Smartphone owners want large displays between 4" and 4.5"

[Arwin]

edge-to-edge screen will not work all that well when hold in hand and you touch the edge with your palm while trying to reach the other end of the screen with your thumb. Bezel is needed no matter how big the phone is, unless you drop the screen lower inside the edges kind of like a picture frame. In that case the bezel could be really thin indeed.

Do you know the 3GS?

I never touch more than the rear or the silver edge.

 

[Mariner]

I can't remember where I read it, but I'm pretty sure that I saw some kind of mention about intelligent programming could help to deal with accidental touches to the edges of bezel-less phones?

Sounds a bit tricky to me. For general usage, I don't suppose it could be a problem but games and other apps have all sorts of screen controls these days and I can't really see how the control software could decide what is a valid touch and what isn't.

As an example of this, Motorola phones have 'smart' software which attempts to deal with the problem that drops of water on a capacitive screen can cause. Unfortunately, this makes some games where you need to hold down a virtual button unplayable (though there is a now a hack available which can disable the 'smartness').

 

[Xmas]

Sounds a bit tricky to me. For general usage, I don't suppose it could be a problem but games and other apps have all sorts of screen controls these days and I can't really see how the control software could decide what is a valid touch and what isn't.

You could put touch sensors around the edges to determine where the user is holding the phone. Or you could make the screen bigger than the touch area so you don't register touches right at the edges at all.

 

[hoho]

Or you could make the screen bigger than the touch area so you don't register touches right at the edges at all.

Don't other OS'es use Meego-like swipes for navigation? That kind of restrictions would screw things up pretty badly, especially considering that many apps have buttons in the screen corners.

 

[Xmas]

Don't other OS'es use Meego-like swipes for navigation? That kind of restrictions would screw things up pretty badly, especially considering that many apps have buttons in the screen corners.

Well, if you don't have a bezel you can't really "swipe from the edge" anyway.

What I mean is a "dead area" that's 1-2mm wide, just like a bezel would be. Both buttons and your fingertips are significantly larger than that, so intentional taps should be picked up fine.

 

[hoho]

My n950 has around 4-5mm bezel and I've had a few cases where holding it in hand I've had the palm activate touch sensitivity. Though I'm not sure if the touch area is bigger than screen itself or not. If the entire front glass is sensitive then the bezel is around 1.5-2mm at best.