WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:03.520 When it comes to modern technology, minimalism is the name of the game 00:00:03.520 --> 00:00:09.680 and the lightweight, sleek devices we use today look nothing like the clunky boxes of yesteryear. 00:00:09.680 --> 00:00:13.520 However, there is still one very noticeable limitation 00:00:13.520 --> 00:00:17.640 in humanity's quest to build the most futuristic looking gadgets possible. 00:00:17.640 --> 00:00:21.440 Bezzles, those bulky frames that surround our screens 00:00:21.440 --> 00:00:24.960 and that companies seem to be tripping over themselves to get rid of. 00:00:24.960 --> 00:00:30.440 Not just for a sexier aesthetic, but also to cram as much screen real estate as possible 00:00:30.440 --> 00:00:34.320 into smaller and smaller packages. But whether we're talking about a phone, 00:00:34.320 --> 00:00:38.920 a monitor or a TV, it seems like bezels are still a necessity 00:00:38.920 --> 00:00:44.800 for the time being. But why? To answer, we reached out to Sasha Kron at ASUS, 00:00:44.800 --> 00:00:49.240 a manufacturer of all three of those product categories, and we'd like to thank him for providing us 00:00:49.240 --> 00:00:52.640 with an assist on this video. Let's start with the simplest reason 00:00:52.640 --> 00:00:57.280 that we still have bezels. The edges of modern LCD and LED displays 00:00:57.280 --> 00:01:03.320 need to be protected because they're made up of multiple layers that need to be sealed up somehow. 00:01:03.320 --> 00:01:09.200 I mean, think of trying to take a triple-decker sandwich home from the deli without wrapping it up in plastic first. 00:01:09.200 --> 00:01:13.240 But that's not the end of it. Beyond structural protection and support, 00:01:13.240 --> 00:01:16.560 it turns out that bezels often house the equipment 00:01:16.560 --> 00:01:22.960 that drives the display itself, such as circuits and traces that run up to the screen. 00:01:23.000 --> 00:01:28.160 And if you're talking about a monitor, these components are often stored in the bottom bezel. 00:01:28.160 --> 00:01:32.400 That's why that particular one is usually quite a bit bigger. 00:01:32.400 --> 00:01:36.680 Now, it is certainly possible to put the components behind the display, 00:01:36.680 --> 00:01:42.360 but this can add a fair amount of thickness which may impact the product's appeal to consumers. 00:01:42.360 --> 00:01:47.600 But okay, hold on a second Linus. My smartphone has super thin bezels 00:01:47.600 --> 00:01:50.880 and doesn't even have a gigantic chin. 00:01:50.880 --> 00:01:54.360 Why can't they just do whatever they're doing in smartphones? 00:01:54.360 --> 00:01:57.920 Well, part of why phones get all the love is out of necessity. 00:01:57.920 --> 00:02:03.520 Phones obviously have a greater need to be more portable than other everyday electronics. 00:02:03.520 --> 00:02:08.200 So it makes sense that quite a bit more work has gone into eliminating phone bezels 00:02:08.200 --> 00:02:13.120 versus the ones on monitors or TVs. And phones have the added benefit 00:02:13.120 --> 00:02:18.560 of receiving extra structural support from having the logic board and the battery built in. 00:02:18.560 --> 00:02:22.200 There's also an economic reason. Profit margins on phone displays 00:02:22.200 --> 00:02:25.680 are quite a bit higher than on monitors, laptops and TVs 00:02:25.680 --> 00:02:28.720 because panels get produced in large batches 00:02:28.720 --> 00:02:32.560 which means that you can make many more phones from one batch 00:02:32.560 --> 00:02:37.920 than you can larger displays. Also, phones tend to be relatively expensive 00:02:37.920 --> 00:02:42.440 for their size, meaning that manufacturers can invest more in developing ways 00:02:42.440 --> 00:02:46.960 to reduce their bezels footprint. So some phones have their screens 00:02:46.960 --> 00:02:52.000 partially folded around the edge so that the part of the screen that needs protecting 00:02:52.000 --> 00:02:56.600 is tucked underneath the phone's back cover allowing for narrower bezels. 00:02:56.600 --> 00:03:02.560 In some cases, this can actually be clearly seen from the outside, such as with Samsung's Galaxy Edge series. 00:03:02.560 --> 00:03:07.480 Other times, the panel drivers can actually be folded behind the display, 00:03:07.480 --> 00:03:11.140 something that is much more difficult to do on a gaming laptop. 00:03:11.140 --> 00:03:14.160 You see quickly switching pixels on and off 00:03:14.160 --> 00:03:18.240 to get high refresh rates and fast pixel response times 00:03:18.280 --> 00:03:22.760 requires a lot of current, which means thicker wires or traces 00:03:22.760 --> 00:03:28.000 are required to carry it. Now on phones, these factors tend not to matter as much 00:03:28.000 --> 00:03:31.120 so manufacturers can get away with using thin traces 00:03:31.120 --> 00:03:36.520 that are easier to fold, not so on something like a gaming laptop. 00:03:36.520 --> 00:03:41.520 So all of this has meant that we look to be on a slow march towards phones 00:03:41.520 --> 00:03:46.200 with very, very minimal bezels, even phones that are nearly all screens 00:03:46.240 --> 00:03:51.000 such as Xiaomi's Concept Mi Mix Alpha. But as for the larger displays, 00:03:51.000 --> 00:03:54.520 well, it's certainly possible to make a very thin bezel 00:03:54.520 --> 00:03:58.440 out of a transparent material like glass so that it's less obvious, 00:03:58.440 --> 00:04:01.540 but to get a truly bezel-free display, 00:04:01.540 --> 00:04:05.440 the most promising technology right now looks like micro led. 00:04:05.440 --> 00:04:09.520 You can learn more about that up here, but it can get away without using bezels 00:04:09.520 --> 00:04:14.780 because the circuitry that drives the LEDs is embedded in an extremely thin substrate 00:04:14.780 --> 00:04:20.020 that forms part of the display itself. So it doesn't need the bezels either for structural support 00:04:20.020 --> 00:04:24.920 or to hold electronic components. Of course, if you really want a bezel-free display experience 00:04:24.920 --> 00:04:28.460 right the second, you could always just go out and buy a hollow lens, 00:04:28.460 --> 00:04:32.380 as long as you don't mind looking like a total dork. So thanks for watching guys, 00:04:32.380 --> 00:04:36.580 like this video, check out our other videos, leave a comment if you have a suggestion 00:04:36.580 --> 00:04:39.900 for a future, fast as possible, and don't forget to subscribe 00:04:39.900 --> 00:04:42.980 or you're never gonna see it. That'd be awkward.