Huawei Mate 70 Air VS Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra

The most striking physical difference between these two devices is thickness. The Huawei Mate 70 Air measures just 6.6 mm thin, compared to the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra's 8.2 mm — a 1.6 mm gap that is immediately noticeable in-hand and in-pocket. This also translates into a significantly smaller overall volume: 88.75 cm³ for the Mate 70 Air versus 103.59 cm³ for the S25 Ultra, meaning the Huawei occupies roughly 14% less physical space despite being slightly taller and wider. The Mate 70 Air is also 10 grams lighter at 208 g versus 218 g — a modest but real difference during extended one-handed use.

On water resistance, both phones are rated as waterproof, but the Mate 70 Air holds a higher IP69 certification versus the S25 Ultra's IP68. IP69 adds protection against high-pressure, high-temperature water jets — a meaningful step up for users in more demanding environments, even if everyday scenarios rarely push beyond what IP68 already covers.

Overall, the Mate 70 Air holds a clear design edge: it is slimmer, lighter, more compact by volume, and carries a superior IP rating. The S25 Ultra's narrower 77.6 mm width may suit users who prefer a less sprawling grip, but in virtually every other physical dimension, the Mate 70 Air is the more refined and portable form factor of the two.

Both phones use OLED/AMOLED panels with a 120Hz refresh rate and Always-On Display support, so the baseline viewing experience is competitive. The real separation comes down to sharpness and color fidelity. The Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra packs a 1440 x 3120 px resolution into a 6.9″ screen, yielding a pixel density of 498 ppi — noticeably crisper than the Mate 70 Air's 437 ppi across its larger 7″ panel. At typical viewing distances this gap is subtle, but it becomes perceptible when reading fine text or viewing high-resolution images up close.

Where the S25 Ultra pulls further ahead is HDR support. It covers both HDR10 and HDR10+, the latter enabling scene-by-scene dynamic tone mapping for compatible streaming content — resulting in more accurate highlights and shadow detail compared to the static metadata HDR10 alone provides. The Mate 70 Air is limited to HDR10 only, which is still capable but trails in premium content scenarios.

One area where the Mate 70 Air counters is touch responsiveness: its 300Hz touch sampling rate exceeds the S25 Ultra's 240Hz, meaning inputs are registered more frequently per second — a tangible advantage for fast-paced gaming and precise stylus or finger gestures. Still, taken as a whole, the S25 Ultra holds the display edge thanks to its superior pixel density and HDR10+ support, making it the stronger choice for users who prioritize visual fidelity and media consumption.

The silicon gap between these two devices is substantial. The Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra runs on the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite, built on a cutting-edge 3 nm process, while the Huawei Mate 70 Air relies on the HiSilicon Kirin 9020 at 7 nm. That four-generation process node difference has cascading effects: the S25 Ultra's CPU cores clock at up to 4.47 GHz versus the Mate 70 Air's peak of 2.5 GHz, and its GPU runs at 1200 MHz against the Maleoon 920's 840 MHz. In practice, this means the S25 Ultra handles compute-intensive tasks — gaming, AI processing, video rendering — with markedly more headroom.

The memory architecture tells an equally telling story. Despite the Mate 70 Air carrying more RAM at 16 GB versus 12 GB, the S25 Ultra's RAM operates at 5300 MHz compared to 2750 MHz, and its maximum memory bandwidth nearly doubles the Mate 70 Air's — 85.1 GB/s versus 44 GB/s. Bandwidth is what allows the CPU and GPU to feed on data quickly; a bottleneck here limits how effectively even large RAM pools can be utilized. The S25 Ultra also supports OpenCL 3 versus OpenCL 2, giving it broader compatibility with GPU-accelerated compute workloads.

The Mate 70 Air's 6W TDP versus the S25 Ultra's 8.2W suggests it runs cooler and likely sustains performance more quietly under light loads — a real-world comfort in everyday use. But for users who prioritize peak performance, the S25 Ultra holds a commanding advantage across CPU throughput, GPU capability, and memory bandwidth, making it the clear winner in this category.

Camera system breadth is where these two phones diverge most sharply. The Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra fields a four-lens rear array — 200 MP main, 50 MP ultrawide, 50 MP and 10 MP telephoto — covering a focal range from 24 mm to 111 mm with 5x optical zoom. The Huawei Mate 70 Air counters with a three-lens setup topping out at 50 MP on the main sensor, reaching only 3x optical zoom and a maximum focal length of 69 mm. For users who shoot at distance — wildlife, sports, or architecture — the S25 Ultra's longer reach and extra telephoto lens offer meaningfully more versatility.

Beyond resolution and zoom, several capability gaps favor the S25 Ultra. It includes a BSI (back-side illuminated) sensor, which improves light capture efficiency — particularly relevant in low-light conditions. It also supports RAW shooting and manual shutter speed control, tools that matter to photographers who post-process their images or need precise exposure control. The Mate 70 Air lacks both. On the video side, the S25 Ultra records at 4320p (8K) at 30 fps with HDR10 recording support, while the Mate 70 Air caps at 2160p (4K) without HDR10 video.

The Mate 70 Air is by no means a weak camera phone — it shares OIS, phase-detection autofocus, laser autofocus, and most manual controls with the S25 Ultra. But on virtually every axis that separates a capable camera from a flagship one — sensor technology, zoom range, RAW output, video ceiling, and lens count — the S25 Ultra holds a clear and decisive advantage.

