The Galaxy S9, iPhone X and other phones that have no borders around their displays have us like, "Hnnnnnnnng."
Phones with very little border around their faces, such as the Galaxy S9 and iPhone X, have their displays running up right to the edges. Though they're appealing to the eyes, bezel-less phones don't necessarily add anything functionally (with some exceptions, including the more recent Samsung Galaxy flagships). In fact, an all-phone screen increases the chances that you'll accidentally touch the display while you're holding the phone.
But these phones can't help but draw us in, even if it means a few mistaken presses. Perhaps because they look like all the futuristic tech we imagined when we were kids, with their superthin, supersleek and superminimalist design. Having no bezel -- or even a barely-there bezel -- just looks damn sexy.
Though the feature hasn't reached mainstream popularity just yet, there are a handful of phones that aspire to have the look. Fingers crossed we'll be seeing more and more of this design to come. Here's what we've seen so far.
Though its performance disappointed us, the Essential Phone's design is ace.
The Aquos Crystal lets you go borderless on a budget.
Phones with very little border around their faces, such as the Galaxy S9 and iPhone X, have their displays running up right to the edges. Though they're appealing to the eyes, bezel-less phones don't necessarily add anything functionally (with some exceptions, including the more recent Samsung Galaxy flagships). In fact, an all-phone screen increases the chances that you'll accidentally touch the display while you're holding the phone.
But these phones can't help but draw us in, even if it means a few mistaken presses. Perhaps because they look like all the futuristic tech we imagined when we were kids, with their superthin, supersleek and superminimalist design. Having no bezel -- or even a barely-there bezel -- just looks damn sexy.
Though the feature hasn't reached mainstream popularity just yet, there are a handful of phones that aspire to have the look. Fingers crossed we'll be seeing more and more of this design to come. Here's what we've seen so far.
The Galaxy S9 (left) and S9 Plus (right).
Coming in new blue and purple color variants, the Galaxy S9 packages a gorgeous 5.8-inch screen, a dual-curved design and terrific cameras for well-lit shots that can't go wrong. Its bigger brother, the Galaxy S9 Plus, adds a larger display, a higher-capacity battery and a second rear-camera.
The Apex's camera pops up from the top
The Apex's camera pops up from the top
What started out as a concept device, the Vivo Apex will soon be going into production for the public. The phone has no top bezel and as such, has a lot of quirky other features to compensate. For instance, instead of speakers, it has audio "vibrate" from the body of the phone. A fingerprint reader is also embedded into the display and its front-facing camera pops up from the top edge, like a piece of toast in a toaster. Wild.
The iPhone X is a shift in Apple's iPhone design.
The iPhone X is a shift in Apple's iPhone design.
Apple's 10th anniversary iPhone is special in more ways than one. In addition to its barely-there bezel, the phone gets rid of the home button, has an OLED screen and features facial recognition software to unlock the lock screen. These changes come at a price though, and at $999 in the US, £999 in the UK and AU$1,579 in Australia, it's the priciest iPhone yet.
The Sirocco's screen appears to fall off its left and right edges.
The Sirocco's screen appears to fall off its left and right edges.
Nokia's swanky Sirocco flagship looks a bit like last year's Galaxy S8, but that's not such a bad thing. The elegantly designed 5.5-inch phone is water resistant, packs 8GB of RAM and features 12- and 13-megapixel rear cameras. Though it won't come to the US unfortunately, it'll make its way to Europe in April with an official €749 and AU$1,199 price tag (that's around $925 and £660 converted).
The Note 8 and its stylus come with a bunch of useful tricks.
The Note 8 and its stylus come with a bunch of useful tricks.
Another $1,000 phone is the Note 8. With its 6.3-inch screen, the phone has a vibrant and generously-sized design, dual rear cameras that can take dramatic "bokeh"-like shots and an embedded S Pen stylus that ups your mobile productivity and creativity game.
Though its performance disappointed us, the Essential Phone's design is ace.
Given that it was created by Andy Rubin, the father of Android phones, we had a lot of high hopes for the Essential Phone. Alas, its mediocre battery life, half-baked software and premature modular accessories mean the phone has a lot more work to do. But one thing you have to commend it for is its stunning looks.
The V30 is our favorite-looking LG phone yet.
The V30 is our favorite-looking LG phone yet.
With its sleek design and shiny aesthetic, the V30 is one of the best-looking LG phones in recent memory. The phone itself is void of any special gimmicks, but that's a good thing. It features a 6-inch OLED screen, two rear cameras (one of which is a wide-angle lens) and it packs tons of video and photo editing software. LG recently released the LG V30S ThinQ too, which is the same phone but with AI smarts.
The Zenfone 5 (left) and the iPhone X (right).
The Zenfone 5 (left) and the iPhone X (right).
The ZenFone 5 will make you do a double-take for its near uncanny iPhone X looks. But this Android phone is more affordable -- it costs around £423 in the UK ($590 or about AU$750) -- has a shorter notch running across the top and has a fingerprint reader on the back.
The Mi Mix 2 is looks great from any angle.
The Mi Mix 2 is looks great from any angle.
The Mi Mix 2 may be Chinese phone maker Xiaomi's current flagship from 2017, but it's difficult for anyone outside that country to get hold of. For now, we'll have to admire its elegant design and premium specs from a distance. In addition to its 6-inch, 1080p display, the phone has a speedy Snapdragon 835 processor, a fingerprint reader and a 12-megapixel camera.
A closeup of the Xperia XA2.
Earlier this year at CES 2018, Sony announced its latest pair of XA-phones. These phones feature a 120-degree selfie camera, a fingerprint sensor and a 23-megapixel rear-facing camera. The more premium XA2 Ultra has a 6-inch display and an 8-megapixel front-facing camera while the 5.2-inch XA2 has an 8-megapixel selfie cam.
The Aquos Crystal lets you go borderless on a budget.
Sharp's Aquos Crystal may be 4 years old, but it showed that owning a borderless phone didn't necessarily mean you had to cough up a lot of money. Sure, it wasn't the most powerful device around, but it was cheap compared to the others on this list, and its looks made it one of the more interesting budget phones of 2014.
The Z11 was one good lookin' phone.
The Z11 was one good lookin' phone.
The Z11 was a bit of a tease. In 2016, Nubia (a brand owned by ZTE) said the phone would only be available in China. Then it said it would come to the US as well. In the end, it never did get outside China and that was too bad -- beside its stylish looks, it had a then-powerful Snapdragon 820 processor and up to 8GB of RAM.
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