This year, Samsung has unified the design language of the S series flagships, making the S25, S25+ and the S25 Ultra look and feel the same (aside from the camera). The curved sides of The S24 Ultra are finally gone, replaced by the solid, square lines seen on the cheaper Galaxy phones. Flatter sides make the device easier to fit in, slide into, or support when trying to photograph it for a tech website.
I’ll be honest, they look like iPhones. And older galaxy phones. And older iPhones too. Smartphones have bounced from flat to curves for as long as smartphones have existed.
With Samsung, we’ve packed on well-rounded pages from the debut of the Galaxy S (2010) to 2015. Then the Galaxy S6 (2015) had more flattened sides before the series returned to curves for the S8 (2017). It stayed that way until the newer S24, with the last few years gradually hammering out those curves. The S25 series now has flat sides for every model.
Are flatter sides actually easier to grip? I don’t know. I’m a hypocrite. I’ve found several Reviews And Impressions Pieces where I love flat sides. I found them Same number from stories where I loved curved devices. Why would you ever believe me again? I’m sure there are tech journalists who have done better with a form factor, but I couldn’t find them.
Every time it happens and the company explains its change, say the designers This lack of curves/introduction of curves is better than whatever it was last year. In an interview with Vanity Fair In 2024, Jony Ive said that Apple chose rounded edges for the iPhone 6 series because they made larger phones feel less chunky. At this point, the iPhone 6 Plus had a heady 5.5-inch screen, which seems…in 2025…picturesque.
My theory is that our hands have become accustomed to the phone form factor we’ve been using for the past few years. This means that if the design is shaken (or you swap for another manufacturer), more attention needs to be paid to holding it up. But this effect fades.
If the two most important, most influential phone manufacturers have opted for flat sites, there are reasons for it. Until there is an even bigger reason to go back to curves.
