At MWC 2025, I’ve seen shockingly thin phones everywhere. But do people even want them?
Dozens of people flock around a specific stance in the human robot, car concept and futuristic display of Mobile World Congress in Barcelona. From a distance, it seems to be one of the many stalls showing another smartphone lineup. But a closer look reveals what everyone desires to turn on: It’s a very slim phone, unlike anything I’ve ever seen.
According to the company, the display is Tecno’s Spark Slim Phone Concept, which measures only 5.75mm (thicker than standard pencils) and weighs only 146 grams. It was 15 minutes’ turn that I picked up the coveted phone and was immediately surprised. It’s as light as a feather, but doesn’t feel like something I can fold in half. I did my own visual thickness test and compared by pulling a pen out of my backpack: the Spark Slim is actually thinner.
Tecno isn’t the only company that seems to believe Slim is in. Samsung has shown its Galaxy S25 Edge in several halls, which is still not well off from obstacles, surrounded by a longing crowd of audiences. Details on this phone are as slim as the look, from specs to release date. But the report shows that we will see it sometime this year.
Oppo also launched the Find N5, the discovery called the “World’s Thinest Book Folding” with a thickness of 8.93 mm when closed and 4.21 mm when opened. When I tested it, the size and shape shocked me and helped me retain some of the practicality and clumsy reservations about other folds. Perhaps one of the biggest rumors before the expected release of the iPhone 17 lineup is the potential iPhone “Air”, a thinner (probably lighter) version of Apple phones.
The Tecno Spark Slim Phone Concept is thinner than a pencil. My hands feel super light.
However, thinner phones, while a cool elastic, can lead to disadvantages. Smaller space usually means smaller batteries, so battery life is shorter. The camera hardware can also scale, thereby reducing image quality. Storage space is similarly hit. These are the main offers for phone buyers who still put battery life, camera quality and storage space on their top priorities.
When Samsung chose to reduce the design of the Galaxy Note 7, the push limit could be disastrous, only for devices to start smoking and eventually recall the phone. Telephone manufacturers must also keep durability at the forefront, especially if buyers are paying a penny and want their equipment to continue to use.
Nabila Popal, senior director of data and analysis at IDC, told me at MWC. “The question is, how does OEMs [phone makers] Want to achieve this without damaging other more important features such as batteries and cameras? ”
The Galaxy S25 Edge is coming, we just don’t know when or any other details.
This will be a challenge as more and more companies will undoubtedly incorporate the thin mobile phone trend. But, if it is not necessarily what consumers demand in the little ones, why try to reduce the equipment?
“In most cases, it’s an attempt by OEMs to differentiate,” Popal said. While Generative AI was a clear spotlight in last year’s MWC, it became so ubiquitous that this year, the focus is more about strategy and implementation. So phone manufacturers need to find a new way to stand out, and striking, slim and attractive lightweight equipment is one.
This approach seems to work in places like China, where companies such as Honor, Xiaomi and Huawei all made their debuts in Slim Premium Devices (which often doubled to foldable devices as well). But Popal added that just because of the resonance caused by China does not necessarily mean it will be in the rest of the world, as Chinese consumers tend to be more receptive to unique phones than the United States. But that shows that, at least somewhere, the slim phone is already causing chords.
Anisha Bhatia, senior analyst for GlobalData consumer platforms and devices, said Apple releases thinner phones could be particularly beneficial, especially when trying to differentiate between iPhones.
“For example, the iPhone 15 Plus model currently occupies an uncertain position in Apple’s lineup,” Bhatia said. “This ambiguity can confuse consumers who work to differentiate the plus model based on value proposition and feature sets.” Sales data show that the plus model performs poorly compared to other iPhone versions. ”
On the other hand, glitz like the thin iPhone is easier to distinguish and can better attract shoppers’ attention (and dollar).
The Oppo Find N5 is an example of a thin phone, with double foldable and 8.93 mm thick when closed and 4.21 mm thick when opened.
So over a few years, MWC 2025 attendees eagerly crowded their cell phones in their pockets and hands, have they captured photos considered the next technological innovation? Will thin phones be everywhere and win?
“Slimming is not a must, but it’s definitely a feature that makes the phone better, and I’m glad it,” Popal said.
It was once revolutionary and often became the norm. Just a few years ago, larger phone screens were considered a special feature, but now they have become standardized. Plus, even more than five years after the Samsung Galaxy Fold debuted, foldable phones largely kept the niche. Slim phones can go along either route. Popal said it was too early.
In addition, the old one is new. The trend for thinner phones can be traced back to the popularity of Motorola’s original RAZR, which became a pop culture phenomenon after its slim construction, unique shape and style, thanks to its 2004 release (who doesn’t want a pink phone?) Motorola has been working to retake the behavior by restoring the RAZR phone line in the form of a foldable smartphone.
Back to today, even if thin phones won’t end up becoming mainstream, that’s probably not a bad thing, Popal advises.
“I’d argue, why make it the norm? Stay niche and keep the premium,” she said. “The sooner it becomes the norm, the sooner it becomes the profitability.”
And, the earlier the crowd flocks to the next big (or slim) thing.
Watch the following: First look at Samsung’s surprise Galaxy S25 Edge
