Why the iPhone Air won the “thin phone” game, and how Samsung can flip it with the Galaxy S26 Edge

Charging

Wireless charging in an ultra-thin body is an absolute technical feat in my books. Apple proved that by building MagSafe into the iPhone Air, keeping 20 W wireless speeds inside a 5.6 mm phone.

If rumors are true, the Galaxy S26 Edge will do one better. Samsung is said to be bringing Qi2 magnetic wireless charging at up to 25W (as is the rest of the S26 series). I imagine this would be a lot like the Pixelsnap system in the Pixel 10 series. This would give the Galaxy a slight edge over the iPhone.

But a slight edge is not what would make the slimmest Galaxy in the world more popular than the slimmest iPhone.

Cameras

Samsung took a risk fitting the 200 MP main image sensor from the Galaxy S25 Ultra into the Edge, and it paid off. Our lab results gave the S25 Edge a Camera Score of 140, which placed it comfortably ahead of the iPhone Air’s 126 score.

Apple’s single 48 MP camera produces solid photos, but the lack of a second lens limits its capabilities and overall score. What’s more, the images taken by Edge’s main camera were sharper, had better dynamic range, and a cleaner digital zoom, even without a dedicated telephoto camera.

Now we have leaks saying that the S26 Edge will get a new 50 MP ultrawide camera (up from 12 MP), which would mean an even bigger gap in camera performance between these slim flagships. Combined with Samsung’s AI editing tools like Generative Edit and Audio Eraser, both missing on the iPhone, the Edge would remain the better camera phone.

In other words, the camera category isn’t one where Samsung needs to catch up, and therefore it is not one that would make it more popular.

Design: the Edge has the looks — now it needs the right story

Once you get to actually hold it, it is undeniable that the S25 Edge is a stunning piece of engineering. And while at 5.8 mm thin and 163 grams, it already sounds impressive on paper, it feels even more so once it's in your hand. It’s every bit as elegant as the iPhone Air.

The difference is in how the two brands marketed this new type of phone. Apple sold the Air as a luxury object, a statement piece that just happens to be a phone. It did not mention the mono speaker, or the fact that it is eSIM only worldwide, or the worse haptic feedback, or the missing features like the Macro and Cinematic modes.

Samsung positioned the Edge as a regular flagship that happens to be thinner, which made people expect Ultra-like battery life and features in a completely different form factor.

That framing hurt it more than any spec sheet could. The S26 Edge doesn’t need to be “the slimmer S26 Ultra.” It needs to be its own thing, living in a parallel dimension next to its “cousins.” Its main selling point should be the design.

If Samsung embraces that identity and markets the Edge as the elegant Galaxy and not a toned down version of its high-end flagship, it can flip the perception entirely.

Time to target the right audience

Apple knew exactly who the iPhone Air was for: people who value more design, portability, and most importantly — the novelty factor of a new, famous piece of jewelry. Samsung, on the other hand, seemed less certain about what type of user it wanted to target with the Galaxy S25 Edge.

The S25 Edge had incredible hardware but came with a mixed message. It was thin, but it also tried to compete on specs with its thicker counterparts. Not to mention that Samsung made it expensive enough to be close to the S25 Ultra’s price, which only made it a harder sell.

At the end of the day, I think the S25 Edge doesn’t have enough appeal for buyers to go for it instead of the Ultra.

With the S26 Edge, Samsung now has a chance to fix that — by positioning the Edge series as a premium lifestyle product rather than an experiment in “how much tech can we fit into the thinnest phone possible.” It could trim some of the features and specs and reduce the price, while changing its marketing to present it more as a fashion piece instead. After all, tech enthusiasts will hardly go for a super thin phone that’s almost as expensive as a manufacturer’s best one.

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