Critics are divided over smartphone design. Bezels or no?
In the world of smartphones, bezels may be among the most hotly contested design features.
If you’ve followed any of the coverage of the latest devices, most notably Apple’s new iPhone X, you likely have heard people talking about bezels. But you may not have known what they were or why they’re important.
Here’s a rundown on what bezels are and what all the debate is about:
What is a bezel, and why is it such a big deal?
Bezels are the borders between a screen and a phone’s frame. Many of the latest smartphones have ultranarrow bezels, ones that almost seem to have disappeared. Take a look at these different iPhone models. Note that the newest one — the iPhone X, which is in the middle — has the slimmest bezels of the three. By narrowing the borders around a screen, manufacturers can devote more of the phone’s front to its display, allowing them to offer a bigger screen in a smaller phone.
Tech: A guide to bezels, the hotly-contested smartphone feature that’s dividing designers
