This article may contain personal views and opinion from the author.
The next evolution of the smartphone is upon us, and it’s come about thanks to Apple and Samsung. What now seems like a long time ago, we started hearing about the iPhone Air. Shortly after, Samsung announced the Galaxy S25 Edge.
Both these phones are out now, and both have met their fair share of criticism, from me as well. Many consumers would prefer a thicker phone with a larger battery but, like it or not, the next step in the industry is ultra slim phones. Just look at the upcoming Motorola X70 Air or the Tecno Slim.
There’s plenty of reason to dislike this direction that phone manufacturers are taking, but it would be unwise to think that the biggest problem, battery life, isn’t going to be solved very soon.
Smartphones will rely on vibes
As a Samsung executive said, you need to hold the Galaxy S25 Edge. | Image credit — PhoneArena
I was not happy when Samsung announced the Galaxy S25 Edge: a slimmer phone with an even smaller battery? Pass. At least, that’s what I initially thought. But Samsung and Apple were on to something.
During the initial barrage of criticism, a Samsung executive defended the S25 Edge, saying that all of your complaints would go away the moment you held it in your hand. For many people, that was true, and it has been even truer for the iPhone Air.
Online forums are full of users saying that they’re very happy with their Air, and they should be. It really is a treat to hold and use. This is what the future of the smartphone is now: vibes.
For many people, once they hold the iPhone Air or the Galaxy S25 Edge, concerns about battery life melt away, leaving behind a very strong desire to buy that phone.
Did you get an iPhone Air or Galaxy S25 Edge?
Yes
11.11%
No
33.33%
Waiting for a better model in a few years
55.56%
And here’s the thing, battery life won’t be a problem pretty soon.
Slim phones will usher in better batteries
Galaxy S26 Edge is already back over 4,000 mAh, according to leaks. | Image credit — Android Headlines
Many Chinese phone manufacturers have adopted silicon batteries, and are now improving on them at a rapid pace. Next year, we’re going to see phones sporting batteries with capacities of an unbelievable 10,000 mAh, and this is only the beginning.
Both the Galaxy S25 Edge and the iPhone Air have pretty tiny batteries, but the Tecno Slim — which is barely 0.1 mm thicker than Samsung’s phone — has a larger battery than the Galaxy S25 Ultra.
Battery capacity is only a problem with Galaxy phones and the iPhone, and it’ll be an issue of the past once Samsung and Apple adopt silicon batteries.
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And then? What comes next?
This is only natural
Galaxy S25 Ultra continued the trend of slimming down each year. | Image credit — PhoneArena
In my opinion, this was a very predictable path for phone manufacturers to go down. Up until now, both Apple and Samsung had been slimming down their flagship models each year, competing in contests where they would win by 0.1 mm or less.
It’s only now, when Apple has decided to market the iPhone Air as the average Joe’s phone of choice, that the company has started making its Pro models thicker again. The iPhone 17 Pro is truly the professional’s choice of smartphone, and the iPhone Air is what you’re supposed to get for everyday use.
When Apple and Samsung adopt silicon batteries, the choice will be a no-brainer, just like the MacBook Air is. And now that the two rivals have dove headfirst into making ultra slim phones, the entire world is following suit. Those who haven’t, will do so very soon. Mark my words.
This is the future of the smartphone, and you’d be very hard-pressed to find phones as thick as the normal phones of today in a few years. Then again, the phones of today will likely be largely replaced by smart glasses in a decade or so.
Well, maybe not. But I can hope.
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Abdullah loves smartphones, Virtual Reality, and audio gear. Though he covers a wide range of news his favorite is always when he gets to talk about the newest VR venture or when Apple sets the industry ablaze with another phenomenal release.
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