To predict what Android phones will look like in 2026, I don’t look at last year’s phones – I look at the best phones of 2024. Phones generally have an 18-month development cycle, so this year’s new phones will be informed by the best phone from the latter half of 2024 – the iPhone 16 Pro. That iPhone brought us major innovation from Apple, and this is the year I’m hoping to see Android finally steal a huge feature that Apple screwed up.
The iPhone doesn’t change often, so adding or taking away a button is major. Big iPhone redesigns are usually five years apart, at least. The iPhone 4 refined the design. The iPhone X (10) finally did away with the Home button. Then, the iPhone 15 Pro changed the mute switch to an Action Button.
