It is time we rethink smartphone design

There’s loads to love concerning the present state of smartphones — their reliability, their prolonged, expansive software program assist, the sheer high quality of elements concerned — however I might argue the trade’s design language is on the entrance of the pack. In 2024, most flagship gadgets feel and look nice, using high-quality supplies like aluminium, glass, titanium, and chrome steel to create one thing that may stand as much as scrutiny over that four-digit price ticket.

And but, regardless of the entire time, cash, and talent spent constructing premium smartphones that really feel as spectacular as a bit of jewellery, the common person slaps a cumbersome case on their cellphone the second it leaves its field. It is comprehensible — once more, we’re speaking about four-digit value tags usually, and nobody desires to drop further money on a restore job after an unintended drop. But when using these high-end supplies finally means hiding the work that designers at Samsung and Google spent years creating, is not it time to rethink all the trade?

Each cellphone is fairly — and fairly breakable

Your Pixel appears to be like good till it is hidden by a case

Trying over a few of my favourite smartphones of the yr, it is simple to see the issue at hand. Google’s Pixel 9 Professional is likely one of the most stunning gadgets I’ve ever held, and but, practically 4 months after its launch, I can hardly stand utilizing it with out a case. Its metallic body appears to be like gorgeous throughout unboxing, however in follow, it is actually slippery, particularly if you happen to’re doing something that has your fingers sweating. That large digital camera bump stands out among the many crowd, but it surely’s virtually destined for doom — beauty or in any other case — if it falls onto a concrete ground.

As a lot as I’d like my assortment of Pixel 9 Professional instances, I should not need to really feel like this $1,000 cellphone’s survival — to not point out its very usability — will depend on a group of plastic and rubber equipment. It is an issue that impacts the remainder of Google’s flagship lineup this yr, too. Even the Pixel 9’s matte band is undone by the shiny glass on the again of the cellphone.

It is not simply Google, in fact. Whereas the Galaxy S24 Extremely fares higher within the grip division, even Samsung needed to make concessions to guard that titanium body from harm. Slightly than matching the body to no matter shade selection you made at checkout, each S24 Extremely wraps the identical grey titanium band across the cellphone. I perceive why — Apple had issue with scratches on telephones just like the blue iPhone 15 Professional Max I reviewed a yr in the past — however all meaning for the end-users is a worse design.

The listing does not finish with Samsung and Google’s flagships, in fact. From the slippery curved edges of the OnePlus 12 to the fragility of, effectively, each foldable ever made, smartphones are actually breakable nowadays, particularly if you happen to’re attempting to go caseless. For as refreshing as chrome steel and modern Gorilla Glass finishes during the last decade, I am beginning to look much more fondly on the times of well-crafted plastic gadgets. A minimum of I may belief how they’d age over time.

It is time to convey plastic again to smartphones

Or, on the very least, smarter cellphone design

In my thoughts, simply two 2024 smartphones actually delivered the perfect illustration of what I believe cellular design may and must be: the Pixel 8a and the common iPhone 16. And since that is an Android-centric website, let’s begin with the Android cellphone.

I love the Pixel 8’s core design. Positive, some sacrifices are clearly there for the sake of hitting its goal $500 value level. I do not care a lot about its bezels, although I do know some folks do (actually, if not for the underside chin, I would not take into consideration its bezels in any respect). The matte plastic again may appear like a minimize nook, however in follow, it feels nice within the hand. It is sturdy, in fact, but it surely’s additionally enjoyable, with vivid shade choices to match an general pleasant design. This factor, with its rounded corners and comparatively low weight, feels unbelievable within the hand. I would not dream of slapping a case on it.

Then there’s the iPhone 16. Put aside iOS 18 for a second — horrible as it could be — and simply have a look at the core design. Whereas I believe Apple’s choice to make use of a vertical association for its lenses was the mistaken name, the remainder of the cellphone is strictly what I am searching for in my smartphones. It is about as light-weight as you will discover in 2024 — solely the Galaxy S24 has it beat by a few grams — and the all-matte end means it isn’t slippery within the slightest. Positive, it is nonetheless utilizing glass on the again, which I might slightly keep away from for concern of shattering it. However at the least it is bought colours. Each the teal and ultramarine tints are a few of my favourite smartphone appears to be like in ages.

Once more, neither of those designs are excellent, even increasing past the bezels and wobbly digital camera bump, respectively. However of the handfuls of telephones I’ve used as my day by day driver this yr, these had been the 2 that felt closest to a compromise-free expertise.

I am not saying cellphone instances will not or should not exist. In each instances, I’ve avoided utilizing a case exterior of particular conditions: touring, heading to the gymnasium, and so forth. However, for the overwhelming majority of individuals — particularly these working white collar jobs that do not necessitate bringing your smartphone to an area the place any gadget may simply break — I believe smarter design traits may make protecting equipment extra of an optionally available, situation-based rarity, slightly than the accepted norm.

This kind of shift would ship advantages effectively past consolation and portability. The following time you purchase a smartphone, you would not be including further equipment to your cart alongside it, saving you an honest chunk of change relying on what your case funds often is. It additionally would cease you from having to get rid of outdated instances for smartphones you may not personal anymore, slicing down on waste within the course of. Actually, the one folks not slated to profit from this kind of design shift are case producers — and, in fact, the OEMs themselves, who nearly universally promote overpriced first-party shells alongside their respective smartphones.

If smartphones are home equipment, let’s rethink their design

And actually, that is why I do not anticipate to see this kind of design development change any time quickly. The smartphone accent trade is just too massive to vanish at this level, with these instances virtually obligatory add-ons at checkout. Nonetheless, the Pixel 8a and iPhone 16 give me hope for a future that feels much more whimsical, enjoyable, and cozy to make use of than the overwhelming majority of the massive, heavy, metallic bricks we’ve at this time. Extra like iPods, much less like high-end watches.

I do not anticipate the Galaxy S25 or Pixel 10 to make the swap to plastic, however I might like to see extra corporations take into consideration their gadgets as a utility, not as a bit of jewellery. If we’re supposed to make use of these smartphones for upwards of 5 years now, they need to be designed to outlive, to not look fairly in advertisements earlier than slapping it in an enormous, rubber bumper. As a result of, frankly, if one thing must depend on a case to get via its deliberate lifespan, I am undecided it is well-designed in any respect.