Curved screens have cooled down, and smartphones are gradually returning to straight screen designs
In recent years, major mobile phone manufacturers have begun to apply more and more straight screens to flagship models, such as the Galaxy S24 series of new phones released by Samsung not long ago, which are equipped with OLED straight screens using new organic materials. At the same time, in the mainstream flagship models, the 2.5D micro-curved screen with smaller curvature has also become a trend.
Previously, in order to highlight the distinction between products, Android camp manufacturers generally used curved screens with large curvature on flagship machines. In the market environment at that time, on the one hand, this kind of screen represents the most cutting-edge flexible OLED screen, and on the other hand, it can also create a bezel-less effect on both sides, and users can see the difference at a glance in their vision. However, this type of screen also brings problems such as color cast on both sides, higher false touch rate, and more fragile screens.
In the early years, in order to make full use of the side space of the large curvature screen, some manufacturers also adapted the side-sliding interaction method for it, for example, on the Samsung Galay Note Edge, a side taskbar was adapted on the left side of the screen, trying to maximize the utilization of the screen surface. Subsequently, with the wide application of hyperboloid screens, many manufacturers have also learned this method and adapted this interaction method to their products.
However, in terms of results, this interaction method obviously did not achieve the effect that the manufacturer wanted, although there have been continuous optimizations to the experience, including touch algorithms, but for users, such a design is obviously far more prone to false touches than a straight screen. Therefore, there is a view that this kind of large curvature screen is "useless", and it does little to improve the experience, and even criticizes it as just "showing off skills for the sake of showing off skills".
In order to improve the user experience, a considerable number of manufacturers have returned to straight or slightly curved screens on flagship phones one after another. From the user's point of view, this transformation is the improvement of the color, interaction, and sturdiness of the large curvature screen, from the perspective of manufacturers, the large curvature screen can increase the internal space of the body in disguise, reduce the difficulty of component stacking, but with the advancement of SoC, battery and other component-related technologies, this benefit has become less important.
The fragility of the large curvature screen and the difficulty of applying the film may not be the main factor for users to have a negative impression of it. The early curved screen is indeed more easily damaged due to the relatively straight screen, especially when the corners are impacted by external forces, due to the more concentrated force points, it is more likely to break, but with the subsequent application of special glass and anti-drop and anti-seismic technology, the anti-drop ability has been improved to a large extent, and today's large curvature screen is no longer as fragile as imagined. In terms of film, because mobile phones have original films when they leave the factory, even if they need to be replaced in the future, most mainstream brands also provide free services.
From the perspective of cost, the production process of large curvature screen is complex, resulting in its relatively low yield, which directly leads to the increase of manufacturing costs, and because it also involves the adjustment of supporting components and processes, the increased cost may not be non-linear. In addition, the optimization of touch algorithm is also a problem that cannot be ignored, and the special form of the large curvature screen makes it necessary to adapt it in a targeted manner, which inevitably requires manufacturers to invest more efforts to adjust and optimize the algorithm.
These challenges may have a negative impact on improving the core competitiveness of products, after all, the increased costs will eventually be passed on to consumers, which in turn will affect users' impression of the brand and products. Therefore, after weighing the pros and cons, it has become a smooth thing for manufacturers to choose a straight screen or slightly curved screen with more mature technology.
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For users, although models with large curvature screens can look better visual experience, they are relatively weak in terms of product differentiation. For example, including the Xiaomi 14 series and the Meizu 21, they have applied ultra-narrow bezel screens, which bring a similar bezel-less design, which has actually reached or approached the visual effect of a large curvature screen.
As the most important interactive interface of smartphones, it is obvious that the consistency of the screen visual experience is very important for users. Users also prefer that in different scenes, the screen can ensure a clear and bright display effect, and there is no chromatic aberration, uneven brightness and other problems.
Under the current technical conditions, straight screen and slightly curved screen may be the most ideal choice to balance cost, design, and experience. The return of mobile phone manufacturers to this scheme is actually to better adapt to market changes and meet the increasingly diverse needs of users.
At the same time, major manufacturers are also constantly digging deep into the functional points that users really care about in this segment of the screen, and investing their limited energy and cost more accurately in these fields, such as image, battery life, performance, etc. This kind of user-oriented strategy adjustment will obviously not only help to enhance the core competitiveness of products, but also win the favor and trust of more consumers for manufacturers in the fierce market competition.
[The picture in this article comes from the Internet]