iPhone X Why is the bezel on the XR so big?

[franzkfk]

The answer is very simple. Money. Why there was for four years the same phone design (minor tweaks does not count) all over again? Because stretching the product. They could make it thinner, no doubt. They are not lying. The statement "LCD cannot be bend like OLED" is bulletproof but nobody said they can't make the bezels thinner The problem is that when they tried to make an iPhone for everybody they've made a mistake and made cheap 5C which was only 100USD less than premium phone. Bad strategy - uderestimating people. This time it is almost the same as Xs. This year they are trying to push owners of "legacy" iPhones for a new design. To adopt the newer design faster. Why? Who knows. I guess it is the same reason as before ... because they want to have two seperate buyers and spread iPhones towards more people. So the answer is that iPhone Xr will be here for another 2-3 itinerations like X before they change the design. But with minor tweaks like thinner bezels, second lens (when the other get 3 lens) etc. It is not inovation ... it is fragmentation to please shareholders. To make more money.

 

[Mascots]

I mean, you can say money is a part of it, but Apple has significantly pushed LCDs ability with this generation - the most since retina I’d say. Rounded corners and no bezel for the display connector plus an even better panel overall - it’d be really exciting if LED weren’t ubiquitous and solid now.

My guess is that since LCDs have a backlight and they can leak, especially at odd cuts, this gives enough room for the framing enclosure to hold itself together and shield the edges, especially the corners.

There was that rumor about the cut around the notch leaking light on earlier production runs and that’s probably the result of them not enlarging the notch, giving them less padding, and requiring a more tolerant cut around it compared to the body which has that 1.1mm of extra space.

 

[predation]

In today's age, the media always has an agenda. And that agenda is not always grounded in truth or fairness. You have to look at the narrative and think independently.

To me, it's obvious that the media is trying to drive the stock price down. The Xr gives them a few ways to control the narrative to drive AAPL down.

1. Claim that the Xr is the iPhone that will be the most popular iPhone (note - I'm not saying that it isn't, it very well may be the best value. In fact, it probably is since the most expensive is rarely the best value). This leads to point 2.

2. Since Xr has a lower retail price than both the Xs and Max, the media will then claim that the ASP will go down.

3. Next, the media knows full well that an "s" upgrade cycle typically has better availability, but they will still point to the fact that shipping dates are falling as quickly as they did previously. Thus, they claim that the sales of the Xs/Max are "underwhelming".

4. Do all of this during the "Quiet Period" where Apple is forbidden to make public statements, therefore Apple cannot refute the narrative.

5. Wait for the stock price to drop.

6. Tell their clients to buy at AAPL's low point.

7. Wait for Apple to make a public statement (usually a few days after the iPhone is available) indicating that the iPhone has had broke another sales record.

8. Profit when AAPL goes up.

And today all XR’s magically wont arrive now until first week of NoV. lmao

 

[Closingracer]

Of course the bezels on the 8 are thinner, and the XR could've gone that thin too, but probably not from the bottom where the display controller is, and they had to maintain symmetry. Another reason is to up sell to the XS. The bezels could've been thinner, but apple probably chose not to

That’s not true

 

[dazz87]

It looks like its sporting a bumper.........

 

[robotphood]

Sure it’s noticeable next to an XS, but some people seem to be greatly exaggerating how much bezel there actually is. The screen to body ratio is still excellent. Less than 4% difference than the XS.

 

[chanerz]

It’s not that bad.

 

[OTACORB]

It’s not that bad.

I agree and honestly when you aren't comparing it and just using it like most people will be.. you won't notice it at all. We can make a huge deal out of anything these days. Overall consensus from all the reviews is this display while lower resolution is actually really good!

 

[Zune55]

Is it a function of LCD vs OLED? Or intentional to make the XR seem a little less premium? The color matched wallpapers for the XR models are cool but they really do accentuate the bezels. IMO if the XR bezels were as thin as the XS it would be perfect in terms of design.

when i compared iphone 8 with XR on website i found XR to be much bigger than regular sized 8. Bigger bezel may look little awkward but for usuability its good. I have 6.1 inch galaxy s8 plus which i use it only at home because of its size.

