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Techman82

macrumors regular
Original poster
Apr 4, 2016
211
104
Every current flagship phone is now using a different aspect ratio and the 16:9 aspect ratio display that was the standard is now a thing of the past, this really annoys me that manufacturers are choosing to have these stretched displays instead of function and usability, watching video and web browsing looks stupid and all for the sake of fitting as much screen as possible and the bragging rights
 
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dallas112678

macrumors 6502a
Feb 17, 2008
821
606
I prefer the stretched display, gets more text and content on the screen when surfing the web, messages, instagram, etc...
 

Technarchy

macrumors 604
May 21, 2012
6,753
4,927
I don’t like it either.

However to Apple’s credit they aren’t going narrower than what is offered on the 4.7” models, so if you are upgrading from that size you’re not really losing anything.

Plus owners will feel a little cramped, but depending on your usage that might not matter.
 

trekkie604

macrumors 68000
Feb 25, 2008
1,684
1,217
Vancouver, Canada
With my S8 browsing the internet with a taller screen is actually pretty good. Videos get pillarboxed like the past where you were watching a 4:3 VHS on a widescreen TV (ok now I feel old)
 
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ectospheno

macrumors regular
Sep 19, 2005
219
240
Every current flagship phone is now using a different aspect ratio and the 16:9 aspect ratio display that was the standard is now a thing of the past, this really annoys me that manufacturers are choosing to have these stretched displays instead of function and usability, watching video and web browsing looks stupid and all for the sake of fitting as much screen as possible and the bragging rights

Both sizes of the iPhone 8 are 16:9. The 8+ is exactly 1080p. Are we just ignoring that they exist?
 
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Techman82

macrumors regular
Original poster
Apr 4, 2016
211
104
Both sizes of the iPhone 8 are 16:9. The 8+ is exactly 1080p. Are we just ignoring that they exist?
Ya you know what I mean like, you can't say that the 8/8plus are next generation, design was, they have same screen size and aspect ratio since the 6 was released 3 years ago, the x seems to be the way apple is going, and that's like the others with the stretched displays, it just looks like there will know longer be a flagship phone coming out with a 16:9 display, tv/monitors/video/recording are nearly all 16:9,it's mainstream, look at the state of the iPhone x with that notch and the sacrifice apple was willing to take for the so called edge to edge display? it's just creating problems like not using usb-c on all phones
 

fs454

macrumors 68000
Dec 7, 2007
1,982
1,867
Los Angeles / Boston
It is what it is. The extreme upper and lower areas of the phone now are active instead of being bezels. If you miss it, you can easily just use a 16:9 portion of the display and pretend the bezels are there, I guess.
 

9594864

Cancelled
Jun 28, 2017
1,076
1,046
Every current flagship phone is now using a different aspect ratio and the 16:9 aspect ratio display that was the standard is now a thing of the past, this really annoys me that manufacturers are choosing to have these stretched displays instead of function and usability, watching video and web browsing looks stupid and all for the sake of fitting as much screen as possible and the bragging rights
Let’s think about it instead of not thinking.

What is a smartphone? It’s a small handheld mobile computing device, it’s designed to be used occasionally with a single hand, but most importantly, it’s designed to fit into the pocket of pants or shorts, to fit in a handbag or purse. With these facts in mind, we use our brains to reason and deduce the most intelligent design, the epitome of design for such a device. We conclude that it is critically important that the device remains quite narrow such that our hands can comfortably grip it, and we conclude that the height of the device is of much less concern, because while the top of the display can no longer be reached with one hand, there are plenty of functions that can be done with one hand, such as answering a call, or replying to a text. We also know that the height doesn’t matter when we think about putting this device away, in our pockets or other storage devices.

We are left with the realization that a smartphone will optimally have a display that is roughly 2:1 height/width. Now, video is of no concern because we’re intelligent enough to know that we will letterbox and pillarbox all video such that it is displayed in its full content and correct aspect ratio. Then of course there will be those of us humans who are less-smart and are all upset that the entirety of the display isn’t used for video, even though that is obviously the most intelligent design. As for all other apps, we gain significant, additional content per frame, which amounts to more information being displayed, which amounts to a superior experience.

One caveat I will say because it’s my personal thinking about this additional height: the system or apps should be designed with this additional space in mind, not just adding content that would otherwise instantly be scrolled to, but using the additional space to display content that wouldn’t have instantly been scrolled to. In other words, a design that is not simply showing the next four lines, but rather, a design that makes the app a faster, or better experience due to new interactive content or buttons, etc.
 

saltd

macrumors 6502a
Aug 1, 2010
760
371
Moving away from 16:9 was a horrible idea. Tall and skinny defeats the purpose of one-handed use and will be a complication for developers. I also feel like they just put screens where the bezels used to be so it could be bezel-free. The rounded corners and the notch further complicate things. Sticking to a display standard helps everyone, and Apple didn’t do that.


That’s my opinion anyhow.
 
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