Samsung says that these design choices are what makes a phone a Galaxy phone
The three lenses on the rear panel vertically mounted, the softer corners, these are some "core" Galaxy designs.
Samsung identifies the core designs of a Galaxy phone. | Image by PhoneArena
Samsung SVP Lee Ji-young said earlier this month that he would "give the [Galaxy S26] product design a perfect score." Leading him to make this comment were certain design choices such as the "optimal corner curvature" of 7R, which is a 7-degree curve, a measurement also employed by Samsung for the S Pen.
Samsung says that these features are part of the design style of Galaxy phones
Lee Il-hwan, another member of the mobile design team at Samsung, mentioned how the vertically placed triple-rear cameras on the rear panels of Galaxy S26 series handsets are "the core identity of the Galaxy." To boil it down, it seems that Samsung considers rounded corners and the vertical cameras to be the company's design style.
All three models in the Galaxy S26 series seem to adhere to the same design language. As the top-of-the-line model, the Galaxy S26 Ultra has had all traces of its Galaxy Note ancestry removed. The sharp corners, one of the Galaxy Note's most identifying traits, have been completely replaced on the unit by softer rounded corners with a larger radius.
It is easy to determine if a phone belongs to the Samsung Galaxy line up
Every Galaxy phone, outside of the foldable models, can now be identified by the slimmer look, the rounded corners, and the vertically mounted triple camera lenses near the left corner of the rear panel. Having said that, there is a problem that Samsung faces when using a similar design across all of its phone models, and that is that it might be hard to differentiate between a premium Galaxy S flagship model and a much cheaper Galaxy A mid-range phone.
What attracts you to the design of a phone?
On the other hand, it is easier to tell the difference between the premium iPhone 17 Pro Max and the iPhone 17e budget model because the latter has only one camera lens. The cheaper model also keeps the notch on the front glass instead of sporting the Dynamic Island.
When Google surprised the world by placing a rear camera bar on the Pixel 6 line, it was a breath of fresh air. It also signaled the start of a new direction for Google's Pixel smartphone line.
The aforementioned comments could point to few changes ahead for Galaxy handsets
The comments from the Samsung employees means that we should not expect to see any outward changes in premium and mid-range Galaxy handsets over the next few years.
The softer, rounder corners of the Galaxy S26 Ultra. | Image by PhoneArena
We could point out that it wasn't until last year that the Pixel 10 series started to work with Qi2 magnetic wireless charging. However, Samsung continues to chose to sit on the sideline when it comes to adding support for magnetic charging to its phones. It still is hard to believe that between Google and Samsung, it's the latter that continues to steer clear of Qi2 magnetic wireless charging.
Samsung users are quick to criticize the manufacturer for not making any huge noticeable changes to its flagship series year after year. After hearing from Lee Ji-young and Lee Il-hwan, you can see that this seems to be the plan in order to keep intact the core identities of Galaxy smartphones.
What could cause Samsung to make changes to the design of its Galaxy phones?
Will Samsung eventually change the design of its flagship phones? It would probably be in response to certain responses from Sammy's customer base. For example, a sharp decline in sales over a short period of time (say two to three years) might be enough to get the company to take another look at what should make up a core Galaxy design.
Another possibility is the creation of a new feature that would require Samsung to rearrange the look of its phones. What we do know is that with the Galaxy S26 Ultra, we can be assured that the sharp corners of the Galaxy Note will no longer be part of Samsung's top-of-the-line flagship model.
Samsung will probably allow the historic large-screened model to fade away into the history books while the Galaxy S Ultra model will continue to lead Samsung's non-foldable phones in screen size.
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