ALL-SCREEN DISPLAY

Disappearing bezels and ever expanding smartphone display

infinity-display-mix

The easiest way to understand how smartphone displays have evolved over the past twelve months is to put an iPhone 8 against Apple’s latest flagship – the iPhone X. The iPhone X is 143.6 mm tall, just marginally longer than the iPhone 8 (138.4 mm tall) but there’s a big difference. The iPhone X features a 5.8-inch screen while the iPhone 8’s screen is only 4.7 inches. Dig a little deeper, the display specs reveal that the X sports a 19.5:9 screen ratio while the iPhone 8 is kitted with a 16:9 screen ratio. And then there’s the other big stat – the screen to body ratio, where the X trumps the 8 with its 82.9 per cent screen to body ratio (the 8’s corresponding figure is a modest 65.4 per cent).

The 18:9 aspect ratio:

What all the above numbers confirm is what you probably already know. Smartphone manufacturers have been knocking off the bezels in their bid to make smartphones that are essentially all-screen. For years smartphones stuck to a 16:9 aspect ratio but that has changed almost since the beginning of 2017. The idea of an 18:9 screen ratio is not radically new. In 1999, celebrated Italian cinematographer Vittorio Storaro proposed ‘Univisium’, a new screen format that would unify all movie and TV content into a 18:9 aspect ratio. It wasn’t until 2016 that Xiaomi unveiled Mi Mix, an all-screen phone that it developed along with designer Philippe Starck. It was one of the first devices that drastically altered the display ratio, shaving off the bezels with a screen to body ratio of over 80 per cent.

Samsung’s Infinity display:

Samsung’s Galaxy S8 was one of the first all-screen devices to be commercially available in India – the Mi Mix took a while before it reached stores. The Galaxy S8 boasted a 5.8-inch display with an aspect ratio of 18.5:9, that packed a whopping 570 pixels per inch. It sparked a wave of devices across price points, as smartphone brands realised that the smartphone screen has now become the primary window for all media consumption. From frequent fliers to consumers with long daily work commutes, the large screen smartphone has eclipsed smaller 7-inch tabs or unwieldy laptops as the primary device for catch up TV.

Key benefits:

When OnePlus launched the 5T to take over from its first 2017 flagship – the OnePlus 5, it added an extra half-inch of screen without elongating the phone. Smartphone displays are measured diagonally, the new 18:9 aspect ratio stretches the screen vertically without expanding the width of the device. It is the biggest selling point for these new devices; consumers who struggled to reach the top end of their large phablets can navigate bezel-less smartphones with one hand. It also allows consumers, on Android devices, to multi-task with split screens. The biggest benefit is the immersive screens that make media consumption a compelling proposition. Of course, a lot of content out there has still not been optimised for these 18:9 displays forcing consumers to experience letter-boxing (the black bars on the sides). However many devices allow you to double tap to stretch the content.

We’ve rounded up some of the bezel-less smartphones, with a screen ratio of 18:9 across price points:

Samsung Galaxy Note 8

Samsung makes further improvements on the Galaxy S8 with a larger QHD+ and the same 18.5:9 aspect ratio.

Display specs: 6.3-inch screen / 1440 x 2960 pixels / 521 PPI (Pixels per inch) Price: Rs 67,900/-

iPhone X

The first iPhone with a Super AMOLED display and an all-screen presence, the X packs a bunch of sensors (including its unique Face ID sensor) on the top of its screen while using its right and left top corners (Apple calls them ‘notches’) for notifications.

Display specs: 5.8-inch screen / 1125 x 2436 pixels / 458 PPI (Pixels per inch) Price: Rs 85,987 onwards

LG V30

Probably the best device in the LG portfolio, the V30 comes with a QHD+ and the company’s proprietary OLED Full vision display.

Display specs: 6-inch screen / 1440 x 2880 pixels / 538 PPI (Pixels per inch) Price: Rs 44,990/-

Honor 9i

A value-for-money device with an FHD+ display and an aluminium chassis.

Display specs: 5.9-inch screen / 1080 x 2160 pixels / 409 PPI (Pixels per inch) Price: Rs 17,999/-

Micromax Canvas Infinity

One of the first devices in the sub 10K band with an infinity display.

Display specs: 5.7-inch screen / 720 x 1440 pixels / 282 PPI (Pixels per inch) Price: Rs 8,690/-

OnePlus 5T

The OnePlus that debuted in June 2017, didn’t feature an infinity display; the 5T made amends with a larger AMOLED display and without expanding the footprint of the 5.

Display specs: 5.9-inch screen / 1080 x 2160 pixels / 401 PPI (Pixels per inch) Price: Rs 32,999 onwards.

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