Look at your phone. It's probably been a while since it had anything you'd call a bezel.

Thick lines around your phone's display are in the past now, and even the cheapest phones sport little to no bezel around the edges of their screens.

That's a great thing. But is it? I've been thinking recently that maybe phones were better when they had bezels.

The bezel-less revolution is complete

It led to some important changes

I still remember when the was revealed.

The state of the mobile industry was much the same then as it is now, by which I mean we all knew what was coming. Leaks spoiled the Galaxy S8 long before the reveal, and Samsung leaned into that with the promotional material, showcasing the bezel-less look we knew was coming.

The Galaxy S8 is still one of the most beautiful phones I've owned. But what counted as "bezel-less" in 2017 wouldn't pass as that today.

We've reached a point where the front side of phones is essentially all display. Even the cheapest phones are now all but free of bezels around the edges of their displays.

"Bezel-less" has become a meaningless phrase, because it's the normal state for phones. Phones with bezels are now the exception, rather than the rule. And to the greatest extent, they basically don't exist.

It's a glorious thing. Without bezels, phones are now dominated by their screens, and as display tech improves, that's a very good thing.

Only, I really miss bezels.

No bezels, no iconic looks

A good frame helps the picture to shine

By eradicating bezels, we've allowed displays to stretch from edge-to-edge on a device. There's no denying it's a gorgeous look, but we've also lost a lot from that change.

One element we've lost is character. With the loss of bezels, we lost the ability to recognize a phone from the front.

You can see this in promotional marketing. The iPhone is a particularly strong example. Once upon a time, the symbol for the iPhone was its iconic front, with the home button at the bottom.

But since the move to bezel-free designs, phones need to become recognizable from the back, spurring the need for more unique-looking camera modules.

To some extent, this is fine. I love the 's camera bar. But I don't spend a lot of time looking at the back of my phone — I look at the front. Eventually, you realize there's little to no difference between most phone brands. That makes them boring, and they shouldn't be.

Besides, phones can be beautiful even with bezels. The Samsung Galaxy S7 is still a drop-dead gorgeous phone, and that phone has enormous forehead and chin bezels. But they don't stop it from being beautiful, it's easily recognizable.

I can't say that about my Pixel 10 Pro, because it looks like every other flagship phone from that year.

There's nothing to hold on to

Which is even worse when phones keep getting bigger

The other problem, and the biggest one, as far as I'm concerned, is grip. You've probably noticed this yourself, but modern phones with no bezel have basically nowhere to hold on.

The basics are the same, and you always placed your fingers on the edges of your phone to hold it. But you used to be able to wrap your fingers around for a really good grip. If you try that now, your fingers press into the screen.

The situation is slightly better now that we don't have as many phones with curved edges, but it's still not great. I've notice my unfolded is particularly bad in this regard.

The edges are flat, with a very small border around the edge, which makes it slightly easier to hold. But it's not good enough to get a really strong grip.

That problem is more obvious when you pass the phone to someone else. You'll watch, twitching, as they can't help but brush the edges, throwing them back to the home page or several screens back.

It's infuriating to watch, especially when you realize it isn't their fault. It's bad design.

Phones with tiny bezels look great, but what's the point if you can't hold them in any position other than gently nestled in your palm?

My Z Fold 8 is extremely hard to hold one-handed, and I regularly need a ring case to stop it from plummeting from my hand at the merest knock.

It's getting worse now that tablets are also shrinking their bezels. Those devices are hard to hold at the best of times, but now? They're close to impossible to grip properly.

If they come for e-readers next, I'm starting an official protest group.

You don't know what you've got till it's gone

The bezel isn't coming back

We aren't getting bezels back. They're too old, too outdated, too old-fashioned. We might get some of the old designs back, after those looks are considered retro, but we're never going to see a return to the old styles.

Phones are better in most ways now that they don't have bezels. But I'd be lying if I said I didn't miss those chunky boys. They're easier to grip, and they let phones look iconic instead of all the same. I miss that.

Phones are more beautiful now. I can't deny that. But every time I drop my phone onto my face at night, I wish there was a little more to hold onto.

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