Display without borders: TOP 5 frameless smartphones

A low-cost way to get a frameless smartphone, and even with a dual main camera, is to purchase a product from the Middle Kingdom — Doogee MIX.

The smartphone is commensurate in size with 5-inch devices, despite the fact that the diagonal of its screen is 5.5". This result was achieved thanks to a narrow frame at the top of the front panel (only 2 mm). Similar thick frames are located on the sides of the screen, which somewhat smooths out the positive impressions about the frameless design of the gadget — after all, I would like to see them much smaller.

The display resolution of the Doogee MIX is quite modest and corresponds to the HD format (1280x720 pixels). However, the screen itself is made using SuperAMOLED technology with its characteristic depth of black colour, as well as bright and saturated colour reproduction. For the sake of framelessness, the Chinese developers of the device had to sacrifice the convenient location of the selfie camera, for which they identified a place on the wide "chin" of the model. There is also a function key with a built-in fingerprint sensor.

The smartphone has not bypassed the dual camera trend. But it is not necessary to count on the high quality of the images obtained with the help of the main photo module, because with minimal deterioration in lighting, the quality and detail of the images fall exponentially. The rear camera has two sensors with a resolution of 16 and 8 MP, respectively, and the aforementioned front camera has a 5-megapixel resolution. When you turn on the selfie camera, the phone immediately suggests that it be turned upside down.

In performance tests, the hardware installed "under the hood" of the mobile gadget receives average scores. For example, the number of "points" in the AnTuTu application exceeds 60K, which elevates the model to the rank of devices of a strong middle class. A similar class can be assigned to the level of battery life — the 3380 mAh battery allows the smartphone to work without recharging for a whole day. With all this, the Dooge MIX pleases with an appetizing price, and the smartphone simply does not have worthy competitors for this parameter.

The second phenomenon of the frameless storehouse of innovations from Xiaomi turned out to be more mundane. The thing is that some progressive developments have not been "run-in" on board Xiaomi Mi Mix 128 GB / 4 GB , so the generation number two uses more classical technologies than the first-born in the line.

The key difference from its predecessor was the return of the conversational speaker, for which a narrow slot was made in the thinnest frame above the screen. Recall that initially the smartphone transmitted the voice of the interlocutor by vibrating the screen (piezodynamic sound transmission technology), but it was heard not only by the owner of the gadget, but also by the immediate environment. The screen of Xiaomi Mi Mix 2 occupies more than 80% of the area of the front panel and with a diagonal of 5.99" has a resolution of 2160 x 1080 pixels.

Under the display, the smartphone has a small "chin", where they managed to install a 5-megapixel front-facing camera. The place for it was not chosen in the best way, but it is not possible to offer a different position to the camera due to the lack of other frames around the screen. But the main photo module is exactly where it should be — in the centre of the back of the ceramic case. The camera's object is also emphasized by the edging made of real gold. To help obtain high-quality photographs and videos in resolution up to UltraHD, a 4-axis optical image stabilization system is provided.

The smartphone received one of the most powerful "fillings" at the time of the announcement: its hardware platform was based on an 8-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 chip, supplemented with 6 GB of RAM and high-performance Adreno 540 graphics. In the fully ceramic version of the mobile gadget, which is positioned as a premium modification, even more "RAM" is installed — as much as 8 GB. "Iron" has a significant margin of performance for the long term.

Given the flagship ambitions of the model, the lack of water protection of the smartphone case is unpleasantly surprising. Also, the disadvantages of Xiaomi Mi Mix 2 can be recorded as the lack of a 3.5mm mini jack for connecting headphones. Otherwise, the mobile gadget is endowed with all the basic attributes of a modern smartphone, including support for fast charging, NFC chip equipment and other utilities. It is deservedly one of the most interesting devices on the Android platform of the 2017 sample.

The second flagship of the year from the South Korean brand is a continuation of the top line of smartphones V. However, he borrowed much less solutions from her than from a smartphone .

The device is available in a similar frameless design and with a similar dual camera in the equipment, which have found success with the flagship smartphone with the G6 model index. Instead of the previous "chip" of the series — an additional screen above the main one — LG V30 has learned to show the time and notification icons on the locked display. Its part is "lit" by individual pixels of the P-OLED matrix, the total resolution of which is 2880x1440 pixels with an impressive diagonal of 6". In addition to the high resolution, the display has got support for 10-bit HDR.

Under the spectacular outer shell of the gadget, a bundle of top-end 8-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 chip and 4 GB of RAM is working. It turns all existing applications on the maximum graphics parameters without the slightest hesitation. Also, the smartphone is strong in the musical component, but only when headphones are connected to it. The built-in DAC from the Bang&Olufsen audio brand is designed to improve the sound quality. When playing tracks through the only built-in speaker, the lack of stereo effect is disappointing.

