5 reasons why we're glad Samsung ditched curved screens on the S21

Curved screens have been an enduring yet controversial fixture in smartphone design for over half a decade now. While there's certainly an aesthetic appeal to curvy glass, it isn't without its trade-offs.

Samsung was undoubtedly the manufacturer to popularise curved displays on smartphones. In 2014, it introduced the Note Edge - a Note 4 variant with the display curved on a single side. This was followed by the Galaxy S6 Edge about half a year later, touting the kind of curved display we now associate with Samsung devices. Going forward, curved screens became a fixture of flagship Samsung phones. Almost every high-end Samsung device between 2015 and today has had a variant with a curved screen.

And it hasn't just been Samsung loving on curved displays. In the wake of the Galaxy S6 Edge, every major Android smartphone manufacturer has flirted with chasing waterfall-like aesthetics on their phone screens. Even last year, OPPO, Huawei, TCL, Motorola, LG, and Vivo all had at least one device rocking curved edges.

Despite this, Samsung is still the manufacturer I associate most with curved displays. Every single core S20 model had a curved screen last year, which makes the brand's decision to return to flat displays on the Galaxy S21 and the Galaxy S21+ all the more surprising (the Ultra is still has a curved display).

Surprising isn't necessarily a bad thing though, because for everything we love about curved screens, there's at least one thing we hate.

Colours aren't uniform

Since curved displays aren't level, this can impact how we perceive colour. The colours you see on curved edges tend to distort, especially when you're looking at white backgrounds or when you've got the brightness dialled up high. This makes the display look less uniform, which isn't really ideal on a premium product.

Curved displays are prone to false touches

One of the biggest problems with curved displays is false touches. This is where part of your palm touches the curved side of the screen when you're gripping the phone, triggering an input you didn't want. While manufacturers have gotten better at preventing false touches on phones with curved displays, it's still an issue - especially for those with smaller hands.

Curved displays are more expensive to repair

Unsurprisingly, curved screens are more expensive to repair than their flat alternatives. A screen repair on the flat Galaxy Note 20 will set you back $360 - $100 less than what it would cost to get a shattered Galaxy Note 20 Ultra fixed. In a similar vein, replacing the display in a Galaxy S20 FE will set you back $300, while a Galaxy S20+ screen repair goes for $380. Both phones have the same-sized display, the main difference is the curve (although the S20+ display also runs at a higher resolution).

Screen protectors are harder to apply

Applying screen protectors is hard enough on a flat display, and even trickier when there are curves involved thanks to additional dimensions you have to consider.

Curved displays don't add usable area

While curved displays cut down on bezel, they don't exactly add screen real estate you can use outside of the odd gesture control. A flat display the same size as a curved display is always going to be a little more practicable.

Alex Choros

Managing Editor + Group Telco Editor | X | Instagram | Threads | LinkedIn

Alex Choros is the Managing Editor of WhistleOut Australia and an award-winning journalist. He's been writing about consumer technology for over a decade and is an expert on the Australian telco sector, to the point where he knows far too many phone and internet plans by heart. In addition to leading the WhistleOut editorial team, Alex is responsible for ruining the office Sonos with his troubled taste in music.

Read full bio