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 could be the time to shake up their cell working methods with a brand new look and a brand new person interface.
The primary quarterly Android 16 replace will introduce Materials 3 Expressive, a enjoyable and colourful design language that builds upon current 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 shade again with Materials 3 Expressive, whereas Apple is taking a step again considerably, as a substitute 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 at present, however the different may have extra long-term potential.
Liquid Glass is a manner larger design overhaul than Materials 3 Expressive
For higher or worse, one factor appears instantly clear after testing Liquid Glass and Materials 3 Expressive aspect by aspect — the previous is the larger design shift. Apple did not simply introduce some translucent components to iOS; it overhauled your entire working system. In case you keep in mind the old-school translucent desktop working methods, 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 totally different.
There are new media controls, toggles, context menus, floating motion buttons, and system prompts. Particular person apps like iMessage, Digicam, and Settings are fully totally 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 rationale all the pieces is totally 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 components.
There are a shocking 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 large 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 almost 4 years in the past. Moreover, particular person apps like Gmail, Pixel Digicam, or Google Photographs get UI tweaks and enhancements on a regular basis.
By comparability, it looks like Apple waited to convey all its main default apps and system components to the current till now, when it might coincide with the Liquid Glass visible replace.
All of those elements assist iOS 26’s Liquid Glass convey 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, reminiscent of how knocking down the notification middle will trigger content material beneath to replicate 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 nasty 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 components are piled on high of one another. Knocking down the management middle whereas the App Library is open, for example, could make your head spin.
Materials 3 Expressive contains extra UI modifications than Liquid Glass
Whereas Liquid Glass is the main 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, nevertheless it does not considerably change the way in which you utilize your smartphone. Alternatively, with Android 16, Materials 3 Expressive introduces visible modifications and correlating habits modifications that ought to assist person actions really feel extra pure and responsive.
Google is utilizing a mixture of visible cues and haptic suggestions to realize this with Materials 3 Expressive. For instance, whenever you attempt to dismiss a notification on Android 16 QPR1, you may really feel your entire group of notifications spring misplaced, as in the event that they’re all shifting collectively. Proceed to tug, and you will 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 otherwise, and it is the intent behind Materials 3 Expressive. The brand new design language goals to make use of daring and colourful UI components in tandem with haptic suggestions to not solely look totally different but additionally really feel totally different. You will see these kind of modifications when enjoying with sliders or calling upon the notification shade.
They’re obtainable all through Android 16 QPR1 in lots of extra locations, similar 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 large factor proper in comparison with Liquid Glass, and that is background blur. There are semi-translucent components inside Materials 3 Expressive, nevertheless 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 appears to be like like glass, Materials 3 Expressive makes use of vibrant and daring colours as a substitute.
iOS 26 and Android 16 agree on an entire lot
Behind their reverse takes on “expressive” design, iOS 26 and Android 16 QPR1 have quite a bit in widespread. Apple’s thorough app updates make iOS really feel much more like Android, following latest UI tendencies. As an example, iOS 26 largely ditches unified toolbars in favor of floating motion buttons and vertical context menus. These are components which have been a key a part of Android for some time.
Equally, each Apple and Google felt the necessity to change sure interactive components of their cell working methods, like sliders. You may see within the gallery beneath that tweaked Materials 3 Expressive and Liquid Glass sliders have totally different kinds, however main similarities.
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It even transcends standalone options and components, as some apps are reimagined to match Android. The iOS 26 Digicam app, for instance, is a close to carbon copy of the Pixel Digicam app.
I do wish to emphasize that many of those system and app-wide updates included in iOS 26 aren’t straight correlated to the Liquid Glass design language. They’re merely UI and habits modifications that Android has comparatively rolled out regularly over the span of years. As an alternative, Apple waited to vary almost all the pieces without delay with Liquid Glass in iOS 26.
M3E is healthier at present, however Liquid Glass could possibly be higher tomorrow
After spending time with Materials 3 Expressive and Liquid Glass, I might slightly use Android 16 QPR1 than iOS 26 as they at the moment stand. Each are within the developer beta stage, and each are going to enhance earlier than they’re in the end launched.
You may set up the developer beta of Android 16 QPR1 or iOS 26 in your machine, however you most likely should not — each are really useful just for developer testing and will trigger main bugs and points to your machine. They might even brick your cellphone fully, so it is best to attend for the official launch, or not less than the general public beta.
Nonetheless, it is clear to me that Materials 3 Expressive’s design places the emphasis on person actions and ease. In distinction, Liquid Glass appears to be like very nice in images and press releases, however seems to make every day use of an iPhone tougher.
With that being stated, I believe Liquid Glass has extra potential to be an working system of the longer term. It is clearly designed for an augmented-reality world, with merchandise like Apple Imaginative and prescient Professional or future good 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 would possibly substitute them.
