Samsung
Galaxy S25 Ultra
Snapdragon 8 Elite · 6.9″ · 200 MP
93
/ 100
From $1,299
VS
Galaxy S25 Ultra wins by 1
Apple
iPhone 17 Air
A19 · 6.6″ · 5.4 mm thin
92
/ 100
From $999
Specdex verdict
Galaxy S25 Ultra takes it — here’s why.
In our weighted Specdex score, Galaxy S25 Ultra lands at 93 and iPhone 17 Air at 92. That puts Galaxy S25 Ultra ahead by 1 points — a narrow margin driven mostly by its strengths in the categories below.
Pick Galaxy S25 Ultra if…
- ✓Huge anti-reflective 6.9″ display
- ✓200 MP sensor with 5× tele
- ✓S-Pen productivity
Pick iPhone 17 Air if…
- ✓Thinnest iPhone ever (5.4 mm)
- ✓Light in hand (165 g)
- ✓Still 120Hz ProMotion
Score breakdown
Galaxy S25 Ultra
93 cpu 96
gpu 97
camera 94
battery 89
display 96
design 92
iPhone 17 Air
92 cpu 97
gpu 94
camera 86
battery 76
display 92
design 100
Specs side-by-side
Spec
Galaxy S25 Ultra
iPhone 17 Air
Display
6.9″ Dynamic AMOLED 2X, 120Hz, 3120×1440
6.6″ LTPO OLED, 120Hz
Chipset
Snapdragon 8 Elite for Galaxy
Apple A19 (3 nm)
RAM
12 GB
8 GB
Storage
256 / 512 GB / 1 TB
256 / 512 GB / 1 TB
Rear camera
200 MP + 50 MP 5× + 10 MP 3× + 50 MP UW
—
Front camera
12 MP
—
Battery
5000 mAh
3200 mAh
Charging
45W wired, 15W wireless
—
OS
Android 15, One UI 7
iOS 19
Weight
218 g
165 g
IP rating
IP68
—
Galaxy S25 Ultra
Pros
- +Huge anti-reflective 6.9″ display
- +200 MP sensor with 5× tele
- +S-Pen productivity
Cons
- −Pricey storage tiers
- −AI features still maturing
- −Heavier in hand
iPhone 17 Air
Pros
- +Thinnest iPhone ever (5.4 mm)
- +Light in hand (165 g)
- +Still 120Hz ProMotion
Cons
- −Single rear camera
- −Battery smaller than Plus (3200 mAh)
- −No telephoto
FAQ: Galaxy S25 Ultra vs iPhone 17 Air
Which is better, Galaxy S25 Ultra or iPhone 17 Air? +
Galaxy S25 Ultra scores 93 on our weighted rubric — ahead by 1. Your best pick depends on the sub-scores above.
Is Galaxy S25 Ultra worth the price? +
At $1,299, Galaxy S25 Ultra delivers a Specdex score of 93 — strongest in gpu.
Is iPhone 17 Air worth the price? +
At $999, iPhone 17 Air delivers a Specdex score of 92 — strongest in design.
Does Galaxy S25 Ultra or iPhone 17 Air last longer? +
Based on our long-term update and support ratings, both ship with multi-year support. Battery and reliability scores are visible in the breakdown above.