Description: Tendere is a different type of icon pack for Android, and right away you can tell why. Tendere means to stretch or to expand, so naturally this icon pack doesn’t feature square icons, but rather stretched icons in rectangular form. Coming from the same developer as Umbra, Tendere has recently been launched in this version 2.0 form and features over 980 icons as well as a handful of wallpapers all accessible from the included dashboard app. These rectangular icons all feature a small color palette and go for subtle, flat design over flashy draw shadows. Let’s take a look at the end result, shall we?
How it Works: To get a taste of this different type of icon pack, you’ll first need to download Tendere from the Play Store, which is currently 50% off to celebrate its relaunch. Once you’ve downloaded Tendere, you can go ahead and open up the dedicated Dashboard app and apply it to your launcher of choice. Here, I’m using Solo Launcher.
Doing so will change the icons on your homescreen as well as apply one of wallpapers included in the theme.
Right away you can see that the icons were put together with a rectangular feel in mind and while they look nice in the dock down there at the bottom, they look even better with some decent widgets.
At first, you’d think that such a strange shape would look bizarre, but it adds a nice breath of fresh air to any homescreen and the wallpapers included are really nice as well.
All-in-all, Tendere is a nice change of pace your regular circle or square icon packs and while there might not be as many icons included as there are in other packs out there, I didn’t come across too many gaps in my selection of a couple hundred apps.
Opinion: Ryan Kelly is well known for creating great icon packs on Android and Tendere is certainly no exception. It looks great and by using a subtly different shape in rectangles, Tendere offers users something different instead of the usual circle and square packs that are charting in the Play Store. While there’s no denying the overall quality of the icons at work here, it would be nice to see some more wallpapers and icons in Tendere as other similar packs have quite a few more icon packs and more wallpapers. Still, Tendere is going through something of a relaunch, and a developer like Ryan Kelly is known for bringing regular updates to his icon packs, so expect much more in the future.
Ratings
- Speed (4/5) – No issues here, everything runs nice and smoothly and the dashboard app runs well, too.
- Features (4/5) – With almost a thousand icons included, there’s a lot on offer here, but it’d be nice to see some more wallpapers included.
- Theme (5/5) – Using a different form factor, the subtle colors and shadows used in Tendere offer users a nice break from the traditional look and feel that we’re used to.
- Overall (4/5) – Some more wallpapers would be nice to see, but right now it’s 50% off and the rectangle form and attention to detail will definitely liven up your homescreen.
Pros
- As expect from the man behind Umbra, the quality of the icons here in Tendere is excellent.
- Rectangle shape is both different and a little quirky, perfect if you’re looking for something a little out of the ordinary.
- Dashboard app helps users take a look at wallpapers and installed the theme on a number of different launchers.
- Works well on smartphones as well as tablets and really offers a fresh experience from the circles and squares we’re used to.
Cons
- More icons and wallpapers would be nice to see, but we’re sure these are coming in a future update.
- Could be considered a little pricey, it is on offer right now though.
Conclusion: Tendere is a great change of pace for icon packs. These days there are loads of them to choose from and it’s often square icons, or circular icons, and that’s it. Sure, there’s lots of variation in their look and feel, but Tendere offers a different, rectangular approach that looks good and doesn’t forget to bring the good looks along with that new shape. Excellent for those in the mood for something different and a no-brainer for those that have already used Umbra and others to gret effect.