Two high-power "eyes" of the main camera look at the surrounding reality from the back panel of the smartphone case. A conventional module takes pictures with a maximum aperture value of f/1.6, and a wide-angle one boasts an aperture of f/1.9. Particularly close attention in the shooting settings is given to flexible parameters for controlling sound recording during video shooting. Against the background of the advanced main camera, a 5-megapixel front-facing camera is knocked out like an eyesore, which the smartphone got as if in the load.

The phone recognizes its owner by fingerprint, face and even voice, protecting the data in the large built-in storage with a capacity of 128 GB from unauthorized access. The internal memory can be expanded by using a microSD flash drive up to 2 TB. However, such capacious drives do not yet exist for free sale. Reliable protection extends not only to personal data, but also to the LG V30 case, which is protected from moisture according to the IP68 standard. The gadget's support for fast and wireless charging complements the overall picture, as a result of which the model appears in the light of a device with increased competitiveness in the top segment of modern smartphones.

The features of the latest generations of Samsung's flagship smartphone series are easily recognizable by the beveled side faces of the screen. However, the "eight" is notable not only for them, but also for its frameless design. As a result, with similar dimensions with one of the key competitors (Apple iPhone 7 Plus 128 GB ) the smartphone has got a truly huge display diagonal — 6.2".

Keeping a tribute to tradition, the screen of the mobile gadget is based on a SuperAMOLED matrix of high resolution (in this case, it reaches the mark of 2960x1440 pixels). In the locked state, the clock and notifications are displayed on the screen, which is made possible due to low power consumption when displaying black pixels. Accordingly, this mode has a minimal impact on the charge of the built-in battery with a capacity of 3500 mAh.

As usual, the best of the flagships, the hardware platform of the smartphone is one of the most powerful, regardless of the type of chip used — be it Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 or the brainchild of its own development Exynos 8895. The company's performant processor consists of 6 GB of RAM and graphics ARM Mali-G71 MP20. Such a bundle of components allows you to run all modern applications at maximum settings, without fear of possible lags and slowdowns.

The user has the right to store personal data both in the built-in storage with a capacity of 128 GB and on a microSD flash drive (up to 256 GB inclusive). In both cases, the information is under the reliable protection of a fingerprint sensor, an iris scanner or a facial recognition system. These methods of identifying the owner of the device act in addition to the classic methods of unlocking by means of a password or a graphic key.

The strength of the Galaxy line has always been advanced photo and video capabilities. Samsung Galaxy S8 Plus is no exception to the rule — its main 12-megapixel camera and front-facing camera with a resolution of 8 MP are deservedly considered one of the best solutions on the modern market. With proper skill, cameras can become a full-fledged replacement for an average camera.

In general, the definition of a kind of storehouse of progressive technologies is suitable for a smartphone, in which, in addition to the above-mentioned "chips", support for fast and wireless charging, protection of the case from dust and moisture according to the IP68 standard and the presence of a Bixby voice assistant are successfully combined. The disadvantage of the model is essentially one — the unfortunate location of the fingerprint sensor, which is why the finger sometimes gropes for the camera object instead of it. However, against the background of all the advantages of the flagship, this minor oversight in the constructive plan is excusable for him.

Ten years ago, Apple turned the idea of what a modern smartphone should be. In honor of the first round date, the technologically savvy Apple iPhone X was announced, which embodied many progressive developments of Cupertino engineers.

Almost the entire front panel of the mobile gadget is a high—resolution OLED screen (2436x1125 pixels) with support for image display technologies in the extended dynamic range of HDR 10 and Dolby Vision. With similar dimensions to the not-so-large Apple iPhone 7, the model's display has an impressive 5.8-inch diagonal. At the top of the screen there is a small cutout for a selfie camera, a conversational speaker and sensors of the Face ID system.

The technology of recognizing the owner of the device by face has replaced the classic way of unlocking a smartphone by fingerprint, since there was simply no place for a fingerprint sensor on board the Apple iPhone X. The Face ID system is able to distinguish a living person from a photo and adapts to changing the user's face. A hat, makeup, or a new hairstyle do not affect the efficiency of the system and the accuracy of facial recognition.

One of the coolest elements of a smartphone is a dual main camera. Both 12-megapixel modules are covered by the optical image stabilization system, which becomes an excellent helper both in taking photographs and in shooting videos. By the way, the video is written by a smartphone in a resolution of 3840x2160 pixels with a bitrate of 60 fps, and in FullHD format the recording speed reaches a record 240 fps. From the photographic possibilities of attention, the function of simulating various lighting conditions is bothered. With the help of a 7-megapixel front-facing camera, the user can not only take selfies, but also create animated emoticons based on their own emotions, called animoji.

Naturally, the most advanced "apple" gadget got the most powerful hardware (the Apple A11 Bionic chip, which has almost no equal in performance), dust and water protection of the case according to the IP67 standard, as well as support for wireless charging according to the Qi standard. In addition, the older version of Apple iPhone X has a large stock of internal memory (256 GB). The whole thing costs a lot of money, but for true fans of the brand, the high cost has never been a significant obstacle in the desire to become the owner of a new generation of iPhone.