This article may contain personal views and opinion from the author.
A certain breed of smartphone fans seems constantly disappointed by the alleged lack of innovation in this market. I’m far from being one of those people, but I am starting to understand them a little better.
Seeing the recently leaked renders of the upcoming Galaxy S26 Ultra made me realize how tired I am of the sameness of smartphone design in recent years. Looking at those images, I don’t believe there will be a significant change anytime soon, and I hate that.
Don’t get me wrong. Samsung’s slight refresh of the Galaxy S26 Ultra is not a surprise, and the device is far from ugly. I am also confident it’ll have a feature or two that will make it stand out not only from its predecessors but also from the iPhone 17 Pro. I just think that Samsung is beating a dead horse by using the same design.
Before you start typing in all-caps your “but Apple” argument—I know! Apple is not doing much better, but Samsung is the worst offender. Let me explain what I mean.
Samsung is making a step back in its design, and I hate it
That's not an early dummy of the Galaxy S26 Ultra, it's the Galaxy A56. | Image Credit – PhoneArena
Let’s address the elephant in the room by clarifying that smartphone design is generally stagnant. We have slabs of glass and metal that vary ever so slightly. It’s like it wants to confirm the cliché that the devil is in the details.
That’s where Samsung is letting us down with the Galaxy S26 Ultra – in the details. While the overall concept is largely unchanged, the new model is very different from the Galaxy S24 Ultra, which is Samsung’s last outstanding Ultra flagship.
What the Galaxy S26 Ultra looks like is the Galaxy A56. Just like the mid-range device, the upcoming Ultra has even rounder edges and a redesigned camera bump. Gone is the iconic boxy look, which wouldn’t be a big deal if it weren’t traded for a mid-range look.
What’s the same is the worst problem of that design. The camera bump will be as massive as anyone would expect, and the S26 Ultra will wobble like someone’s blasting Bad Bunny nearby. Just like every Galaxy Ultra from the last few years.
The Galaxy S26 Ultra still matters
Steve Jobs would've loved an iPhone that's borrowing its design from a Pixel. | Image Credit – PhoneArena
I know you want to write that “but Apple” comment in all-caps, but things are just as bad in Cupertino. While Apple’s iPhone 12 Pro-era design was easily distinguishable and as iconic as the boxy looks of the Galaxy S24 Ultra, after so many years, it has gone stale.
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What’s even worse is that Apple’s solution to that problem was not thinking of something fresh. Instead, the company turned the iPhone 17 Pro into a copy of the Google Pixel 10 Pro. I bet Steve Jobs would’ve loved that.
Do you like the leaked Galaxy S26 Ultra design?
Yes, I love all the details
15.87%
Yes, I think it’ll be more comfortable
17.46%
Not really, it looks generic
34.92%
No, I want the boxy design back
17.46%
I don’t care about the design
14.29%
Being original, even if boring, is not the Galaxy S26 Ultra’s only win, though. Samsung still makes it an Ultra flagship with all the bells and whistles imaginable. That’s the only mainstream flagship device with a stylus, and I’m glad the S Pen is coming back. Paired with the great specs and cameras, it’s one of the most competent devices you’ll be able to buy next year, no matter where you live.
In the boring age of smartphones
The Galaxy S24 Ultra was Samsung's last trully original design. | Image Credit – PhoneArena
If there’s one redeeming quality of that design, it’s that it’ll be way more practical. As much as I loved the boxy design of the Galaxy S23 Ultra, it was one of the most uncomfortable phones ever. Sharp edges don’t sit well in the hand, and paired with a big screen, make using the big boxy phones feel unnecessarily bad.
And if there’s one excuse for Samsung, it would be the fact that we’re in the boring age of smartphones. As an Apple fan, I cannot lie that I was excited by the color of the iPhone 17 Pro. As absurd as that sounds, I’m sure I was not the only one. That’s not so much a problem with my perception, but a statement of where we are in terms of smartphone design.
While our phones have gained some innovative technologies, faster chips, and AI advancements, their design has stagnated. That’s why I’m ready to join the chorus of disappointed smartphone fans, but in the section that misses the crazy designs from the likes of Samsung and LG.
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Ilia, a tech journalist at PhoneArena, has been covering the mobile industry since 2011, with experience at outlets like Forbes Bulgaria. Passionate about smartphones, tablets, and consumer tech, he blends deep industry knowledge with a personal fascination that began with his first Nokia and Sony Ericsson devices. Originally from Bulgaria and now based in Lima, Peru, Ilia balances his tech obsessions with walking his dog, training at the gym, and slowly mastering Spanish.
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