For major handset makers like Samsung and Apple, the driving force seems to be getting the thinnest and lightest phone on the market

A new leak from regular tipster Ice Universe claims that the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra will be “the thinnest and lightest of all Ultra flagship phones” They add that this includes the recently released Google Pixel 9 Pro XL and the upcoming iPhone 16 Pro Max (h/t to Tech Radar)

The leak lords did not provide specific details about how light or thin the Galaxy S25 Ultra will be, but they did post renderings and have previously talked about how thin Samsung's flagship smartphone will be

Here's the first problem: since no dimensional specs have been released, the S25 Ultra and its supposed thinness cannot be compared to the much-rumored iPhone 17 Slim

Potentially, the iPhone 17 Slim could be as thin as the 2024 iPad Air (61 mm thick) or the ultra-thin 2024 iPad Pro (53 mm) Could Samsung shave 2-4 mm off the Galaxy S24 Ultra to make an ultra-thin phone? That is a big ask when most iterative changes are in the 01 mm to 05 mm range

However, we can see where the S25 Ultra is headed by comparing the current generation of releases Since the only new flagship is the Pixel 9 Pro XL, it can be compared to the already released Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra The new Pixel 9 Pro XL is just barely thinner and lighter at 85 mm and 221 g

Going back one generation, the Pixel 8 Pro is 88 mm thicker than the S24 Ultra The question is whether Samsung is comparing the current Pixel 9 generation or next year's Pixel 10 series

While the iPhone 16 Pro Max will have a larger display, Apple's next flagship is said to weigh just 225g, but may be slightly thicker than the 83mm iPhone 15 Pro Max

Whatever component upgrades Samsung makes, the Korean company will need to do some serious crafting to fit everything into a smaller package This is especially true if the new phone has an extra large battery to power Qualcomm's next-generation chipset Snapdragon 8 Gen 4

Now, you may have seen Chinese phone maker Honor teasing Samsung about the thinness of its phones It's true that Honor phones, like the recently released Honor 200 Pro, are already thinner than Samsung's best effort at 77 mm thick The upcoming foldable Honor Magic V3 is said to be 036 inches when folded, just barely larger than the Galaxy S24 Ultra

But with Honor banned in the US and mostly locked into the Chinese market, it's easy to ignore Samsung's thinner efforts in a more direct attempt to compete with Google and Apple