This video was sponsored by Shopify. This is the Galaxy Note10 and I really like this device. What I don't like about it is the fact that
the screen curves around the edges. I don't like that. And, because curved screens appear to be the next big trend for Android flagships going forward, I wanted to make a video just to remind everyone why
they are a terrible idea. And, because I'm in a bit of a mood to rant, let's actually turn this into a series. So, welcome to Episode
1 of "Thanks, I hate it". *INTRO MUSIC PLAYS* I hate curved screens. They are dumb, there is nothing
practical about them (apart from making the screen
appear as 0.0001mm larger), and what you get in exchange is a phone that is worse in so many ways. Let's start with the eternal wisdom of YouTube's most famous phone destroyer. Zack: The glass is glass and glass breaks. Marton: Hm, sorry, could you, maybe, repeat that? Zack: The glass is glass, and glass breaks. Marton: Huh, okay. Umm… well, thanks, Zack, I think that makes it pretty clear then. And it means that extending that fragile
glass over the edge of the device (which is where you drop it
or bounce it against things) is maybe not a good idea. It makes your phone significantly more
prone to cracking and scratching. Now, I already hear some of you
saying that, you know, I'm just complaining about nothing because
you can just put cases on phones. And, I hear you. I mean, I put a bumper on my Note10, like I do with almost all devices, but I strongly disagree with this arguement. First, there's no way that a
phone should be designed in a way that it can only meaningfully be used with an
extra accessory on top of it. Like, that is not sensible product design. And, even if they were, while
some of the phones that have smaller curves, like the
Note10 for example, you can put a somewhat,
reasonable case or a bumper on, that'll be impossible for a lot of the
newer phones that are coming out soon. Take phones like the Mate 30 Pro or the Vivo Nex 3, for example. Their screens are curved
so far back, at almost ninety degrees, that cases
leave the entire sides of both of these phones
completely exposed. How dumb is that? I wouldn't want to let a
metal frame on my device exposed, let alone this curved,
fragile glass because Zack: Glass is glass, and glass breaks. Whoah. Umm, yeah, exactly. And, don't get me wrong. I sell Ungrips, which are designed to keep you from dropping your phone in the first place, so for me, it's great If cases stop working 'cause everybody should
buy more Ungrips anyway, but I still find this situation dumb. Now, another common argument
that I keep hearing is that this is innovation and innovation is good
and we just have to let companies do their thing. And I understand
where that argument is coming from. But I don't actually think
this is real innovation. We've had them on Samsung
phones since the Note 4 in 2014. That was five years ago. Neither curved OLED screens
nor curved glass are particularly hard to do and they don't really
require any innovation in 2019. The reason we moved away from
them is because both Samsung and users thankfully realized that too
much of a curve just isn't practical causing Samsung to adopt smaller
curves like those on the Note10. And so no, this isn't somehow
driving the industry forward. Unless you think having to
double tap to adjust the volume because it didn't have space what volume
buttons is somehow great innovation. Now, the companies that have brought these
devices to market have also argued that extending the touchscreen to the edge of the device
also allows for new innovative features. Like Edge gestures or shoulder buttons
while gaming for example, or phones reacting to squeezing pressure
in the case of Vivo. But I don't really get that either. I mean, the frames of our devices,
you know, the actual metal frames. It's quite easy to make those
capacitive and touch sensitive. So if edge features or touch sensitive
edges are what you desire, you don't really need to curve the glass
and the fragile display over the device. The Asus ROG phone and multiple HTC
phones have had touch sensitive and squeezable phone frames
for years which by the way, apparently came from the exact
same supplier that also made Vivo's curved screens
squeezable as well. So, I just don't get it. And not only do these curved screens not
solve any existing usability problems, they actually create new ones. Like suddenly big parts of your
screen needs to be sort of passive. First, they have to reject accidental touches
which by the way hasn't worked well on any curved screen phone I've tried, and is only going to get more problematic
as Android is prioritizing edge swiping gestures for basic navigations
like the back button. increased edge gestures and
increased palm rejection zones will only create more conflicts in the
future, not fewer ones in my opinion. And second, if the screen is curved enough, suddenly, UI elements on the side start
