It appears that Samsung and Apple are vying to be the pioneers for the slim flagship smartphone race. All thanks to the reports which suggest that the two tech giants will be releasing ultra-thin handsets in the coming years.
Here's a closer look at the alleged Samsung's slim offering and the rumor around the iPhone 17 Air.
Samsung's Slim Galaxy S25: What We Know So Far
Samsung Galaxy S25 Slim model could be on the way as Korean newspaper ET News claims that it may be launched a few months after the official launch of the Galaxy S25 series. Dropping in early 2025, the Galaxy S25 could potentially include a new model to change the typical flagship smartphone design, SmartPrice confirms.
A new listing in the GSMA IMEI database with the model number SM-S937U does appear to confirm this. The model isn't officially stamped "slim," but its unique identifier makes it clear this was an entirely new device from the ones in the Galaxy S25 family.
This may well mean Samsung is attempting a thinner and more compact flagship phone in order at least to coincide with an expected thin iPhone from Apple.
What About Apple's iPhone 17 Air?
Meanwhile, Apple is also said to be working on an ultra-thin iPhone; it may be called iPhone Air or iPhone 17 Air. It is said that it will replace the iPhone version Plus, which will contain a 6.5 or 6.6-inch screen. According to initial speculations, this might even be slender than the available versions of iPhones.
If it happens to fulfill the promised slenderness and lightness, it shall set new heights for design in a smartphone and a challenge in front of Samsung.
Maybe this slimmer design shall also pave the way for other brands to make their smartphones even thinner—something that will offer them more than they have ever imagined before.
Slim Phones Through Samsung's Progression
One iteration of this slim design comes from the company itself with its Galaxy Alpha from 2014. The Galaxy Alpha came with a very sleek, skinny body coupled with metallic frames, but its 4.7-inch small display wasn't particularly popular, Mashable writes.
Nonetheless, this design found its way to future Galaxy phones, as seen in the Galaxy S6, which adopted elements of the thin profile and metal frame.
Both companies want to create a more lightweight and streamlined user experience. However design trends are pointing towards thinner devices, and it is still not clear if that will affect other features such as battery life, performance, or durability.
This means new waves for consumers, thin yet smart and consumer-friendly phones. Whether Samsung, Apple, or both win the war on the race of ultra-thin phones, the competition does seem to gain pace.
Speaking of Apple, an August rumor (as reported by Tech Times) claimed that the iPhone 17 lineup will boast a big RAM size. At 12GB RAM, the iPhone 16's successor could receive this upgrade by next year.
What's more, this could be the Cupertino giant's way to store more AI applications on the upcoming iPhone models. Since we're living in an AI era, it's about time to roll out an exclusive suite of features for future users.
