[Rumor] World's First Bezel-Free Smartphone Maybe Coming This Year from China

[dgstorm]

Despite all of the intriguing rumors for the past year or so, for the most part we have yet to see a smartphone come out that was truly bezel-free. To be sure, some have come close, like the Motorola Droid RAZR M, but there was still a thin frame. You would think that all the big name manufacturers like Apple, Motorola, Samsung and LG would be racing to be the first; however, a new rumor from out of China today suggests a relatively unknown Chinese OEM company called BBK will beat everyone to the punch. The rumored device is called the BBK Vivio X3, and it has some pretty decent specs, besides having no bezel/frame on the sides:

• Full HD Bezel-Free Screen
• Quad-core S4 Pro CPU
• 2 GB of RAM
• Android 4.1 Jellybean
• 13 MP rear-facing camera
• 32 GB on board storage
• 2,200 mAh battery

Despite the cool promise of a bezel-free design, we can see that the other specs are pretty nice, with the exception of that weak battery. The supposed front piece of the phone is shown above, and definitely looks like it fits the bezel-free design aesthetic. Still, if you check out the source of this news, they show a separate phone render that is not 100% bezel-free. What do you think? Is the desire for a frame-less device a dream that will continue to elude manufacturers until Samsung can finally perfect it's fabled flexible OLED tech? Regardless, we will be looking out for this one in the future, just in case it does come out with a completely bezel-free design.

Who knows? It could be the start of a new trend, or for all we know the pic above is a smaller piece of some other device.

Source: AndroidHeadlines

 

[Narsil]

I do not understand the fascination with "bezelless" devices. I understand the desire to maximize screen realty but I already have a difficult time handing my phone to someone else to show them a photo or website without an errant finger hitting the screen because it wrapped too far around and touched the screen. I'd guess I have to adjust the screen 15-20% of the time after I hand my phone to someone else to show them something.

I want a bezel.

I want a small bezel, certainly but I'm not interested in the slightest with a device that the screen reaches all the way to the edge of the device.

 

[Shadez]

A lot of times, especially with cases, the bezel can come off. But I think most people just want more real estate on their screen.

 

[dgstorm]

I think there is definitely an aesthetic appeal for just about any display. I am really looking forward to when bezel-free TVs come down in price. The ability to lose yourself in the display of the device just adds to the immersion. Obviously, with a smartphone, that is far less relevant, but the primary advantage of having no bezel is that you can have a larger display to accomodate the newer Full HD 1080p pictures, but the device doesn't have to be correspondingly huge because of an extra half inch of frame around it. After having played with the Droid RAZR M, I am all for smartphones moving towards eliminating the bezel completely.

That's just my two cents, but I can see the pitfalls mentioned. :happy3:

 

[TheOldFart]

No bezel will just make the phone screen more likely to shatter if dropped. A case with a small wrap-around lip will be impossible without any bezel without blocking part of the screen, making it impossible to have any extra protection. IMO, it is simply fad form over function. I guess it's the engineer in me that makes me think it's just not reasonable to design it that way.

 

[MissionImprobable]

No bezel will just make the phone screen more likely to shatter if dropped. A case with a small wrap-around lip will be impossible without any bezel without blocking part of the screen, making it impossible to have any extra protection. IMO, it is simply fad form over function. I guess it's the engineer in me that makes me think it's just not reasonable to design it that way.

You're just some old fart, what do you know?

 

[sweeeeet]

good, one less piece for me to break

my bezel cracked off around the screen above the volume rockers.. pretty annoying now

 

[dgstorm]

No bezel will just make the phone screen more likely to shatter if dropped. A case with a small wrap-around lip will be impossible without any bezel without blocking part of the screen, making it impossible to have any extra protection. IMO, it is simply fad form over function. I guess it's the engineer in me that makes me think it's just not reasonable to design it that way.

This would be true if the best bezel designs were still made of glass. Luckily the future bezel-free displays will likely be made of a plastic material from Samsung, so we won't have to worry about it cracking or breaking.

As far as this one from China, it still looks like glass, and would probably have the problems you mentioned.