The iPhone Air shows why hybrid phones are still the best answer

I get the appeal of super slim phones like the iPhone Air and Galaxy S25 Edge. When you pick them up, the device immediately feels different from a regular smartphone. The iPhone Air is insanely thin at 5.64mm, weighing just 165 grams, and still offers a large 6.5-inch OLED display with ProMotion.

For its size, Apple gets a fair share of comfort. Most smartphones tend to wear out in a straightforward manner. They may be too long, too heavy for the camera, or too heavy to be used for long one-handed tips. The iPhone Air is able to reduce this fatigue by not only being slimmer, but also removing some of that weight.

While it’s not as tall as the Galaxy S25 on the edge, it manages to feel a little more compact in the hand. But the novelty quickly wears off when I realize that the solution to the problem is right in front of us. After driving a compact phone every day for over a year now, the iPhone Air reminded me that thinness is not the same as true usability. I use a small phone every day because it ‘fits right’ in my hand the way most modern phones do. It’s easier to hold securely, more comfortable to type with one hand, and generally easier to live with.

Modern “compact” phones are no longer thin, but they still feel healthy next to devices that creep closer to the 7-inch screen mark.

Thin only fixes the hand feel, not the reach problem

The iPhone Air is easier to hold than most flagships because it’s lighter and thinner. So when you’re reading, you’re scrolling, or just scrolling. A heavy phone can get annoying after a while, especially if you use it without constantly shifting between hands. But for anyone with small hands, the Spirit can still feel like a long phone. The top of the screen is still far away. Pulling down notifications, accessing Control Center, tapping top bar controls, or interacting with apps that place important buttons near the top of the display still require an extension, grip adjustment, or second hand.

This is a fraction of other ultra-thin phones like the Motorola Edge 70 and the Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge. The thin body makes the phone feel lighter, while the lighter body only reduces hand fatigue. But nothing changes the basic geometry of the big screen. Your thumb should still travel the same length. Your catch will still compensate. And if you use the phone with one hand, the experience is not so good. This is where compact phones become the real answer.

They not only reduce the weight of the problem, but even reduce the problem itself.

Compact phones don’t have to sacrifice much

Another problem with ultra-thin phones is that design often comes with trade-offs. The iPhone Air has a strong 48MP Fusion camera system, although it depends on this one main camera. Samsung’s Galaxy S25 Edge follows the same philosophy. It looks amazing and goes hard in reproduction, but you only get a 200MP main camera and a 12MP ultra-wide-angle lens. Consistency is not always a disaster. The iPhone Air still has a Pro-grade chip, a smooth ProMotion display, and a body that feels really special. Samsung’s S25 Edge is another premium phone, not another flimsy design experiment.

But these are all problems that compact phones deal with better. My daily driver, the Xiaomi 15, still gives me a decent triple-camera setup with wide, ultrawide, and telephoto cameras in a phone that doesn’t feel overly bulky. The OnePlus 15T also shows how modern phone makers are finding ways to fit large batteries and heavy cooling systems into a small form factor, with OnePlus touting a large 7,500mAh battery, 100W wired fast charging, and 50W wireless charging. For a rounded flagship experience, without the extra height.

The best answer for big phone fatigue

The iPhone Air is not a bad idea. I actually think it’s one of Apple’s most interesting experiments in years. It proves that a great phone doesn’t need to feel like a slab of glass and metal in your pocket. It makes iPhones more accessible to people who hate big flagships. But for me, the initial problem wasn’t just tension. It was the daily fatigue of the tall ships. Compact phones may not look futuristic or have the same showroom response. However, I’m still going back to what actually makes my life easier.