Sunday debate: Stereo speakers vs minimal bezels

29 October 2017
Is having a second speaker worth the extra bezels - Paul and Ivan lay

Sort by:

Spike1, 03 Nov 2017I think companies do Not understand. And its good to see an... moreSpike1, you just voiced my own thoughts. Totally agree with you buddy.

Companies are run by people looking for profits. Profits are made by getting people hooked to new trends. Bezel less phones are the new trend.

I see no reason why phones have to be absolutely bezel less. I for one, am comfortable with bezels, if that means I can enjoy stereo phonic sound on my phone.

It makes for a great experience while watching a funny video with friends. A sub-par speaker kills the mood, however good or large the screen may be.

    • D
    • AnonD-732377
    • 01Y
    • 21 Jan 2018

    Bezelless phones are a bit ridiculous to me. Ok, you take your fancy new bezelless phone out of the box & immediately drop it on the floor. Oh No! A pretty star pattern has just appeared in the corner of the screen. Lucky I bought that expensive insurance plan that covers clumsiness. So when I get my new replacement phone I decide I better go out and buy a case for my baby. Now I have a pretty bezel-less phone with a $50 aftermarket bezel. WTF. Why?

      I think companies do Not understand. And its good to see an editor who is confessing: I want great screen, at least 2 fantastic speakers and big batteries.i never asked for bezzelslessness nor thinnes. Enough with selling people crap

        I'm voting for stereo speakers but I've to admit that my Nexus 6P's speakers compared to my laptop's speakers sound like shit.

          Anonymous, 01 Nov 2017"...while waiting for say... Pc to boot up..." Excuse me... morePlss don't change the topic, and pc sometimes can boot up a little slower especially after update, looks like you are not that familiar wit pc i see

            • D
            • AnonD-476428
            • SuE
            • 02 Nov 2017

            oldbloke, 01 Nov 2017 Dual speakers are nice to have , but , let's face it ,... more@old bloke

            your opinion is not documented and wrong

            buy and test with your hands boost-bass HTC stereo front speaker M9 or better teste with your own hands (or ears!) the ZTE Axon 7 !


            After you have a phone with real good front stereo speakers you will understand the real need of these stereo sound !


            I have a little portable stereo cassette old from 1980 who has STEREO speakers but we in 2017 can't do a phone with stereo speakers ???

            it's just stupid !


            Bluetooth speaker is away other thing, and has nothing to do with stereo speakers of the phone which is suppose to have !!

              AnonD-411799, 29 Oct 2017not a single device? have you tried speakers of almost all ... moreI believe you. It certainly does sound good for that tiny speakers. BUT it sounds no where near my expensive $1500 headphone ;-)

                • j
                • jollyjoy
                • IVR
                • 02 Nov 2017

                what ? this is a no brainer dude !!
                Stereo speakers ftw hands
                Bezel does not affect me at all not even an inch in fact it's insignificant

                  Anonymous, 01 Nov 2017Isn't a phone too small to actually hear the stereo separation?Normally I use the my phone 150mm ~ 200mm front of my face in real life. I don't cover speakers with hands because I have bezel to holding still.

                    • ?
                    • Anonymous
                    • mTn
                    • 01 Nov 2017

                    AnonD-712125, 31 Oct 2017We all know what minimal bezels can do to a phone, thanks t... moreIt's not just about the speakers.

                    This vote is completely wrong. PA gives the assumption that bezels are only needed to house speakers. They are also need to hold the phone with both hands while keeping the device still when taking pictures, or play a game or indeed watch a movie. In fact majority of content is 16:9 which creates black bars at the sides when used in landscape mode where you might hold the phone but which completely defeats having a 18:9 screen.

                    The only place ATM where this longer screen is meaningful is when surfing or chatting. But it isn't a dealbreaker when you're screen is only 16:9. Besides why do these bezel-less screen have to be this weird aspect ratio? You can make a 16:9 screen also bezel-less.

                    IMHO A much better question would have been: do you prefer a 16:9 bezel-less screen or an 18:9 bezel-less screen?

                      • ?
                      • Anonymous
                      • mTn
                      • 01 Nov 2017

                      Anonymous, 01 Nov 2017Once you use stereo speakers you will never go back for mon... moreIsn't a phone too small to actually hear the stereo separation?

                        • ?
                        • Anonymous
                        • mTn
                        • 01 Nov 2017

                        AnonD-80334, 01 Nov 2017Slim bezels off course.... we all have our needs, my need f... moreOkay let's be clear. When I mention speaker I mean BOTH earpiece and loudspeaker (as in speakerphone)

                        "my need for a speaker on a phone is to let me know of a notification or an incoming call"

                        This it needs to be LOUD. Especially in noisy environments (like streets or bars and restaurants).

                        "be loud enough to wake me up in the morning"

                        A small bezel (and thin phone) usually means a tiny speaker that isn't very loud nor clear.

                        "...audio requirements I'd stick to decent wired headphones..."

                        the logical thing indeed. Provided you CAN use wired headphones. And if you only have USB-C with an adaptor then hopefully you don't need to charge the phone while playing music with your wired headphone.

