Does anyone miss phone bezels?

By Joe Maring
last updated

OPPO Find X
OPPO Find X (Image credit: Hayato Huseman / Android Central)

Over the last couple of years, it seems like every OEM has been on a quest to get rid of phone bezels for good. From notches, hole punches, and even motorized pop-up cameras, we've seen a ton of innovation in this space to make displays on phones as big and bezel-free as possible.

As exciting as this has been to watch, it does raise a question — does anyone actually miss the bezels of old?

This is something some of our AC forums members recently started talking about, and this is what they had to say.

The notch and punch holes are the worse things to ever happen to the cellphone. These two companies hoodwinked everyone into believing this trash was a good thing. The structural integrity of a phone with no bezel is garbage. One drop with bezels cracks a screen, with non, it destroys your screen. That leads to new phones. They needed to get the numbers up since sales dipped. They...

slave

One drop , is same for bezels and thin bezels , I use Dome glass screen protector and no issues drop couple times with good case, but I understand everyone wants something different that's why some manufacturer offer few different version , flat screen,curved,tall ect.

mustang7757

I don't mind bezels or no bezels. What I do wish came back was aluminum backed phones. Makes the phones feel tougher to me. Wireless charging is the least important thing to me. Also the drop really is the same for bezels or no bezels as it's all still glass covered. Now the curved edges... Not a fan. Still I feel people are justified in saying Pixel phones don't have that wow factor when...

anthonium

The future is no bezels. It's the way it is. All screen with cameras hidden under them just like finger prints are under right now. It's where the advancement in technology is going. Has nothing to do with breaking and more sale. Put a case on the phone and it won't matter if it had a bezel or not. Things evolve. It is just how the world turns. Phones not going to have bezels for long. Google...

Lepa79

What do you think? Do you miss phone bezels?

Join the conversation in the forums!

Joe Maring
Joe Maring

Joe Maring was a Senior Editor for Android Central between 2017 and 2021. You can reach him on Twitter at @JoeMaring1.

