Bezels are so 2016. And with 2017 knocking on the door, phone manufacturers are itching to do away with the pesky things.
Rumor has it that Samsung is going to be the next company jumping on the bezel-free bandwagon. A few other changes are on the way, also, with its next flagship phone, the Galaxy S8.
In IT Blogwatch, we see edge to edge.
So what is the rumor this time? Mark Walton has the background:
Samsung is planning to launch a...bezel-free version of its flagship Galaxy phone...the Galaxy S8. The S8...would also ditch the physical home button...Instead, the S8 will feature a virtual home button "buried in the glass in the the lower section"...This would allow for Samsung to create a phone with a larger screen without increasing its overall footprint.
For the few who don't know, what does a bezel-free display really mean? Harish Jonnalagadda fills us in:
Samsung...is...creating a panel with a display area ratio exceeding 90%...Samsung will...retain the 5.1-inch and 5.5-inch form factors with the Galaxy S8, and the company will stick to...a combination of Qualcomm's Snapdragon 835 and its in-house Exynos SoC for various markets.
Any other tidbits floating around regarding the Galaxy S8? Kris Carlon has some more info:
There have been plenty of other...rumors, including abandoning the 3.5 mm headphone jack and adopting a QHD AMOLED display...USB Type-C seems a lock and...A.I. virtual assistants called Bixby and Kestra are definitely on board. Smart AF for the front-facing camera and stereo speakers have both been bandied about and Force Touch technology is...a possibility.
But is the S8 the only phone out there with a bezel-free display? Not quite. Jungah Lee and Hooyeon Kim fill us in:
Samsung isn’t the first to [reduce the size of bezels]. In October, China’s Xiaomi...showed off its Mi Mix...that has a display covering 91 percent of the front...Apple plans to ship at least one iPhone using OLED next year, featuring a new look that extends glass from the display to the device’s back and edges.
When can we expect to see the Galaxy S8? Victor H. is in the know:
The initial...[was] to release the phones in March, but after the Note 7 battery explosion fiasco, Samsung has implemented tougher battery testing standards that might delay the Galaxy S8's release to April. The safety of the device is said to be a top priority, but users...will certainly...buy with caution, after being reassured that the phones are safe.
Speaking of the Note 7 debacle, how does the Galaxy S8 play into the bounce back from that? Matt Swider has some thoughts on that:
Samsung needs a big win...Fallout from the Note 7 recall has put a lot of pressure on it...to come up with a mesmerizing new trick such as an infinity display.
...
No question, it'll be as fast as it is attractive with that all-screen display. But will it be enough to tempt...Note 7 users who...excuse the expression, had their fingers burned to come back to Samsung?
Do what do you think? Are people going to be quick to forget the Note 7's issues? Daniel Hardcastle sure isn't:
"Galaxy S8 is not going to feature a 3.5mm headphone jack."
Why would an explosive device need a 3.5mm headphone jack?