ISSUE 66 • ANDROID ADVISOR 99OPINIONthat you’ve paid more for your smartphone than
you probably should, but the ultimate status symbol
willbeowningthefirstphonewitha 100percent
screen‑to‑body ratio.
Once you get over the gorgeousness of curved
glass,though,whatarewereallygainingwithedge‑
to‑edge displays? They’re more breakable, and more
pronetoaccidentaltouches.
Onceyou’velostfront‑facing stereo speakers,
irisscanners,andIRblasters,you’velosta lotof
thecharacter,too.Ever‑shrinking handsets have
even sacrificed battery capacity, all in the name of
bezel‑free displays.
Now there’s a good chance that selfie cams, too,
aregoingtogetworsebeforetheygetbetter.Oppo’s
in‑screen camera has a lower quality than usual
selfie cams, so it relies on algorithms for things such
as haze removal, HDR, and white balance. Based on
my experiences with computational photography
that isn’t powered by Google’s AI, results have been
less than stellar.
It’sallthesamestory:assmartphonecompanies
strivetoout‑innovate each other to create designs
that look pretty in pictures, we’re losing functionality
and innovation along the way, not to mention
comfort. Bigger phones are already awkward to use,
but when you eliminate the bezels, it makes the
phone that much harder to hold comfortably.
Apple’siPhoneXSis prettyclosetothesweetspot.
ComparedtotheGalaxyS10’sbarely‑theredisplay
edges,itstwo‑millimetre bezels may as well be an
inch thick. The iPhone XS is easier to hold, easier to