What’s happened? Hong Kong-based, Chinese smartphone manufacturer Tecno has launched a pair super-slim handsets, just days before Apple is expected to announce the iPhone 17 Air.
- The two phones form a new ‘Tecno Slim’ range.
- The 4G Tecno Spark Slim measures just 5.93mm thick, while the 5G-enabled Pova Slim is a hair thicker at 5.95mm.
- That’s not as thin as Samsung’s slimline phone, the Galaxy S25 Edge, which measures a seriously svelte 5.8mm.
- However, Tecno can boast considerably larger battery capacity with the Slim handsets packing a 5,160mAh battery, versus the 3,900mAh offering in Samsung’s phone.
- Both Slim variants feature an aerospace-grade fiberglass back cover, which Tecno claims is 0.19mm thinner than standard composite plates, while delivering 300% greater strength and 200% greater toughness.
What this matters: Our phones are getting thinner, whether you want them to or not. There’s a growing trend for slimmer tech, and Tecno is the next manufacturer to jump on board.
- Samsung kicked-started the trend at the start of the year with the S25 Edge
- We’ve seen foldable phones significantly slim down, with the Oppo Find N5, Honor Magic V5 and Galaxy Z Fold 7 arriving with almost impossibly thin profiles.
- Samsung returned again at IFA 2025 with the Tab S11 Ultra, a tablet measuring just 5.1mm thick.
- And Apple is hotly tipped to announce its own slimline offering in the form of the iPhone 17 Air.
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Why should I care? With thinner phones comes compromise, and one the big ones is battery. With less physical space in a thinner phone, batteries have to be reduced – which can have a knock-on effect when it comes to longevity.
- One of our main complaints in our review of the S25 Edge was the mediocre battery life, thanks to the smaller battery inside.
- However, Tecno has given us hope with the battery capacity it’s managed to achieve for the Slim handsets, as it utilizes high-density lithium cobalt oxide instead of a silicon-based solution.
- While we can’t guarantee the iPhone 17 Air will utilize this technology, or deliver decent battery life, positive strides are being made which bodes well for the future.
Okay, what’s next? We’re testing out the Tecno Slim phones soon, so keep an eye out for our hands-on preview.
- Availability and pricing for the new phones are yet to be confirmed, but it’s unlikely they’ll come to the US.
- Meanwhile, we’re just days away from Apple’s September 9 event, where we expect it to announce the iPhone 17 as well as the iPhone 17 Air.
