Tech’s cult of thinness needs to come to an end

Gadgets are getting too thin, again.

These past few weeks saw some of the latest victims of the seemingly unending drive towards making our devices as thin as possible, no matter the consequences. Samsung's Galaxy S22 and S22 Plus - what will undoubtedly be some of the most popular Android phones of the year - are thinner than last year's models and held back by disappointing battery life. The new Dell XPS 15 is exceptionally thin and light" but barely lasts four hours on a charge and runs nearly as hot as the sun. And the OnePlus 10 Pro is a flagship smartphone that can somehow be snapped in half with your bare hands.

It seems that despite over a decade of chasing the thinnest, lightest phones and computers around to the detriment of battery life, cooling, and durability, companies still haven't learned their lessons.

I prefer a few more millimeters if it means better heat dissipation, less fan noise, and better battery life. I'm not entirely sure if consumers in general prefer thinness over these other aspects, but I doubt they do.