Smartphone design has seen vital convergence over the previous three years, specifically. Shows and facet rails are virtually universally flat throughout corporations and product strains. Batteries are huge. Ultrawide and telephoto cameras are all however normal. Even the corners of telephones are practically all rounded out. A few of these traits are nice, others I might do with out.
However, for much too a few years, corporations have used ugly, annoying protruding lenses which can be too typically aligned to the top-left of the telephone. This not solely makes the lenses vulnerable to breaking if the telephone is dropped, but it surely 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 seem like adopting Google’s superior digital camera bar design, one which not solely facilities the digital camera configuration but in addition creates a pleasant, even, horizontal digital camera island rather than raised lenses. I believe it is higher for any variety of causes, and it seems to be prefer it’s lastly turning 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 no denying the similarities right here.
Ever for the reason that Pixel 6, Google has proven the world {that a} digital camera bar is the superior approach to deal with all that clunky digital camera {hardware} in a sublime style. In any case, there is no option to hold a telephone feeling skinny and nonetheless ship the digital camera high quality folks need with no huge ol’ digital camera 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” method by putting the digital camera sensors behind massive, protruding lenses on the backs of telephones. This design shouldn’t be solely ugly (for my part), but it surely additionally invitations mud assortment, makes telephones really feel erratically weighted, causes wobble, and even generally 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 middle the load 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 additional 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 components: 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 in regards to the digital camera lenses on two of the three telephones. That is proper, each Samsung and Apple appear to have misunderstood your entire goal of the digital camera island.
As an alternative of flattening the backs and utterly 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 digital camera visor design shouldn’t be solely utterly flat throughout your entire floor, but it surely has a extremely elegant layer of steel trimming the surface and the correct 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 normal
I am actually glad to see the digital camera visor making its approach 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 believe it should make this subsequent batch of smartphones look much more fascinating than what we have seen previously few years.
It is also one of many causes I used to be so upset when Google ditched the digital camera bar with the Google Pixel 9a and has even talked about eliminating the digital camera bar on the remainder of the Pixel lineup, as AI removes the necessity for bodily {hardware} prowess.
Since Google and Samsung have had a foul behavior of copying Apple’s designs currently, it is good to see the shoe on the opposite foot on the {hardware} facet of issues. I am hoping this implies extra corporations will begin adopting the digital camera bar as a result of, fairly merely, it is the correct 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 one of the best {hardware} options. The Pixel 10 Professional is a powerhouse telephone in a supremely manageable dimension, and it is obtained the digital camera {hardware} to match that Pixel pedigree.
