The 2024 Smartphone Market: The Ultra-Narrow Bezel Battle and the Future of "Bezel-less" Phones

The 2024 Smartphone Market: The Ultra-Narrow Bezel Battle and the Future of "Bezel-less" PhonesOver the past year, smartphone manufacturers have collectively returned to the straight-screen design. Flagship models such as the vivo X200, OPPO Find X8, and Honor Magic 7 have all abandoned curved screens in favor of flat displays

The 2024 Smartphone Market: The Ultra-Narrow Bezel Battle and the Future of "Bezel-less" Phones

Over the past year, smartphone manufacturers have collectively returned to the straight-screen design. Flagship models such as the vivo X200, OPPO Find X8, and Honor Magic 7 have all abandoned curved screens in favor of flat displays. This shift in screen design has ignited another competition: the pursuit of ultra-narrow bezels. In September 2024, Apple officially released the iPhone 16 Pro, boasting a minimum bezel width of just 1.44mm thanks to a new packaging technology, setting a new record for the iPhone Pro series. Just a month later, OPPO followed closely behind with the Find X8, achieving a similarly impressive 1.45mm bezel. However, less than two weeks after that, Xiaomi 15 reset the bar again, achieving a stunning 1.38mm bezel, becoming the new benchmark for 2024. (Source: Apple)

The quest for ultra-narrow bezels continues. According to leaks from Digital Chat Station on Weibo, a 2K+ LIPO narrow bezel solution has emerged, poised to break new records for high-resolution displays. The return of flat screens has made narrow bezels a critical factor influencing both visual appeal and hand feel, and new technologies are further fueling this "bezel war." But will we see truly "bezel-less" phones in the near future?

New Technology Landing: Even Narrower Bezels Arrive

Screen packaging technology is the key to achieving ultra-narrow bezels. Simply put, it's a manufacturing process that tightly integrates the driver chip, circuit connections, and display module, directly affecting the screen bezel width and screen-to-body ratio. For users, narrower bezels mean a more immersive visual experience. With flat screens becoming the mainstream, the improved grip offered by ultra-narrow bezels has also become a desirable feature. However, screen packaging technology is not without its challenges.

First, there's the issue of spatial limitations. In ultra-narrow bezel designs, the layout of the driver chip, circuit wiring, and display panel must be incredibly precise; optimizing even a single millimeter is exceptionally difficult. (Source: Xiaomi)

In the era of feature phones and early smartphones, COG packaging technology dominated. Its advantages included mature technology, low precision requirements, direct chip packaging on the screen glass substrate, and relatively low cost. With the iPhone X, Apple introduced COP packaging technology. This technology, combined with the bending characteristics of flexible OLED panels, allows for further reduction of screen bezels, especially the bottom bezel, which is a key reason why iPhones have maintained relatively even bezel widths on all four sides.

In the iPhone 16 Pro, Apple used LIPO packaging technology for the first time in its phone lineup. LIPO technology optimizes the layout of display driver chips and circuits, compressing bezel width to the extreme, achieving near-physical or visual "four-sided equal narrowness." (Source: Apple)

Traditional COG and COF packaging technologies typically place the driver chip at the screen edge, requiring extra space for the chip and signal wiring. LIPO technology, however, folds or hides the chip behind the screen, reducing its footprint on the bezel and providing the space needed for extreme bezel shrinking. Furthermore, LIPO employs a higher-density connection design, significantly reducing the number and length of signal transmission channels, minimizing bezel width while ensuring stable, high-speed signal transmission. This means LIPO not only makes the bezel narrower but also avoids loss of touch signals or reduced transmission speed, maintaining stability even in demanding scenarios like gaming or rapid swiping.

