Would you prefer an ugly phone?

[JaySoul]

Would you prefer an "ugly" phone IF it had all of your spec wishes granted?

- super speakers
- amazing dual camera with OIS
- stunning screen
- waterproof
- huge and fast charging battery for 4 days life
- etc etc with no compromises

In other words, on Android and iPhone, there always seems to be SOME sort of compromise, and has there ever been a phone that ticked EVERY box except "stunning design"?

Or has design become SO important that people rank it highly on their wishlist?

 

[ceva321]

Ugly phone = Iphone

 

[LIVEFRMNYC]

Doesn't have to be ugly, but I would deal with a much thicker phone for greater specs and larger battery.

 

[DakotaGuy]

Ugly phone = Iphone

iPhone isn't ugly, but just boring and not very stylish next to the Samsung designs.

 

[tbayrgs]

I wouldn't want a device that was solely functional without any consideration for design. I'd love a smartphone that ticked all of my checkboxes but there's a reason why we have yet to see the super-spec'd phone--there are design limitations and design clearly plays an impact in peoples choices. Nobody wants to carry or use a big ugly brick, myself included.

 

[gotluck]

aesthetics are not nearly as important as size for me.

depends if you are saying looks = size or formfactor, or just aesthetics

my phone will be in a case anyways

things like glass back (con for me because durability) , antenna lines, etc ... couldnt care less

 

[5105973]

Yes, gimme! I'll buy a pretty case for it. I enjoy looking at a pretty phone but after so many years with iPhone and my short time with Samsung that too much gets sacrificed for "a look". I really loved the concept of the S7 Active and that's the phone I might have chosen even though it was fug, but the execution was poop and it's caused a lot of frustration for owners.

I'm very concerned that the new iPhone 7 is rumored to be even thinner. I think too much thinness makes it look out of proportion and weird. It is not comfortable to hold, either.

The Samsung Edge devices are beautiful but the three that I have seen in use, including my husband's, have smashed corners. Even with the cases rising up to cover the corners, this is where the shatter points seem to originate.

If I could direct the design based on common sense and not just aesthetics, I would direct my teams to go back to flat screens and redesign the chassis, not the glass, to have an attractive curvature to meet the screen. IPhone is almost designed like this but leaves too much white border on the side due to LCD screen technology. And has too much more curvature of the glass than even I would tolerate for the design I am thinking of.

I would not use glass for the back. I can't say what I would use because I'm not a materials expert but I know enough to know that glass is too fragile and a smear magnet.

p.s. I have poked fun of the iPhone mock ups for their appearance but that is because I think they are ugly due to poor design and lack of attention to function. If they paid attention to function they would make the phone the necessary modest thickness to avoid having camera rims that stick out so far. However there is a functional benefit to protruding lenses: they do not end up buried in thick cases attracting pocket dirt.

 

[mi7chy]

I'd take specs and features over aesthetics any day but, fortunately, we don't have to settle with the Samsung Galaxy line.

And, yes, the iPhone design is ugly. I can't think of a phone that's uglier. Even sub $100 Chinese phones have better design. Apple need to step up their game in this regard and they have nearly unlimited funds to throw at so there's no excuse.

 

[kasakka]

I would, but only if it meant that the physical dimensions of the phone still stay very slim relative to screen size. I hate how many phones are on the market that have pretty huge bezels relative to screen size. iPhones are probably the worst offenders when there are several years older Android phones on the market that are roughly the same size but with much bigger displays.

I also don't care for aluminum and glass for back materials. They are easier to scratch or break and make the phone more slippery only so that they look good in press photos. Oneplus had it right with their sandstone black plastic material, but alas even they ****ed it up on the Oneplus 3 by making it exactly the same metal back phone as all of their competitors.

 

[mi7chy]

I also don't care for aluminum and glass for back materials. They are easier to scratch or break and make the phone more slippery only so that they look good in press photos.

Personally, I'd like to see aluminum phones which are the worst for scratch/dent resistance and incompatible with wireless charging die. It's also far from premium since when I have a beer I much prefer glass over aluminum can. At least glass looks nicer and is more practical as it works with wireless charging, easily wipes off, more scratch resistant, etc. but first phone to use something like graphene for shell and new battery technology will win my wallet.

http://standardgraphene.com/

http://www.broadbit.com/

 

[Hastings101]

There aren't many phones I find ugly anyway, except maybe the current iPhone, so why not? The iPhone 3G/GS designs were my favorite looking iPhone and the Lumia 1520 is my favorite phone design of all time, bulky comfortable plastic is fine with me.

 

[Vegastouch]

Ive never ruined my phone due to water so i dont care about it being water proof. I also always use a case so it can be a little ugly if it had good specs. My GS7 is gold, so thats kinda ugly right there. Didnt like that it wasnt available in white and i didnt want a black one. Also as long as teh battery easily lasts all day, i dont need a huge battery to last 4 days but i would also sacrafice some thickness for a bigger battery. I also dont care for them being too thin.

 

[Sensamic]

Of course. I don't care about aesthetics. I care about functionality.

 

[ceva321]

iPhone isn't ugly, but just boring and not very stylish next to the Samsung designs.

It is ugly to me. Huge useless bezels, ugly antennas. Weird size.

