Why did the chicken cross the road? You know why. But why is Samsung not crossing the road, where fame, fortune, and glory awaits? Why doesn’t Samsung release another hit phone? I think I know why. I have my suspicions. And I want you to have them, too.

Phones, which have lately been used more and more to watch memes (and not much else), are like memes.

I mean Richard Dawkins’ concept of memes. The famous evolutionary biologist introduced the concept of “memes” in his book The Selfish Gene (1976), where he described them as units of cultural transmission that spread ideas, behaviors, or styles within a society.

Just as genes spread biological traits through reproduction, memes spread through imitation, passing from one person to another. For example, “memes” can be melodies, catchphrases, and fashion trends, or social norms and beliefs.

Dawkins suggested that memes, like genes, undergo a kind of natural selection, where certain ideas persist and evolve while others fade away, all based on their ability to capture attention and be replicated by individuals across generations.

I mean, if it’s not “imitation”, then what’s the correct word for what we’re witnessing in the mobile tech world these days?

I’m talking about these two big, well-known brands in the West: Apple and Samsung.

I was just minding my own business and doing my routine PhoneArena morning reading (an excellent habit that you should also consider) when clouds gathered over my cup of tea (another excellent habit – drinking tea, I mean).

If that black cat from the (first) movie The Matrix passed by me twice in the exact same manner, I’d be getting a lesser déjà vu feeling right now.

The “Slim” moniker

Since I’m no longer 14, the first association for “Slim” that comes to my mind is not Eminem. Probably it’s because of my job, but when I hear “Slim”, I’m thinking of… the iPhone 17 Slim. Or Air. Or Ultra. Or whatever they choose to name it. You know, the super-thin 2025 iPhone that’s expected to drop around September next year.

Now I’ve got to file another device under the rumored “Slim” moniker – the aforementioned Galaxy S25 Slim. Great.

This is not the place and time to frown upon its potential specs. There aren’t any juicy leaks at the moment, except for the possibility of being packed with the Snapdragon 8 Elite – one of the few current chipset champions out there.

Instead, what bugs me is that the Galaxy S25 Slim is even a possibility.

It just goes to show the sorry state of phone making we’re at, in terms of courage and innovation, at least.

Are we living in a bad Borat scene?

The quote above – slightly redacted for keeping things SFW (safe for work) – is, of course, from the Borat movie.

If you don’t mind me asking, are we living in that movie?

Are Samsung and Apple Nursultan and Borat, respectively?

Apple intends to make a super-slim iPhone next year, so Samsung will also give it a try with a super-slim Galaxy in 2025.

Such a bold innovation.

Things are pretty bad when one comes to realize that it’s not just what these two do, but also what they don’t do.

Apple is about the last phone maker on planet Earth that still hasn’t come up with a foldable handset yet.

So, Samsung is not in a rush to release its next “hit phone” as I mentioned at the start – a future Galaxy Z Fold FE is what I mean by a “hit phone”. Just think about it – a novel folding design, a large screen, the seven-year software support promise, Samsung’s brand, the lower FE price… Sounds like a potential hit.

The Galaxy Z Fold FE is my colleague Adrian’s wish, but such a device is nowhere to be seen, not even in sketchy rumors so far.

That’s because Samsung is busy doing what the others are doing and not what it should. You can thank Apple for not releasing their iPhone foldable. Maybe it’s only when they do, Samsung will come to their senses and release a foldable Galaxy Z Fold FE crowd pleaser.

No, really – when was the last time someone you know asked for a radically slimmer phone?