 

[austyn23]

Here you can see ir perfect side to side

https://imgur.com/a/hFMLOK2

 

[dazz87]

Here you can see ir perfect side to side

https://imgur.com/a/hFMLOK2

Perfect? Picture is cut off......

 

[austyn23]

Perfect? Picture is cut off......

The thickness difference... no need to see the full picture, or search the review.

It´s thicker, but if you don´t use an X or XS side by side, you´ll get used to.

 

[Zaft]

The bezels are basically the same size as the 8 and 8 plus side bezel. I think apple could have gone thinner on the sides, but not the bottom. So they decided to have it symmetrical.

I don’t like the look, I much prefer my XS Max.

 

[Raist3001]

The XR hype is a little funny to me because it is in many ways an inferior product and yet there’s this push in the media that it’s the ‘one to wait for’. But the year old X is in many ways superior and the XS is definitely the better product.....

Totally agree. Speaking for myself and having the X for a year now, I could never go back to LCD, no matter what apple is calling it.

Completely disagree. Presumably a used X and new XR are approximately the same cost, and for that you get...

XR has
-Much faster processor
-Better camera
-Larger display
-Much better battery life
-Fun colors

X has
-OLED display (I have the X and honestly thought I'd care about this, but in practice I can't tell at all)
-Stainless Steel frame (personally don't care about this, and it makes the phone heavier)
-3D touch (I don't think most people use this, except for the places where the XR will get haptic touch)
-slightly thinner bezels (I'll have to judge in person, but not expecting this to be a big deal)
- 2nd "telephoto" lens (I'd argue this is the biggest advantage over the XR, but since the XR camera has the XS improved wide-angle lens this is kind of a wash)

To me the XR is a pretty substantial upgrade over the X. In fact, I know some people were considering actually upgrading for X to XR

The XR is not much faster than the X, it does not have a superior camera, the slightly larger display is LCD and not OLED, battery life is slightly better on the XR, and I could care less about fun colors as the color adds nothing to my iOS experience. 3D touch is a big deal to many many people, myself included. If this feature were to be removed from future iPhones, I know that I would miss it greatly. If 3D touch remains a premium feature, all the better. The better choice is the X and certainly the XS or X Max over the XR. In my opinion, while a real nice phone, it is totally over hyped.

 

[The-Real-Deal82]

The bezel on the XR isn’t ‘so big’ though is it? It’s ever so slightly bigger than the one on the XS but we have ludicrous claims on here that the bezel on the 8+ is huge/massive/ginormous etc. I think it’s nit picking created by an obsession passed around tech forums to be quite honest. Smartphones are so similar in performance we are now in an era where we are debating the finer details of their aesthetic value to us. All the while as consumers we are happy to pay significantly more each upgrade for minor differences.

 

[Aneres11]

In my opinion, while a real nice phone, it is totally over hyped.

In my opinion, whilst the XS's are real nice phones, they're totally overpriced.

 

[Raist3001]

In my opinion, whilst the XS's are real nice phones, they're totally overpriced.

Can not disagree with that statement

 

[Squeak825]

The XR is not much faster than the X, it does not have a superior camera

But it does...just like the XS has a superior wide angle camera.

 

[robotphood]

Totally agree. Speaking for myself and having the X for a year now, I could never go back to LCD, no matter what apple is calling it.



The XR is not much faster than the X, it does not have a superior camera, the slightly larger display is LCD and not OLED, battery life is slightly better on the XR, and I could care less about fun colors as the color adds nothing to my iOS experience. 3D touch is a big deal to many many people, myself included. If this feature were to be removed from future iPhones, I know that I would miss it greatly. If 3D touch remains a premium feature, all the better. The better choice is the X and certainly the XS or X Max over the XR. In my opinion, while a real nice phone, it is totally over hyped.

