You might have noticed an annoying trend in the tech world over the last few years. Whenever Apple adopts a new design or technology, many Android and PC OEMs follow suit. While there's no denying the fact that Apple too picks up on things first pioneered by companies on the other side of the fence, the company is the trendsetter more often than not. The most infuriating thing about this behavior is that, at times, some OEMs blindly follow in Apple's footsteps, even if the change in question is not beneficial for end-users. Thankfully, this time around, the trend in question doesn't entirely fall in that category. It's a design change that some of you might hate while others might appreciate.

Recent leaks suggest that Android OEMs will adopt the boxy design that Apple reintroduced with the iPhone 12 and iPhone 13 for their upcoming devices. Xiaomi has started sharing teasers about its upcoming Redmi Note 11 lineup. The teasers showcase a device that looks a whole lot like the Redmi Note 10 Pro Max, but it has flat edges like the iPhone 12 and iPhone 13 lineup.

The teaser also reveals that Xiaomi will unveil the lineup in China later this month. Other teaser images shared on Weibo (via XiaomiUI Telegram channel) indicate that the Redmi Note 11 lineup will feature Samsung AMOLED panels with 120HZ refresh rate, 360Hz touch sampling rate, and 100% DCI-P3 coverage. The display will have minimal bezels on either side, measuring just 1.75mm, and a tiny hole-punch cutout for the selfie camera with a 2.96mm diameter.

One of the teaser images also showcases a new purple variant of the Redmi Note 11, giving us a clear look at its design in its entirety. As you can see in the attached image, the device retains the same rectangular camera module design as the Redmi Note 10 lineup. It packs three camera sensors and an LED flash. While the phone does adopt the iPhone 13's boxy design, you'd be glad to know that Xiaomi hasn't gone full Apple, and the 3.5mm headphone jack is still there.

Purple Redmi Note 11 teaser

Along with Xiaomi, Honor also seems to be adopting the flat edge design on its upcoming devices. But that's not the only design cue that Honor is taking from Apple. As you can see in the attached teaser, the upcoming Honor phone also features a square camera module that looks pretty much the same as the one seen on recent iPhones.

The teaser image also confirms that Honor will unveil the device in China later this month. But it doesn't reveal any other details about the phone.

While Android OEMs copying the iPhone 13's boxy design might not be as big of an issue as removing chargers from the box or getting rid of the headphone jack, it doesn't bode well for the industry as a whole. Apple often makes controversial decisions, and we don't want Android and PC OEMs copying them without considering what users actually want. For instance, most of us wouldn't want notches on laptops to become a thing going forward. But given that Apple has now added notches to its latest MacBook Pro lineup, we won't be surprised if other laptop OEMs follow suit.

What's your take on Android OEMs aping Apple's design choices? Do you like the boxy design, or would you rather have a smartphone with curved edges? Let us know in the comments section below.


Featured image: iPhone 13 Pro and iPhone 13 Pro Max