35 Comments
  • I don't mind bezels, but I hate curved glass on the screen. I think it looks ridiculous.
  • well..i do like curved screen though..aesthetic reason..
  • Agree. I'll take bezels any day over curved screens.
  • The curved edge serves no practical purpose while the bezels do. I have a Note8. The bottom bezel gives me somewhere to rest my thumbs to hold the device while looking at the screen, and the top bezel houses the camera, speaker, infrared flash, infrared camera and notification LED.
  • Exactly! This is the main reason I will never buy a Galaxy phone. Now OnePlus put it on their 7 pro....so stupid. I'll keep my OnePlus 6 - 8/256. Cannot be beat yet in my opinion. Even though I am not a fan of notches....being able to hide it on the OnePlus 6 negates the issue for me. It's just like having a good old fashioned bezel.
  • I miss them only for the debates we would have about the phones would be based upon specs, not notches. I hate the whining about notches way more than the actual notches themselves. lol
  • Take the pixal3a, I would much rather have a bezel than a ridiculous notch. For myself bezels ain't so bad!
  • A little bit of bezel is fine with me if it means no notch or hole punch for the camera.
  • No, My OP 7 Pro and I do not miss bezels.
  • I would much rather have a phone that looks like a Galaxy Note 9 than a phone that looks like the Galaxy S10.
  • I want the endless talk about bezels to end. Who cares???
  • Do I miss bezels? Hell no!!
  • I don't much care one way or another, but every time a phone comes out and everyone says it's "hideous" because of a few millimeters of bezel is so over the top. All of these phones look almost identical, and people pretend it's such a huge difference. It matters not (within reason)
  • The bezels never bothered me that much. Sure they might be a tad much on some handsets, but usually not a huge issue. I do however not like curved screens... it makes the device seem more vulnerable and prone to damage...
  • I'm indifferent about bezels but I hate notches and camera holes with a passion.
  • I dont mind bezels. I dont mind notches. My phone has the water drop variety and I never notice it. Tech nerds can be such divas about minutiae.
  • Exactly. I just don't care. I've owned phones with bezels and was fine. I've owned phones without and liked that as well. This either/ or with nerds while trying to shame the other side makes us sound so ridiculous. It's never even a topic of discussion with my friends or family.
  • I don't mind the hole punch cameras, but I'm waiting for the under screen front cameras. I'd be surprised if we didn't have one by the Galaxy S12.
  • Bezels are fine for me. I don't mind.
  • I miss bezels, how else are you supposed to have front-firing speakers? While we're talking about things we miss on phones, I miss polycarbonate phones like the Lumias of old. They were rugged, beautiful, easy to hold, had wireless charging, and didn't shatter when falling on the ground. I know Ara likes her cases, but I'm of the opinion that something that costs >$500 shouldn't need to be protected, it should be built well enough that it can survive the world on its own.
  • I don't have a problem with bezels at all. I do hate notches and would rather just have a bezel. I think my Pixel 3a is close to the perfect phone and I haven't been this excited for a phone for quite a while. I think the heyday for phones was HTC One/Galaxy S3,S4/Galaxy Note 3/OnePlus One/iPhone 6/Nexus 5. This was the time when all the phones coming out were legitimately exciting every time. Now the ones that have been exciting to me are Pixel 3a, Moto G6, etc.
  • Yes, mainly because I miss physical home buttons. I also miss removal batteries.
  • Miss a bigger bottom bezel every time I accidentally open Google assistant.
  • Without a case, I have too many accidental touches on these bezeless sides. Im glad the Pixel 3 has a bottom bezel or I'd be hitting that too.
  • Doesn't matter either way. Just want a phone with a great camera, speedy software and regular updates. Sticking with the Pixel for all those reasons.
  • No, plenty on my Nokia 8....bring back sensible bezels...
  • YESandNO.. Love bezel reduction. Hate accidental touches from the curved edges. If I'm paying a YouTube video with the phone laying down and then need to pick it up. It turns into an interactive version of the claw game where the prize is not selecting some recommend video or ad link.
  • Are we only talking chin/forehead bezels? Cause i definitely miss side bezels. When holding my phone without a case, I shouldn't immediately be covering part of the screen. And if you use a case, it also shouldn't be covering part of the screen. Bezels have a purpose and shouldn't go away. Chin/forehead bezels are a different argument entirely.
  • I have the Pixel 3a XL and don't mind bezels at all. I wouldn't want a phone that has no bezels. frankly I think it's silly that there's so much bezel hate. whatever ...
  • I loved the HTC one m8. I think if you're gonna have the bezel, have some style. The front facing speakers made it look cool. That phone still feels amazing in the hand and I still use it from time to time if I forget the charge up at night. My pixel 2xl had them too, and my iPhone friends like my pixel.
  • Bezels are fine. Curved glass is annoying from both a case standpoint and visually (I hate the way the edge of text will distort near the edge). I prefer a bezeled phone overall.
  • What I don't like about the trend is that phone manufacturers are sacrificing functionality just for the sake of having no bezels. Having front facing speakers or better front facing cameras/sensors is better than having no bezels or a notch.
  • Replacing bezels with notches is akin to replacing the handle of a car door with a hole. Instead of pulling the handle, you reach into the hole to pull the cable attached to the latch. No handle sticking out, much better.
  • I wouldn't say I miss bezels. I didn't mind them though. They had, and still have, a function. There are sensors and things, cameras, speakers, microphones that need to be somewhere. Behind the glass/pixels isn't reasonable. So a minimal bezel where it needs to be is fine.
    Now lets talk about notches. I'd prefer a bezel, but not for aesthetics. I don't have a problem with the notches look, but rather with the rest of the implementation. I like that the system icons, battery, connectivity, time, have dedicated space on either side of a notch. The problem comes when the screen is allowed to extend into the wings, obscuring part of the screen behind the notch. That's a software issue and could be fixed. Just don't let actual screen content extend above the notch line. That of course makes a sort of virtual bezel, but a bezel that can provide information as well as host the sensors/other hardware.
  • I never really cared about bezels. Or so I thought. Thing is going from a phone with small bezels to one with thick bezels was jarring. It was bigger and harder to hold despite the same screen size. Now I have a "bezel-less" phone with no hole punch or notch I don't think I could go back.