By Vaughn Bui
“Think Different”
Apple’s slogan. It’s a phrase that roughly summarizes the past 30 years of innovation from the iMac, iPod, iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch and the Vision Pro. So, with Apple’s newest product being confirmed to release this fall, it’s supposed to be innovative … right?
The newest smartphone, named the iPhone 17 Air, is a smartphone with a mind-bogglingly thin structure. Samsung has also been on the move to release a slim phone, labeled the Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge. The race to create a thin phone has been seen before, especially by manufacturers in the 2010s with the iPhone 6’s shift to a thinner frame and the Oppo R5 from 2015.
However, the thin structure of these smartphones gave rise to problems such as Apple’s notorious bendgate, in which many users reported that the iPhone 6 was susceptible to bending easily. These slim phones were eventually phased out as thicker phones with more structural integrity and benefits grew in popularity.
So, why are we bringing slim phones back? When considering the trade-offs and benefits, we begin to see how pointless the existence of slim phones is.
Slimmer phones mean smaller batteries
Due to the ultra-thin frame, a major problem with past slim phones was their poor battery life. Coupled with the enlargement of the displays, the combo of a smaller battery and larger screen generally meant worse battery life overall—this problem was generally seen in the iPhone 6 series.
However, improvements in battery technology could signal a way to improve poor battery performance. The possible alternative is silicon-carbon batteries that are capable of holding more charge in a smaller size. These batteries are also more environmentally friendly than their predecessor, the lithium-ion battery. Silicon-carbon batteries have only been recently tested. Originally seen in last year’s Honor Magic 6 Pro and this year’s OnePlus 13, both phones have been praised for their efficient battery life.
But what was so wrong with lithium-ion batteries? There’s a reason why they’ve been in use since the original iPhone: it’s cheap and efficient. Improvements in software optimization also mean that smaller battery cells still give great battery life. Even if silicon-carbon batteries provide more charge, it comes at an increased cost.
Not to mention, their untested reliability has led to concerns over their durability and longevity. As for safety, manufacturers have implemented numerous safeguards since Samsung’s Note 7 disaster, in which their phones caught fire and exploded. The lithium-ion battery has been perfected, so why switch?
A thinner frame is not really significant
Even if the battery problem is solved, the idea of having a thinner phone is pointless when considering that mainly everyone who owns a smartphone will put the device in a case, which, believe it or not, adds thickness. Using a case essentially voids the whole appeal of the device.
It’s another trade-off the user will have to make: make their phone regular-sized, or have a scratched-up and/or cracked-up slab of glass.
Cameras—an unavoidable problem
Setting aside battery and thickness, arguably one of the most important aspects of a smartphone in today’s world is its camera. Unfortunately, however, a phone’s camera needs a certain amount of thickness in order to take a photo. The size of these lenses cannot be compacted. This limitation then causes an awkward “bump” in which the phone will be extremely thin until you get to the mountain that is the camera bump. It’s a weird solution, but anything for a thinner frame, it seems.
Final thoughts
When you take a step back to consider the pros versus cons of these slimmer-framed phones, it boils down to only being slim for aesthetic purposes. It does everything a normal phone does, just in a thinner-looking design. Considering the iPhone once again, the base price of all new series of iPhones is $799. The iPhone 17 Air is likely to start at $899 as the phone is planned to replace the “plus” model. Is the $100 difference really justified if all the extra cost offers are only a slimmer frame?
Even if it sounds justified, after using a slim phone for a while, the sensation of how thin and light the phone is becomes unnoticed. It’s not like every time you go to use the device, you become infatuated with its thin frame. It’s similar to the “honeymoon period” with a new phone—after a week, the excitement is gone and you come to terms with having a different smartphone.
If it loses its main appeal so quickly, it’s probably a good idea to spend that extra $100 elsewhere. Maybe you can buy the regular iPhone 17 and use the extra hundred to buy a case and maybe more storage. Take it to the bank or buy a new outfit.
There’s just no reason to get that thinner phone.
