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POLL: Waterfall Displays Need To Die [MKBHD]

Should Waterfall Displays Die?

  • Total voters
    4
  • Poll closed .
Rob

Rob

Galaxy S20 Ultra
News Moderator
Administrator
In the MKBHD review of the Motorola Edge+ he petitions manufacturers to stop making Waterfall displays completely. Do you agree that they should be killed off? Why or why not?


Waterfall Display discussed at 11 minutes into the video...
 
I always thought a waterfall display was this.
https://ham.stackexchange.com/questions/889/what-is-a-waterfall-display
A waterfall display is a graphical representation of the signals across a frequency range, generally color-coded to indicate signal amplitude or strength,
Vg8jw.jpg


How that relates to smart-phones, I have no idea.
 
It's just another marketing term for curved edges on the screen.

I've never been a fan. Their main purpose is marketing, both by "looking cool" and by allowing the manufacturer to claim a bigger screen size (because they quote the size of the screen when rolled flat, so the edges count in the screen size without being as useful as the rest of the screen). Their main drawback is that they increase the vulnerability of the device while adding either (a) little or (b) no functionality (depending on implementation).

In other words they are a gimmick, and I'd prefer not to have one.

I've no idea what this person's problem with them is though because I never watch video reviews of anything - they take too long to say too little for my tastes (the fact that this comment is 11 minutes in rather proves my point).
 
Hadron said:
It's just another marketing term for curved edges on the screen.

I've never been a fan. Their main purpose is marketing, both by "looking cool" and by allowing the manufacturer to claim a bigger screen size (because they quote the size of the screen when rolled flat, so the edges count in the screen size without being as useful as the rest of the screen). Their main drawback is that they increase the vulnerability of the device while adding either (a) little or (b) no functionality (depending on implementation).

In other words they are a gimmick, and I'd prefer not to have one.

I've no idea what this person's problem with them is though because I never watch video reviews of anything - they take too long to say too little for my tastes (the fact that this comment is 11 minutes in rather proves my point).
Click to expand...

Couldn't agree more re: reviews. First off, I don't gaf about "unboxing", which is literally about twenty five percent of any review. I know what's in the box, and I don't care what it looks like. Then there's the ten minutes spent on the camera. Even cheap phones have nice cameras these days and if you're a normal user, you're just taking pictures of kids or what you made for dinner, and uploading it to facebook or something. Hell, lots of people even use Google photos, which degradate the photos quality anyway. Photo geeks and photographers aren't using their phones' camera for serious picture taking, which like the curved edge, is just a gimmick anymore.
 
Hadron said:
I never watch video reviews of anything - they take too long to say too little for my tastes (the fact that this comment is 11 minutes in rather proves my point).
Click to expand...
My feelings exactly; I much prefer to read reviews.

And I take them all with a grain of salt, as no matter how much a reviewer tries to stay objective, as a human being, it's inevitable that their own likes/dislikes, important/unimportant features, etc., will bias their comments.
 
Rob said:
In the MKBHD review of the Motorola Edge+ he petitions manufacturers to stop making Waterfall displays completely. Do you agree that they should be killed off? Why or why not?


Waterfall Display discussed at 11 minutes into the video...
Click to expand...

Well I wish the voter turnout had been better. I quite like the rolled edge waterfall infinity curved screen bent glass displays. Why? Because they look awesome. I mean, I get where you guys are coming from with " it's gimmicky" it's a marketing scheme" "I don't need it" and all the rest. I don't disagree. But hey, this is not the first (or last) useless feature I happen to like. Sometimes I prefer form over function. There's a spoiler on my sedan. It also has two tailpipes but is not dual exhaust. I remember that my first mobile phone was a very impractical (and cumbersome) "status accessory" that was cost prohibitive to even use. I love the variety of options available on this platform. Im not calling for an end to flat displays. Let me keep my gimmicks.
 
Jon Crosby said:
Im not calling for an end to flat displays. Let me keep my gimmicks.
Click to expand...
The trouble is that the smartphone market doesn't provide choice, they tend to all follow the same trends. Ask the people who like physical keyboards, or user-replaceable batteries. Ask people who prefer phones you don't need 2 hands to operate (there are still some options, but very few). I've not watched the video, because I don't bother with any of these things, but the context of the complaint is another manufacturer jumping on this bandwagon. You don't have to call for an end to flat displays: all that's needed is for the choices available without these vulnerable edges to steadily shrink as all of the manufacturers follow a trend. I don't think it's that bad yet, but the number of options without these things is shrinking.
 
My phone has what the OEM calls a 2.5D screen - same as waterfall. But it has a tempered glass protector and is in a flipcase, so any extra tendency to get damaged is effectively negated
 
Hadron said:
The trouble is that the smartphone market doesn't provide choice, they tend to all follow the same trends. Ask the people who like physical keyboards, or user-replaceable batteries. Ask people who prefer phones you don't need 2 hands to operate (there are still some options, but very few). I've not watched the video, because I don't bother with any of these things, but the context of the complaint is another manufacturer jumping on this bandwagon. You don't have to call for an end to flat displays: all that's needed is for the choices available without these vulnerable edges to steadily shrink as all of the manufacturers follow a trend. I don't think it's that bad yet, but the number of options without these things is shrinking.
Click to expand...

Yes, they do follow the same trends. Isn't this true if any industry? There are successful industry leaders that take risks and set the trends, and others follow in their wake for their own slice of success. They all use their own strengths in posturing for market share but the market goes where the market goes. Remember when autos all had hard sharp lines and boxy looking bodies? Within 5 or so years in the 90s, they were all rounded off and curvy. For no reason.

Consumers can choose from devices that range in price from $30 bucks to well over $2,000.. The hardware specs range from 'barely useful' to 'unnecessary' and 'ridiculous'. There are more software options than other tech products. (I presume... Correct me if I'm wrong). And the design options approach infinity. Across the board, consumers always become familiar and comfortable with only a couple of brands, and there must always be some 'standard' benchmark, the vanilla. When the basic look and feel of a product is copied and repeated across manufacturers, :it is not as much jumping on the bandwagon as it is meeting a critical criteria for the bulk of consumers, and that is consistency.

Even with its impressive list of trendy displays, notches, controversial ports and buttons, and the ongoing race for bigger (meaningless) spec sheet numbers, smart phone choices are hardly in any danger.
 
I hate curved edge displays.
My two newest devices have them, and they are an absolute nuisance.

I enjoy laying in bed while playing with my phones, and these stupid phone edges are ultra sensitive and just holding the device triggers tons of unwanted screen touches.

This makes most operations difficult with both hands on the device, and even more miserable with only one.
 
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