iPhone Air vs Galaxy S25 Ultra

Phone 1

Phone 2

Winner

Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra

The Galaxy S25 Ultra wins this one, taking camera and battery decisively. Against the iPhone Air it's also the sounder buy at $13.34 per month of safe use.

Value Score: iPhone Air 62 · Galaxy S25 Ultra 75 — methodology

The lifespan decider

When specs are close, support length decides it — this is what each phone costs per month of safe use.

Apple iPhone Air $999

Safe to buy$13.32/mo

2025◆ Buy-by Sep 20302032

Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra $902

Safe to buy$13.34/mo

2025◆ Buy-by Feb 20302032

Category by category

Display

iPhone Air 90Galaxy S25 Ultra 100

The Galaxy S25 Ultra's screen is the better one — 6.9-inch dynamic ltpo amoled 2x, qhd+, 1–120hz, up to 2600 nits.

Performance

iPhone Air 100Galaxy S25 Ultra 98

Performance is a wash — same chip tier.

Camera

iPhone Air 50Galaxy S25 Ultra 96

The Galaxy S25 Ultra has the stronger camera system (4 real rear lenses vs 1).

Battery

iPhone Air 43Galaxy S25 Ultra 80

5,000mAh vs 3,149mAh — the Galaxy S25 Ultra lasts longer between charges.

Software longevity

iPhone Air 89Galaxy S25 Ultra 81

The iPhone Air is supported until Sep 2032 — 7 months longer than the Galaxy S25 Ultra.

Value

iPhone Air 62Galaxy S25 Ultra 75

Overall value goes to the Galaxy S25 Ultra at $13.34 per month of safe use.

Full spec table

Spec	iPhone Air	Galaxy S25 Ultra
Price (street)	$999	$902
Display	6.5-inch Super Retina XDR OLED, ProMotion 1–120Hz, up to 3000 nits peak	6.9-inch Dynamic LTPO AMOLED 2X, QHD+, 1–120Hz, up to 2600 nits
Chipset	Apple A19 Pro	Snapdragon 8 Elite for Galaxy
RAM	12GB	12GB
Storage	256GB/512GB/1TB	256GB/512GB/1TB
Battery	3,149 mAh	5,000 mAh
Charging	Wired — 50% in ~30 min with a 20W+ adapter; MagSafe/Qi2 wireless up to 20W	45W wired (65% in 30 min), 15W wireless (Qi2 Ready), 4.5W reverse wireless
Rear cameras	48MP main	200MP main, 50MP ultra-wide, 10MP telephoto 3x, 50MP periscope 5x
Dimensions	156.2 × 74.7 × 5.64 mm	162.8 × 77.6 × 8.2 mm
Weight	165 g	218 g
Water resistance	IP68	IP68
Supported until	Sep 2032	Feb 2032

iPhone Air full verdict →Galaxy S25 Ultra full verdict →Longevity master board →

Scores and verdicts are computed from our verified database — see exactly how. Specs from manufacturer documentation; prices reflect major US retailers.