SEOUL – At Samsung’s retail store inside Lotte Department Store in Myeongdong, the Galaxy S25 Edge sits prominently on display, but the staff member there said customer interest peaked months ago.

“When it launched in May, people were curious,” he said. “Now most ask about the Fold. For the Edge, battery anxiety is what they mention first.”

Across the street, at Apple’s Myeongdong store, the pattern is similar. The

iPhone Air, Apple’s slimmest phone to date

, gets passing attention, but few linger.

“The people who actually own it are usually happy with the design and real-world battery life,” a staff member said. “But many hesitate when they think about the trade-offs.”

While the iPhone Air’s functionality was stripped down dramatically for thinness, Samsung’s Edge maintained more features. But the result was nearly identical. There is growing evidence that both ultraslim flagships have underperformed in sales.

According to Hana Securities, the Galaxy S25 Edge sold just 1.31 million units in its first three months, while the Galaxy S25 Plus sold 5.05 million.

Consumer Intelligence Research Partners estimated the iPhone Air made up just 3 per cent of US iPhone sales in September. By November, The Information reported Apple had halted almost all Air production, citing inventory overhang and supplier cutbacks.

Samsung’s case is arguably more puzzling. The S25 Edge was designed to be the “less compromised” slim phone. It retained stereo speakers, a dual-camera setup and a larger battery than the Air, yet it failed to sell even a quarter as well as its own Plus variant.

The failure, analysts and users suggest, was not due to the idea of a thinner or lighter phone itself; it was how much buyers were asked to give up and whether the trade-off felt worth it.

“There is interest in lighter, slimmer phones,” said Korea Investment & Securities senior analyst Park Sang-hyun.

“But that interest is soft. In a mature market with long replacement cycles, new form factors succeed only if they offer dramatic advantages. Even the foldables haven’t really made a dent. So, a slight weight reduction and thinness aren’t enough.”

Samsung seemed to expect otherwise.

Samsung’s domestic sales head Lim Sung-taek said at the S25 Edge launch in May that the company expected “very high sales”, based on “internal research showing preference for slimmer phones among consumers in their teens to 30s”.

Preference did not translate into purchase, mainly because slim phones require compromises.

Apple’s iPhone Air was particularly aggressive in this respect.

At US$999 (S$1,290), it was thinner than any previous iPhone, but included just a single rear camera and a mono speaker — features not even found in lower-tier models in today’s smartphone market.

In contrast, the iPhone 17 at US$799 included a dual-camera setup and stereo sound. The Pro, just US$100 more than the Air, offered the full flagship experience.

For many buyers, the Air’s pitch did not justify its price point.

“It’s a beautiful design, and it feels great in the hand,” said 27-year-old Yoo Seung-jun, a developer at Netmarble who upgraded from an iPhone 14 Pro.

“But for most people, it looks like you’re paying more to get less. If it were either dramatically lighter or a bit cheaper, I think it would have made more sense.”

Samsung avoided Apple’s most visible compromises, but could not overcome scepticism either. Some users appreciated the effort, particularly those with ergonomic concerns.

Like the Air, the Edge was also priced between the base and high-end models in its line-up, occupying a similarly awkward middle-tier slot.

Ms Park Ji-sun, a 33-year-old nurse in Gyeonggi Province, bought the S25 Edge because wrist pain made heavier phones difficult to use.

“But I’ve seen friends try slim phones and go back. They miss the battery confidence or the camera flexibility,” she said.

Other users expressed frustration with what they felt was an unclear value proposition.

“The Galaxy Edge is clearly better than the iPhone Air,” said Mr Choi Hyun-sik, a user in his 20s who owns both devices for work and personal use. “But even then, I understand why others hesitate to buy the Edge. They just don’t see enough upside to choosing a slim phone over a normal one.”

The awkward screen size did not help.

“The Edge’s 6.7-inch display size feels in-between, not as portable and wieldy as the base model, not as immersive as the Ultra,” said 29-year-old Oh Min-wook in Ansan, who now plans to switch to an iPhone 17 Pro Max.

Analyst Park sees a broader lesson.

“Apple and Samsung have both misjudged how much sacrifice consumers are willing to make for a slimmer device. The Air was too compromised. The Edge was less so, but the ergonomic gain wasn’t dramatic enough to shift behaviour,” he said.

Mr Patrick McGee, author of Apple In China, said that Apple may still benefit even if the Air did not sell.

“If more consumers end up choosing a Pro model because the Air pushed them to see the benefits of the Pro, that’s still a win for Apple.” THE KOREA HERALD/ASIA NEWS NETWORK