8 reasons I think thin phones like the upcoming Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge are a bad idea

Thinner technology always seems to be the trend. Whether it’s a thinner TV, a thinner laptop, a thinner tablet, or something else, many manufacturers prioritize making their devices thinner over all else. However, the pursuit of ever-thinner devices has reached a point of diminishing returns, where incremental millimeter reductions sacrifice practicality. Phone makers are especially guilty of this. While small phones seem to be all but disappearing, OEMs seem more than happy to make their devices taller to continue to make them thinner.

This is no more apparent than Samsung’s recently announced Galaxy S25 Edge and Apple’s thin phone, which is rumored to launch later this year. These two OEMs have decided that thinness is enough of a distinction that it will be the focus of an entire phone in their lineup this year. However, I think this is a bad idea and here’s why.

8

Smaller battery capacity

One of the main things people look for when purchasing a new phone is battery life. Users want to use their phone for as long as possible without worrying about it dying or finding a place to charge it. A few years back, we saw a trend of shrinking batteries to fit in better cameras, in-screen fingerprint readers, or other components. That trend has reversed, and battery capacity is increasing with each new generation of devices.

However, having a thinner phone means the OEM won’t have as much space to put a battery. This means that thin phones will have worse battery life than their (marginally) thicker counterparts. A phone is useless if you can’t turn it on or it only works for a couple of hours before it needs to be put on a charger. Even if you have a pretty-looking, thin phone, what’s the point of having it if it’s dead most of the time?

7

Reduced space for internal components

In addition to reduced space for the battery, there will also be reduced space for other components. Many phone users like watching videos or listening to music on their phone speakers. Thinner phones will not have the room to add speakers with a high volume or depth of sound, so the experience will be worse.

Some phones stand out because they have great haptic motors that make using the phone feel like it has an extra dimension. With the reduced size, there will not be room for a great haptic motor, so the haptics will likely be sub-par. The phone will not have room for more storage since they need to save space. The list goes on.

One of the most important components of modern-day smartphones is their cameras, because users love to take photos with the smartphone they always have on them. Cameras have also become one of the main areas where OEMs innovate on phones from generation to generation, making them even more important.

With a thin smartphone, the lenses that will fit into the thinner frame will be a step back in terms of quality and usability and there probably won’t be as many of them as on other phones. We’ve already seen this with the tease of the Galaxy S25 Edge, which only has two lesser cameras and a prominent (and ugly) camera bump to be able to fit them. This seems like an unnecessary downgrade to one of the most important components of the phone for the sake of thinness.

6

Worse heat dissipation

Heat dissipation is incredibly important to the performance of a phone. Look at the Google Pixel 6 and 7 series to see where poor heat dissipation gets you. I use a Pixel 7 as my main device every day. My main complaint about it is that the phone gets too hot too fast and reduces the phone’s performance. Many recent phones, including newer Pixels, added larger vapor chambers or other components to improve cooling, and it’s worked out very well for them.

A thinner phone will not have room for these larger vapor chambers if it can even fit a chamber at all. Thinner phones may lean on the back, screen, or frame of the phone to do most of the heat dissipation, making holding it very uncomfortable. The lack of heat dissipation may reduce the phone’s performance, much like my Pixel 7. Performance and heat dissipation are becoming increasingly important due to the amount of on-device AI that is rolled out annually, and thinner phones will likely be behind their generational brethren in performance with these features.

5

Poor ergonomics

Most often, using a phone means you need to hold it, which means it needs to be designed ergonomically. It’s also important to make sure a phone is ergonomic so it doesn’t hurt to hold it for extended periods of time or get dropped often. OEMs need to consider the size, shape, and weight balancing of the device to make sure it has good ergonomics and is easy to hold for most. Samsung addressed some ergonomic issues with the Galaxy S25 Ultra by rounding the phone’s corners to make it less painful to hold.

Thin phones have difficult ergonomics. Because of how thin they are, they can press into a user’s skin in a way that is painful and leaves lines or marks. Additionally, because it’s so thin, users may find discomfort when holding it for extended periods of time and may be prone to drop it more often. Why should holding the phone, which is its whole purpose, be sacrificed to make it the tiniest bit thinner?

4

Durability concerns

Accidents happen all the time and people may trip, slip, or fall and hit their phones on the ground. If a phone is durable, this isn’t as much of a concern and users may get away with little to no damage to their device. Others may have to get their device repaired or get a new device due to catastrophic damage. This can be mostly avoided by making sure a phone is durable by using modern drop- and scratch-resistant screen and body materials and shoring up the phone’s body with strength points.

Thin phones will not be able to do this as much. While they can use many of the same durable materials, they may not be able to design the phone’s body to make it more sturdy. Look at the iPhone 6, which had numerous instances of people putting it in their back pocket, sitting on it, and bending the phone in half.

Users could be a bit more careful, but they shouldn’t have to worry about doing normal daily tasks and breaking their phone. I and those around me put our phones in our back pockets, and we’ve never had an issue with our phones bending. Thinner phones will make this issue more common, which seems like a detriment to the user experience.

3

You’ll put a case on it anyway

Thinner phones may look nice and be lighter and more svelte due to their thinness, but due to durability concerns, most users will probably put a case on the phone. Most users that buy a regular smartphone put a case on it, so why would having a thinner phone change that trend? Putting a case on the phone defeats the purpose of it being thin. Why bother having a thinner phone when with a case it’s as thick if not thicker than a regular phone? It doesn’t make sense.

2

Repairability takes a hit

Repairability has been a growing concern for technology users in recent years. We’ve seen numerous “Right to Repair” laws passed in states all over the country to mandate that devices, like smartphones, be easier for users to repair themselves. Smartphones are often difficult to repair since many components are sandwiched tightly together to fit everything in. A thinner phone would make this harder.

Users may be unable to repair many of the components themselves since they will be more tightly integrated. This may lead to more expensive repair costs. Since the components are integrated on such a small scale, there might be more instances of a phone being unrepairable due to a series of components dying or being damaged. This will add to the mounting e-waste problem and make it worse.

1

It’s not what users care about

Lastly, and most importantly, having a thinner phone is not what users want or care about. If you ask any smartphone user on the street what they care about in a phone, they’ll probably tell you they want better battery life, better cameras, a more durable phone, or more storage. These wants get worse with a thinner smartphone. Battery capacity will be smaller, cameras will get smaller and worse quality, the phone will become less durable, and there will not be room for more storage.

It boggles my mind that OEMs have decided to innovate in a way that makes the user experience worse. Phone innovation has become so stagnant that the only unique idea they can come up with is to make them thinner after years of maximizing the size of smartphones. It’s silly and shows how boring smartphone hardware has become.

Thinner isn’t better

While thinner phones seem to be the new hotness in the smartphone market, I don’t think that’s a good thing. Numerous issues make thin phones bad for users and go against what most users want out of a smartphone. I miss the days when smartphones felt inspiring and brought something new and exciting to the table.