{"id":102852,"date":"2025-10-28T19:49:11","date_gmt":"2025-10-28T19:49:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/102852\/"},"modified":"2025-10-28T19:49:11","modified_gmt":"2025-10-28T19:49:11","slug":"why-do-all-phones-have-to-look-like-the-iphone","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/102852\/","title":{"rendered":"Why do all phones have to look like the iPhone?"},"content":{"rendered":"

Alright, I am coming off fresh from the full review of the Vivo X300 Pro<\/a>, after catching up on the latest Galaxy S26 Ultra<\/a> rumors, and also being lucky enough to spend some very limited hands-on time with the Xiaomi 17 Pro Max. And I have a nagging thought in my brain \u2014 why is everyone still copying the iPhone?Hear me out.<\/p>\n

The Vivo X300 Pro is a smartphone that can stand on its two legs just fine. It\u2019s fast and snappy, its camera is excellent and definitely in the top group, it has an amazing display with incredibly in-depth eye care settings, and a 6,510 mAh battery.<\/p>\n

It is by absolutely no means a knockoff \u2014 it\u2019s an original product. Yet, its software is full of iPhone-ish features that just leave a sour taste. Like the new Quick Button \u2014 it\u2019s located in the same spot that an iPhone has an Action Button. By itself, that\u2019s fine \u2014 but look at how the menu to set up the Quick Button looks like, next to the iOS settings:<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\"Why<\/p>\n

<\/a><\/p>\n

\"Why<\/p>\n

<\/a><\/p>\n

Yeah, not only does the menu look the same \u2014 the animations are the same, with the same timing and very much the same colors, too.<\/p>\n

Then, there\u2019s VivoShare, which is basically the NFC tap-to-share feature. Android phones<\/a> have had that before the iPhone added it for quick AirDrop. But guess what the animation that the Vivo plays during tap-to-share looks like. If you guessed \u201cexactly like AirDrop\u201d \u2014 congratulations, you get 10 points out of \u201cof course it does\u201d.<\/p>\n

\"Why <\/p>\n

And do I even need to mention the Quick Toggles menu, which is now also copied by Samsung and other big Android players:<\/p>\n

\"Why <\/p>\n

OK then, let\u2019s move on.<\/p>\n

Xiaomi famously skipped a number in its phones \u2014 they went from the Xiaomi 15<\/a> Ultra flagship to Xiaomi 17 Pro Max. I wasn\u2019t following closely at the time and I honestly thought I should cut back on the whiskey, because I seem to be losing years.<\/p>\n

No, the Xiaomi 17 Pro Max was named this way to match Apple\u2019s current iPhone number. The Ultra was dropped for the Pro Max moniker. And yes, the design is near-identical to that of the iPhone. Yes, yes, I know that Xiaomi uses the \u201cCamera plateau\u201d to include an overkill high-res, high-refresh rate mini display on it. But after going through so much effort to look like an iPhone, the display just feels like \u201cBut can you do this?\u201d statement.<\/p>\n

\"Why <\/p>\n

Then, there are the Galaxy S26 Ultra leaks, which are plentiful enough right now for us to know that Samsung is at the very least considering launching its next flagship in a very orange color \u2014 like the Cosmic Orange iPhone 17<\/a> Pro. <\/p>\n

\"The <\/p>\n

The possible Galaxy S26 Ultra colors. | Image Credit – Ice Universe<\/p>\n

And here I am sitting, wondering, \u201cWhy must it all be an iPhone-like?\u201d. Well, the smartphone fandom also seems to be irked by this \u2014 minus the people that are devoted to their brand of choice and think that Samsung will somehow Do Orange Better.<\/p>\n

To be clear: I don\u2019t mind idea-steals
Ten years ago, I wrote an article on this topic \u2014 \u201cStealing\u201d ideas is fine, \u201ccopying\u201d is not<\/a>. Lengthy read that one, but my opinion is still the same, a decade after. Human \u201ccreativity\u201d is often simply combining things that were invented before, into new things that work better when smashed together. Previous inventions were \u201cstolen\u201d concepts, and the subsequent inventions will be, too.<\/p>\n

In very rare moments in history, there are some people that are genius visionaries and come up with something that is truly new and unique, be it from an artistic or engineering standpoint.<\/p>\n

\"My <\/p>\n

My favorite point to make when talking about human inventions – Someone was once at a piano concert and thought to themselves, \u201cWhat if piano\u2026 but for words?\u201d. Poof – the typewriter happened!<\/p>\n