 

[DakotaGuy]

It is ugly to me. Huge useless bezels, ugly antennas. Weird size.

Well next to the Samsung S7 edge, Note 7 and even the new LG V20 yes the iPhone Plus is way oversized with those bezels from 2010.

 

[spinedoc77]

Is the iPhone 7 really supposed to be thinner? What sense does that make when the bezels are so huge? I do like thinner, but making the bezels smaller would do so much more in terms of ergonomics and portability.

 

[DakotaGuy]

Is the iPhone 7 really supposed to be thinner? What sense does that make when the bezels are so huge? I do like thinner, but making the bezels smaller would do so much more in terms of ergonomics and portability.

That's what I don't get about Apple's design on the iPhone. Even if it was slightly thicker, but the bezel was trimmed down it would be a lot more ergonomic. What is their obsession with thinness anyhow? It's not like the edge to edge screen phones are that thick.

 

[mi7chy]

It's clearly obvious Apple need to trim down the wasted bezel space to get the phone physically manageable but my guess is their hands are legally tied to the old design, otherwise, altering it could negatively unravel or invalidate the legal cases against competitors. The "iconic" design could turn out to be "ironic" design with iPhones forever stuck with huge wasted bezels unless Apple come up with something new that doesn't resemble the competition.

 

[McCool71]

Or has design become SO important that people rank it highly on their wishlist?

Doesn't matter at all to me how the sides or back of a phone looks. The only thing I look at is the screen. I don't treat gadgets like jewelry to show off to others, I have them because I want to have them.

 

[kasakka]

That's what I don't get about Apple's design on the iPhone. Even if it was slightly thicker, but the bezel was trimmed down it would be a lot more ergonomic. What is their obsession with thinness anyhow? It's not like the edge to edge screen phones are that thick.

I have no idea what is going on at Apple but I feel many Android phones from relatively small brands have trumped them on design several times now. The Oneplus X for example was a truly gorgeous (albeit slippery) phone with a bigger, higher res screen at only a tiny bit larger dimensions than the iPhone 6S. Likewise the same year as iPhone 6S release the Samsung Note 5 put a bigger screen in roughly the same dimensions as the iPhone 6S Plus. Hell, even my Oneplus One is a physically more comfortable device than the iPhone 6S Plus.

 

[MRU]

The aesthetics of a handset would be a major factor in a purchase for me.

I am not going to spend my € on buying a device that despite how great it functioned looked like something dragged out the anus of a camel.

However sometimes good aesthetics do get in the way of your enjoyment of a device. The S7e was arguably the prettiest phone I owned but posed a lot of issues for me regarding using the device, holding the device and even getting a screen protector for it. My enjoyment became sullied by its aesthetics.

So I have come to the conclusion that whilst a devices aesthetics are important, they can't be at the price of usability.

As much as folks bash the iPhone 6/6s designs. I actually like them and have no issue with bezel either

One of the best ergonomically designed phones was the original Moto X. It wasn't the prettiest, but that phone melted into your hand. It was beautiful to hold.

By contrast the new Moto Z is a phone I personally find horrible design wise. Thin for the sake of thin (expense of battery and headphone jack) and a total mish mash of design ideas. Square finger print sensor below a horribly placed Moto logo, combined with circle camera and clock widgets. It appears like a smartphone designed by kids asked to draw a phone with crayola. It's a phone I would never spend € on despite knowing I love motorola's software / android experience.

 

[lowendlinux]

iPhone isn't ugly, but just boring and not very stylish next to the Samsung designs.

No it's ugly, the iPhone hasn't been attractive since the 4/4s

 

[pkginstall]

Would you prefer a stunning looking wife who swears and is lazy and beats her children black and blue, or a normal, average looking girl who is loving beyond belief, kind, conscientious, hard working and loyal?

Here's a thought: NASA choose ThinkPads because they are built like tanks, are dependable and proven, not shiny glossy fad computers.

What do you prefer - a pretty phone that has no stamina and where the phone app crashes when you're calling the emergency services when your house is on fire, or an ugly one that lasts for days and works reliably?

Doesn't take a genius to work this out. Let it WORK. All this fashion fad stuff is gonna get tossed aside, will rust and rot and be forgotten in 2 years and be in landfill. Nothing is new under the sun, make it WORK well, and if it "just happens" to be working well AND beautiful, the latter will be a nice extra.

 

[ceva321]

Would you prefer a stunning looking wife who swears and is lazy and beats her children black and blue, or a normal, average looking girl who is loving beyond belief, kind, conscientious, hard working and loyal?

Here's a thought: NASA choose ThinkPads because they are built like tanks, are dependable and proven, not shiny glossy fad computers.

What do you prefer - a pretty phone that has no stamina and where the phone app crashes when you're calling the emergency services when your house is on fire, or an ugly one that lasts for days and works reliably?

Doesn't take a genius to work this out. Let it WORK. All this fashion fad stuff is gonna get tossed aside, will rust and rot and be forgotten in 2 years and be in landfill. Nothing is new under the sun, make it WORK well, and if it "just happens" to be working well AND beautiful, the latter will be a nice extra.

I'll take the stunning looking wife any day!! Let her beat the kids.

 

[pkginstall]

I'll take the stunning looking wife any day!! Let her beat the kids.

I hope you're not a Father. Wow...