It’s 2017 and (thankfully) smartphones are no longer so ugly any more. In fact, most of them are truly stunning and crafted beautifully. Small, squint-to-see displays have been replaced by amazing OLED screens, bezels are almost history (along with the headphone jacks for few models) and the thick edges have been replaced by sleek and tapering edges. The list goes on. These changes have yielded phones that can rightly be described as stunning. And the best thing about them is that they are also packed with interesting features. Luckily, 2017 has been a year where many glass walls were broken when it came to designing and here are the phones that broke all stereotypes.
1. Samsung Galaxy S8: That Display!
Coupled with its edge-to-edge display and quad-HD super AMOLED screen, Samsung produced a revolutionary concept with its Galaxy S8. The combination of 18.5:9 aspect ratio and curved edges resulted in a tall (and delicate) slab of glass with sharp and vibrant colors. With no capacitive button and thinner top bezels, watching videos and playing games on the Galaxy S8 has become an amazing experience. Specification-wise, the Galaxy S8 is powered by an octa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 chipset and 4GB of RAM. Apart from this, it packs a top-of-the-line list of features such as Bluetooth 5.0, wireless charging, iris scanner, and facial recognition. It is also IP68 certified when it comes to water and dust resistance.
2. Xiaomi Mi MiX 2: Bezel? What’s That?
The Mi MiX 2 approached the bezel-less feature from a different angle. Not only did it chop the side bezels off, it also got rid of the top bezels and relocated the selfie shooter to the bottom chin, along with a string of customization to its sensors. With its dramatic bezel-less display, curved glass, an 18:9 FullHD+ 5.99-inch screen, and a ceramic back — calling the design of the Mi MiX 2 just impressive would be an understatement. What’s more? The rear camera is encased in a gold ring. The gold accents of the fingerprint sensor and the logo also add to the allure. The Mi MiX 2 is powered by the Snapdragon 835 chipset and 6GB of RAM. It packs the current ubiquitous standard of 128-GB onboard storage and a 12-megapixel rear camera that boasts of the 4-Axis OIS technique.
3. Essential PH-1: Future Ready
Designed by the person who created Android, the Essential PH-1 managed to grab the eyeballs of quite a few experts when its features were announced. The Essential Ph-1 isn’t just another bezel-less phone, it’s future ready at the same time. It sports a unique modular concept, which lets you hook a 360-degree camera to the top of the device. The specification sheet is similar to that of the Mi MiX 2 with Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 powering the device, along with 4GB of RAM and 128GB of onboard storage. However, what makes the Essential Ph-1 stand out is its dual-camera setup that produces detailed images by combining the data from the pair of 13-megapixel color and RGB sensors.
4. LG V30: FullVision Display
Bezel-less phones are the talk of the town and a new addition to this line-up is the LG V30. Touted as one of the nicest phones to have come from LG, the V30 boasts of an edge-to-edge display, which is termed as FullVision display. Adding to its stylish look, the edges are shaved off revealing a gentle curve. The rounded corners also give its 6-inch screen a stylish look. The LG V30 also sports an 18:9 quad-HD OLED display and Corning Gorilla glass at the back and on top of the camera lenses. Snapdragon 835 and 4GB of RAM are the de-facto chipset and RAM configurations for the flagship phones this year and the LG V30 has followed the trend. Apart from that, it packs a 16-megapixel (f/1.6) primary camera, along with a 13-megapixel (f/1.9) secondary camera.
5. Honor 8 Pro: Stunning Blue
With the Honor 8 Pro, things are a bit different. Though you won’t find dramatically reduced bezels, it’s one of the nicest phones to have come from Honor. It’s sleek at just 6.97mm and sports an incredible 5.7-inch quad-HD display. The display isn’t made of glass but mostly metal. While the front sports beautifully rounded corners, the rear panel hosts a dual-lens camera setting at the top, along with contrasting antenna lines. The Honor 8 Pro is powered by the in-house Kirin 960 chipset and 6GB of RAM. When it comes to the camera setup, it offers a pair of 12-megapixel cameras. The device comes in two colors — Navy Blue or Midnight Black. If you ask me, the Honor 8 Pro truly rocks the Navy Blue color.
6. HTC U11: The Fad of Squeezable Edges
The HTC U11 is similar to every other premium phone sparing a few. It sports the same amount of bezels, 16:9 aspect ratio, and headphone jacks. The unique thing about this phone is its squeezable edges, now made popular with the Google Pixel 2. Since we are talking about looks, let’s not drift too far. The U11 sports a shiny curved glass back, which gently blends with the metal frame along the edges. The front of the glass follows the same style with the edges blending nicely with the frame. Snapdragon 835 makes an appearance in this phone as well and is accompanied by 4GB of RAM and 64GB of internal storage.
Perfect Blend of Beauty and Brawn
These were some of the best-looking phones that were launched this year. With their revolutionary concepts of design and state-of-the-art features, these devices symbolize the perfect mix of beauty and brawn. So, which of these will you choose? Let us know in comments.
