When smartphone customers load up Android 16 QPR1 or the newly introduced iOS 26 for the primary time, they’re going to be in for a serious shock. Apple and Google each determined that now’s the time to shake up their cellular working techniques with a brand new look and a brand new consumer interface.
The primary quarterly Android 16 replace will introduce Materials 3 Expressive, a enjoyable and colourful design language that builds upon present Materials You theming. In the meantime, iOS 26 will add Liquid Glass, a translucent and reflective design interface that takes heavy cues from visionOS. Google is bringing daring colour again with Materials 3 Expressive, whereas Apple is taking a step again considerably, as an alternative emphasizing the content material beneath the glass-like apps, buttons, and toggles.
I’ve spent a day evaluating Materials 3 Expressive to Liquid Glass, and neither is ideal. One appears higher right now, however the different may have extra long-term potential.
Liquid Glass is a means larger design overhaul than Materials 3 Expressive
For higher or worse, one factor appears instantly clear after testing Liquid Glass and Material 3 Expressive facet by facet — the previous is the larger design shift. Apple did not simply introduce some translucent parts to iOS; it overhauled the whole working system. When you bear in mind the old-school translucent desktop working techniques, like Mac OS X Snow Leopard or Home windows Vista, Liquid Glass is that, however on steroids.
The whole lot, and I actually imply all the pieces, is completely different.
There are new media controls, toggles, context menus, floating motion buttons, and system prompts. Particular person apps like iMessage, Digital camera, and Settings are fully completely different, matching the Liquid Glass aesthetic whereas additionally bringing new interfaces. The looks of iOS mainstays just like the notification middle and management middle has an all-new look.
The factor is, Liquid Glass is not the explanation all the pieces is completely different. I believe that many iPhone customers will take pleasure in Liquid Glass in iOS 26 not for the design language, however for the long-overdue refreshes to particular person apps and parts.
There are a stunning variety of facets of the present iOS 18 working system that have not been materially refreshed because the final main overhaul to the platform, which occurred with iOS 7.
In the meantime, Materials 3 Expressive will not really feel like as huge of a change as Liquid Glass as a result of Google tends to ship updates and tweaks on a extra common foundation than Apple. Materials You laid the groundwork for Materials 3 Expressive, and it arrived practically 4 years in the past. Moreover, individual apps like Gmail, Pixel Digital camera, or Google Photos get UI tweaks and enhancements on a regular basis.
By comparability, it seems like Apple waited to deliver all its main default apps and system parts to the current till now, when it might coincide with the Liquid Glass visible replace.
All of those components assist iOS 26’s Liquid Glass deliver a a lot larger design refresh than Android 16’s Materials 3 Expressive. The constant and thorough design tweaks create “wow” moments for even longtime Apple customers, resembling how knocking down the notification middle will trigger content material beneath to mirror and refract — as if the notification middle is a bit of glass itself.
There’s nothing fairly like this in Materials 3 Expressive, however that is not essentially a foul factor. iOS 26’s Liquid Glass design language has actual flaws, like how issues can get actually difficult to see when a number of translucent parts are piled on prime of one another. Flattening the management middle whereas the App Library is open, as an illustration, could make your head spin.
Materials 3 Expressive contains extra UI modifications than Liquid Glass
Whereas Liquid Glass is the most important visible interface improve, I might argue that Materials 3 Expressive is the bigger user-interface improve. iOS 26 successfully offers the iPhone a recent coat of paint, however it would not considerably change the best way you employ your smartphone. However, with Android 16, Materials 3 Expressive introduces visible modifications and correlating conduct modifications that ought to assist consumer actions really feel extra pure and responsive.
Google is utilizing a mixture of visible cues and haptic suggestions to attain this with Materials 3 Expressive. For instance, once you attempt to dismiss a notification on Android 16 QPR1, you may really feel the whole group of notifications spring misplaced, as in the event that they’re all shifting collectively. Proceed to tug, and you may see and really feel a snap when the notification you are dismissing breaks away from the group.
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This expertise helps you each see and really feel smartphone actions in another way, and it is the intent behind Materials 3 Expressive. The brand new design language goals to make use of daring and colourful UI parts in tandem with haptic suggestions to not solely look completely different but also feel different. You will see most of these modifications when enjoying with sliders or calling upon the notification shade.
They’re out there all through Android 16 QPR1 in lots of extra locations, identical to the modifications in iOS 26’s Liquid Glass. The distinction is that Google appears to have positioned equally as a lot emphasis on UI modifications and haptic suggestions tweaks because it did on visible updates.
Materials 3 Expressive will get one huge factor proper in comparison with Liquid Glass, and that is background blur. There are semi-translucent parts inside Materials 3 Expressive, however it makes use of heavy blur to create depth whereas letting customers peek at what’s beneath. By comparability, the clear look of Liquid Glass may be visually distracting. In all of the locations the place iOS 26 seems like glass, Materials 3 Expressive makes use of brilliant and daring colours as an alternative.
iOS 26 and Android 16 agree on an entire lot
Behind their reverse takes on “expressive” design, iOS 26 and Android 16 QPR1 have lots in frequent. Apple’s thorough app updates make iOS really feel much more like Android, following current UI developments. For example, iOS 26 largely ditches unified toolbars in favor of floating motion buttons and vertical context menus. These are parts which were a key a part of Android for some time.
Equally, each Apple and Google felt the necessity to change sure interactive elements of their cellular working techniques, like sliders. You may see within the gallery beneath that tweaked Materials 3 Expressive and Liquid Glass sliders have completely different types, however main similarities.
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It even transcends standalone options and parts, as some apps are reimagined to match Android. The iOS 26 Digital camera app, for instance, is a close to carbon copy of the Pixel Camera app.
I do wish to emphasize that many of those system and app-wide updates included in iOS 26 aren’t immediately correlated to the Liquid Glass design language. They’re merely UI and conduct modifications that Android has comparatively rolled out progressively over the span of years. As an alternative, Apple waited to alter practically all the pieces directly with Liquid Glass in iOS 26.
M3E is best right now, however Liquid Glass could possibly be higher tomorrow
After spending time with Materials 3 Expressive and Liquid Glass, I might relatively use Android 16 QPR1 than iOS 26 as they at present stand. Each are within the developer beta stage, and each are going to enhance earlier than they’re finally launched.
You may set up the developer beta of Android 16 QPR1 or iOS 26 in your gadget, however you in all probability should not — each are beneficial just for developer testing and will trigger main bugs and points to your gadget. They might even brick your cellphone totally, so it is best to attend for the official launch, or no less than the general public beta.
Nonetheless, it is clear to me that Materials 3 Expressive’s design places the emphasis on consumer actions and ease. In distinction, Liquid Glass seems very nice in photographs and press releases, however seems to make every day use of an iPhone harder.
With that being stated, I feel Liquid Glass has extra potential to be an working system of the long run. It is clearly designed for an augmented-reality world, with merchandise like Apple Imaginative and prescient Professional or future smart glasses in thoughts. Apple says as a lot in its press launch, with Apple’s vice chairman of Human Interface Design Alan Dye writing that “it lays the muse for brand new experiences sooner or later.”
In different phrases, Materials 3 Expressive is designed to run on telephones, whereas Liquid Glass is made for what may change them.
