Google has launched a new version of Image Search for Android 2.1 devices and iPhone 3.0+. This version provides a slicker user interface that fits in with how users of these devices would browse native images.

Here’s a demo:

Thumbnails are square, as to maximize the amount of images that can be shown on the screen at once. Users can swipe to see the next/previous page of results, or tap the next/previous page buttons to navigate. Google says it optimized the experience for speed, so images appear quickly as you browse.

When a user actually views an image, they are now displayed as largely as possible with a new special image viewing page. This has a black background to emphasize the image, and the buttons fade out after a few seconds, so you can just look at the image. You can browse through the image results while in this view with a simple swipe, just like the results pages themselves.

Users of compatible devices need only go to google.com on their phones and go to "images". The new version works in 38 languages.