People weren’t exactly shocked when rumors suggested the Samsung Galaxy S23 would abandon its predecessor’s contoured camera island. Nor did fans cry out in protest when Google’s Pixel 6 series finally said goodbye to the physical fingerprint sensor. However, when it comes to the iPhone we’re talking about, a seemingly innocuous change between generations could have huge implications for the company’s large and loyal fan base. Now there’s talk of the iPhone 15 line saying goodbye to the straight sides of its predecessors, but is it the right decision?
Apple is no stranger to flipping back and forth between straight and rounded designs across the various eras of the best iPhones; just look at the transition from the iPhone 3GS to the iPhone 4 or from the iPhone 5S to the 6 series.
Longtime iPhone users will be all too familiar with the tactile dissonance ranging from curves to corners (or vice versa) created when upgrading between affected successors. Additionally, you will find fans on both sides of the fence when it comes to deciding whether curved or straight sides are better. With the supposed return to rounded edges, however, I thought it best to explain why I think this topological change is great for users, even if it actually works against Apple to some extent.
Aesthetics
The most obvious change that switching from one shape to another makes is the visual difference it creates. Similar to the bouba/kiki effect, different design languages elicit a different reaction and our brains tend to make certain connections based on the way things appear; which is especially true when it comes to the aesthetics of a product.
Apple probably wanted people (consciously or not) to associate the linear shapes of the iPhone 12, 13 and 14 series with attributes such as strength, reliability, power, precision, refinement and – in the case of the highly polished frames of the iPhone Pro Line – luxury .
Meanwhile, similarly to what is implicit in the aesthetics-usability effect, the more rounded elements of the iPhone 11 series – and presumably the iPhone 15 series – (at least as far as Apple might intend) instead seem to convey qualities such as accessibility, ease of use, and shows off a more playful air; representing a welcome change from the tough iPhone aesthetic we’ve become accustomed to in recent years.
Ergonomics
After seeing your new phone for the first time, your next move will probably be to take it out of the box and see what it feels like. While – as with aesthetics – there are arguments in favor of both design approaches. This is where I feel the rounded sides start to emerge as the better choice, from a usability perspective.
Taking the current iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max as an example, they are fantastic looking devices and the straight sides also allow for the fun quirk of being able to stand on a flat surface without help. But compared to any similarly sized rounded-edge alternatives, they feel much larger and less comfortable to hold; with the sharp front and back edges almost digging into your hand at some corners.
The perceived size difference seems even more pronounced if, like most iPhone owners I see around, you add a case to the mix. Safe, Anyone the phone feels bigger and bulkier when you add a case, but this effect is definitely more noticeable on straight phones, like the current iPhone 14 series.
Considering there are few other objects that you handle so frequently on a daily basis, making sure it’s comfortable to hold seems like a pretty important aspect for designers to consider. So, while some may not appreciate the softer lines adopted by an iPhone with rounded edges, they will probably prefer the feel both in the pocket and in the hand.
Engineering
All it takes is a quick visit to YouTube (or a particularly bad phone drop) to discover how little wiggle room engineers have when it comes to fitting all the components that need to live inside your phone, inside your telephone.
While rounded edges are advantageous from a usability standpoint, from the perspective of iPhone engineers tasked with building the next iPhones, moving away from straight sides might actually make things more difficult.
Having what amounts to a cuboid with rounded corners probably makes planning where to insert components relatively easier, not least because parts can be pushed right up to the edge of the inside of the frame. Unless you’re willing to add a significant amount of height and width to the overall dimensions of the phone (or thickness, for that matter), the moment you also round the edges of the chassis – as we’ve come to expect from the iPhone 15 line – The practicable space in which it is necessary to mount the components is small.
Therefore, unless Apple has somehow managed to reduce the internals of the iPhone 15 series compared to previous generations (which is not impossible, if you consider new-generation components such as the extra dense silicon-carbon batteries that found inside the Honor Magic). V2 are now making their way into devices), rounded edges are probably more of a challenge to work with when building an iPhone.
Cost
One knock-on effect that could cause the increased difficulty of building with rounded edges is increased costs.
The only fly in the ointment of “why an iPhone 15 with rounded sides is better for users” is that, due to the additional technical hurdles this form factor creates, its build costs may have increased.
Several signs already point to an increase in the price of the iPhone 15 this year. But as for the “why,” Apple hasn’t (and is unlikely to) offer any information on the exact cause.
Separately, a leaker claimed that the iPhone 15 costs 12% more to produce than its predecessor, which could be attributed to the intergenerational manufacturing changes mentioned here, as well as the supply chain and global economy could be contributing factors.
Separately, however, industry analyst Jeff Pu has suggested that only the iPhone 15 Pro Max will receive a price increase, which if I had to hazard a guess would be a result of the more advanced camera system rumored to be featured. This has since been exacerbated by a report from TrendForce, whose analysts also reiterate that only the Pro Max looks set to increase in price.
Conclusion
For a phone line that tends to see longer-term use than others, interacting with a device that’s more accessible and comfortable to hold than what Apple currently offers seems like a win to me.
Even if these benefits come at a slight premium.
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