The Galaxy S25 and the arbitrary form of smartphones

This yr, Samsung unified the design language of its S-series flagships, making the S25, S25+ and the S25 Extremely feel and appear the identical (barring the digital camera). The curving sides of the S24 Extremely are lastly gone, changed with the stable, squared-off traces seen on the cheaper Galaxy S handsets. Flatter sides make the gadget simpler to grip, slide into your pocket, or prop up while you’re attempting to {photograph} them for a tech web site.

I’ll be trustworthy, they appear like iPhones. And older Galaxy S telephones. And, nicely, even older iPhones. Smartphones have hopped from flat to curves for so long as smartphones have existed.

With Samsung, we’ve gripped onto rounded sides from the debut of Galaxy S (2010) via to 2015. Then, the Galaxy S6 (2015) had extra flattened sides earlier than the collection returned to curves for the S8 (2017). It stayed that method till the more moderen S24, with current years regularly hammering out these curves. The S25 collection, now, has flat sides for each mannequin.

Are flatter sides really simpler to grip? I don’t know. I’m a hypocrite. I’ve discovered a number of evaluations and impressions items the place I really like flat sides. I’ve discovered the identical variety of tales the place I cherished curved units. Why do you have to ever consider me once more? I’m positive there are tech journalists who’ve caught with one kind issue being higher, however I couldn’t discover them.

Every time it occurs and the corporate explains its change, the designers say this lack of curves/ introduction of curves is best than no matter it was final yr. In an interview with Self-importance Honest in 2024, Jony Ive stated that Apple selected rounded edges for the iPhone 6 collection as a result of they made bigger telephones really feel much less clunky. That was when the iPhone 6 Plus had a heady 5.5-inch display screen, which appears… quaint in 2025.

My concept is that our arms get used to no matter telephone kind issue we’ve used for the final couple of years. Meaning when the design will get shaken up (otherwise you swap to a unique producer), one has to pay extra consideration to holding it. However that impact fades.

If the 2 most vital, most influential telephone makers have settled on flat sides, then there are causes for it. Till there’s a fair larger motive to return, as soon as once more, to curves.