Those Big Top and Bottom Bezels, Let Me Clear Something Up - Nexus 6P General

Now that there are a lot of reviews out for the 6P, I'm surprised by how many of them complain about the large top and bottom bezels on the 6P and even say it's like a step backwards in design. Some reviewers also seem to be confused and think the large bezels are necessary for the front facing speakers. And there are also quite a few comparisons with the iPhone, as if Apple is the only other company that can't figure out how to make smaller top and bottom bezels.
The reason the bezels are relatively large on the 6P (compared to the Nexus 6 or Nexus 5 or the LG G4) is because the phone is so thin and in addition has a larger battery. Once you shove a big battery (or any battery) in the middle of such a thin phone, the only place left for all of the rest of the electronics of the phone is at the top and bottom. So if you want thin then this is what you get, larger top and bottom bezels.
If anything Huawei should get credit for making a phone the exact same dimensions as the iPhone 6s Plus and getting a larger screen in it, with thinner side bezels, front facing speakers, a bigger camera sensor (okay I know there's the hump), and somewhat smaller top and bottom bezels.
In contrast, the reason the Nexus 6 or LG G4 has smaller top and bottom bezels is because they have that curved back that is much thicker at the center, so they've created extra space for the battery and electronics this way. (It would actually be interesting to know what the comparative volumes of all these phones are.) Or if you consider the Note 5 it is slightly thicker and has a smaller battery (although to be fair, Samsung is pretty good at keeping their phones compact--they're the only company I'm really willing to give special acknowledgement on this account).
Only Android Headlines (so far) seems to have understood in their review that the top and bottom bezels are a consequence of the thinness of the phone, although even they go on to complain about the bezels anyway.
I'm surprised so many reviewers seem so ignorant about cell phone design. You've got to cram all that stuff in their somewhere. Either you're going to have a thicker phone, a curved back, a tall phone, something. If it was just a bad design on the 6P that would be one thing. But if it's a consequence of unavoidable decisions based on the size of current electronics, then it seems misplaced to complain about the bezels without saying they'd rather have a thicker phone or something like that.
Anyway, for others reading the reviews and wondering about the bezels (even for you iPhone owners), I hope this is helpful.
[Edit: Here's the iFixit teardown for the 6P: https://www.ifixit.com/Teardown/Nexus 6P Teardown/51660. It makes it easy to see how the battery takes up half of the space in the 6P and just how much has to be crammed into the remaining space at the top and bottom of the phone.]

---

Okay.

---

No excuse, thickness > big bezels, like ALWAYS.
Big bezles are a thing ill never support, i will avoid buying ANY phone no matter how good it is, its unacceptable.

---

Almost all the other phone that have stereo speaker have big bezels. iPhone, HTC one M9, Sony Z serie.
if you don't want big bezel, go buy a LG V10 with the speaker on the back

---

warplane95 said:
Almost all the other phone that have stereo speaker have big bezels. iPhone, HTC one M9, Sony Z serie.
if you don't want big bezel, go buy a LG V10 with the speaker on the back
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
iPhone doesn't have stereo speakers. It's just a pig.

---

I would gladly go back to having thick phones if it meant bigger battery and better placement of electronics, but I've always valued function over fashion
Sent from my SM-G900V using Tapatalk

---

Soo, having a thin bezel is function, not fashion???

---

heleos said:
I would gladly go back to having thick phones if it meant bigger battery and better placement of electronics, but I've always valued function over fashion
Sent from my SM-G900V using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Interesting case to argue, case being the word. For some, a thick phone, that is also cased, would lose its function. Phone manufacturers know a lot of consumers use cases (a study from late 2013 showed 75% and growing). With thinner phones, phones with cases aren't as bulky as phones of the past without cases. Making them easier to hold. One could say a lot of 5.5"+ phones are unwieldy for many as is. If they were thicker, then cased, they'd be completely out of the question for small hands. So extending the phone vertically becomes the answer and they're running on the limits of pocket depth for many.
You could say, "well those consumers should buy smaller phones". Not many manufacturers are making small phones with flagship specs, so a balance must be struck. And when these small phones are made, the average person has unrealistic expectations. Expecting the phone to perform as well as larger phones. Which leads to tons of complaints from illogical consumers.

