An artist’s render of the Galaxy S25 Slim
Who among us has used a modern smartphone and thought to themselves, “You know what would make this phone better? A thinner body!” However, it appears the biggest smartphone manufacturers—Apple and Samsung—believe that’s what you really need.
iPhone 17 Air/Slim
There are rumours that Apple is working on a thinner device, presumably to be called the iPhone 17 Air or Slim. Here are the main specs as rumoured today:
- Ultra-Slim Design: Expected to be Apple’s thinnest iPhone yet, at just 6mm, with a sleek and lightweight build.
- Mid-Tier Positioning: Likely to replace the Plus model, balancing advanced features and relative affordability… or
- High Price Tag: Rumored to cost more than current Pro Max models due to its innovative design and engineering. There are conflicting rumours on where the device will be placed as you can see.
- Powerful Specifications: Predicted to feature the A19 chip, 8GB RAM, and a single 48MP rear camera.
- Premium Features: May include a ProMotion display, 5G connectivity, and a 24MP front camera.
We are close to a year out from the next iPhones, so, suffice it to say, you shouldn’t bank on these rumours being true. However, leaksters have been so accurate in recent years that we can conclude that, at the very least, Apple considered the Air/Slim iPhone.
Galaxy S25 Slim/Thin
As you know, Samsung has a knack for peeking at Apple’s homework, and so there are rumours that they are working on a Slim device of their own.
However, seeing as the rumours suggest there could be a Galaxy S25 Slim or Thin coming out next month with the S25 series, maybe Samsung thought of the idea first.
Some Italian marketing image leaked that shows Samsung’s Galaxy Unpacked—the event where Samsung will launch the S25 series—will be on the 22nd of January.
The leak also showed that there will be four devices:
There’s clearly four devices in the picture, hence why many believe the fourth is the S25 Slim. If you didn’t know, for years, Samsung has released three devices—a standard S, an S Plus, and an S Ultra—at their January event.
The fourth device is new and could be the rumoured Slim. The rumours say this is what the S25 Slim could pack:
The rumoured specs
Leaked images of the S25 Thin by OnLeaks and Android Headlines
The Galaxy S25 Slim is rumoured to be ultra-thin. It’s expected to feature a sleek design, measuring less than 7.25 millimeters in thickness, making it slimmer than the standard Galaxy S25.
It may include a 6.7-inch display, aligning with the size of the Plus model, and could be powered by either the Snapdragon 8 Elite or Exynos 2400 chipset, depending on the region—which means Africa would get the Exynos, like always.
It is anticipated to launch with One UI 7, based on Android 15, offering a redesigned user interface.
The device is expected to support the Qi2 wireless charging standard, enabling up to 15W wireless charging.
Earlier rumours said the S25 Slim would launch in the second quarter of 2025, while the rest of the S25 series will launch in January. However, the image above shows it may launch with the rest of the series.
Who asked for this?
Is it an engineering feat to house a flagship smartphone in an ultra-sleek chassis? Of course. However, absolutely none of us asked for this. Also, all of us would prefer a slightly thicker device if it meant even bigger batteries.
If a phone is less than 10mm thick, very few would consider it bulky. So, why the effort to get to 6 or 7.5mm?
I think it all boils down to there being no game-changing innovations or features to talk about. Everything is slowly getting better, and it’s hard to sell a device by telling people that it is marginally better than the one they have.
With the Slim/Air, they get to talk about a new device that defies physics, yada yada. Then the marketing departments would have something to play around with.
So, like it or not, it appears the race to be the thinnest is back on. Let’s hope it won’t come with Bendgate again, where we saw some iPhone versions bend in people’s pockets because they were too thin while using soft aluminium for the chassis.
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