Just in case it wasn't already abundantly clear that the mobile industry is in a pretty bad place right now in terms of innovation that can actually benefit regular users in palpable ways, Apple and Samsung's big plans to overhaul their high-end smartphone families this year should drive that point home in virtually unrivaled fashion.
Instead of redesigning its increasingly boring and wildly repetitive foldables, Samsung is reportedly focusing on adding a new Slim model to the Galaxy S lineup. Similarly, Apple is apparently hard at work on a first-of-a-kind iPhone 17 Air rather than trying to fast-track a truly groundbreaking iPhone Fold device that's currently expected to come out in 2026... at the earliest.
But while it's getting really difficult to defend Samsung's laziness (there, I said it) and lack of out-of-the-box thinking (come at me, Galaxy bros!), I'm more and more inclined to argue in Apple's favor against the same type of accusations. And that's all thanks to a very promising new pricing rumor ironically hailing from Samsung's homeland of South Korea.
When has Apple become so reasonable?
You probably don't remember this now because you tried your best to block out any memory of that report, but the iPhone 17 Air was at one point expected to cost as much as $1,299... back when it was still being referred to as the iPhone 17 Slim.
While that certainly sounded excessive and sketchy right off the bat, it also weirdly felt like a very Apple-specific move that unfortunately had every chance of becoming a commercial reality in the fall of 2025. But now this new report out of Korea suggests that the iPhone 17 Air "price range" is likely to be "similar to that of the existing Plus model", and if that pans out, I'm even more convinced that Apple has a big box-office hit on its hands here.
The iPhone 16 Plus is currently expected to not receive a direct sequel this year. | Image Credit -- PhoneArena
The "existing Plus model", mind you, is the $899 and up iPhone 16 Plus, and if Apple does plan to replace that largely unsuccessful device with an entirely different iPhone 17 Air model, it definitely makes sense to retain the $899 starting price... or at least not push it beyond the $999 mark. Certainly not as high as $1,299.
But keeping the price point of a product expected to generate more consumer buzz and media attention than the iPhone 17 Pro Max at a reasonable level requires a degree of restraint that the always profit-hungry Cupertino-based tech giant has rarely exhibited in its past.
Of course, desperate times often call for desperate measures, and although Apple's global sales situation might seem far from desperate for an untrained eye, some recent results in a couple of crucial markets make it crystal clear that times have changed and repeating past errors could lead to disaster... by Apple standards.
Let's not get too excited just yet though
Can you teach an old dog new tricks? Perhaps. But some tricks will never change, especially after a certain age. What I'm trying to (clumsily) convey is that you should probably not expect "old dog" Apple to become a benefactor for cash-strapped smartphone buyers all of a sudden.
In other words, if the iPhone 17 Air is indeed set to cost $899 (or even $999) with a super-eye-catching design and an insanely thin profile of only a little over 6mm, a series of hardware compromises and major cost-cutting measures are all but guaranteed.
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The iPhone 17 Air could beat the already decent thinness of the iPhone 16 Plus by around 1.5mm. | Image Credit -- PhoneArena
If you ask me, there's basically a zero chance now that this bad boy will pack the same state-of-the-art processor as the iPhone 17 Pro and 17 Pro Max, and its cameras are also unlikely to be anything special. Then you've got the battery life, which will undoubtedly be impacted by the cell capacity limitations of such a wasp waist, creating a golden opportunity for Samsung to shine as well with its considerably thicker, potentially more powerful, and hopefully similarly affordable Galaxy S25 Edge.
There's obviously a possibility that both first-gen devices will sell like hotcakes around the world, but while a lot of questions remain unanswered in regard to both the iPhone 17 Air and Galaxy S25 Slim, Apple's currently rumored plan feels more sound from a business perspective, as well as more logical and slightly less risky.
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Adrian, a mobile technology enthusiast since the Nokia 3310 era, has been a dynamic presence in the tech journalism field, contributing to Android Authority, Digital Trends, and Pocketnow before joining PhoneArena in 2018. His expertise spans across various platforms, with a particular fondness for the diversity of the Android ecosystem. Despite the challenges of balancing full-time parenthood with his work, Adrian's passion for tech trends, running, and movies keeps him energized. His commitment to mid-range smartphones has led to an eclectic collection of devices, saved from personal bankruptcy by his preference for 'adequate' over 'overpriced'.
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