Forget Iphone 17 Air - This Ridiculously Thin Android Lasts All Day And Is Only $200

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ZDNET's cardinal takeaways

• Tecno's Pova Slim is simply a unique, ultra-thin, and affordable smartphone.
• A ample artillery successful nan telephone shows that bladed devices tin still person awesome artillery life.
• The Pova Slim has created excitement for nan rumored iPhone 17 Air and nan inclination of slim phones.

IFA 2025 has wrapped, and while I was there, I caught up pinch Tecno, a telephone shaper that deals almost exclusively extracurricular nan U.S. But nan institution has a estimation for creating immoderate unsocial and inexpensive smartphones for its market, including foldables. 

Back astatine MWC 2025 successful Barcelona, nan institution allowed nan property to look astatine but not touch a ace slim telephone -- nan Pova Slim. At IFA, we sewage to touch it and moreover return it location to trial further. The telephone has officially launched for nan value of INR 19,999, aliases conscionable nether $230.

Also: Apple Event unrecorded updates 2025: Last infinitesimal leaks connected iPhone 17, AirPods 3, Apple Watch Series 11, more

At conscionable 6mm thick, aliases astir .02mm thicker than nan Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge, nan telephone is ridiculously thin. Some different specs see a 6.78-inch display, 13-megapixel selfie camera, 128 aliases 256GB of storage, 8GB of RAM, and a Mediatek Dimensity 6400 built connected a 6nm process -- conscionable successful lawsuit you were wondering what nan large discuss was. 

It besides comes pinch a 5,160 mAh battery, which is 33% larger than nan artillery successful nan S25 Edge. 

During my testing pinch nan latter, I recovered a day's worthy of usage perfectly doable. The Pova past should beryllium a coagulated time of dense usage aliases a time and a half of mean use. What that tells maine is that nan iPhone 17 Air could perchance person a decently sized artillery arsenic well. iPhones thin to person batteries that are smaller than Android counterparts, but package and hardware optimization thin to support those batteries moving conscionable arsenic long.

Here's nan Tecno telephone (right) adjacent to nan Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7 erstwhile unfolded (left).

Adam Doud/ZDNET

Aside from being really thin, nan telephone besides has a great, but besides overseas design. The backmost of nan telephone is what would hap if a Pixel 10 Pro and a Nothing Phone 3 had a baby. There's a visor crossed nan apical of nan telephone -- not dissimilar what rumors propose nan iPhone 17 Air mightiness look for illustration -- but there's besides an LED portion moving betwixt what looks for illustration 2 camera modules connected nan near and correct sides of nan phone. 

Also: If Apple unveils nan iPhone 17 Air pinch these features today, I'm fresh to upgrade

I opportunity "looks for illustration 2 camera modules" because nan telephone only has 1 50-megapixel camera. So what does this person to do pinch nan iPhone 17 Air?

All nan rumors propose nan iPhone 17 Air will beryllium moreover thinner, person to 5mm than 6mm, but it will besides person a (much) higher sticker price. The Pova Slim has a SIM slot, while rumors propose that, astatine slightest astatine first, nan iPhone Air will proceed Apple's eSIM-only contented successful nan U.S. Beyond that, though, nan Pova Slim and nan Galaxy S25 Edge earlier it person maine excited astir bladed phones.

Adam Doud/ZDNET

Put simply, they're eye-popping successful galore ways. Besides being bladed and light, they're besides charismatic and amazingly durable. While I don't deliberation this will beryllium an wide inclination successful nan industry, it's surely an intriguing replacement to much accepted phones. It's awesome that Apple is adopting this trend, though it feels arsenic if nan very rumor of Apple doing this prompted different manufacturers to get theirs retired first.

Also: The iPhone 17 bid could beryllium Apple's boldest move successful years - here's why

Now, Tecno has done that, connected nan eve of nan telephone that apt is nan logic it exists successful nan first place. Having played pinch this telephone for a fewer days, I'm very excited to spot what Apple tin do pinch an moreover slimmer shape factor. It's put maine successful nan correct mindset to invited nan iPhone 17 Air -- and nan inclination of slim phones successful wide -- pinch unfastened arms and genuine excitement.