Sunday debate: Stereo speakers vs minimal bezels

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

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Anonymous, 30 Oct 2017I don't care for either. Care to share what you care for?

    Dear GSM Arena: why do both of your commentators for this article more or less sing the same praise (in favor of maximum sceen ratios)? Ivan claims that the Note 8 is "bezel less"... it isn't. Ironically, handsets with rear mounted sound output are ripe for speaker cupping, creating louder sound, not front mounted ones in my opinion. I am a fan of tiny bezels and loud speakers. Why not have front and rear speakers on some handsets? They may fair well in the market, especially when you look at the poll results associated with this article. The authors opinions don't appear to be swaying poll voters thus far. Cheers all.

      • ?
      • Anonymous
      • XNk
      • 30 Oct 2017

      I don't care for either.

        I dont care about stereo speaker coz I'm using either JBL bluetooth speaker or earphone but if have build in DAC most appreciate. I'm prefer to have more on extra screen coz I love to read more than watch video or playing game..

          • ?
          • Anonymous
          • IW@
          • 30 Oct 2017

          I don't care. Stereo speakers don't serve meaningful purpose in a phone as those teeny speakers will always sound too tinny, devoid of bass. Bezelless is not good if it results to 18:9 aspect ratio. No I don't want to read news and web sites like I'm reading from a toothpaaste tube or a shampoo bottle. Too little bezel like the Samsung's S8+ and Note 8 implementation is insanity. It makes it difficult to hold the phone without causing unwanted curved screen interactions. It also looks horribly congested and cramped. The Vanilla Huawei Mate 10 with its 16:9 screen is the correct implementation of a bezelless screen although the Mate 9 with its larger top and bottom bezels look the best. The iPhone X with a bezel cut out looks downright ugly and lacking in taste/finesse. The iPhone 8 plus actually looks more luxurious with its generous bezels though it needs a little trimming as it looks too wasteful. Phone manufacturers should remember that too little bezels also does not look good on a luxury phone. It makes the display look cramped and congested like an economy flight.

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            • Anonymous
            • mE0
            • 30 Oct 2017

            So first guy is a proper audiophile using beats and then second one prefer smaller bezels because he wants to watch TV series with black bars and actually get 5" screen in a phone that long and still whole article he complains how he miss stereo speaker's.
            Sound's like gsm arena is really trying to convince us that these remote controls are something out of this world.
            Leave people to choose for them self don't try to put your opinion in their head and make them feel bad if they don't choose small bezels

              AnonD-704979, 29 Oct 2017I love how the first dude claims to be an audiophile and is... moreJustification at best XD

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                • Anonymous
                • tZk
                • 30 Oct 2017

                I love the front stereo speakers as it is for balance listening experience, I also love bezel-less designs as it is more portable for a larger screen smartphone, BUT a sturdy and more solid phone are always better, otherwise it is a piece of crap.

                  Anonymous, 30 Oct 2017The idea behind putting stereo speakers in phones is genuin... moreThe justification is that stereo speakers do a far better job than mono. Sure, they don't beat proper stereo speakers that could reproduce amazing bass and highs, but they sound centuries ahead of any mono speakers.

                  That and some high quality headphone jack DAC and amp, and that's the only smartphone that I'd consider, hence why I like the Axon 7, Idol 4s, One, One M7, M8, M9, 10, Z, Z1, Z1 Compact, Z2, Z3, Z3 Compact, Z3+, Z5, Z5 Compact, Z5 Premium, X, X Performance, X Compact, XZ, XZs, XZ Premium, XZ1, XZ1 Compact, Moto X Play/Pure, and any smartphone with stereo speaker setup.

                    How about modular stereo speakers? Is that already a thing? I know Moto has something. It would be pretty sweet to have for more phone models.

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                      • AnonD-392500
                      • 6p$
                      • 30 Oct 2017

                      Anonymous, 30 Oct 2017the problem, as usual, is that this misses the point. its n... more1. Bezel or bezeless-the front of both phones are almost entirely covered with glass. So, what you so called bezels are made of glass which is prone to crack. So bezel or bezeless, both can crack when you drop. Watch youtube drop tests. Both bezel amd bezeless phone crack when drop at certain height.
                      2. Touch rejection works 100% perfectly for me.
                      3. Screen not covered by fingers? It is because it is large screen. Not because it is bezeless. Also, if you can use a 5.5" screen phone(eg. XZ premium) with 1 hand, you can also use 5.8" bezeless phone with 1 hand(eg. Galaxy S8).
                      I have both large bezel phone and bezeless phone and I always appreciate the extra screen that bezeless phone offers. Cheers!

                        • ?
                        • Anonymous
                        • pWQ
                        • 30 Oct 2017

                        Sony Fanboy Bitches, 30 Oct 2017Of course stereo speaker is a must! If we paid $900 for a ... moreThe idea behind putting stereo speakers in phones is genuinely good, but as you can hear it yourself, the execution is always lacking sound-wise. The tiny speakers simply aren't capable of producing any real low bass (speaking of lower frequencies, for which you usually use a quality subwoofer for - 30 Hz and below that) and the overall sound is just not up for the par with real external speakers as the stereo-image is way too small.

