Xiaomi admits Apple pulled off the impossible hardware stunt with this iPhone

A symbol of the US, Apple's iPhones are super popular even in the homeland of the Chinese wonder-like flagships. The latter almost always come with incredible camera setups, mind-boggling batteries and exclusive features.

But people over there love Apple, no matter what this or that talking head on TV says about the souring of relations between the US and China.

Of course, Apple has to compete with numerous high-profile rivals over there. In the US, people are mostly choosing between Apple and Samsung (OK, there's Google, Motorola and Nothing, too, but they're way behind in terms of sales).

In China, though, Apple has to compete with the likes of Huawei, Vivo, Oppo (and OnePlus) and… Xiaomi.

But here's something Xiaomi admits it can't do – something that Apple can and already has done.

"We can't make an ultra-thin phone!"

Remember the iPhone Air and the Galaxy S25 Edge? Yeah, neither succeeded in captivating people's hearts and wallets (it's not an exaggeration to call both models flops).

Apparently, Xiaomi was also working on an wasp-waisted phone, but their answer to the iPhone Air is officially cancelled.

Xiaomi president Lu Weibing recently shared that the company scrapped this special flagship at the last minute. Weibing noted that the ultra-slim design forced engineering trade-offs that severely crippled battery life and sustained performance.

Ultimately, the company decided to cancel the project entirely rather than launch a premium device that compromised on daily usability.

"Yeah, right"

If you don't fully believe that Xiaomi literally can't make an ultra-thin phone, I'm on your team.

Xiaomi is a company of serious expertise – their flagship phones of recent years prove it. Their Ultra and Pro models come with amazing camera setups (Apple hasn't released a single iPhone that can match even the 2023 Xiaomi 13 Ultra in terms of main sensor size) and impressive battery numbers.

So, maybe Xiaomi simply doesn't want to make an ultra-thin phone like the iPhone Air or the Galaxy S25 Edge, not that it can't.

But why?

In a word, because the iPhone Air is shaping up to be yet another flop in Cupertino's recent history. As we told you, the iPhone Air barely scraped past 700,000 activations, even after Apple cut its price multiple times. In other words, a market flop.

Similarly, the iPhone mini models of the near past were cancelled, just like the larger Plus model was scrapped. People disliked them, didn't buy them and Apple learned its lesson (what I mean by that is: they moved from one unpopular iPhone to the next unpopular iPhone).

Funnily enough, Apple will probably give the ultra-thin phone project one more spin before it shuts the whole thing down.

The iPhone Air 2 rumors

The next iPhone Air (which, for a lack of an official moniker we can call simply the iPhone Air 2 for now) could try to address some of the concerns that users had with it.

There could be a second rear camera (the OG iPhone Air has only one), the price could be lower (I don't buy that, though) and a large vapor chamber could be responsible for thermals.

What's more, a bigger battery (amen!) and a thinner Face ID module are also in the cards.

The iPhone Air 2 could materialize in 2027. If this one breaks the spell and turns out to be a hit… well, maybe Xiaomi will magically possess what it takes to make an ultra-thin phone.

Get Visible as low as $20/mo for 1 year. Limited time offer with code: FRESHSTART

$20 /mo

$25

$5 off (20%)

Offer Ends 6.1.2026 at 11.59pm ET. New members get $5/mo off the $25/mg Visible plan, $35/mo Visible+ plan, or $45/mo Visible+ Pro plan for the first 12 months. Promo code FRESHSTART required at checkout.

Buy at Visible