The Galaxy S25 and the arbitrary form of smartphon...

This 12 months, 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 digicam). The curving sides of the S24 Ultra are lastly gone, changed with the strong, squared-off traces seen on the cheaper Galaxy S handsets. Flatter sides make the machine simpler to grip, slide into your pocket, or prop up whenever you’re making an attempt to {photograph} them for a tech web site.

I’ll be trustworthy, they appear to be 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) by way of to 2015. Then, the Galaxy S6 (2015) had extra flattened sides earlier than the sequence returned to curves for the S8 (2017). It stayed that means till the more moderen S24, with latest years step by step hammering out these curves. The S25 sequence, now, has flat sides for each mannequin.

Are flatter sides truly simpler to grip? I don’t know. I’m a hypocrite. I’ve discovered multiple reviews and impressions items the place I really like flat sides. I’ve discovered the same number of stories the place I liked curved gadgets. Why must you ever consider me once more? I’m positive there are tech journalists who’ve caught with one type 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 12 months. In an interview with Self-importance Honest in 2024, Jony Ive mentioned that Apple selected rounded edges for the iPhone 6 sequence 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 principle is that our arms get used to no matter cellphone type 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 cellphone makers have settled on flat sides, then there are causes for it. Till there’s a good larger cause to return, as soon as once more, to curves.