Forget Liquid Design, we need this super useful feature on the next iPhone

I was reminded of this in my recent experience switching to Honor’s Magic 7 Pro, where I found the opposite approach. The UI focuses on functional improvements rather than on flashy new effects. 

When the US placed Huawei on its Entity List in May 2019, it lost access to Google Mobile Services (GMS). This affected sub-brands like Honor. Without the Google Play Store or Google apps, Honor phones were far less appealing.Just a year later, in November 2020, Huawei sold Honor to a consortium led by Shenzhen Zhixin New Information Technology Co., Ltd., backed by the Shenzhen government and private entities. This was the moment Honor became officially independent and free from the US sanctions.

What really caught my attention was how folders work on Honor phones.

Rather than having one small icon that you tap to open, you have a box you can freely expand with smaller icons inside.

This is a game-changer.

The size of each icon is a bit smaller, so it’s much easier to fit lots of icons in a small space, and still be able to easily tap them open, without having to first tap to expand the folder.

What I’ve done with this is placing all of my Google apps in one folder, so I have like a dozen of Google services within easy reach. I previously had to search in the app drawer to find each one, and I just love this. It’s a very elegant way to skip the extra step of opening a folder to find an app.

A disappointing lack of customization

It’s disappointing to see the big names like Samsung and Apple work on some elaborate designs for their user interface without providing true customization options that could elevate your experience.

These “super folders” are just one example, but far from the only one.

Another very useful feature on Honor phones is a quick drag-and-drop tool for photos. When you long press an image, a sidebar of relevant apps appears, allowing you to easily drop the photo to Instagram and share it as an IG story.

These types of quality-of-life upgrades seem to be a common focus on phones from Chinese brands, which often appear laser-focused on functional experience, not just visual appeal.

I am not saying that the software of Honor phones is perfect (it’s not), but there are so many great ideas across various UIs that just never make it to Samsung phones or iPhones. There is simply not enough pressure for these big companies to innovate faster, and that results in more or less the same software every year.

No wonder people are starting to get bored after a while.