Pricey smartphone makers, please cease with the bezel-less shows

If you happen to choose up any smartphone as of late — whether or not it is an iPhone 16, a Galaxy S25, a Pixel 9, or one thing else — there is a sturdy likelihood its bezel will likely be tiny or non-existent. Saying the design trait is all the trend can be an understatement, as the one manner you could find something totally different is by searching for finances fashions. As soon as the 2025 iPhone SE rolls round, you will not have a selection in any respect in order for you a brand new mannequin primarily based on Apple’s platform.

For a lot of of you, bezels are in all probability a minor subject, and I get that. However personally talking, some latest incidents have referred to as consideration to the downsides of eradicating them, and I believe I am not alone in considering cellphone makers ought to dial again their ambitions. Delivery a pure glass brick is not essentially an indication of progress, regardless of what glitzy PR occasions and movies would have you ever consider.

Tight grips and shut misses

Actual-world usability issues

My greatest criticism in regards to the iPhone 16 Professional is not the questionable usefulness of Apple Intelligence or the Digital camera Management button, however merely how simple it’s to set off one thing just by holding the cellphone the incorrect manner. At this level, I can not rely what number of occasions I’ve raised my cellphone solely to note the icons shaking, which means iOS thought I used to be tapping and holding the homescreen to rearrange icons. At different occasions, I’ve launched apps and even in-app choices with out realizing it. Typically there is a haptic buzz to inform me, however typically not.

It is a bit ironic, as a result of early on, some iPhone 16 homeowners have been having the exact opposite problem — palm rejection was blocking contact inputs. Now, although, we’re on the level that I’ve caught iOS doing issues after I knew my fingers have been solely near the display screen, not on it. I made it some extent to concentrate after I first began encountering undesirable contact inputs, considering I used to be simply being a klutz. Apparently I wasn’t.

The bezels on the iPhone 16 Professional are at the very least partly accountable, if not fully. They’re even thinner than on the 15 Professional, leaving virtually nowhere on your fingers to relaxation in order for you a agency grip. I am utilizing a fairly thick UAG case, so I can solely think about the difficulty cropping up for individuals who have a minimalist case on their cellphone, or no safety in any respect. I might be launching issues each 5 seconds on a unadorned iPhone.

Talking of circumstances, eliminating bezels typically makes a case obligatory, particularly for units with curved edges. It is like they’re designed to crack on the sidewalk. That in itself would not be a giant deal — it is advisable defend a $400-plus cellular system regardless — however cellphone makers additionally appear to disregard how circumstances and touchscreens work together. As of late, it is not unusual for the lip of a case to dam faucets and swipes, whereas only a few years in the past that was a uncommon drawback, at the very least in my expertise. Relying on the apps you employ every day, you may end up more and more irritated.

Just a few millimeters of bezel could make a world of distinction relating to the sturdiness and value of a cellphone. So is there any likelihood of getting our bezels again?

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The unlucky march of progress

A one-way highway

I really feel like I am shouting within the wilderness, sadly. The pattern in the direction of bezel-less telephones has been underway for nicely over a decade — what was as soon as a gimmick (totally on Samsung units) is now the default. There’s in all probability no manner of speaking cellphone makers out of it, particularly since they might level to gross sales being unaffected by complaints. If something, they’d in all probability argue that slim bezels appear to spice up gross sales figures. They’re additionally good for revenue margins, because it means much less cash spent on aluminum, metal, plastic, or titanium. The distinction is perhaps just a few cents per cellphone, however that provides up whenever you’re delivery hundreds of thousands of items and wish to determine a provide chain.

The recognition of going bezel-less makes some sense. Many early smartphones had thick bezels, a consequence of the show expertise on the time. As time went on, thinner bezels grew to become an emblem of progress, to the purpose that trendy shoppers are subconsciously primed for it. Furthermore, shrinking edges grew to become functionally essential to allow the big shows we’ve now — you would not desire a 6.3-inch display screen in your pocket if it had bezels as thick as the unique iPhone. Trendy folding designs can be out of the query.

Essentially the most we are able to do, I might wager, is make occasional complaints, hoping that cellphone makers choose up on them. Maybe there are design workarounds that’ll fulfill everybody — I do know I might be pleased if I may get an iPhone 17 or 18 with an angled lip, which might defend my cellphone whereas nonetheless letting me swipe easily between apps. A person can dream, I suppose. There’s simply not a lot likelihood of preventing the tide at this stage.

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