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Supposedly, Apple has aniPhone 17 Airin the works that could be as thin as 5.5mm.

The iPhone 16 Plus it’s slated to replace in Apple’s phone lineup measures 7.8mm thin.

Tecno Spark Slim back and lights

Techno Spark Slim

Samsung and Apple are the biggest names either working on or about to launch ultra-thin phones.

The question is why all the sudden attention on thin phones?

And then there’s a pressing follow-up question: what else are these phones going to offer us?

Trio of Galaxy S25 edge prototypes

Galaxy S25 Edge on display

Why thin phones now?

The first question is actually pretty easy to answer.

That machine debuted in 2007 nearly 20 years ago.

iPhone 17 Air render

“Manufacturers are looking for ways to differentiate with design and accelerate upgrades.”

To put it another way, smartphones have been around for a while now.

And a lot of similarities have crept into thebest phonesout there.

Galaxy S25 Edge in white and black

Recently, that’s been pumping up the brightness of displays.

Now, attention seems to be shifting toward making phones thinner.

It makes sense big-screen devices are far more popular than thebest small phones.

Arrow

Tackling a phone’s thickness can address that issue.

And make no mistake the thin phones we’re talking about are going to have big screens.

Rumors tip the iPhone 17 Air to offer a 6.6-inch screen as well.

Arrow

Is thin all there is?

The other question facing the upcoming spate of ultra-thin phones what will they offer besides a slender design?

is one that I’ve been asking since that Galaxy S25 Edge preview at the start of the year.

Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max White…

And it’s one phone makers have yet to provide an answer for.

iPhone 17 Air rumors suggest Apple is sticking with one rear camera, as it does with theiPhone 16e.

Battery life could be an issue, too, at least with the Galaxy S25 Edge.

Samsung Galaxy S25 and S25…

That may be a hard sell for some people.

“Thin gadgets are cool.”

“Nobody asked for the Motorola Razr back in 2004,” Greengart said.

Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max 256GB…

“And Moto sold over 100 million of the things.”

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Galaxy S25 Edge prototype next to iPhone 17 Air render

samsung galaxy s25 edge mockups at galaxy unpacked 2025

samsung galaxy s25 edge at mwc 2025

samsung galaxy s25 edge mockup at galaxy unpacked

Tecno Spark Slim

iPhone 17 Pro case renders

iPhone 16 colors hands-on.

Motorola Razr 2024 Review.

Recipes in the food section of Apple News Plus on an iPhone

iPhone 16 Pro vs iPhone 16 Pro Max in one hand

Pixel 9a astrophotography.

Switch 2 console and accessories

NYTimes Connections

Fire TV interface on the Fire TV Stick 4K (2nd gen)

A person holding a Nintendo Switch 2 playing Mario Kart World

Cristin Milioti in "Black Mirror" season 7 coming to Netflix