Poor sales of the iPhone Air caused Xiaomi and Oppo to abandon the production of their slim mobile phones

At its September event, Apple once again attracted attention by introducing the iPhone Air model; It is the thinnest iPhone ever made.

At a time when smartphones in general were getting bulkier, the iPhone Air, with a thickness of only 5.6 mm, offered a different design from other devices. There were reports that Chinese companies Xiaomi, Oppo and Vivo were also planning to introduce their own ultra-slim flagships to directly compete with this model. However, following the disappointing sales of the iPhone Air, these companies seem to have put these plans on hold for now.

Why do companies abandon the development of ultra-thin phones after the release of the iPhone Air?

According to reports published by Sina Finance and DigiTimes, Xiaomi, Oppo and Vivo have either stopped developing their ultra-thin phones or changed their plans.

This change of approach by the three mentioned companies is a reflection of the wider industry concern about the poor performance of the iPhone Air in the market. By introducing the thinnest iPhone ever, Apple expected design innovation to attract buyers, but this product failed to match customers’ tastes. Apple’s suppliers, including Foxconn and Luxshare, have already removed or discontinued iPhone Air production lines.

The report also states that after the iPhone Air’s lower-than-expected sales, Xiaomi, Oppo, and Vivo have shifted their R&D resources, including those related to eSIM technology, from ultra-slim projects like the iPhone Air to more conventional devices.

What was Xiaomi and Vivo’s plan supposed to be?

According to the published report, Xiaomi planned to offer an ultra-slim model as a completely similar version of the iPhone Air to directly compete with Apple’s product. On the other hand, Vivo was preparing a new ultra-slim device for its mid-range S series. Both companies are said to have stopped development of these models now, and neither has released an official statement about the future of their ultra-slim projects.

This situation occurs while it is reported that Samsung has also canceled the development of the Galaxy S26 Edge model, as a successor to the ultra-thin Galaxy S25 Edge model.

Apple itself seems to have postponed the introduction of the second generation iPhone Air. Reports suggest that the company plans to implement a more extensive redesign for the next generation to compensate for user feedback on battery performance and camera quality.

Why iPhone Air could not achieve Apple’s goals?

The ultra-slim 5.6mm iPhone Air model was one of the most distinctive devices of the year, but that slim design wasn’t necessarily without consequences. Despite the price of around $1,300, this device had limitations in the field of battery and camera. On the other hand, the iPhone 17 Pro model with a bigger battery, triple camera set and stereo speakers was offered with only a small difference and a price of around $1,500. This insignificant difference in price probably made many buyers choose the Pro model.