Usually, it goes other way around. Apple does something in the iPhone. And then magically we see that appearing in the Samsung Galaxy S phones, along with phones made by other Android companies. This time, however, Samsung has done something that Apple needs to copy, or do it something similar in an event better. In fact, not just Apple, let's hope other phone makers too can copy Samsung and do what it has done to the screens of the Galaxy S8 and the Galaxy S8 Plus, two phones it launched on Wednesday.
The first time we saw the truly saw the ingenuity of Samsung's display engineers was in the Galaxy Note 4. This was a phone with a large 5.7-inch screen. And yet it was smaller than the phones that came with the 5.5-inch screens. The Note 4 was an engineering marvel. It was best of both worlds, a large screen as well as a relatively compact phone. But this time, with the Galaxy S8 and the Galaxy S8+ truly pushes the boundaries of what is possible. The S8 comes packed with a 5.8-inch screen in a body that is barely bigger than the frame of the iPhone 7, which has a 4.7-inch screen. The S8+, meanwhile, comes with a 6.2-inch screen in a phone that has a body size very similar to that of the iPhone 7 Plus.
Here are the numbers. The Galaxy S8 measures 148.9 x 68.1 x 8.0mm. This phone has a big 5.8-inch screen, although the aspect ratio of 18:9 makes the screen narrower which has its own advantages and disadvantages. In comparison, the iPhone 7 measures 138.3 x 67.1 x 7.1 mm. It's 10mm shorter but that doesn't matter that much because the width is almost the same so both phones are going to fit in hands similarly. One area where the iPhone 7 really feels better is the weight. Compared to Galaxy S8, which weighs 155 grams, the iPhone 7 weighs around 135 grams. This will be very much noticeable. But by going to a slightly heavier and slightly longer phone, in the Galaxy S8 you get an screen that is inch one inch bigger. I am sure most consumers will easily make this trade-off. The benefits of bigger screen are immense.
What applies on the iPhone 7 and the iPhone 7 Plus, applies on Google Pixel and Google Pixel XL too. These are premium phones and they ought to come with fresher design
When it comes to the iPhone 7 Plus, Samsung does even better. In fact, if you notice the Galaxy S8, which is Samsung's smaller phone, has a bigger screen than what is inside the iPhone 7 Plus. When you move the Galaxy S8+, the Samsung design seems just so much better. Here are the numbers: The S8 measures 159.5 x 73.4 x 8.1mm. The iPhone 7 Plus, in comparison, measures 158.2 x 77.9 x 7.3mm. And yet, there is an almost one-inch -- 0.7-inch to be precise -- bigger display in the Galaxy S8+.And Google should too with Pixel
And what applies on the iPhone 7 and the iPhone 7 Plus, applies on Google Pixel and Google Pixel XL too. These are premium phones and they ought to come with fresher designs. The bezels in the Google Pixel phones are huge and hideous. They don't even serve any purpose given the fact that unlike the iPhones, which have the home button under the screen, the Pixel don't have anything. It is just empty expanse, a hideous chin just because Google's product designer found it fitting.
As noted earlier, this is not the first time Samsung has declared war on bezels around the screen. But with the Galaxy S8 and the Galaxy S8+ it has exceeds even the standards it set earlier with the Galaxy Note 4. A lot of it is also because the screens in these phones are curved on the left and right edges. Surely, until Google, Apple or other manufacturers decide to use similarly curved screens, they won't be able to go truly bezel-less. But it is high time Apple and Google -- and everyone else in the industry making high-end phones -- start thinking of some better designs for their premium top-end phones. The bezels that the current iPhone and Pixel have are truly terrible
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