In a recent interview, Samsung executives discussed how the company’s design language has evolved into what we now know as the Galaxy S26. While it may be true that Samsung has carved out its own identity in the mobile space through generations of refinement, that same design is also at the center of some of the most annoying but fixable problems facing Galaxy hardware.
Comments shared by Samsung Senior Vice President Lee Ji-young (via ChoSun) earlier this month discussed how Ji-young would “give the (Galaxy S26) product design a perfect score,” pointing out elements like the 7R’s “optimal corner curvature” (the curve of a circle where the radius is 7mm) and how that looks even on the S Pen. Meanwhile, Samsung vice president and head of the mobile design team, Lee Il-hwan, called the vertically arranged triple camera “the core identity of the galaxy.”
I’ve been using the base model Galaxy S26 since unboxing it, and I’ll draw my most basic conclusion up front: It’s a solid, reliable phone. After a year of time spent primarily on the Pixel, the lighter chassis and slimmer design have been something of a breath of fresh air. Going back to my Pixel 10a makes Google’s latest $500 Android phone feel as thick as a brick, even without a camera bar, while the main Pixel 10 feels surprisingly heavy every time I pick it up.
With the S26 series, Samsung finally unified its design across the trio, forever getting rid of the Note DNA left in the Ultra model. In reality, the result extends beyond the company’s flagship series: with the exception of its foldables, virtually all recent Galaxy-branded phones launched by Samsung maintain the same core design. Rounded corners, large and tall screens and a triple-lens camera system oriented to the left of the rear glass. I absolutely agree that this look constitutes the “core identity” of the Galaxy design; It just identifies everything I don’t like about it.
Some of this, of course, is a matter of subjective taste. Personally, I prefer my flagship devices to feature a semi-unique look compared to their more powerful flagship models. I don’t think it’s a bad thing to be able to immediately distinguish a $1,100 device from half its price, something brands like Google and Apple have effectively embraced with devices like the Pixel 10a and iPhone 17e. Samsung takes the opposite approach; most of their A-series entries are easy to mistake for something more premium when quickly looked at from behind. In theory, that cements Samsung’s design as unique and iconic, but unlike Google’s camera bar design, I’d say this style is simply too anonymous to work.
It doesn’t help that Samsung isn’t the only one sporting this look. The latest base iPhone models, for example, switched to a dual-camera design that doesn’t look much different from any random Galaxy device released this decade. Apple says it left behind its previous diagonal design to enable Vision Pro-enabled video recording, but either way, the result is the same: Samsung’s design suddenly looks too similar to that of its bitterest rival. And even if that has nothing to do with a decision Samsung explicitly made, the brand still has to deal with someone encroaching on its territory.
We’ve seen Google navigate this space with a little more skill. The company’s camera bar looks ready for inspiration these days: the iPhone Air, the iPhone 17 Pro, and even Samsung’s own Galaxy S25 Edge. everyone carries a bit of Pixel DNA in their respective lens designs. But Google’s style, introduced five years ago in the Pixel 6 before seeing several generations of refinement, holds its own even against similar styles because it’s so only. It’s not just the lens design, but the specific style of the camera hood, lens hood, matching two-tone design, and, perhaps most importantly, the complete lack of table wobble.
And that’s the real problem with Samsung’s “core identity.” It’s not so much that other companies have employed similar designs, but rather that the Galaxy look presents a fundamentally flawed experience in 2026. While companies like Google have completely fixed issues with camera bumps that force devices to rock back and forth on flat surfaces, Samsung’s device is wobblier than ever. Rotating the lenses 90 degrees would effectively solve this problem, but that violates the company’s own ideals for how its products should work.
But nothing drives me crazier than how this affects Qi2 support. Lots of ink (digital) has spilled over Samsung’s decision to once again opt not to include built-in support for Qi2 magnetic wireless charging, instead relying on first and third party cases to add that functionality after the fact. It’s frustrating enough on its own – on at least two occasions, I used Qi2-enabled accessories simply out of habit while using this device before remembering that they wouldn’t work with my caseless S26 – but even Yeah If you choose a compatible case, it may not work with all accessories. Wallets, Pop Sockets, and certain charging discs have been known to have trouble lining up properly thanks to Samsung’s lower vertical camera lenses, and good luck maintaining a constant 25W charging speed.
The end result is a design that, while certainly identifiable, ends up leaving Galaxy S26 owners with a worse experience than they could find on other phones, practically requiring First-hand accessories designed around these shortcomings.. I’m not saying that Samsung can’t find a recognizable look that works for their brand, and honestly, I wouldn’t even mind if they found a way to make something close to their current style work, but acting like this is the end of what a smartphone can be feels more dismissive of the future than I’d like. Features like Qi2 didn’t exist when Samsung started using this aspect, but that doesn’t mean the brand should get a pass after this generation.
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