Smartphone design has seen vital convergence over the previous three years, particularly. Shows and aspect rails are nearly universally flat throughout corporations and product strains. Batteries are massive. Ultrawide and telephoto cameras are all however commonplace. Even the corners of telephones are almost all rounded out. A few of these tendencies are nice, others I may do with out.
However, for much too a few years, corporations have used ugly, annoying protruding lenses which are too typically aligned to the top-left of the telephone. This not solely makes the lenses liable to breaking if the telephone is dropped, nevertheless it additionally makes the telephone uneven. Everybody is aware of how a lot telephones wobble when positioned on a desk, and it is annoying as heck.
Nevertheless, the upcoming iPhone 17 and the Galaxy S26 each look like adopting Google’s superior digicam bar design, one which not solely facilities the digicam configuration but in addition creates a pleasant, even, horizontal digicam island instead of raised lenses. I feel it is higher for any variety of causes, and it appears to be like prefer it’s lastly changing into the usual.
Down with raised lenses
Above, you will see leaked renders of the Apple iPhone 17 Air, Apple iPhone 17 Professional, Samsung Galaxy S26 Edge, and an official render of the Google Pixel 10 Professional. There is not any denying the similarities right here.
Ever because the Pixel 6, Google has proven the world {that a} digicam bar is the superior means to deal with all that clunky digicam {hardware} in a chic trend. In any case, there isn’t any strategy to maintain a telephone feeling skinny and nonetheless ship the digicam high quality folks need with out a massive ol’ digicam lens protruding of the again. Telephones just like the Honor Magic V5 and Galaxy Z Fold 7 are in all probability the epitome of this idea.
Nevertheless, many corporations tried to take the “easy” strategy by putting the digicam sensors behind giant, protruding lenses on the backs of telephones. This design isn’t solely ugly (in my view), nevertheless it additionally invitations mud assortment, makes telephones really feel erratically weighted, causes wobble, and even typically places lenses proper the place your fingers maintain the telephone whereas taking an image.
Digital camera islands like these on Pixel telephones repair all of these issues. They assist heart the burden and bulk of the cameras. They supply a flat floor so the telephone does not wobble when it is positioned down. They even reduce down on mud assortment by eradicating all these further protruding areas.
They’re even aesthetically nicer, including lovely symmetry to the design and a few extra fascinating angles and design components that boost the boring black rectangles we have all grown used to.
The issue is that, whereas Apple and Samsung are copying Google’s design, they’re forgetting one of the crucial vital elements: flatness.
Google is the one one doing it proper
If you happen to take a look at the angled renders of the Galaxy S26 Edge, iPhone 17 Professional, and Google Pixel 10 Professional above, you will in all probability discover one thing unusual concerning the digicam lenses on two of the three telephones. That is proper, each Samsung and Apple appear to have misunderstood the complete objective of the digicam island.
As an alternative of flattening the backs and fully fixing the issue of asymmetry and wobble, each of those corporations have solely diminished these points. The lenses nonetheless protrude, and whereas there’s little doubt that these all will wobble lower than earlier designs, this could have solved these points.
In the meantime, Google’s wonderful digicam visor design isn’t solely fully flat throughout the complete floor, nevertheless it has a very stylish layer of steel trimming the skin and the precise quarter of the design. This helps beef up sturdiness over time and reduces the variety of glass surfaces that might break within the occasion of a drop.
Google is setting a design commonplace
I am actually glad to see the digicam visor making its means right into a extra standardized smartphone design format, even when Google nonetheless does it greatest. It is higher than the boring raised lenses for a ton of various causes, and I feel it’ll make this subsequent batch of smartphones look much more fascinating than what we have seen prior to now few years.
It is also one of many causes I used to be so upset when Google ditched the digicam bar with the Google Pixel 9a and has even talked about eliminating the digicam bar on the remainder of the Pixel lineup, as AI removes the necessity for bodily {hardware} prowess.
Since Google and Samsung have had a nasty behavior of copying Apple’s designs recently, it is good to see the shoe on the opposite foot on the {hardware} aspect of issues. I am hoping this implies extra corporations will begin adopting the digicam bar as a result of, fairly merely, it is the precise transfer.
Get Google’s greatest Pixel ever in a dimension that’ll really slot in your hand and your pocket, all with out compromising on the most effective {hardware} options. The Pixel 10 Professional is a powerhouse telephone in a supremely manageable dimension, and it is obtained the digicam {hardware} to match that Pixel pedigree.