It's notable, however, that current flagship models employing LIPO packaginglike the iPhone 16 Pro, Xiaomi 15, OPPO Find X8, and Honor Magic 7almost universally lack 2K resolution displays. High-pixel-density panels demand even higher precision from packaging technology. For instance, uneven edge pixel arrangement can lead to display brightness or color deviations and insufficient signal transmission stability, impacting edge display quality. (Source: Xiaomi)

Therefore, as LIPO packaging technology proliferates in flagship models, the next key step lies in expanding its application to high-pixel-density and large-screen panelslike the 2K resolution 6.8X-inch display mentioned by Digital Chat Stationwhich could potentially become standard in future flagship imaging phones. A "bezel-less" phone might truly be just around the corner.

"Bezel-less" Phones: The Distance Between Dream and Reality

As early as 2015, Nubia Z9 achieved a visually "bezel-less" design. However, due to the inflexibility of LCD materials, even with the most advanced bezel control techniques and unique optical refraction design of the time, it couldn't entirely eliminate the problems inherent in ultra-narrow bezels. The following year, Xiaomi MIX emerged, pioneering a three-sided bezel-less design and ushering in the era of full-screen smartphones.

Why are manufacturers so obsessed with ultra-narrow bezels?

Firstly, ultra-narrow bezels significantly improve the screen-to-body ratio, leading to a more immersive visual experience. For example, the original Xiaomi MIX had a screen-to-body ratio of 91%, while a decade later, the Xiaomi 15 reached 94%. Although the improvement seems minor (just 3%), the visual difference is substantial. In consumers' eyes, a high screen-to-body ratio represents a more modern and premium product.

Secondly, in a fiercely competitive market, ultra-narrow bezels have become a hallmark of high-end models. As the smartphone market matures, consumers pay more attention to phone aesthetics, and bezel width becomes a crucial design metric. To differentiate their flagship models, manufacturers are investing heavily in advanced packaging technologies to surpass their competitors visually. (Source: OPPO)

To achieve the astonishingly narrow bezel of the Xiaomi 15, Xiaomi not only used the more expensive LIPO packaging technology but also custom-designed new packaging materials and even utilized AI to tailor packaging parameters, ultimately achieving the 1.38mm bezel.

In the future, ever-narrower bezels are inevitable. But does this mean the "bezel-less" phones of science fiction will become a reality? In fact, disregarding usability and durability for a moment, "bezel-less" phones aren't impossible. For example, models like the Xiaomi 15, OPPO Find X8, and iPhone 16 Pro, employing LIPO packaging, could achieve even narrower bezels, potentially leaving only the screen itself, simply through material optimizations.

Obstacles to "Bezel-less" Phone Adoption

However, completely bezel-less phones aren't achievable solely through packaging technology. The display module still requires driver chips and wiring; even flexible substrates can only partially conceal these components, and the physical limits remain. Furthermore, bezels currently serve a protective function, shielding the screen from damage. A bezel-less screen would be far more vulnerable to damage from drops, making durability a significant hurdle.

Even if these technical challenges are addressed, mass production and cost remain substantial obstacles. Currently, technologies enabling ultra-narrow bezels are primarily concentrated in flagship models, and high-resolution screens rarely utilize LIPO packagingissues requiring improvement. (Source: Apple)

That being said, the visual impact of a bezel-less phone is undeniable. But what about actual consumer demand? In high-end models, ultra-narrow bezels represent a critical point of competition, showcasing technological prowess. However, for average users, bezels aren't always a burden. A moderate bezel width can reduce accidental touches and enhance durability. Especially considering the current trend among manufacturers toward drop resistance, durability, and superior waterproofing and scratch resistance, most consumers likely wouldn't sacrifice protection for a minuscule bezel reduction (0.X mm) unless a solution offering both is found.

With the resurgence of flat screens, smartphone manufacturers have limited options beyond ultra-narrow bezels to enhance visual appeal. Unlike curved screens, flat screens are virtually impossible to manipulate visually via optical effects to create the illusion of a "bezel-less" design. But with ongoing improvements in packaging technology and the development of new packaging materials, bezel-less phones will eventually arrive. We believe that day isn't far off.