<\/p>\niPhone Air, Apple\u2019s slimmest phone to date<\/p>\n
<\/a>, gets passing attention, but few linger.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe people who actually own it are usually happy with the design and real-world battery life,\u201d a staff member said. \u201cBut many hesitate when they think about the trade-offs.\u201d<\/p>\n
While the iPhone Air\u2019s functionality was stripped down dramatically for thinness, Samsung\u2019s Edge maintained more features. But the result was nearly identical. There is growing evidence that both ultraslim flagships have underperformed in sales.<\/p>\n
According to Hana Securities, the Galaxy S25 Edge sold just 1.31 million units in its first three months, while the Galaxy S25 Plus sold 5.05 million.<\/p>\n
Consumer Intelligence Research Partners estimated the iPhone Air made up just 3 per cent of US iPhone sales in September. By November, The Information reported Apple had halted almost all Air production, citing inventory overhang and supplier cutbacks.<\/p>\n
Samsung\u2019s case is arguably more puzzling. The S25 Edge was designed to be the \u201cless compromised\u201d slim phone. It retained stereo speakers, a dual-camera setup and a larger battery than the Air, yet it failed to sell even a quarter as well as its own Plus variant.<\/p>\n
The failure, analysts and users suggest, was not due to the idea of a thinner or lighter phone itself; it was how much buyers were asked to give up and whether the trade-off felt worth it.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere is interest in lighter, slimmer phones,\u201d said Korea Investment & Securities senior analyst Park Sang-hyun.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut that interest is soft. In a mature market with long replacement cycles, new form factors succeed only if they offer dramatic advantages. Even the foldables haven\u2019t really made a dent. So, a slight weight reduction and thinness aren\u2019t enough.\u201d<\/p>\n
Samsung seemed to expect otherwise.<\/p>\n
Samsung\u2019s domestic sales head Lim Sung-taek said at the S25 Edge launch in May that the company expected \u201cvery high sales\u201d, based on \u201cinternal research showing preference for slimmer phones among consumers in their teens to 30s\u201d.<\/p>\n
Preference did not translate into purchase, mainly because slim phones require compromises.<\/p>\n
Apple\u2019s iPhone Air was particularly aggressive in this respect.<\/p>\n
At US$999 (S$1,290), it was thinner than any previous iPhone, but included just a single rear camera and a mono speaker \u2014 features not even found in lower-tier models in today\u2019s smartphone market. <\/p>\n
In contrast, the iPhone 17 at US$799 included a dual-camera setup and stereo sound. The Pro, just US$100 more than the Air, offered the full flagship experience.<\/p>\n
For many buyers, the Air\u2019s pitch did not justify its price point.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s a beautiful design, and it feels great in the hand,\u201d said 27-year-old Yoo Seung-jun, a developer at Netmarble who upgraded from an iPhone 14 Pro. <\/p>\n
\u201cBut for most people, it looks like you\u2019re paying more to get less. If it were either dramatically lighter or a bit cheaper, I think it would have made more sense.\u201d<\/p>\n
Samsung avoided Apple\u2019s most visible compromises, but could not overcome scepticism either. Some users appreciated the effort, particularly those with ergonomic concerns.<\/p>\n
Like the Air, the Edge was also priced between the base and high-end models in its line-up, occupying a similarly awkward middle-tier slot.<\/p>\n
Ms Park Ji-sun, a 33-year-old nurse in Gyeonggi Province, bought the S25 Edge because wrist pain made heavier phones difficult to use.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut I\u2019ve seen friends try slim phones and go back. They miss the battery confidence or the camera flexibility,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
Other users expressed frustration with what they felt was an unclear value proposition.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe Galaxy Edge is clearly better than the iPhone Air,\u201d said Mr Choi Hyun-sik, a user in his 20s who owns both devices for work and personal use. \u201cBut even then, I understand why others hesitate to buy the Edge. They just don\u2019t see enough upside to choosing a slim phone over a normal one.\u201d<\/p>\n
The awkward screen size did not help.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe Edge\u2019s 6.7-inch display size feels in-between, not as portable and wieldy as the base model, not as immersive as the Ultra,\u201d said 29-year-old Oh Min-wook in Ansan, who now plans to switch to an iPhone 17 Pro Max.<\/p>\n
Analyst Park sees a broader lesson. <\/p>\n
\u201cApple and Samsung have both misjudged how much sacrifice consumers are willing to make for a slimmer device. The Air was too compromised. The Edge was less so, but the ergonomic gain wasn\u2019t dramatic enough to shift behaviour,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Mr Patrick McGee, author of Apple In China, said that Apple may still benefit even if the Air did not sell.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf more consumers end up choosing a Pro model because the Air pushed them to see the benefits of the Pro, that\u2019s still a win for Apple.\u201d THE KOREA HERALD\/ASIA NEWS NETWORK<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"SEOUL – At Samsung\u2019s retail store inside Lotte Department Store in Myeongdong, the Galaxy S25 Edge sits prominently…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":322670,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[16],"tags":[2306,86,56,54,55],"class_list":{"0":"post-322669","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-mobile","8":"tag-mobile","9":"tag-technology","10":"tag-uk","11":"tag-united-kingdom","12":"tag-unitedkingdom"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/322669","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=322669"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/322669\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/322670"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=322669"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=322669"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=322669"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}