                        "....a pair of speakers that could come even close to those..."
                        They don't need to come close. Even ONE (1) quality speaker is enough on a phone provided it is loud enough to be used in noisy environments. Unfortunately you can't have loud loudspeakers with decent quality and thin bezel-less phones. It's either a thicker device with better speaker(s), or bezels to accommodate front-firing speakers or bad audio (both in quality and volume) with barely any bezels.

                        I'm sure that audio technology will advance to eventually produce thin speakers with good quality but audio is bound by physics. Even thin high quality speakers today are accompanied with a subwoofer to cater for the lower frequencies. I'm afraid that with the current race for the thinnest phone audio quality will deteriorate further. In fact the loudest phone that I have is a Nokia 808pv (with an audio boost-patch). But this phone is over a cm thick at it's bulge which accommodates the camera, xenon flash AND back-firing speaker.

                          • ?
                          • Anonymous
                          • mTn
                          • 01 Nov 2017

                          Gio, 31 Oct 2017why not both ?The issue with small bezels is that there's no place to hold the phone (without accidentally touch some button or icon). This becomes apparent when playing games, taking pictures and, yes, even hold the phone to watch a movie. Sure, for now most content is 16:9 anyway so you have black bars at the sides (which defeats the purpose of these wide screens anyway) where you can hold the phone. But then they might as well use a bezel instead and put a louder speaker (or 2) in it.

                            • ?
                            • Anonymous
                            • mTn
                            • 01 Nov 2017

                            oldbloke, 01 Nov 2017 Dual speakers are nice to have , but , let's face it ,... moreUnfortunately BT speakers or headphones aren't any good in speakerphone.

                            IMHO even one (1) loud and clear speaker is sufficient. It's a phone foremost. The one clip you want to see on the move doesn't really require more speakers but usually a LOUDER speaker due to the surrounding noise. And if privacy is required you should be able to use simple stereo headphones (So STOP ditching those jacks bloody manufacturers!!!) If I really want to enjoy a film, youtube clip or play a game then I'd rather sit behind my all-powerfull desktop with 28" HDR display, mechanical keyboard, laser mouse and subwoofer equipped Dolby Digital surround system.

                              • D
                              • AnonD-80334
                              • MiF
                              • 01 Nov 2017

                              Slim bezels off course.... we all have our needs, my need for a speaker on a phone is to let me know of a notification or an incoming call and be loud enough to wake me up in the morning, for rest of the audio requirements I'd stick to decent wired headphones, in office i can't use speakers anyways, no question of using them on commute, at home i have Sennheiser HD 650, so unless they can fit in a pair of speakers that could come even close to those, i'd rather choose small bezels than getting worse of both worlds (worse audio quality compared to headphones, worse design compared to bezel less phones).

                                • D
                                • AnonD-476428
                                • SuE
                                • 01 Nov 2017


                                We have 2 ears. Not one. A speaker is a lot cheaper than an camera, but today they preffer to put 2 camera on back, instead 2 speakers in front !

                                It's a little stupid if you ask me.

                                Even stereo speakers on the bottom is strange because the sound is not get out to you, the Client, but down, or side in portrait mode.

                                The (Motorola) Nexus 6 was the best phone ever for many characteristics and one of the was FRONT stereo speakers.

                                Even Google pixel 2XL come again with front stereo speakers because is the best and most NATURAL thing to do !

                                You go on youtube where you want to listen some music video, or enter in netflix, hbogo and whant to see a movie... so where are supose to be the speakers and how many ???

                                FRONT speakers and minimum 2, or better 4 speakers if you ask me.


                                Apple iPad version with 4 speakers in all 4 corners but front faced, are the correct / best solution !

                                When you are in portrait or landscape mode, you have the left channel in left speaker/s and the right channel in right speaker/s !


                                Talking about Dolby Atom which is suppose to play on more than 7.2 speakers on one phone with ONE speaker is soooo stuuuupiiiid !!

                                So, the minimum speakers are 2, the right position is front, and the correct number of speakers are 4 !

                                Very clear ! Very simple ! So natural !
                                All others situation are ... unnaturals!

                                  • o
                                  • oldbloke
                                  • HX5
                                  • 01 Nov 2017

                                  Dual speakers are nice to have , but , let's face it , even dual front facing tiny weeny smart phone speakers still suck even though they are marginally better , they are no substitute for a decent headphone or bigger bluetooth speaker.
                                  As far as the pixel goes i wouldn't trade a bunch of features and a better display just to get two litte speakers , but we all like different things .
                                  All the best with your pixel .

                                    • ?
                                    • Anonymous
                                    • mTn
                                    • 01 Nov 2017

                                    L0lip0p, 30 Oct 2017The purpose of stereo speaker in a smartphone is not to ple... more"...while waiting for say... Pc to boot up..."

                                    Excuse me but my PC boots up faster than I can flush the toilet. Why would I need to "wait"?

                                    Instead of this meaningless debate on speakers or screen ratio, perhaps getting a modern SSD equipped should be a priority on your list.

                                      • ?
                                      • Anonymous
                                      • tZj
                                      • 01 Nov 2017

                                      Once you use stereo speakers you will never go back for mono speaker, this situation also happen on TV. The stereo audio quality is better than mono audio, especially you use your phone in landscape mode.

                                        Kirk, 31 Oct 2017The moment I read that he claimed to be an audiophile and p... moreobvious marketing is obvious. Even I didn't need to mention it.

                                          1 of 10