But it does have a superior camera if you are only going by the wide angle lens and picture quality. It’s also faster and more powerful, although you most likely won’t see that with regular usage. And battery life is significantly better. It really comes down to the screen, 3D Touch and whether optical zoom is important to you. I think the fact that the gap between the XR and the XS is not nearly as big as it could’ve been is where the hype is coming from. IE; Apple could have used last years internals and people would still purchase it at that price point.

 

[Raist3001]

But it does...just like the XS has a superior wide angle camera.

No, not superior. Slightly better, yes. My X takes fantastic photos and video. You would have a very difficult time to get me to upgrade for a slightly better camera.
[doublepost=1540412866][/doublepost]

But it does have a superior camera if you are only going by the wide angle lens and picture quality. It’s also faster and more powerful, although you most likely won’t see that with regular usage. And battery life is significantly better. It really comes down to the screen, 3D Touch and whether optical zoom is important to you. I think the fact that the gap between the XR and the XS is not nearly as big as it could’ve been is where the hype is coming from. IE; Apple could have used last years internals and people would still purchase it at that price point.

These are not superior upgrades. Not when I am taking superior classed photos and video now. Specs are not always a good judge of superiority. And this superior camera as you say will not be seen in real world use. My X with heavy usage lasts me through out my day. Yes I still need to charge it every day, but as with all things, mileage will vary. The word superior is completely over used to describe slight spec bumps. Proper use - the iPhone XR camera is superior to the iPhone 3g.

 

[Squeak825]

No, not superior. Slightly better, yes. My X takes fantastic photos and video. You would have a very difficult time to get me to upgrade for a slightly better camera.

That is funny...because you were the one that introduced the word "superior". You responded to a post that said "better camera" and then claimed it was not with a different adjective. So, did you move the criteria, or just changing your mind now?

And, the definition of "superior" is being higher in quality. There is broad consensus that the wide angle camera on the XS and XR are of "higher quality" -- which makes them superior. Doesn't mean the X is a bad camera, just that it is inferior. There really is no disputing that due to larger sensor in play.

Now, doesn't mean that increase in quality is worth upgrading, but your statement of "not superior" is simply false.

 

[Raist3001]

That is funny...because you were the one that introduced the word "superior". You responded to a post that said "better camera" and then claimed it was not with a different adjective. So, did you move the criteria, or just changing your mind now?

I claimed it was not superior. I was not changing my mind.

And, the definition of "superior" is being higher in quality. There is broad consensus that the wide angle camera on the XS and XR are of "higher quality" -- which makes them superior. Doesn't mean the X is a bad camera, just that it is inferior. There really is no disputing that due to larger sensor in play.

OK, fair point. I went on the defensive because all I hear is how superior the new cameras are when I am taking unbelievable photos and video with my X.

Now, doesn't mean that increase in quality is worth upgrading, but your statement of "not superior" is simply false.

Another good point. I was arguing from the stand point that the X is not an inferior camera in the sense that suddenly photos taken with the phone are garbage. I did not convey my point very well.

 

[robotphood]

Nobody said the X is garbage in any way. The photo shootouts being done speak for themselves as well as battery tests and benchmarks. The upgraded internals are superior/better/improved, however you want to describe them. Of course they are scrutinizing details that the average user may not care or even notice. This is just an objective way to compare improvements across devices. In the end, these are all great devices and the majority of people won’t notice differences in their daily usage (other than battery). Hell, my 7 Plus still performs well even being jailbroken with a couple dozen tweaks/processes running. I would have kept it for a 3rd year if I wasn’t getting an above market trade in value. This coming from someone that has upgraded yearly for the previous 7 iPhones.

 

[Wreckus]

guess XR will be home to bezelgate

 

[powerocool]

Huawei gave some numbers at their mate 20 event:

XR: 5.1mm
XS/max: 4mm
The 8 plus and past iphones should be around the 4mm of the XS.

Seems kinda true given how it looks on videos and their press images.

Probably not an issue for most people.

I bet they don’t mention bottom bezel. Because no one can even make an LCD screen with 5.1mm or less of bottom bezel. Apple just matched side bezels with the bottom bezel to make the phone look nice without a chin.