At the OS feature level, these two devices are remarkably aligned. Both offer the full suite of modern smartphone software capabilities — split-screen multitasking, customizable notifications, widgets, voice commands, child lock, multi-user support, and camera/microphone privacy controls. Neither receives direct OS updates according to the provided data, which places both on equal footing in terms of software longevity expectations.

The single meaningful differentiator in this category is PC mode: the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra supports being used as a PC, while the Huawei Mate 70 Air does not. This feature — typically enabled via a wired or wireless connection to an external display — allows the S25 Ultra to function as a desktop-like computing environment, running apps in resizable windows and supporting keyboard and mouse input. For professionals or power users who want to consolidate their devices, this adds genuine utility that the Mate 70 Air simply cannot match.

Outside of that one distinction, this category is essentially a tie. The S25 Ultra has a narrow but practical edge thanks to its PC mode capability, which expands the device's use cases beyond the phone itself — but users who have no interest in that feature will find the Mate 70 Air equally capable on every other software front.

Raw capacity is where the Huawei Mate 70 Air makes its boldest statement in this comparison: its 6500 mAh battery dwarfs the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra's 5000 mAh cell by 30%. All else being equal, a larger battery directly translates to more hours of screen-on time before needing a charge — a tangible, everyday advantage that is hard to overstate, particularly for heavy users or those frequently away from a power source. The Mate 70 Air also charges faster at 66W versus the S25 Ultra's 45W, meaning it refills its larger tank more quickly. It also ships with a charger included, while the S25 Ultra does not.

The S25 Ultra fights back on charging flexibility. It supports wireless charging and reverse wireless charging — neither of which the Mate 70 Air offers. Wireless charging adds meaningful convenience for desk or nightstand top-up routines, and reverse wireless charging allows the S25 Ultra to act as a power pad for accessories like earbuds or a smartwatch. These are genuine quality-of-life features absent on the Huawei.

Ultimately, the right winner here depends on usage priorities. For outright endurance and charging speed, the Mate 70 Air holds a clear edge. But users embedded in a wireless charging ecosystem will find the S25 Ultra's flexibility harder to give up. On balance, the Mate 70 Air's combination of a significantly larger battery, faster wired charging, and an included charger gives it the stronger overall battery package for most users.

Shared ground here is limited but notable: both phones drop the 3.5 mm headphone jack and both feature stereo speakers, so wired listening is off the table for both and speaker output is at least structurally equivalent. Beyond that, however, the wireless audio picture diverges considerably.

The Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra supports aptX, aptX HD, and LDAC — three high-resolution Bluetooth audio codecs that transmit significantly more audio data than standard SBC or AAC. LDAC in particular, developed by Sony, can stream at up to three times the bitrate of conventional Bluetooth audio, making it the codec of choice for audiophiles using compatible wireless headphones. aptX HD similarly preserves more detail than standard aptX. The Huawei Mate 70 Air supports none of these codecs, meaning it is limited to lower-fidelity Bluetooth transmission regardless of how capable the headphones connected to it are.

For casual listeners, this gap may go unnoticed — but for anyone who owns high-end wireless headphones and cares about audio quality, it is a real and meaningful limitation on the Mate 70 Air's part. The S25 Ultra wins this category clearly, with its codec support giving it a decisive advantage for wireless audio fidelity that the Mate 70 Air simply cannot match.

Several meaningful distinctions emerge across this category. On data transfer, the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra uses USB 3.2 versus the Huawei Mate 70 Air's USB 2.0 — a gap that matters significantly when transferring large files, backing up video footage, or using the port for display output. The S25 Ultra also supports Wi-Fi 6E in addition to the same Wi-Fi 4/5/6/7 stack both phones share, giving it access to the less congested 6 GHz band where available. Its Bluetooth 5.4 likewise edges ahead of the Mate 70 Air's 5.2, offering incremental improvements in connection reliability and efficiency. Additionally, the S25 Ultra supports 2 eSIMs alongside its 2 physical SIM slots, providing greater flexibility for travelers or dual-line users.

Each phone holds exclusive features the other lacks. The Mate 70 Air includes an infrared sensor — useful for controlling TVs and home appliances directly from the phone — and notably supports emergency SOS via satellite, a potentially life-saving capability for users in areas without cellular coverage. The S25 Ultra counters with a stylus included in the box and ANT+ support, the latter enabling compatibility with fitness equipment and sports sensors that Bluetooth alone cannot reach.

This category is genuinely split by use case. The S25 Ultra's USB 3.2, Wi-Fi 6E, eSIM support, and included stylus give it a stronger overall connectivity and productivity profile. But the Mate 70 Air's satellite SOS and infrared sensor address real-world needs that the S25 Ultra ignores entirely. On balance, the S25 Ultra holds a slight overall edge in connectivity depth — but the Mate 70 Air's satellite emergency feature is a differentiator that could matter more than any spec sheet suggests.

Across every spec in this category, the Huawei Mate 70 Air and Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra are identical. Both include a video light, and neither features a sapphire glass display, a curved display, or an e-paper display. There is nothing in this data set that separates one from the other.

This category is a complete tie — no advantage can be declared for either device based solely on the provided specs.