HP to Introduce AMOLED Envy and Spectre Laptops in April

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• mr_tawan - Thursday, March 28, 2019 - link

  While they do look ugly, I think they have function to serve. The top of the screen has web cam and a mic array. The bottom of the screen... help lifting the screen up a little bit so your hands are blocking the screen. Well that are some reasoning I can think of lol.
  
  I personally don't like the phone that has super narrow bezel on the top/bottom. Just find it difficult to hold when watching video or playing games. Without larger bezel, it has to be hold on the side which I find it a little awkward. It does look good, I admit. If it's just a monitor then I'd have no objections.

• Dizoja86 - Thursday, March 28, 2019 - link

  I have the 2018 HP Spectre with the same bezels, and I was initially skeptical, but I love it at this point. The bezels are under the same piece of glass as the rest of the display, so it is all a single surface. I also actually purchased this laptop for the 2-in-1 functionality, and the bezels make it far easier to use as a tablet. The bottom bezel also keeps your hands from getting in the way of the screen while you're typing if you're like me and actually use the laptop in your lap or in bed.

• Samus - Friday, March 29, 2019 - link

  Aside from what other people have said, the other reason the display is lifted above the hinges has to do with heat dispersion. The fans blow heat up onto the screen and direct it at this bezel below the screen to effective deflect the heat away from the surface - Apple was the first manufacture to do this with the Macbook a decade ago in order to remove all vents from the bottom plate of the machine.
  
  I've also repaired screens and noticed a lot of structural reinforcement in the bottom bezel where the hinges meet, and sometimes a X brace behind the panel. I think the strategic position of the panel could have to do with durability.

• Tams80 - Friday, March 29, 2019 - link

  "The bezels are stupid. They should be almost gone."
  Me: "Why?"
  "Because they're ugly."
  Me: *how far can this species fall?*

• Valantar - Friday, March 29, 2019 - link

  In a metal notebook there are reasons (beyond cameras): WiFi and Bluetooth (and possibly 4G) antennas. These need a certain amount of non-obstructed area to work. Still, these displays could have been taller even accounting for that. The issue is that making the notebook 16:9 would mean terrible ergonomics (small touchpad, useless wrist rest) and likely a too-small battery (rest of hardware is mostly fixed size) - and there are barely 16:10 display panels being made any more (with Apple's panels being the exception).
  
  Still, in time I hope laptops in general move to 3:2 as a standard aspect ratio. It's far better suited to what laptops are used for (web browsing and office work), has a good balance of width to height, and is a good balance in terms of ergonomics for the rest of the device.

• Spunjji - Sunday, March 31, 2019 - link

  I'm very much in agreement here. The thing is, panel manufacturers mostly make 16:9 displays these days - and having a custom panel made for your line of notebooks adds cost that most OEMs are loathe to take on.

• Vitor - Thursday, March 28, 2019 - link

  I still find 4k overkill for notebooks. I dream of a 2560x1600, I miss 16:10.

• SaturnusDK - Thursday, March 28, 2019 - link

  I agree. 13.3" for my 2560x1440 screen is a tad too small for my taste as I'm pushing 50. 15.6" would be perfect for 2560x1440 but 4K? No. That's way too small a screen for that.

• TristanSDX - Friday, March 29, 2019 - link

  4K / 8K is for quality, not quantity, so many people do not understand this. Use screen scaling

• SaturnusDK - Friday, March 29, 2019 - link

  And many people do not understand that many professional programs do not work with screen scaling. Jeez.