UK's Advertising Standards Authority rules iPhone 4 is thinnest

Apple has gained another victory over Samsung, though this one has nothing to do with patents. The UK's Advertising Standards Authority has ruled that the iPhone 4 is indeed the thinnest smartphone in the country. Apple refers to the iPhone 4 as the "thinnest" smartphone in UK ads. That's something Samsung said was false advertising because their Galaxy S II smartphone is 8.71mm at its thinnest, while Apple's iPhone 4 is 9.3mm at it's thinnest.

However the ASA sided with Apple in the dispute, citing that though the Galaxy S II was indeed thinner than the iPhone at certain points of its body, the Galaxy S II has a hump near its base that measures 9.91mm thick. Both Apple and the ASA believe that a phone's thinness can only be judged by the thickest part of the device.

"Apple pointed out that the Galaxy S II had prominent bulges at the top of the device," the ASA said in its ruling on Wednesday. "Apple said consumers would not be interested in the thinnest part of the device, but in its overall measurements, as these would, for example, affect whether the device could fit into a pocket or purse."