Xiaomi’s canceled ultra-thin smartphone could have rivaled the iPhone Air and Galaxy S25 Edge
Xiaomi was reportedly developing an ultra-thin flagship smartphone that could have gone head-to-head with some of the slimmest premium phones on the market, including the iPhone Air and Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge. However, the company ultimately decided to cancel the device before launch due to concerns over battery life, performance, and real-world user experience.
The information comes after Xiaomi CEO Lu Weibing reportedly addressed a question about whether the company planned to release its own version of an iPhone Air-style device. During a live broadcast on May 16, he revealed that Xiaomi had indeed been working on an ultra-slim smartphone and had even reached a stage close to mass production.
Despite that progress, Xiaomi chose not to move forward with the phone. According to the CEO, the extremely thin design created difficult compromises, especially in areas that matter most to users. Battery endurance and performance were among the major concerns, and Xiaomi decided that launching a stylish but limited device would not meet customer expectations.
A new leak has now revealed what the canceled Xiaomi ultra-thin phone might have offered. The device is being referred to unofficially as the Xiaomi Air, although that may not have been its final retail name.
According to the leaked prototype details, the Xiaomi Air would have featured a 6.59-inch display with a 1.5K resolution of 2712 x 1220 pixels. That screen size would have placed it in the same territory as many modern flagship smartphones, offering a large display while maintaining a slim and lightweight profile.
The phone was also said to be powered by the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 processor, suggesting that Xiaomi had intended to position it as a true flagship rather than a mid-range design experiment. If accurate, this chipset choice would have made the device competitive with other high-end Android phones expected around the same period.
Camera hardware also appeared ambitious. The leaked details claim the canceled Xiaomi Air prototype had a dual rear camera setup led by a 200MP main sensor. That would have given the phone a major selling point, especially for users looking for high-resolution mobile photography in a sleek device.
Battery capacity was not fully revealed, but the leak suggests the first digit was “5,” meaning the device likely had a battery somewhere between 5,000mAh and 5,999mAh. For a smartphone measuring under 6mm thick, that would have been impressive on paper. However, Xiaomi’s decision to cancel the phone suggests that capacity alone may not have solved the challenges of heat management, power efficiency, and sustained performance in such a thin body.
The thickness of the device reportedly also began with a “5,” meaning it would have measured less than 6.0mm. That would have put it directly in competition with other ultra-slim phones. For comparison, the iPhone Air measures around 5.6mm thick, while the Galaxy S25 Edge is about 5.8mm thick.
Ultra-thin smartphones became a noticeable trend in 2025, with several major brands releasing or preparing sleek devices designed to appeal to users who want premium hardware in a lighter, more elegant form factor. Models such as the Galaxy S25 Edge, iPhone Air, Motorola Edge 70, and Honor Magic 8 Pro Air helped push the slim-phone category back into the spotlight.
Xiaomi’s decision to cancel its own ultra-thin smartphone shows the challenges behind this design trend. While a thinner phone can look futuristic and feel more comfortable in the hand, it often forces manufacturers to make difficult choices. A thinner chassis can limit battery size, reduce cooling space, affect speaker quality, and make it harder to maintain top-level performance under heavy use.
For Xiaomi, those trade-offs appear to have been too significant. Rather than releasing a device that looked impressive but failed to deliver the experience expected from a flagship, the company decided to stop the project.
It is still unclear whether Xiaomi will return to the ultra-thin smartphone segment in the future. The company may revisit the idea if battery technology, thermal design, or internal component efficiency improves enough to make a slim flagship more practical.
Meanwhile, Apple is expected to continue developing the iPhone Air lineup, with a successor possibly arriving soon. If more brands keep investing in slim premium phones, Xiaomi may eventually re-enter the race with a refined design that balances thinness, power, and battery life more effectively.
For now, the canceled Xiaomi Air remains an intriguing glimpse at what could have been: a sub-6mm flagship smartphone with a Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 chip, a 200MP camera, a large 1.5K display, and enough ambition to challenge the thinnest premium phones on the market.
