UPDATE: Unsurprisingly, most of you voted for the flat screen option – either paired with a flat back, or with a curved one. Some of you also noted that it’s difficult to put a glass protector on a curved screen, and while there are curved tempered glass protectors out there, it’s still a valid point. So, there you have it! Let’s hope manufacturers hear our voice and flatten our flagships for us! Thank you for voting, and stay tuned for more polls.
Ever since the Galaxy Note Edge and Galaxy S6 Edge hit the shelves 7 years ago, smartphone manufacturers have tried to exploit the curved screen design innovation in one way or another. We even got to a point where people just couldn’t buy a flat-screen flagship phone.Even though the industry now seems to be moving away from curved displays, there are still manufacturers and models that persist in having this feature onboard. Now, beauty is in the eye of the beholder, of course, and there are some objective pros and cons to having a curved display on your smartphone.
First and foremost, curved displays allow for a tiny bit more screen estate. Smartphones with 6.5+ inch displays feel more compact and easy to handle. Second, we can’t discard the sheer looks of a curved display smartphone – it’s cool, premium, and futuristic.Last but not least, the curvature allows for new UI elements and new ways of interacting with the phone. Shortcut bars, different notification icons, animations and lights, it’s not just a pretty design – there’s a certain practicality to having a curved display.
On the other hand, I can almost physically feel the anger of some of you when I use the word “practicality” next to “curved display.” Yes, holding a phone with a curved screen and actually using it is difficult without a case (I would dare to say nearly impossible, actually). The edge is so small and sharp that it digs right into your hand, and your palm is always touching the display, either making it behave strangely or rendering it unresponsive.
Curved displays are also much more prone to damage – my girlfriend broke her Galaxy S8+ by dropping her plastic hairbrush on the screen. It landed exactly on the curved part, shattering a huge portion of the screen. So, it’s a polarizing design, to say the least.
What’s your opinion on the matter? Do you like curved displays, or maybe you prefer a flat screen with a curved back? Vote in our poll, and if you don’t see your perfect answer, feel free to shoot a word or two our way via the comment section below. Personally, I like my smartphones to be as square as possible and I tend to use them without a case. Do you think it’s weird?