flowing off the screen and the padding (or the inactive dead space on the
side of apps) has to be increased. Huawei actually has an option
so you can turn off the sides of the screen on an app
by app basis to fix this, meaning that this is an actual
issue with some apps and that just seems like the worst self
inflicted wound I've seen in a while. Also, famous leaker ice universe
is predicting that this trend isn't going to stop, and that phone makers are
going to continue to push curves further and further in the future. Meaning that we'll see different kinds
of devices with different amounts of dead space on the side
of the display that the app makers for example will
have to adopt their apps to. Just imagine that you make an
app. It looks fine on one screen, and on another the same elements
just kind of float off the screen. Sounds terrible. And my last complaint is
that while curved screens look impressive in commercials
or on display in a shop, They sometimes look worse
when you actually use them. if I could say when you watch
a video or play a game. Having content be distorted at thetop at the
bottom as well as having extra reflections along the edges just makes things a little
less immersive and not more in my opinion. And so with this many downsides, you might
wonder why this five-year-old technology is suddenly seeing such a big revival. And I
can really only see two main reasons. One, of course phone makers would very much like everyone to have 1000 euro phones that are super fragile, can barely be protected by cases and screen protectors and are essentially completely unrepairable by their users. And two,
because lately, they also seem to be just a little too obsessed with
screen-to-body ratios And there isn't much bezel left to get
rid of on most smartphones anyway, so in trying to outdo each
other, they have decided that all that's left to do is to curve those
screens. And I get it, I like competition, I like small bezels, I mean, I have
to admit I bought the Note10 at least in part because I thought
there was a very pretty device. But at some point, making devices more
and more pretty at the expense of sacrificing usability and durability is not really
innovation or progress, it's actual madness Now, there is of course, one more device that I
have to talk about when it comes to this topic, there's no way around it and that is the ludicrous
Xiaomi Mi Mix Alpha. And while I kind of give this one a free
pass because at least it's novel, plus it's obviously more of a concept device
than a mainstream phone and I think manufacturers should be given a
free pass to play with crazy things, I'm afraid of what it signifies. Typically, concept devices don't make it to
mainstream consumers as they are, obviously. But they do represent an extreme
version of what the manufacturer thinks the future should be like and
exists to foreshadow big market trends. And if these screens
with more and more crazy curvatures are indeed what
all of these manufacturers are pushing for, that I think us as
consumers, I think we'll all be worse off for it. Now whatever device you end up buying,
remember to put a TechAltar on grip on it. All of my merchandise is brought
to you by Shopify, whose platform It makes it incredibly easy
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see you in next video.
I don't mind curved but if I had the choice I would choose flat without thinking twice.
The biggest reason why I feel curved screens are really not worth it anymore these days is because these manufacturers still can’t really convince us that curved screens are better than flat ones. These screens don’t really act like a screen that actually has a bigger screen-to-body ratio, and their usability and durability issues are still there since day one, still not solved.
Just got a s10e. Would have liked a phone with a slightly larger screen size however there is nothing on the market that has a flat screen (granted it's slightly 2.5D) and expandable storage.
The glare from the curve, distorted images on the edge, and difficulty in applying screen protectors are total deal breakers.
I’m happy every time i see a flagship with flat screen 😀
If I could get a Note with a flat screen again I'd be blissfully happy. The curve is pretty, but useless. It gets in the way. Makes the useful screen area smaller. Makes screen protectors harder to keep on. Just plain sucks.
Everybody: Stop it with the curved screens
Xiaomi: *releases Mi MIX Alpha*
I miss the times I could slap a hardened glas screen protector on my phone and never worry about breaking or scratching it.
Enjoying my curved screen on the s8. Zero complaints. Never knew it was such a major issue until I seen /r/android.
As a main Samsung user, I hate them... every galaxy i buy/repair increases my chance of never buying another Samsung phone
Design point - Looks great
User point - terrible!