Smartphone frames are even too narrow, which is a big usability problem

Telephone design is long gone. The times of slide-out keyboards, touchpads and physical end-call buttons. Today, virtually every smartphone we find in a carrier’s store has the same features: a gigantic battery, a camera module that protrudes far beyond the rest of the frame, and a huge, high-resolution display that reaches from edge to edge almost uninterrupted.

Just because every OEM has adopted the same design philosophy doesn’t mean it’s flawless. In fact, I’m about to present something so controversial that I wouldn’t be surprised if you were tempted to jump into the comments based on the headline alone. I think modern smartphone design goes a bit too far, given the narrow – or in some cases non-existent – bezels. Even though the Galaxy S25 Ultra may look futuristic, I think we’re heading towards devices that are downright uncomfortable to use.

A brief history of smartphone frames

How far we have come and how little we have left to develop

I’m not sure when the smartphone industry’s obsession with bezels really began. It may have started with the LG G2, which uses disproportionate bezels to minimize the space at the top and keep the space between the display and the sides of the device to an absolute minimum. Perhaps it all started in earnest with the Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge, which was one of the first popular Android devices to use curved panels (the Galaxy Note Edge was more of an experiment than anything else). Perhaps it was the Essential phone, which – niche appeal aside – was certainly a hit with the enthusiasts among us.

Or maybe the obsession with minimizing the space beyond the display on the front of a smartphone has always been there, waiting for technology to catch up with our futuristic dreams. While the LG G2 seemed minimalist at the time – I’m a proud previous owner myself – it actually looks quite dated by today’s standards, thanks to the massive chin at the bottom of the display. If a phone were released today with a 75.9% screen-to-body ratio, it would be ridiculed in both Reddit threads and carrier stores. However, compared to its competitors – the Galaxy S4 with 72.3%, the HTC One M7 with 65% or the iPhone 5s with 60.8% – it seemed like a revolution.

For the better part of a decade, bezels larger than the bar around the screen became a thing of the past. In 2017, the Galaxy S8 and iPhone X brought that ratio down to just 80 percent – 83.6% and 82.9%, respectively – making Google’s updated design on the Pixel 2 old. In 2019, we saw even greater progress, with a rate of 88.3% for the Galaxy S10. Even by modern standards, five years later it is still an ultra-thin design.

Since reaching this peak, smartphone manufacturers have continued to slowly try to cut away fractions of millimeters of the area around the bezels of their devices, and I’m not sure that’s the best solution. The Pixel 9 Pro – my favorite for best phone of the year – has a screen-to-body ratio of 87.6% and in the eyes of some particularly picky Redditors, it looks obsolete. For some internet enthusiasts, if your phone isn’t hitting that holy 90%, you’re wasting your time competing.

The only real design change visible, for example, in this year’s iPhone 16 Pro Max concerns the frames. With a rate of 91.4%, this is undoubtedly an impressive feat. Generally speaking, you have to look outside the United States to find competition. The Tecno Phantom X2 Pro and Motorola Edge 50 Pro are the best of Apple’s latest offerings, though in part thanks to the use of curved displays. By all accounts, Samsung is trying to improve the iPhone with the upcoming Galaxy S25 Ultra, with the goal of introducing even slimmer bezels on the upcoming phablet.

Honestly, at this point I’m not sure what all this is for.

Frames serve purposes beyond simple aesthetics

Your phone is a tool, not jewelry

Look. I don’t want to argue that it’s worth going back to the days when the screen-to-body ratio was 60% or 70%. Overall, I like the modern design of smartphones, even if it is a little dated compared to the Wild West of the early 1910s. But over the past few months, I’ve been wondering whether we’ve gone too far, and that feeling started with – of all phones – the Pixel 8a.

It’s not hard to find criticism of the Pixel 8a’s design online – I even called it an “awkward first impression” in my review. With uneven and relatively thick bezels, it feels like the budget phone it is, especially compared to modern flagships. Google hasn’t changed the shape of the bezels between generations, although the Pixel 8a’s curved corners make it look a bit sleeker than its predecessor. At 81.6%, it’s a far cry from the edge-to-edge displays found on phones twice the price. And, perhaps most importantly, it’s both taller and wider than the regular Pixel 8, despite using a slightly smaller display.

I think in our quest to turn every smartphone into an unobstructed display, we may have forgotten what bezels can actually do for us.

These frames have a big advantage, though: they make the Pixel 8a much more comfortable to hold than most of these ultra-thin flagships, especially if you’re not using a case. Whether you’re texting, browsing the web, or watching a video, Google Frame gives your fingers and hands a place to rest without disturbing the display in any way. There’s no need to clumsily wrap your fingers around the frame – just hold the phone like, you know, a phone. The more I used the Pixel 8a in the months after launch, the more I liked just holding it.

It’s a trend that reminds me of the worst aspects of using phones with curved displays, where I would feel physically uncomfortable texting or gaming without using a case that widens the frame. When you need an additional accessory to make the phone pleasant to hold, you have to consider whether the design is bad.

Smartphone manufacturers can’t stop chasing this trend

We are crossing the Rubicon in phone design

It’s true that the Pixel 8a may be an extreme case – you won’t find me complaining if the Pixel 9a slims down the asymmetric bottom bezel. However, I think the Pixel 9 Pro has as thin a bezel as I want in a smartphone, and it’s not just about avoiding accidental touches. The more smartphone makers shrink the bezels, the more difficult it will be for case makers to protect these ultra-expensive devices without covering the sides of the screen. The same goes for screen protectors, which seem to be quite popular on the iPhone 16 Pro Max, judging by some of the replies on Reddit.

Phantom touches appear to be a real problem with Apple’s latest phablet. Some users reported that the phone’s touch rejection was too aggressive – likely due to changes intended to improve the experience of using a phone with such slim bezels – while others felt it wasn’t aggressive enough. Again, all in the name of aesthetics over usefulness.

I think in our quest to turn every smartphone into an unobstructed display, we may have forgotten what bezels can actually do for us. I think a case could be created with thicker bezels – especially around the top and bottom of the phone – to allow for features we sacrificed for aesthetics. Honestly, sometimes I miss front-facing speakers. The handset can be used for Thin substitute when designing a stereo system, but I have yet to test a modern device that sounds perfectly balanced, and that is frustrating.

The same applies to uninterrupted display. Sure, the average YouTube video doesn’t include a selfie camera, but when I watch videos on the go, I’m constantly annoyed that there’s often a portion of the image missing. You won’t find me complaining about punch-hole cameras in reviews, but I won’t pretend this is a positive change in smartphone design either.

It’s not that extending the display to the entire front of the phone made these devices smaller or easier to use – it just made them higher. Take another look at the iPhone 16 Pro Max. Apple didn’t achieve a 6.9-inch display solely through bezels. It is a few millimeters higher than its 6.7-inch predecessor and… What?

We are at the top of the table and I think I want to stay there

It’s not like I want to go back to the days of the original Pixel, where a good chunk of the phone was devoted to a useless piece of glass. I rather think we nailed it gable frameperfect screen to body ratio that does not limit usability, lack of touch is not a problem, and accessories work without any problems. While I can’t imagine a world where companies like Apple and Samsung back away from increasingly expansive displays – just as they refuse to offer devices with displays smaller than 6 inches – I hope other brands like Google stay the course.

I am a supporter of modern smartphone design. I am a supporter of minimalism, expansive screens and futuristic-looking devices. But at some point I start to wonder if we’re not losing much more than we’re gaining. Once we’ve passed the peak frame, the only thing left to sacrifice is comfort.