Thin Is In: Samsung’s Galaxy S25 Slim Is Coming. Apple’s iPhone Air Would Like a Word.

We love leaks. Nothing speeds along the hype wagon like credible rumors, and leaked renders of upcoming gadgets just might be our favorite kind. Even though we’re a week away from Galaxy Unleashed, where we expect the official unveiling of Galaxy S25 lineup (January 22), Smartprix went ahead and leaked the renders of the Galaxy S25 Smartphone.

And unfortunately for the Korean juggernaut, Apple’s iPhone, the perennial burr in the Samsung Galaxy’s paw, is reportedly going to steal the crown of thinner device in their generations-long rivalry. The Galaxy S25 Slim is slim, but not slim enough. But honestly, really, truly… who cares about a few tenths of a millimeter?

millimeters, sillymeters

Last year’s Galaxy S24, still the most current Galaxy on sale, measures 7.6 to 8.6mm thick, depending on whether you’re choosing the S24, S24+, or S24 Ultra.

When it comes to their arch-rival, the iPhone 16—also released last year and the most current iPhone for sale—measures 7.8mm thick for the 16 and 16 Plus, and 8.25mm thick for the 16 Pro and 16 Pro Max. So the answer as to which wears the current crown depends on whether you’re talking about Samsung’s and Apple’s base models or premium models.

Come this fall Apple is poised to release the iPhone 17 Air, and if the leaks are to pan out, and it’ll be the thinnest iPhone ever at 5.8mm for the regular iPhone 17 and 6.3mm for the iPhone 17 Pro. It could even be as thin as 5.5mm for the base model iPhone 17, according to a recent Medium post by Ming-Chi Kuo.

Womp, womp for the Galaxy S25 Slim, which according to Smartprix will measure 6.4mm thick.

Does the measure of a few tenths of a millimeter really matter, though? Beyond bragging rights, it’ll make no functional difference to anybody, and I’d rather have a manufacturer—whether Android or iOS—build the best device it can, rather than make compromises for the sake of a few unnoticeable tenths of a millimeter that’ll be hidden within my phone case.

We expect to see the Galaxy S25 Slim announced alongside the regular Galaxy S25 at Samsung’s Galaxy Unpacked event on January 22, although according to reports, the S25 Slim will launch later in May, after a rumored early February release for the regular S25.