Bad iPhone Air sales convinced Samsung to drop the Galaxy S26 Edge

It was believed at one point earlier this year that Samsung will replace the Galaxy S26+ in 2026 with the successor to its ultra-slim Galaxy S25 Edge. However, it later emerged that Samsung had decided against it.

Other reports have claimed that Samsung has adopted a wait and see approach, and that it will decide later next year if the Galaxy S26 Edge is to be released. A new report claims that Samsung has completely halted the development of its next ultra-slim flagship.

It appears that both Samsung and Apple over-estimated the market demand for slim flagships. It's no secret that the Galaxy S25 Edge hasn't sold as well as the company thought it would. Apple has had a similar experience with the iPhone Air, it just hasn't sold.

There's little incentive for Samsung to keep the Edge flagship around if Apple isn't making a competing iPhone. Rumors already claim that Apple won't launch a new iPhone Air in 2026. Production of the iPhone Air has reportedly been drastically reduced.

The report adds that Samsung feels the smaller 3,900mAh battery is one of the reasons why the Galaxy S25 Edge hasn't sold well. A larger battery would have been on the cards for its successor but there's still no clarity that customers will give a positive response to the device.

Perhaps Samsung may think about dipping its toes in this segment again if Apple decides to do something about a new iPhone Air. Unless that happens, the odds of an ultra-thin Galaxy S flagship remain slim, pun intended.