The iPhone 8 Will Kill The Bezel For Sure
The 10th anniversary iPhone is massively rumored to do away with the bezels nearly entirely, save for a minuscule strip at the top of the device for necessary sensors and speakers. At that point, it’s just a matter of diminishing returns. Eventually, someone will find a way to fill up that space too, essentially turning our phones into one massive touchscreen display.
Though the original iPhone introduced the idea of a large touchscreen, the bezel-less display truly became the holy grail of smartphones when Google and Samsung introduced the Galaxy Nexus in 2011.
It was the first phone to feature virtual navigation buttons, which would, in theory, allow device makers to one day create a device with no bezel. It’s the dream of ultimate efficiency: a phone with no wasted space.
MUST SEE: The Beginning Of The End Of The Trump Presidency
Since then, we’ve seen phones with no bezels pop up every so often, though usually as concepts. Sharp beat most of the today’s companies to the punch with its Aquos phone in 2014 (too bad it was pretty mediocre). The same company showed off a concept phone in 2016 with even smaller bezels.
Though some manufacturers have been hesitant to reduce bezels, you can bet every smartphone maker worth your money is going to try to one-up the S8 and iPhone 8 in the years to come. But as much as I can’t wait for this imminent bezel-free future, I’m even more excited for what comes after we’ve reached the limit.
After all, once designers and engineers can no longer fit ever larger screens into our hands, they’ll be forced to think more creatively. Sure, phones will continue to try to differentiate themselves with new materials and features, but we spend most of our time looking at our screens. It’s too important a feature to remain stagnant.
JUST IN: New iPhone 8 Leak Reveals Apple’s New Problems
Flexible screens are another mainstay at tech trade shows – even if manufacturers haven’t quite found a real use for them in smartphones. Lenovo showed off a couple of concept devices using the tech last year, including a wristband device and a phone that expanded into a tablet when unfolded.
That second idea seems likely to catch-on; it would be an easy way for manufacturers to continue the trend of fitting larger screens into handheld devices. It’s possible Microsoft will take that approach with the Surface Phone if patents are anything to go by.
Perhaps phone makers will realize that handhelds can only take us so far, and it’s time to invest more strongly in more dramatically different form factors. VR and AR headsets seem likely candidates. They are still too bulky to be mainstream, but it’s only a matter of time that they’ll become as small as a pair of glasses, according to Mark Zuckerberg.
MUST SEE: Apple Will Pay $506 Million For Using Processor Technology Patented By a School
The future of the smartphone belongs to another idea entirely. Whatever the case, it’s going to a fun ride. After years of trying to fill our handheld rectangles with the biggest screens possible, designers are going to have to think outside the box.