In our tiny smartphone world, this means that if one manufacturer comes up with a feature that\u2019s useful, it goes to reason that other phone makers will steal it, simply to serve their user base better, and hopefully also draw in some new people from the competition.<\/p>\n

There\u2019s a feature that\u2019s super-niche but always comes to mind when I talk about this \u2014 pressing and holding on a subject in a photo will crop out that subject and allow you to save it as a .PNG with a transparent background. I use this to make YouTube thumbnails super-easy. Said feature was launched on an iPhone, but is now generally present on most flagship phones.<\/p>\n

And this small little thing being present on all the devices that I like means that I am not tied up to using an iPhone. It\u2019s great, I love it!<\/p>\n

And, of course, Apple has also borrowed a lot of things from Android and Windows over the years. But, generally, most of the time, let me repeat \u2014 generally \u2014 Apple puts its own spin on features and functions that it got from somewhere else. Sometimes they don\u2019t even work as good, but there\u2019s a reason why techtubers say \u201cThey did it the Apple way\u201d.<\/p>\n

Enough going on that tangent.<\/p>\n

Can we chill it with the iPhonification of every phone?
I do get it. The iPhone is super popular. By making certain things on your device iPhone-like, you are trying to accomplish a few things:Draw in potential customers that may want an iPhone otherwiseGive your customers features that the iPhone has, so they don\u2019t feel like they are missing out (my example above)Express that you have no confidence you can design a product that projects luxury
Oh, how did that third point get in there?<\/p>\n

Yes, I kid, I kid, but not entirely. While borrowing and remixing features from a competitor\u2019s product is generally fine and good for the userbase, outright copying it communicates something different.<\/p>\n

It communicates you don\u2019t have enough confidence your product can be perceived as \u201cdeserving\u201d of its high price-tag unless you piggyback off of the perception that said competitor has built.<\/p>\n

Because, let\u2019s be fair. Everyone can make a smooth animation in the software, everyone can dye their smartphone in a wacky color. But what Apple can do better is marketing \u2014 somehow, their animations, their color choices, and their \u201cLiquid Glass\u201d are perceived as being the top-tier of luxury.<\/p>\n

So, many manufacturers, even huge conglomerates, choose to copy those superfluous things, instead of simply inventing their own. This is not piggybacking on the technology or the Apple engineering team\u2019s work. This is piggybacking on Apple\u2019s marketing.<\/p>\n

It all ends up backfiring and, instead of making the product look more desirable, kind of undermines it.<\/p>\n

I started this article with the Vivo X300 Pro for a reason. I really like the Vivo X300 Pro \u2014 to the point where my SIM card is going in there, and I am using it as my carry-on when I know I will be taking a lot of photos.<\/p>\n

But the very first thing I thought when I held it in hand for the first time and saw the Shortcut Button was \u201cOh, is this going to be an iPhone-wannabe?\u201d. Now, I\u2019ve spent the time with it, I\u2019ve reviewed it, and my perception is \u201cI am very happy that this phone also has an Action Button\u201d. But that\u2019s my job \u2014 to spend the time and give the phone a chance.<\/p>\n

If I was a consumer, just browsing through phones, would I have given it a second chance?<\/p>\n

The same goes for Samsung. The Galaxy Watch Ultra is catching a lot of flak whenever it pops up on social media. I am not saying that Samsung didn\u2019t need to make a bulky smartwatch that\u2019s packed to the brim with extra features. I am saying that it didn\u2019t need to look so much like an Apple Watch Ultra, including the orange strap that\u2019s present in the marketing materials.<\/p>\n

\"I\u2019m <\/p>\n

I\u2019m not even going to annotate this picture. Admit it \u2014 you had to take a second look<\/p>\n

And the Galaxy S26 Ultra is definitely deflating user confidence, just because of that orange color leak. Samsung already removed the headphone jack because Apple did it (to be fair, the whole industry followed suit). Samsung added titanium because Apple did. Will Samsung strip titanium now? Will Samsung suddenly decide that users don\u2019t want the S Pen?<\/p>\n

Ten years ago, the market was in its golden age \u2014 with many manufacturers making all sorts of different devices and spinning off different ideas. Now, the fear is that everyone seems to be consolidating and conforming. One look, one design, one featureset.<\/p>\n

Well\u2026 in reality, it\u2019s not that drastic or apocalyptic. But every time an iPhonified Android flagship leaks, it certainly feels we may be heading towards such a reality.<\/p>\n

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