PCB: 8 metallized holes

After consulting the product team:
​For the Gravity series​ (shown in your photo), the eight peripheral holes serve dual purposes:

1.They're part of the signature design language.

2.The 8 holes around the copper can also make the copper coating more secure and not easy to fall off.

​The Fermion series​ uses smaller central holes that physically can't accommodate this specific perforated reinforcement.

Think of it like architectural rivets vs. minimalistic pins - same functional principle, different execution to match each product's aesthetic!

Turns out our users have better eye for design details than my cat has for judging my life choices.

Thanks for the answer. But I have more questions. Why are there no 8 holes in the DS3231M, Fermion: AS7341 (and so on) modules (see the pictures below)? If I understand correctly, the contact pads are only needed for mechanical fastening of the modules. If they were connected to the GND, then 8 holes would improve the electrical contact. But the contact pads are isolated from the circuit's radio components. Then why do we need 8 metallized holes at all?

The number was chosen for symmetrical spacing and mechanical stability during installation - like having extra seatbelts in a racecar, even if you only technically need a few. Could it work with 4 or 6? Probably. But eight gives us a nice even distribution pattern that makes assembly processes smoother.

onsider it the industrial equivalent of pizza slices - 8 just feels more shareable than 6! 🍕