Poor iPhone Air sales push Oppo, Vivo, Xiaomi and others to cancel ultra thin phone plans

If you were hoping to see more ultra slim smartphones from brands like Oppo, Vivo or Xiaomi, there is bad news. Many top Chinese phone makers are no longer interested in building super thin devices, and the main reason is the disappointing performance of Apple’s iPhone Air.

Apple launched the iPhone Air in September with a lot of hype. It was the thinnest iPhone ever made and the company treated it as a major redesign. But despite the buzz around its slim 5.6 mm profile, sales have been slow. Reports from Asia suggest Apple has already started cutting production. Foxconn has reportedly dismantled every iPhone Air production line and Luxshare, another supplier, stopped manufacturing by the end of October.

This weak consumer response has had a ripple effect across the smartphone industry. Chinese brands that were planning their own ultra thin models are now backing out. Xiaomi was working on what insiders described as a true Air model. Vivo had plans to make a very slim phone as part of its mid range S series. Oppo and other manufacturers were also exploring similar ideas. All of these projects have now been paused or cancelled. Even the eSIM components reserved for these thin phones are being shifted to other devices.

The issue seems to be that thin phones look appealing but require too many compromises. The iPhone Air uses a smaller battery and has only a single rear camera, yet it carries a premium price. It starts at 999 dollars, which puts it only a little below the iPhone 17 Pro. Most buyers feel the Pro model offers far better value because it has a triple camera setup and much stronger battery life. For many shoppers, style alone is not enough to justify the price.