Too thin to buy? Why ultraslim phones from Samsung, Apple aren’t selling in South Korea

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Sales of ultraslim smartphones, such as Apples iPhone Air, are reportedly underperforming in South Korea.

PHOTO: AFP

SEOUL - At Samsung’s retail store inside Lotte Department Store in Myeongdong, the Galaxy S25 Edge sits prominently on display, but the staffer there says 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

“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 tradeoffs.”

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 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