                        Speakers simply need more distance in between them to create a nicely wide stereo sound than what phones or even tablets can offer. So for real audio quality (if you are into good sound, that is - most people are fine with any sound coming out), the best solution is to use your choice of headphones or external speakers. H*ll - I'd go as far as say even the low-end plastic, Logitech-made 2.1 -speakers offer richer sound than _any_ phone out there. I mean those sets which cost like 30-40 euros brand-new.

                        There are some scenarios, of course, in which you simply won't be able to use quality external speakers or headphones, so that's when having that flat stereo sound coming out from your phone is an advantage. While it's so far away from quality sound, the idea is good, yes. And it's surely clearer than mono-sound, so you can hear people speaking in your favorite shows easier.

                          Big bezels are overrated. When you've saw the Dell XPS 15 and the Sharp phone, nobody has come close. That being said, I need quality sound.

                            Of course stereo speaker is a must!
                            If we paid $900 for a flagship, the sound quality must be beyond stereo quality.

                            Let these poor crybab**s convince themselves that "MONO IS FINE" and don't let them try a stereo speaker smartphone for they might regret their statement so much.

                            As for bezels, I don't mind having small bezels, too.
                            But not overkill like Samsung or Xiaomi or Huawei or anybody else.
                            LG did a fantastic job with the bezels for the G2, G3, ane G4. All they have to do is to put stereo speakers inside those bezels (those are large enough to pack some serious high quality speakers), Sony's front camera sensor (13mp 1/3.06" AF front camera), fingerprint scanner at the back (on the power button, but also keep the volume keys above and below it), updated SD835, latest Android 8.0 Oreo, better 4K HDR OLED screen, 16mp but larger 1/2.3" main camera with f1.8 lens and OIS, bump the RAM to 4GB, and pretty much upgrade their specs with 2017 hardware, and I'll buy one as fast as 100x the speed of light.

                              Why not both? Pixel 2 XL managed to do that: stereo speakers with minimal bezels.

                                • K
                                • Kangal
                                • uCX
                                • 30 Oct 2017

                                Mobile phones have been trending to be more stylish, more expensive, and less functional.

                                When they want to emphasise something is better, the way they do it now is to give it more marketing, more storage, or more memory, or more cores, or higher resolution, or more cameras, or less bezel.

                                I've said this from Day One, designing a smartphone is an exercise in compromises.
                                Here's an example, which one would you buy:

                                Sony Xperia 2017 (A hypothetical phone for the masses, form over function)
                                €600 ...a current high-end price
                                Curved design (eg SGS7), standard charger in box, 3,000mAh battery
                                64GB, 4GB RAM, locked bootloader, slim 6mm thinness
                                no microSD, non-removable sealed eSIM, no aux port, IP68
                                No fingerprint only Face Unlock, front MONO speaker and earpiece
                                19:9 screen, 1440 x 2960, IPS-LCD
                                6.0 inch, 90% Screen to Body
                                Mass Supply, Comes in few colours of Black/White/pink apple

                                Sony Pro 2017 (for power-users/enthusiasts, function over form):
                                €800 ...a enthusiast/professional/power-user high price
                                Flat design (eg LG G6), fast charger in box, 4,000mAh battery
                                128GB, 8GB RAM, unlocked bootloader, thick 9mm size
                                microSD, dual SIM, 3.5mm aux, IP68
                                Rear fingerprint No face unlock, front STEREO (dual loud)speakers
                                16:9 screen, 1920 x 1080, OLED
                                5.7inch display, 80% Screen to Body
                                Limited supply, Comes in new colours Copper/Crimson/HyperBlue

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                                  • AnonD-687126
                                  • vap
                                  • 30 Oct 2017

                                  I would give them all up for a headphone jack.
                                  My phone is my iPod.

                                  But I rarely need loudspeakers.
                                  A big screen in as small a package as possible is far more useful.

                                    Don't care about stereo speakers. If i want high quality sound i have akg bluetooth speakers and earphones that can give me that.

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                                      • Anonymous
                                      • qJ}
                                      • 30 Oct 2017

                                      the problem, as usual, is that this misses the point. its not about audio quality. its about having ANY AUDIO at all.
                                      when your finger is on the speaker the whole time there is.. NO AUDIO.

                                      i'll take bezels any day if that means i get ANY AUDIO w/o having to wear headphones.

                                      then comes the other issues with bezel-less phones that are completely over looked...

                                      - drop issues.. they crack like they're a thin layer of crystal. bezel phones rarely crack!

                                      - handling: touch rejection never works 100% correctly, not to count false positives where touch doesnt activate because it though it had to reject your press...

                                      - screen not covered by fingers: whats 10% more screen space if its covered by fingers most of the time?

                                      at the end of the day bezel less is 100% looks (they do look cool!), 0% practical.

                                        • ?
                                        • Anonymous
                                        • n5p
                                        • 30 Oct 2017

                                        The irony is that I voted for bezeless phones, whilst using a Marshall London, which I purchased after the two of everything article a couple weeks ago.

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