---

I remember when my Galaxy S1 was HUGE compare to the iPhone haha.

---

warplane95 said:
Soo, having a thin bezel is function, not fashion???
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If the placement of electronics and larger battery add to thickness of the phone and smaller bezels, then yes, I think smaller bezels in that case would be a result of function
mosincredible said:
Interesting case to argue, case being the word. For some, a thick phone, that is also cased, would lose its function. Phone manufacturers know a lot of consumers use cases (a study from late 2013 showed 75% and growing). With thinner phones, phones with cases aren't as bulky as phones of the past without cases. Making them easier to hold. One could say a lot of 5.5"+ phones are unwieldy for many as is. If they were thicker, then cased, they'd be completely out of the question for small hands. So extending the phone vertically becomes the answer and they're running on the limits of pocket depth for many.
You could say, "well those consumers should buy smaller phones". Not many manufacturers are making small phones with flagship specs, so a balance must be struck. And when these small phones are made, the average person has unrealistic expectations. Expecting the phone to perform as well as larger phones. Which leads to tons of complaints from illogical consumers.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Agree, Google isn't even making a small phone with flagship specs. However, how many people actually need their 6p to be 7.3mm? Would they notice if it was 8mm?
Sent from my SM-G900V using Tapatalk

---

heleos said:
Agree, Google isn't even making a small phone with flagship specs. However, how many people actually need their 6p to be 7.3mm? Would they notice if it was 8mm?
Sent from my SM-G900V using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Depends on the application of the extra mm. In a rounded form (Moto), it's not as bad but makes the phone wobble on desks. In a flat form, the extra .7mm is felt because it extends all the way across the back and causes you to have to hold your hand wider. With this phone, the engineers spanned the black bar on top all the way across specifically to stop the wobble so I'm sure they wouldn't have been fond of a round back. The many tradeoffs of engineering vs. what consumers want vs. what consumers think they want.

---

mosincredible said:
Depends on the application of the extra mm. In a rounded form (Moto), it's not as bad but makes the phone wobble on desks. In a flat form, the extra .7mm is felt because it extends all the way across the back and causes you to have to hold your hand wider. With this phone, the engineers spanned the black bar on top all the way across specifically to stop the wobble so I'm sure they wouldn't have been fond of a round back. The many tradeoffs of engineering vs. what consumers want vs. what consumers think they want.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I definitely would not have been fond of a round back. Maybe I'm just biased because I have larger hands, so I have less of a problem
Sent from my SM-G900V using Tapatalk

---

in the hand and for all practical uses, the rounded back of the entire X lineup is superior to most. for lazy application of swiping the phone while on the desk, its a big PITA. my X stays face down when leave it lying around because its the flattest point. however that means i have to constantly flip it over.
i'm ready for a flat phone.

---

with screen to body ration of 74% on the N6P I don't think the bezels an issue

---

dazed1 said:
No excuse, thickness > big bezels, like ALWAYS.
Big bezles are a thing ill never support, i will avoid buying ANY phone no matter how good it is, its unacceptable.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
**** yes! If the G2 nailed that 2 years ago there is absolutely no excuse! I've promised myself to not settle for anything larger than G2-level bezels.
And when was the last time you heard anyone wishing for thinner phones?? This crap-trend needs to die already.

---

blame the iphone crowd uninformed masses. when OEMs/marketing groups do surveys, they poll popular opinion and come back with "X". people don't miss what they don't understand, so if OEMs can make/save a few pennies per device, they've moved the needle which means management is happy.
it will always take an "unknown" to challenge the status-quo for OEMs to reconsider their path.

---

Never have I seen so many mountains made of molehills as here on XDA.

---

its a forum. welcome to the intrawebz. come for the pie, stay for the punch.

---

I had no idea people were so passionate about bezels. I have never noticed this in my life.

---

Definitely not a deal breaker with all the 6P badboy features!