Whether or not you had been excited by the… concept of it at any level main as much as final week’s belated launch occasion or felt it was pointless from the second the “Galaxy S25 Slim” rumors began round six months in the past, I consider the time has come for all cell tech fanatics to confess Samsung’s razor-thin new flagship is a pointless telephone.
My distinguished colleague Victor Hristov stated it greatest within the introduction of his complete Galaxy S25 Edge assessment the opposite day: “I’ve by no means favored a telephone I might by no means purchase a lot.” Fortunately for followers of the ultra-slim high-end handset idea, Apple is broadly anticipated to throw its hat within the ring too comparatively quickly, and since the iPhone 17 Air was purportedly already in improvement when Samsung obtained the “concept” to start out engaged on a direct rival, I all the time felt hopeful the Cupertino-based tech large would come out with a extra… coherent product within the fall.
However my hopes have been crushed by two numbers that make zero sense. These had been talked about by an sometimes dependable leaker in a brand new report a number of days in the past and illustrated shortly thereafter utilizing a product mockup, so whereas they’re clearly removed from etched in stone, they appear believable sufficient to present me the chills (and never in a great way).
A sub-3,000mAh battery in 2025?!
I do not learn about you all, however I am sufficiently old to recollect a handset like the unique Motorola Moto Z from all the best way again in 2016. Why am I speaking about such an historic, long-discontinued, and largely failed Android smartphone? As a result of that dangerous boy packed a 2,600mAh battery into an aluminum physique weighing in at 136 grams and measuring 5.2mm in thickness.
Considerably equally, the iPhone 17 Air is tipped to squeeze a 2,800mAh cell right into a presumably titanium-made building with a 5.5mm profile and 145-gram complete weight. Naturally, the display actual property will soar from a measly 5.5 to as a lot as 6.6 inches, however that is a distinct dialogue.
The iPhone 17 Air (in mockup kind) appears to be like unbelievable subsequent to the iPhone 16 Plus. | Picture Credit score — Majin Bu on X
What I wish to insist on is Apple‘s inexplicable return to a interval within the cell business’s evolution nobody appears to be nostalgic for. The iPhone 12 used to pack sub-3,000mAh cell capability in 2020, and properly, let’s simply say there is a purpose all subsequent (non-Mini) iPhones have include considerably beefier batteries.
Now, I do know what you are going to say. Apple may work its software program magic or make use of some type of groundbreaking “high-density” battery know-how methods to make the iPhone 17 Air ship respectable working occasions between prices out in the true world. However there’s solely a lot software program optimizations and even the newest {hardware} improvements can do to offset the inherent limitations of a miniature battery, so it is most likely sensible to not count on any miracles on that entrance.
Let’s speak about that 5.5mm waist some extra
Look, I will be completely sincere with you right here. I’ve positively had my share of complaints (each in private and non-private) relating to the pointless bulk of a number of the greatest telephones launched over the previous few years.
With its 227-gram weight, 8.3mm profile, and 6.9-inch show, the iPhone 16 Professional Max is the stuff a few of my worst nightmares are fabricated from. You could not pay me to make use of that brick as my every day driver (not that anybody is providing), and naturally, the identical goes for the likes of Samsung’s Galaxy S25 Extremely.
Is not the Galaxy S25 Edge skinny sufficient? | Picture Credit score — PhoneArena
However there’s rather a lot of distance between 8.3 and 5.5 millimeters and between 227 and 145 grams, and I might be terribly dissatisfied if Apple went from one excessive to the opposite with the iPhone 17 Air. In spite of everything, the Galaxy S25 Edge has loads of issues, however its 5.8mm thickness ain’t one. If something, I had hoped the iPhone 17 Air would go just a little greater in that division to keep away from its important rival’s battery life pitfalls.
Simply have a look at the “vanilla” Galaxy S25. At 7.2mm, that factor just isn’t as skinny as a bank card, but when Apple or Samsung had lowered that quantity to, say, 6.5mm or so, they might have achieved the proper stability between model and energy. As issues stand (at the least based mostly on the newest rumors), the 2 tech giants appear way more involved about measuring their egos and mocking each other than the precise wants and wishes of precise shoppers.
Adrian, a cell know-how fanatic because the Nokia 3310 period, has been a dynamic presence within the tech journalism subject, contributing to Android Authority, Digital Developments, and Pocketnow earlier than becoming a member of PhoneArena in 2018. His experience spans throughout varied platforms, with a selected fondness for the range of the Android ecosystem. Regardless of the challenges of balancing full-time parenthood along with his work, Adrian’s ardour for tech developments, working, and flicks retains him energized. His dedication to mid-range smartphones has led to an eclectic assortment of gadgets, saved from private chapter by his choice for ‘satisfactory’ over ‘overpriced’.
