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I’ve been complaining about the size of laptop frames for years. Ever since Dell started the trend in 2015 with the redesigned XPS 13, I’ve been pushing for smaller and smaller bezels in laptops to match what phone makers have achieved.
In that period, the iPhone went from a home button on a large bottom chin to almost no bottom bezel at all. I wanted laptops to have the same premium approach.
But then 2020 came and priorities and usage habits turned upside down. In retrospect, the push for ultra-thin bezels may have been a mistake.
Design compromises
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Let’s start with why this whole thing started in the first place. Why want thin bezels at all, you ask? The obvious answer is looks. Thinner frames just look futuristic. They remove distractions and bring the content of the screen to the fore. But let’s face it, putting thinner bezels on your products is mostly about following trends. Nobody wants to look outdated.
But as with all things in technology and design, there is a trade-off behind every small decision. And when it comes to frame reduction, the webcam has always been the victim. Some laptops have tried to move the camera to some bizarre places, like under the key or in the bottom bezel.
In practice, most of us didn’t mind that much. That certainly didn’t stop me from crowning it the best laptop you could buy at the time. Of course, the nose cam was disgusting. But most people would use it so infrequently that it wasn’t a problem. And eventually laptop manufacturers actually found ways to shrink the camera module and squeeze it into the smallest possible top bezel.
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But again there was a compromise. These smaller camera modules required a smaller sensor, which struggled even more in low-light scenarios. The result is a webcam that is basically for emergencies only. It’s not something you want to force your co-workers or family members to suffer through on a daily basis.
And for many of us, that is exactly the situation we find ourselves in today. Zoom or Teams calls all day. Many people who have never turned on their webcam have found out how poor the quality really is. And that’s when frame size regret hits you.
Laptop webcams are crap
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Before 2021, it was almost impossible to find a laptop with a 1080p webcam. 720p was the standard, and compared to the other devices we all own, it was just plain sad. Over the past few months, laptop manufacturers have started turning to 1080p webcams, such as new laptops from MSI and Lenovo. It didn’t come as quickly as I’d hoped, but I did celebrate some 1080p options.
As these companies have said time and time again, a higher resolution would mean a larger camera module. And with that bigger camera came a thicker top frame. Unlike phones and tablets, there is simply not much space behind the screen in the thickness of the laptop cover. Therefore, there is a need for a large frame. It’s not a flattering look, but in 2021 it’s a compromise that most people would probably prefer. That’s the opposite of what I would have said a little over a year ago.
Don’t get me wrong. Seeing thin bezels on a laptop still makes me feel happy inside. This is especially true now in the bottom or sidebar.
But these days, a thin top bezel makes me less hesitant to recommend a laptop today than a thicker bezel with a better webcam. The average laptop user shouldn’t need to buy a separate external webcam just to get their basic work done. Until there are major innovations around cameras and bezels, thick bezels could be the future of laptop design.
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Source: newstars.edu.vn