How much does phone design matter to you? (Poll of the Week)

February 25, 2020

I have to be honest: I don’t like how the Galaxy S20 series looks. I agree with Eric that the design is derivative and boring, especially for the Galaxy S20 Ultra in grey. It just looks like Samsung took the most ho-hum things about smartphones and combined them all in one device. The gigantic camera module with the offset camera sensors and the dull grey color especially.

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The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines the world "ultra" as: "beyond what is ordinary, proper, or moderate; excessive; extreme." Similar to "mega" and "uber," ultra is a word we use to overemphasize something: ultra-fast, ultra-powerful, ultra-big. It's …

That’s not to say there isn’t anything to like about the Galaxy S20 Ultra — there clearly is. And if it came down to it, I don’t think I’d skip out on buying a phone just because of the way it looks. I don’t need the most premium-looking phone out there, but I usually look for something that at least stands out to me.

I wanted to know what you think. When considering a new smartphone, how important are looks to you? I’m talking aesthetics and colorways, not necessarily quality of the phone design in terms of IP certifications and so on. Cast your vote in the poll, and speak up in the comments if you have anything else to add.