is between the Galaxy's sheer size and the Air's big screen in a far thinner body.

Performance

Both are fast flagships. The Galaxy S25 Ultra runs the Snapdragon 8 Elite with 12 GB of RAM, while the iPhone Air uses Apple's A19 Pro chip. In everyday use both feel instant; the Galaxy has more memory for multitasking, while the Air's very thin body means it cannot shed heat quite as easily during long, sustained loads. For the vast majority of tasks, neither will hold you back.

Cameras

This is the Galaxy's biggest advantage. It carries four rear cameras — a 200-megapixel main, a 50-megapixel ultra-wide, a 50-megapixel 5x telephoto and a 10-megapixel 3x telephoto — plus a 12-megapixel front camera, covering everything from wide scenes to long-range zoom. The iPhone Air has just a single rear camera, with no ultra-wide and no telephoto, so there is no optical zoom at all. The Air takes good photos in the right light, but for versatility the Galaxy is far ahead — and it is the cheaper phone.

Battery and charging

The Galaxy wins here too. It packs a 5000 mAh battery with 45 W charging, so it lasts comfortably and refuels quickly. The iPhone Air's thin body leaves room for only a small battery, and reviewers flagged its stamina as the phone's real weak point. If endurance matters, the Galaxy is much more reassuring; the Air will more often need a mid-day top-up.

Features and value

The pricing here is the twist. For £150 less, the Galaxy S25 Ultra gives you more cameras, more zoom, a bigger screen, an S Pen and a larger battery, with storage from 256 GB up to 512 GB and beyond. The iPhone Air spends its higher budget on being thin and beautifully made, plus the A19 Pro chip and iOS. Both are premium; they simply prioritise completely different things — capability against design.

Price and verdict

At the time of writing the Galaxy S25 Ultra is around £649.00 and the iPhone Air around £799.00, so the more capable phone is also the cheaper one.

Buy the Galaxy S25 Ultra if you want maximum hardware for your money and are happy with Android. Even as last year's flagship it undercuts the Air by £150 while offering more cameras, more zoom, a bigger screen, an S Pen and a far larger battery — outstanding value.

Buy the iPhone Air if the thinnest, lightest, most elegant iPhone appeals to you more than a spec sheet, and you can live with a single camera and shorter battery life to get it, within Apple's ecosystem. It is a beautiful, distinctive object. Choose your operating system first, then decide whether you value the Galaxy's capability-for-less or the Air's uniquely slender design.