Samsung could rival the iPhone Air with an even thinner Galaxy phone

Although Apple grabbed all the headlines this week with its new 5.6mm thick iPhone Air, we shouldn't forget that Samsung beat its rival to the punch with the Galaxy S25 Edge earlier this year, signalling the return of thinner premium phones.

Smartphones have got thicker over the past decade to fit in larger batteries, which is a good thing. I tested the S25 Edge and loved its slim, lightweight design, but it had terrible battery life.

It also only has two cameras despite costing £1,099. The £799 regular Galaxy S25 has three cameras - but then again, the iPhone Air, which costs £999, only has one.

The iPhone Air isn't even on sale until September 19, but there has already been a big leak of images that claim to show the design of the Samsung Galaxy S26 Edge, the phone that will allegedly be released sometime next year to succeed the S25 Edge. If the renders published by Android Headlines are to be believed, Samsung is not giving up on thin Android phones.

In fact, the report claims the S26 Edge will replace the Galaxy S25 Plus in the line up, suggesting that there will be no Galaxy S26 Plus. LIke Apple, Samsung has got into the annual habit of releasing a flagship phone and a Plus version with a bigger screen and battery.

We've just seen Apple ditch its Plus, as there is no iPhone 17 Plus. Instead there is just an iPhone 17 and the iPhone Air, as well as the 17 Pro and 17 Pro Max.

It'll be interesting to see if Samsung does the same. This also implies the S26 Edge will launch alongside the other S26 phones, presumably in January or February when Samsung usually announces its latest Galaxy S line up. The S25 Edge was announced on May 13, 2025, so this would see it replaced less than a year after launch.

The report also states that the S26 Edge will be even thinner than the 5.8mm S25 Edge. Phones can't get much thinner given they have to include a USB-C port and, you know, components. Then again, the iPhone Air is 5.6mm. Is Samsung trying to beat that figure? These firms do like to one-up each other, even if Samsung is the one that will actually point it out in its presentations at launch events.

On the leaked images, the back of the S26 Edge has an elongated camera module much like on the iPhone Air and iPhone 17 Pro, with two lenses. It's a very plain design, but I guess there's not much you can do to jazz a phone up when your primary goal is thinness.

The images are among the first we've seen for an alleged new Galaxy Edge phone, so take them with a pinch of salt. But their existence suggests we haven't seen the last of ultrathin, ultra-expensive smartphones.