Apple and Samsung are both rumored to be working on Slim models for next year and both are reportedly running into the same issues. In short, there are two obstacles on the road to a thin phone: the motherboard and the battery.
Apple has figured out the motherboard problem, now the issue is bringing down the cost, according to Naver poster yeux1122. The company tried incorporating new tech for the battery, but due to volume production and other issues, it is sticking with current materials.
The end result will be an iPhone 17 Slim that will measure around 6mm thick. For comparison, the iPhone 16 Plus (the Plus series is getting dropped in favor of the Slim) is 7.8mm (the Pros are thicker at 8.3mm). The Slim will reportedly use a new OLED panel that will measure 6.6” in size (down from 6.7” on the Plus). Analyst Ming-Chi Kuo expects the Slim to account for 5 to 10% of iPhone shipments next year.
Meanwhile, the Samsung Galaxy S25 Slim will be replacing the S25 FE and it will be a trial design that could be adopted for the S26 series (if it proves popular, of course). However, Samsung ran into the same issues that Apple did.
Mass production of thinner motherboards has reportedly been delayed due to supplier issues. There has been progress on using new materials for the battery, though. Right now there is no indication on how thin the Galaxy S25 Slim will be – the thinnest S24 member is the vanilla phone at 7.6mm.
Both the iPhone 17 Slim and Samsung Galaxy S25 Slim are expected in the second half of 2025.
Source (Korean)
