November 1, 2025

Apple and Samsung's latest slim smartphones, the iPhone Air and Galaxy S25 Edge, are facing a tough fight in India and other countries. These ultra-thin phones sound cool, but customers are not happy with their smaller batteries and fewer features compared to bulkier models. Retailers told ET that when the iPhone Air first launched, it made up around 8-10% of the iPhone 17 series' sales. But during the busy festive times, when phone sales generally shoot up thanks to cuts in GST, its share slipped to just 2-3%! Samsung's Galaxy S25 Edge story is similar. Despite heavy discounts offered soon after its April launch, demand stayed flat. A retailer from Delhi, who wished to stay anonymous, said he already returned many Galaxy S25 Edge phones to distributors. Meanwhile, Apple's distributors are still pushing the iPhone Air along with the base and Pro iPhone 17 models to boost sales in India. Experts say the lower sales are because of big differences in battery life and camera quality between thin models and the bulkier Pro and Ultra variants. Customers seem ready to spend a bit more money for better features and longer battery life. Market tracker Omdia reports that the base iPhone 17 grabbed more attention than the thin iPhone Air, which made up only 3-4% of iPhone 17 sales in India since its mid-September launch. Industry firm IDC sees iPhone Air sales below 5% in the first week, dropping further below 3% by December. Samsung’s Galaxy S25 Edge shipped just over 2% of flagship sales at launch and dropped below 1% by mid-2025, according to Counterpoint Research. Samsung is even said to have cancelled next year’s plan to launch a new version due to weak sales globally. Apple analyst Ming Chi Kuo at TF Securities shared a harsh prediction: "iPhone Air demand has fallen short of expectations, leading the supply chain to begin scaling back both shipments and production capacity." He added suppliers are cutting production by more than 80%, with some parts to be stopped by year-end. Hana Financial from Korea reported that Galaxy S25 Edge only shipped 1.31 million units globally by August, compared to 8 million for the Galaxy S25 base and a whopping 12 million for the Galaxy S25 Ultra. So, it looks like the thinnest phones are losing the race! Consumers want power and features over slimness. Apple and Samsung might now rethink how thin a phone should be to truly win hearts—and wallets—in India and beyond.

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Tags: Iphone air, Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge, Smartphone Sales, Thin Smartphones, Apple, Samsung,